Sermon 4-28-24

Pastor Ray Lorthioir

Trinity Lutheran Church

W. Hempstead, NY

The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Indoctrination

This past week I listened to part of an interview of a man named Peter Boghossian. He’s a former professor of philosophy at Portland State University in Oregon and one of the new atheists. In 2013 he co-authored a book called, “A Manual For Creating Atheists.”

From what I could see in the interview, he’s an unabashed classical liberal of the Enlightenment variety and no friend of Christianity. But when asked about his atheism, he had this to say: “I have been thinking about the unbridled optimism that I used to have that we could bring about a society, or maybe even a civilization, in which religious dogma played much less, if any, of a role. And the question is: were those [religious] doctrines a prophylactic [a preventative] against people becoming insane, like thinking men can become pregnant, mutilating children’s genitals, thinking that the society is literally overrun by racists, and there are literal Nazis goose-stepping in and out of Starbucks? I do think I was overly optimistic about the consequences [of atheism]. And I certainly did not expect the current fiasco that we see.”

What I find amusing is that this man who thinks he knows so much seems to be totally unfamiliar with Romans 1:18-32. Perhaps if he had read the “Manual On The Terrible Results Of Atheism” contained in those verses, he would have known the catastrophe his attempts to indoctrinate others in atheism would produce. But ignorant of those verses, he has no clue. Therefore, just like Bill Maher, Boghossian is horrified at the intellectual grandchildren his atheism has spawned. In truth, Boghossian is an example of what is said in Romans 1:22, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools.”

However, in the interview Boghossian had a number of insights that may be useful to us as we look at how Christianity produced the upward curve that became Western civilization. In particular, he had a very negative view of our current universities. Without saying the word Marxism, he noted that the ideology they teach these days is actually Marxism. I don’t know why he refused to call Marxism, Marxism — maybe as a liberal intellectual he thinks himself above doing so. I don’t know. In any event, he said not to give a financial gift to any university. “Because when you give it to a university you’re supporting an indoctrination mill. You’re supporting an institution whose very values are antithetical to Western liberal democracy.”

Now, by making such a statement, Boghossian proves that he doesn’t understand history or the purpose of education. Places like Yale and Harvard were created to be indoctrination mills. That’s what a university is supposed to be. Only Yale and Harvard were originally created as indoctrination mills for Reformation Christianity and Christian culture.  The founders wanted to inculcate their young people with the ways of the Lord.

But then, guys like Boghossian took over the universities to make them indoctrination mills for what he calls “Western liberal democracy,” which is just another name for secularism and atheism. It’s just that Boghossian didn’t like it when the Marxists moved in, building on the foundation of atheism he had established; took over; and made the universities indoctrination mills for Marxism. The result was that guys like him got shoved out the door. But that’s what happens to all the useful idiots of the atheist persuasion. And then they wonder why. The reason is very simple. God cannot be mocked. If we don’t want Him, He’ll give us what we really want: hell. Only we won’t be able to believe that the hell we’ve created really comes from us. For aren’t we all “good people?” How could this happen? Romans 1:18-32 explains how. It all begins with the wickedness of denying that there is a Creator God.

So let’s establish a fundamental. Human life is built entirely on doctrine. It cannot not be built on doctrine. However, there’s doctrine, and then there’s doctrine. In life, the result you get depends entirely on what doctrine you believe and practice. A civilization’s existence depends entirely on the doctrine it holds dear.

The Word of God says in Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” The devil knows this verse also. And that’s why he made it his business to shove Almighty God out of the universities. He convinced foolish men that they could somehow practice righteousness without the author of righteousness. He convinced foolish men that they could somehow live and build a civilization without the Word of God. They’ve only succeeded in hollowing out Christian civilization so that it’s ripe for takeover by the Islamists who smell blood. And now these same men are afraid. Indeed, fear of Islam was a significant topic in the interview. Imagine that.

In this world, there are only two doctrines: the true doctrine of the real Creator God, Yahweh, and any other doctrine we care to make up for ourselves. Last week as we looked into Ephesians chapter 2 we were greeted with these words in Ephesians 2:1-3, “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience — 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.” This is an apt description of the condition in which every human is born. Original Sin causes us to be born dead to our Creator God. This deadness is the reason we rebelliously create doctrines of life for ourselves — doctrines that are ultimately unsuccessful.

Because of Adam’s Original Sin we’re all born under a crushing burden. We’re forced to be our own gods — having to define good and evil for ourselves and then acting on our definitions. Indeed, if we want to really repent before Yahweh, then we’ve got to repent and renounce this wicked thing we’re born with — the need to play God. For, this is the first, greatest and deadliest sin. And this is why it says in 1John 1:8, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

God’s doctrine of truth says we’re born in Original Sin. Therefore, the beginning of real wisdom is to agree with Yahweh and confess with our mouths this awful truth. We are by nature sinful and unclean.

However, here comes a second doctrine from Ephesians chapter 2: rebirth in Messiah. Born in the dreadful condition of Original Sin, every human alive needs a rebirth in this life or we’re lost. That rebirth can only come from Yahweh Himself. For only Yahweh Himself is powerful enough to overcome Original Sin. As we read in Ephesians 2:4-5, “4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved. . . .”

And so we’re back to the foundation of Christianity — the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Christ isn’t bodily raised from the dead and physically alive at the right hand of God, then there is no forgiveness of sin. And without forgiveness of sin, none of us can be made alive in this life, and none will be physically resurrected from the dead into righteous eternal life with our loving Creator. Without Christ’s resurrection all of us remain dead in our sins and trespasses.

