Into the Rabbit Hole
Growing up, one of my favorite stories was Alice in Wonderland. Carroll’s nonsense literature has been winning over young readers since Victorian England. The characters are charming and entertaining, but the Cheshire Cat said it best — they were all “mad” in Wonderland. One of the most memorable moments in the book is when the Cheshire Cat assures Alice that everyone was mad in Wonderland — including her. Despite her denial, Alice was destined to be mad in Wonderland
St. Anthony the Great said that “A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, ‘you are mad; you are not like us.’” Anthony saw a threat that is always present — mob mentality. Modern culture would have you believe that everyone is mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad. And if you deny your madness? Then you are mad for not being mad. In a moment, the Cheshire Cat isn’t smiling anymore, but rather rebuking you.
This is where Postmodernism has taken us. We live in a mad society that makes bizarre statements everyday. Unfortunately, the church has given credibility to the madness. This was not done by affirming the madness, but rather entertaining the madness as a legitimate position. But what would happen if Christians began to wipe the grin off the Cheshire Cat’s face with some sanity?
Rationalizing the Irrational
I will be the first admit I have my fair share of insane conversations. I enjoy discussing topics that range from time travel to whether or not C.S. Lewis will write a new book on the new earth. These conversations (when I find someone gracious enough to listen) always end without a conclusion because nonsense conversations do not matter. I do not base my relationships with others on their stance on time travel. I do not expect someone understand and affirm how maybe C.S. Lewis could drop a new book after the resurrection.
Sadly, the issues we are witnessing in modern society are blatantly irrational ideas, but everyone is expected to affirm these ideas. Relationships are broken over whether or not you affirm mutilation under the guise of gender identity, despite it being equally nonsensical as time travel (if not more). These are not issues where a simple shrug of the shoulders is an acceptable answer. You either affirm the madness or be considered mad. There are many brave saints that attempt to combat the madness. I raise a glass to these saints, but I have to wonder, what is the right way to combat these ideas? Here is a hint, having sit-down discussions to understand everyone’s perspective isn’t it.
I do not believe the proper response to madness is attempting to give it a leg to stand on. Since when does atheism make sense? Since when does baby murder make sense? Since when does euthanasia, gender identity, relativism, and whatever else is being produced by the postmodern machine make sense? So why do so many Christians treat these ideologies as legitimate positions. It is almost as if we can understand how people come to these conclusions. Just because something can be explained does not mean that it is logical. When we begin to rationalize the irrational, we are only legitimizing madness. The best way to keep a stray dog is to feed it.
Not all ideas are created equal. There is a common, incorrect stance where people treat unequal things as equal. For example, Satan and God are treated like they are equally powerful, but God and Satan are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Is this reality? No. God and Satan are not equal powers with different morals. God is omnipotent and Satan is defeated. Many take the same approach with ideologies. Atheism and Christianity are equally valid, but Atheism and Christianity are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Is this reality? No. Atheism and Christianity are not equally valid with different morality. Atheism is not a valid worldview and Christianity is. Feel free to insert all atheistic worldviews into that equation. Christianity is the only worldview that can account for logic, morality, truth, and many more absolutes.
If It Walks Like a Duck
A key factor in combatting madness is treating madness as mad. When the Bible says that an atheist is a fool (Psa. 14:1), then the atheist is a fool. This is not an assault on their intellect, but rather on their morality. It is a morally corrupt and foolish to deny the existence of God. Atheism is not an understandable position. I say this with confidence because God does not see atheism as a legitimate position. It is a damnable position. When the Bible refers to the premeditated taking of a life as murder (Exod. 20:13), then abortion is murder. In contrast to Christianity, atheism is not an equally legitimate position. It is not like atheism is a logical conclusion, but the incorrect conclusion. Atheism is illogical and grossly immoral. In contrast to sparing the child’s life, abortion is not a legitimate position. It is not like abortion is a logical conclusion, but the incorrect conclusion. Abortion is illogical and grossly immoral. These are just a few examples.
Treating madness as mad means that I need to use the proper terminology. Even if this means only using the right terminology in our thinking. Perhaps we should not look at all our atheist friends and call them fools, but we must always think of atheism as foolish. This is also true of the many heresies that plague the American church. Denying the deity/humanity of Christ used to get you punched in the jaw (thanks St. Nicholas), but now it appears to be something we can agree to disagree on. John had a nice word for people who denied the incarnation — antichrists (2 Jhn. 1:7). Antichrists and heretics do not have legitimate positions. John did not instruct his audience to chew the meat and spit the bones, but rather to test and reject heresy. This is not to say that we should deny the common grace of God in the lives of people who are primarily wrong, but we have to recognize that they are wrong nonetheless.
