S6:E41 Tim LaHaye’s Battle for the Mind
Tim LaHaye’s fight against secular humanism
Tim LaHaye wrote different kinds of books. Books on marriage, sexuality, the end times, and those involved in social and political movements. In his young years, Tim LaHaye taught for the John Birch Society. His conspiratorial view of the world carried over into his theology, evidenced by the Left Behind series, as well as the topic of the show today, The Battle for the Mind. Published in 1980, this little book takes a negative view of humanism. He defines humanism as, essentially, everything that has gone with society in the last 2,000 years. It’s a very broad, almost useless definition.
Tim LaHaye’s boogeyman
Humanism is actually a movement that started in Northern Italy around the 1200s, which tries to lift up the value of the human person. That takes a lot of different shapes, from secular or atheistic humanism to Christian humanism. In fact, as we argue in the episode, LaHaye’s view misses the positive ways that humanism has shaped the United States and evangelicalism.
My guest today is Dr. Darrell Bock. He is the author or editor of over 45 books, including commentaries on Luke and Acts. He is the Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. He’s also a host of DTS’ podcast The Table.
Sources:
- The Battle for the Mind by Tim LaHaye (1980)
- Listen, America! by Jerry Falwell
- The Oxford English Dictionary
- Encyclopedia Britannica
- Francis Schaeffer and the Shaping of Evangelical America by Barry Hankins
Discussion Questions:
- Have you read anything by Tim LaHaye? What was it?
- Are Christian books like this useful? Not useful? Why?
- What is “humanism”? (it may be helpful to look it up outside the book)
- Why is it important that LaHaye mischaracterized humanism?
- What were LaHaye’s ideas about education?
