November 22--Who Is Man? Part 2

Today's lesson was a continuation of the discussion of anthropology. For the past two weeks, we have been addressing the question, "Who is Man?" Dr. Tackett has repeatedly pointed toward the Biblical View of Man:
His Essence--made in the image of God, dualistic--both flesh and spirit
His Moral State--fallen nature
His Need--redemption

Yet, we have seen in the video that there are many prominent scientists and philosophers in our society who argue that man is inherently good. We saw excerpts of highly educated men who tried to build a case for the goodness of man. Carl Rogers said, "I do not find that evil is inherent in human nature." Yet, in a two-minute video segment, the argument of man's basic "goodness" was debunked, in my mind at least. The two minute segment showed actual news headlines of a mass murderer talking about his actions, the Los Angeles race riots in which a truck driver was brutally struck by a man who threw a brick at his face and then celebrated when his victim was knocked to the ground, Timothy McVeigh, the perpetrator of the horrific bombings in Oklahoma City, genocide, and several other terrible examples of evil that we have experienced in our own lifetime. Indeed, for me at least, this short video segment was enough evidence to prove that man is inherently evil, in a fallen condition, and in need of the grace and redemption of a loving savior.

We discussed the fact that much of our training and education reflects the humanistic view of man. For example, Abraham Maslow's work clearly suggests that man's ultimate objective is self-actualization--to get in touch with his inner self and to act accordingly. Dr. Tackett calls this a "pernicious lie" with serious consequences. It caused me to think of my own education and the many times that I had questions about the material that was being presented. Examples in the video included Haeckel's Embryos and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs both of which were prevalent in much of my own training. Many class members recalled these concepts and others in their own training. Many of the concepts we are taught in classes and training reflect the humanistic point of view and are contradictory to the Biblical View of Man. Yes, the "Cosmic Battle" rages within each of us. "A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy," is one of the basic concepts of evolution that is common in our society and in academia. The concept of environmentalism without the recognition of God as the creator of the environment is contradictory to the Biblical World View. Let's not be taken "captive" by the world's view of these issues. Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5-10 are perfect scripture references to help us avoid becoming a captive. Please feel free to post your own comments and reflections regarding these lessons.
Have a great week and a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday.
Jimmy