On the history of how "secular" changed its meaning and became more negative to Christians - surely that's inextricable from the history of the terms "religious" and "religion". As you note, "religious" was once a division within Christianity... and slowly developed into a strange category that included traditions as different from each other as Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism, while still excluding other traditions that might well have had more in common, like Stoicism, Communism, psychoanalysis, or expressive individualism. "Secular" wound up being left as that which "religion" was not, making it seem natural for the "secular" and the "religious" to be enemies.
Excellent essay. I see two other things that may have added to divisive Christian views on the secular. Some don't understand the distinction between the old covenant and the new covenant in terms of Christian living today. Some don't understand that the majority of Paul's admonitions about choices in behavior referred to members of the church - not how we are to interact with unbelievers. You can add mine to the voices here that are trying to describe a more world-embracing faith that fully upholds the Bible and the teachings of Christ.
1 Cor 5:10! Exactly, that’s a great point. You can interact better with the secular world if you don’t hold them to Christian standards. At the same time, you can recognize that they are subject to the natural law, but the line of thinking you’re pointing to will help avoid judgmentalism.
On the history of how "secular" changed its meaning and became more negative to Christians - surely that's inextricable from the history of the terms "religious" and "religion". As you note, "religious" was once a division within Christianity... and slowly developed into a strange category that included traditions as different from each other as Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism, while still excluding other traditions that might well have had more in common, like Stoicism, Communism, psychoanalysis, or expressive individualism. "Secular" wound up being left as that which "religion" was not, making it seem natural for the "secular" and the "religious" to be enemies.
Let's go! The Natural Theologian, out here making Metagelical a thing!
Haha, I wasn't even sure I had used it properly! Felt right though
Excellent essay. I see two other things that may have added to divisive Christian views on the secular. Some don't understand the distinction between the old covenant and the new covenant in terms of Christian living today. Some don't understand that the majority of Paul's admonitions about choices in behavior referred to members of the church - not how we are to interact with unbelievers. You can add mine to the voices here that are trying to describe a more world-embracing faith that fully upholds the Bible and the teachings of Christ.
1 Cor 5:10! Exactly, that’s a great point. You can interact better with the secular world if you don’t hold them to Christian standards. At the same time, you can recognize that they are subject to the natural law, but the line of thinking you’re pointing to will help avoid judgmentalism.
Have you read I Judge No One by Dusenbury? I'm just finishing it and I think you'd find his insights into this helpful for your project.
I haven’t! “A philosophical reading of the Gospels “… sounds super interesting, thanks