Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. Historian and philosopher Will Durant, author of the epic 11-volume series The Story of Civilization. Famously said this, from barbarism to civilization requires a century. From civilization to barbarism needs but a day.
Civilizations, historically speaking, do rise and fall. Our museums and history books are full of legends and artifacts from once dominant civilizations that are now reduced to ruins. These were all at some point detached from the ideals, the institutions, and the activities. that originally gave them life and led them to flourish. But now they are no more.
With all due respect to Durant, the turn to barbarism might be quick, but civilizations do not collapse overnight. Rather, most reach a critical moment from which they do not recover. In the new documentary, Truth Rising, scheduled for release Friday, September the 5th, author and social critic Oz Guinness describes how and why the West has now reached this civilizational moment. Recently, I interviewed Oz Guinness and asked him to explain what this means, especially for Christians. Here's Oz.
Well, back of the idea is the sort of biblical sense of time, generation, year. Day, hour, moment, and the challenge of reading the signs of the times or our Lord's weeping over Jerusalem because, quote, they missed God's moment when they came. You know, I've always had a sense we need to understand the times. No, civilizational moment, some people are misusing it as a fancy word for the present moment. No.
It has a real definition. A Civilizational Moment Is that period not a day a period? when a civilization loses touch with what made it great. And when that happens, it really faces three broad choices. Either it must renew the civilization, Or replace it with an equally adequate one, or decline.
and full.
Now clearly our Western civilization is a Christian civilization, owes a lot to the Greeks and the Romans, but its principal source is the gospel rooted in Judaism. The intended replacement was the Enlightenment. in other words, many of the same Christian truths, but without God. without the Bible. reason and progress without God.
And that Has failed. And that's why we're at this civilizational moment. Either there's a renewal of the Christian faith, or the West is declining. and will fall. Truth Rising sits squarely in the tradition of other works that have long pointed to the crisis that is facing the West.
For example, Francis Schaefer's seminal work, How Then Shall We Live, warned then of the influences of existentialism and hedonism and nihilism.
However, Osginis points back even farther. Absolutely. You can go back to incredible predictions like Heinrich Heine in the 1830s of the berserker rage that would break out. And 100 years later, it did in his own country, Germany. Or Nietzsche, the madman's cry in the gay science, we've murdered God, and so on.
And Francis Schaeffer, you know, I was intrigued by him when I first came across him in the 1960s because I was at university then. and I'd come to faith. But there was no sense that people who were teaching us had any clue what was going on in culture. This is the sixties, the counterculture. Drug sex, rock and roll, you name it, Ingmar Bergman films.
And then came this. Rather unusual little Swiss man in nickels. Connected all the dots. Because he realized how it was all linked up.
So, Schaefer was a door opener to an entire generation.
So, why truth rising? Why now? Why another work that identifies this civilizational moment? I asked Oz these questions, and here's how he replied. I think the difference now is, there's a widespread sense, it's not just Europe, it's not just America.
The whole world is now entangled, embroiled in this civilizational moment as the West declines. The rise of authoritarianism, the Eurasian landmass, Putin in the West, Xi Jinping in the East. These things are incredible for the future of mankind, because we need an alternative to authoritarianism. if we're in a fight for a human friendly future, the way I put it. And so this is an extraordinary moment which calls out the deepest understanding all of us can bring, and there's nothing deeper.
than the gospel. than the scriptures. And that's why this is such an exciting moment for Christians. Indeed, God has called us to this moment in history. We're not mere victims of mindless forces of history, as secularists believe.
Truth Rising explains both this civilizational moment and also how Christians can be people of courage and agents of renewal in this time and place. Don't miss the global streaming premiere of Truth Rising, Friday, september the fifth. Visit truthrising.com slash Colson that's truthrising.com slash Colson to sign up for updates. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast.
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