What God calls foolish is foolish. What God calls murder is murder. What God calls heresy is heresy. We have to get the terminology right. Due to a reason unbeknownst to me, modern Christianity is not privy to calling the thing that walks like a duck and sounds like a duck — a duck. The woke mob would have you believe that calling a duck a duck is hate speech, but I am here to say that honest terminology is needed. Murderers are murderers, fools are fools, heretics are heretics, reprobates are reprobates. Even if you never vocalize these realities, they must be a part of your thinking. Believe it or not, this is not all semantics.
Ad Populum
Ad Populum is the logical fallacy that appeals to popular opinion. I can understand that there is some fear revolving around the idea of standing up against the growing number of people who have been brainwashed by woke ideologies. Scary or not, the truth is that popularity does not dictate truth. It really does not matter if popular opinion is to accept Darwinian Evolution. Popularity does not make it true. This is the same for Christianity. Whether or not Christianity is popular is irrelevant because popularity does not make something true. Truth transcends popularity.
It can become tempting to doubt the validity of your position based on its popularity. Fortunately, Christians have hope in the reality of an infallible God who has given us his infallible Word. We have an absolute standard of truth that does not change, regardless of popular opinion. It is full confidence in the Word of God that will give you the confidence to proclaim that madness is mad. Christianity is, by nature, a faith-based religion. Faith, however, is not a blind faith. Christians do not believe what they believe without any foundation. Old Testament saints had faith based upon what they had received from God. New Testament saints have faith based upon what we have received from God. Our foundation is inerrant and infallible; therefore, it is true. If there was only one Christian in the world, they would still be right.
It is worth noting that we live in an age when popular opinion is often fabricated or manipulated. There is an old Disney documentary titled White Wilderness which features a scene showcasing a cute, little critter called a lemming. What are these lemmings doing? They are jumping off a cliff because lemmings are known for mass suicide. Is this reality? No. This is a myth, but Disney producers had other ideas. The scene featuring lemmings jumping off a cliff to their doom is actually a string of different camera angles creating that idea. Spend any amount of time watching modern media and you will see what I mean. The popular opinion may be that lemmings jump off cliffs, but in reality, the powers that be are showing selective shots of reality. With this in mind, why are so many Christians giving into the madness of false narratives? Our mothers warned us about this. If a lemming jumped off a bridge, would you? Of course you wouldn’t — unless your favorite news outlet said to.
I Pity the Fool
So we have fools in this world saying foolish things that do not deserve to be legitimized. How do we handle the fools then? The Bible gives specific instructions on how to handle the fool. We are not to answer them according to their folly. (Prov. 26:4) If we are not supposed to answer a fool according to his folly, then what are we supposed to do? Well, we are to answer a fool according to his folly. (Prov. 26:5)
The Bible is teaching that we are not supposed to be sucked into the folly of the fool. Essentially, do not get into the clown car with them. The fool may want you to have a conversation as if there is a world where murder is okay. They will try to convince you that abortion is healthcare. This world does not exist; therefore, we do not answer according to their folly. We do not speak to them as though their wish dream is reality. When we legitimize the position of madmen, then we are answering a fool according to his folly. When we answer a fool according to his folly in this way, then we are becoming just like him. (Prov. 26:4) When you cave in and give their ideas a leg to stand on, then you have let the Cheshire Cat convince you that you are mad too.
With this in mind, what do we do with the next verse that commands us to answer a fool according to his folly? To properly answer a fool according to his folly is to expose the madness. When someone affirms that morality is determined by circumstances, then kindly threaten to steal their wallet because your circumstances demand it. This is the madness of relative morals. When someone proclaims that God is immoral, ask them what their standard of morality is. When the atheistic evolutionist is upset at the world for being immoral, kindly explain that people have evolved to act that way. When we answer the fool according to his folly, we are not allowing ourselves to be sucked into Wonderland, but rather we are going in and conquering Wonderland.
Christ is King
The Lordship of Jesus Christ is a reality that is often talked about, but rarely lived out. We speak about Christ as Lord, but treat him as though his is a deity among many. The Lordship of Jesus Christ means that we all answer to him. We will all bow to him. When we present Jesus as an option, rather than the only option, then we are undermining the reality that Jesus is Lord. I take issue with the idea of making a case for Christ because it gives the atheist the authority to determine the existence of God. Christ does not belong on trial — he is the judge.
The danger in trying to legitimize the madness is that we are no longer promoting submission. Christ exists, he is king, and without him there is chaos. The madness is the, at its core, the absence of Christ. He is the creator of all things and the one that holds it all together. When Christ is absent, then all things break down. Look around. Now is not the time to let Christ be something we can disagree on. Christ is the only hope, the only king, the only logic, the only option, etc…. You are either with Christ or against him. (Matt. 12:30) Neutrality is a myth. So when the Cheshire Cat tells you that you are mad, remind him that Christ is king. Let insanity be insane, but let it be conquered by Christ and the sanity he brings.
Suggested Resources
How to Answer the Fool (Link)
Christian Apologetics — Cornelius Van Til
About the Author
Cory Woodard
Cory is the creator of The Poking Stick. He is a teacher by trade, but a constant learner in life.