But Christ has been raised from the dead. And, the prospect of truly being made alive in Christ to real righteousness — the righteousness of God — is what first captivated pagan hearts and minds in the ancient Roman Empire. The historical certainty of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth turned pagans into God worshipers and God servants. In the same way, the resurrection of Jesus continues to captivate pagan hearts in the present.

If so, a key thing then happens. Through Messiah, Yahweh is restored to His rightful place in the believing human heart. Thus, believers begin the process of looking at everything through a different lens — the lens of truth with a capital T.

What is this like? In order to get a handle on it, let’s turn to Psalm 19. This incredible Psalm begins, Psalm 19:1-6, “1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. 3 There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun 5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.” (NIV)

Now, part of the problem we have in appreciating this psalm is that if we walk out our doors and look at the night sky we don’t see much of anything because of all the light pollution and air pollution around here. But go out of the metropolitan area — even to the east end of the island — and the night sky will be filled with the Milky Way and multiple thousands of stars. Then lay on your back and look up. You’re actually looking out. The brighter stars are closer and the dimmer ones are further away. If you keep that in mind, the sky will open up to your eyes in three dimensions and you’ll begin to see the enormous depth of space stretching out in all directions.

The modern secularists and atheists have taught us to see the night sky and the sun in the daytime sky as mere accidents of nature. The heavens just exist for some unknown reason. But with a new birth in Christ and belief in a Creator God, the night sky takes on a new dimension of awe for the Christian. It overflows with the wonder at the powerful being who can stretch forth the vast immensities of space, and fill it with stars, galaxies and planets. The night sky literally speaks to the soul of the existence of Yahweh. The sun speaks of the Creator who set things in order in such a way as to make life possible on this planet. From what is visible in the sky Yahweh very clearly declares: “I exist. I made this universe. I made you.” And from what is seen, that message is clearly spoken in every language under heaven. As we saw in Romans 1:18-32, only our own wicked desire to deny a Creator God and make ourselves gods will cause us to refuse the language of the sky.

Now, the psalm takes us one step further. Psalm 19:7-11, “7 The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. 11 By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” (NIV)

According to the preface of this psalm, King David wrote it. Tell me something. Do you think King David was indoctrinated with Yahweh’s Law? Absolutely. Look at the great enthusiasm with which he praises and promotes it. Reviving the soul; making wise the simple; giving joy to the heart; giving light to the eyes; altogether righteous; more precious than gold — these are fabulous words. Do you think he’s anxious to indoctrinate others with these words? Is he anxious to indoctrinate you? Yes. Because he’s got the best there is to offer — the total righteousness of Yahweh.

Finally, the psalm closes off with these words. Psalm 19:12-14, “12 Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.” (NIV)

These final words expressly state the difficulty of living by Yahweh’s doctrine. No matter how beautiful and perfect the Law of the Lord is, the sinful nature we’re born with because of Original Sin pushes us to rebel against it. No less a person than the Apostle Paul complained about this in Romans 7:21, “So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.” Romans 7:24, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” He went on to label the source of the problem in Romans 8:3. The sinful nature is stronger than God’s perfect righteous Law. 

But then, in the remainder of Romans 8:3, the apostle proclaims the glorious gospel. In order to save us from the clutches of sin, Yahweh sent someone stronger than the sinful nature — namely, His Son, Jesus the Messiah, the righteous One of God. But there’s more. Yahweh, Father and Son, poured out Yahweh, Lord Holy Spirit, so that all who believe in the Son might keep His Law in spite of the sinful nature.

So we read in Romans 8:10-17, “10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ. . . .”

It’s Lord Holy Spirit who not only indoctrinates the believer in the commandments of the Lord, but enables those with faith in Messiah Jesus to keep those commandments. The Christian life is certainly a struggle because the world, the flesh and the devil are set against Lord Holy Spirit. As it says in Galatians 5:17, “. . . the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” But in the end, as we saw in Romans 8:11, Lord Holy Spirit will give believers the crown of eternal righteous life.

So notice what Christian doctrine does. It gives all who believe a marvelous future. It gives them a reason for persevering in righteousness and against evil in the present age. It gives them a source of righteousness — Yahweh Himself. It gives them Yahweh’s perfect definitions of good and evil, and the power of the Lord Himself to prevail over the sinful nature. All this proceeds out of things done in real history on this earth — the real crucifixion and resurrection of the real God/man, Messiah Jesus.

The universities were originally created to indoctrinate the young people of this once Christian nation in the things of their Creator God so that they could make a positive impact in this sin bedeviled world. But over the last hundred years wise fools established a different indoctrination with their godless atheism. To deny the living God they have spun absurd just-so creation myths about how everything aimlessly banged and bumped its way into existence. These myths have just enough plausibility to give the sinful nature reason to adopt atheism. And since God cannot be mocked, secularists and atheists have led our culture into its present Romans 1:18-32 death spiral. And then they stupidly wonder what has happened to their universities. Well, godlessness breeds foolishness, faithlessness, heartlessness and ruthlessness just as it says in Romans 1:31.

In some ways, the campus demonstrations in favor of ruthless Hamas are a blessing. For they have unnerved many — especially foolish atheists like Boghossian. Hopefully they will be led to connect the dots. God cannot be mocked.

As for those young people who instinctively know that there’s something wrong with the indoctrination they’re receiving about all things in life, we have good news. There is an indoctrination that historically has proven most excellent for individuals and cultures. There is a way out of the current fiasco. It’s indoctrination in the ways of our Creator God through Messiah Jesus. It’s an indoctrination in unshakeable righteous eternal truth — truth with a capital T. Amen.

All Bible quotes are from the ESV unless otherwise noted.