Hunter Baker

Those of us who were evangelicals growing up in the late '70s and '80s heard a lot about (and probably participated in, to varying degrees) the culture wars. This was evangelicalism's big push back against secularism, where we tried to 'recapture the culture', which usually amounted to us trying to stop the secularization of a nominally Christian culture.

For better or worse, history will decide (and probably re-decide and re-decide and re-decide). However, Hunter Baker has done us a great show more service by taking a more distanced look at secularism, what it is and isn't and where it's headed (or not).

In short, Baker defines secularism as the attempt to structure culture as if God didn't exist. Such a move, though, is failing. Man is inherently a religious being and no matter what we try, we will ultimately put God back into the picture.

Further, central to Baker's thesis is that "[s]ecularism is not neutral, nor is it something that simply happened thanks to the growing maturity and rationality of human beings." (193) This is the main argument of the book and Baker does an excellent job showing the reader how secularism is a concerted attempt to remove God from the picture. He shows how it partially succeeded, and how it is in the process of failing.

In one sense, there's nothing new in this book: a lot of Christians have been saying this for a decade now. However, Baker has done Christendom a service by bringing together in one concise book the basic argument against secularism.

I will definitely be recommending this book to others. show less

Hunter Baker presents a solid case against the secularist domination of politics and public discourse. He ably debunks the idea that secularism in public affairs provides "a new way forward for humankind" by relegating religion to the private sphere. I found Baker's argument compelling, well written, and, at times fascinating. I learned much.

The End of Secularism is a logical miscellany of arguments that counter the belief that secularism is the best neutral ground to engage in public debate. Secularism is far from benign: it is an ideology that intentionally contradicts the public exercise of religion.

One of the best aspects of this book was its logic. You never had to guess where the author was going with an argument, or what his next step would be. Indeed, he took two and a half pages in the Introduction to lay out a precis show more of his case (which is helpful for readers—but especially helpful for reviewers!)

Here’s how the book unfolds:

1. The first chapters are a history lesson on the interaction of church and state from the time of Jesus until the present. These chapters present an excellent foundation for everything that follows.

2. As the history approached the present, Baker narrowed his focus on the founding of America. With refreshing honesty, he demonstrated how the two prevailing myths of America’s genesis (either as founded on religious principles or on secular principles) are overblown. Indeed, a fresh examination of the Constitution shows how the founding fathers, instead of enshrining the separation of church and state, used language which deliberately avoided the question.

3. Once the history lesson was through, Baker moved to a threefold attack on secularism:

a. Secularism is not a neutral matrix whereby every ideology can dialogue—it carries its own presuppositions. This resonates with me as a pastor. I know that when people say, “my own opinion has nothing to do with it—I’m just reading the bible literally,” they’re simply blind to their own colouring job! Secularism has its presuppositions, but for Baker, the secularists know that they’re colouring.
b. American secularism is not a natural and inevitable development, but the strategic design of a minority of atheists. This is the weakest chapter in the book. Baker spends the whole chapter supposedly dialoguing with the similar argument of Christian Smith. I found that Baker did little more than rehash and repeat Smith’s conclusions without providing support for them. Here the book began to slide toward conspiracy theory territory!
c. Secularists are a specific group of people whose views line up so closely with the secularist social order, “that it may as well have been set up for their own comfort” (22).

4. Secularists believe that their view is a scientific alternative to theistic superstition. They use an exaggerated warfare model between science and religion to support their case. Baker wisely takes the middle ground here: at times religion has hindered science, but has just as often supported and led scientific endeavour. Further, rational secularism is no more scientific than theism when formulating political policy. Here Baker unfortunately diverts from his modus operandi by throwing in a couple unfounded conclusions to support an otherwise carefully formulated argument:

a. Baker’s comments against evolution detracted from his argument. Evolution and religion is a contentions multifaceted issue that requires more careful attention.
b. His political view that secularists are to the Democratic party what evangelicals are to the Republican party again betray Baker’s own unexamined (at least in this book) presuppositions.

5. Baker wraps up his argument with a case study that shows how Judeo-Christian ethics can have a positive role to play in public discourse.

In the end, Baker calls for pluralism to reign in the public arena. That conclusion opens up a whole new window for study. I’ve spent enough time in inter-denominational ministerial meetings to know how difficult pluralism is to practice. I would like to see a model for pluralism fleshed out—then, I suppose, secularism would be just one of the dialogue partners in the public arena.

This book would feel cumbersome to the general public. Baker has a tendency to use larger words when smaller ones would do the job just as accurately. I would, however, recommend this book to any academic-minded person who wants to start thinking critically about the relationship between church and state.

[note: I won this book in LibraryThing's early reviewer's program.] show less

Hunter Baker and Crossway Books has done another great service for the evangelical church. For centuries, Christians have struggle with their relationship to the culture. The "culture wars" have influenced many thinking Christians over the centuries, only to find continued confusion over the issues. "The End of Secularism" provides a powerful and well-thought argument against secularism and the bankruptcy found in this widespread myth. Baker writes as a Christian academic and the content show more found in this book is not lacking. show less