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Human Development
- 08/22/09
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A friend sent this to me earlier in the week, a quote from John N. Oswalt’s The Bible Among the Myths (Zondervan, 2009). What grabbed me in this quote was the author’s insistence that we cannot measure human progress apart from our God-given purpose. It’s worth thinking about.
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I question whether we can talk about ‘development’ of any sort apart from the unique biblical perspective. Does ‘the historical process’ teach us about development or progress? Certainly we can look back over the past ten millennia and see certain signs of increased technical competence. We have moved from hunter-gatherers using sharpened stones as tools to bureaucrats communicating around the world electronically in seconds.
But is that progress? Or is it merely change? What is the goal toward which human society is tending? Or are we too, like our 10,000 year-old forbears, only wishing to survive as long as possible with a maximum of comfort, pleasure, and security? In fact, the idea of progress is dependent on the idea that our Creator has a goal for us, outside of ourselves, toward which we humans were made to progress and against which our progress can be measured. Give up that truth, and ‘progress’ becomes a chimera.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a husband to Aileen and a father to three young children. I worship and serve as a pastor at 
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Comments (6)
Reminds me of something I heard Adrian Rogers say:
“The only progress we’ve made is speed and noise.”
This resonates with me. I’ll list just a few examples here.
I remember how, even as a little girl, watching the television series Little House on the Prairie, I would often catch myself wondering if I was really better off for having my own room, a TV, and pre-packaged cookies in the pantry. Perhaps if my sister and I shared a room, we might have been closer; we might have stayed up late at night confiding in one another in hushed whispers, like Laura Ingalls and her sister, Mary. How much sweeter would a cookie have tasted if we could only afford baking sugar every once in a great while? If housework took all day, due to a lack of modern conveniences (i.e. hanging the carpet on a line and beating the dirt out of it). perhaps my mother wouldn’t have been so bored staying at home when we reached school age, and wouldn’t have desired to work outside of the home (the repercussions here are incredibly complex). If, when we all came home at night, we had only one small common room in which to sit, one hearth at which to gaze, and no electronic distractions, might we have enjoyed one another more as a family? Might we have extended greater hospitality, such as to uninvited strangers passing through, bearing news of other places? And so on.
I am also reminded of extended family members who are increasingly hostile toward the Lord. If I compare their lives now to their lives 10 or 20 years ago, they have amassed material wealth, stayed abreast of the latest trends in fashion, technology, and the like. They have a greater awareness of global suffering, have gained wisdom through experience, are more patient, and seem more peaceful. But all of this is according to the world’s standards. They have come far it is true. But from what? From God. Or the one true God, rather. The have drawn very near to their false gods, and they glory in themselves.
I suppose one is more inclined to think along these lines if one has the mind of Christ. The Lord called me to Himself when I was 7 years old, and I am still with HIm by His grace. More recently, He called my mom to Himself—just about a year ago. How vastly different she is now! How wonderful our relationship is now! God has blessed us with eternal riches: a love that will never pass away, fear of Himself, which is the beginning of wisdom, and true peace. The Lord is always moving us forward. This is true progress.
This may sound a little dualistic but I read somewhere that the only self God recognises is the new self in Christ and that the old nature has no place and finds no recognition in the presence of God. So true progress, according to this thought, would be in the development of the new self.Mike
Much to think on here. I am not a big technology person…though I really like my computer. My husband had to make it a safety issue to convince me to get a cell phone just under 2 years ago.
I tend toward our “progress” today being self destructive in many ways. We pat ourselves on the back and gloat over all the advancement but yet on a moral and relationship bases we are failing miserably. We may gain speed and accuarcy in all things business and pleasure but at what cost?
I must confess to having thought along the same lines as this blog in the past, as well as what has been shared by other posters. I think it can be said humans have achieved many advnaces…but I often wonder if our penchant for technology, possessions, etc., is not a kind of “tower of Babel”. It certainly has not done much to bring us closer to God. Thank you for this thought provoking blog.
Too often we equate progress with things like improved health, nutrition, sanitation, life expectancy, leisure, entertainment, communication, possessions etc. But isn’t a development of a biblical wordview seen through the eyes of what God has planned to do, has revealed through the scriptures recorded historically in a real time and place, with a real man dying to bring about God’s idea of telos in His self glorification in a new heaven and a new earth? We play no part in His ‘progress’ as being institutors - we’re along for the ride as sojourners in a strange land where like the reader above mankind is still trying to build Babel and make a name for himself.
What I find interesting is how appropriate is it for christians to adapt a reconstructionist or creation restoring worldview…. as if to push back the effects of the fall???