Age of Encroachment (Part 2)

Iran is in the news again, but what should Christians want to happen there? As citizens of a republic, Americans should be good stewards of the government God has entrusted to us. In this 4-part series, I offer my thoughts on what American Christians should want in Iran. This is the second article in the Age of Encroachment series.

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While much of history is arranged into neat periods divided by precipitous events, a zeitgeist rarely emerges so clearly or singularly. There are usually complex situations that inform, perpetuate, and indicate the existence of a zeitgeist, but none of these are its genesis. Consider the late 1960s and society's push towards freedom. While this phenomenon was seen in the fight against Communism in Southeast Asia, against Soviet totalitarianism in the Space Race, against Jim Crow racism in the American Civil Rights movement, and against puritanical restraint in the free love movement, it also appeared in art, music, medicine, politics, psychology, and a host of other places. Different thought leaders said different things, and people in different cultures experienced it differently, but there was a collective agreement that freedom was the dominant ideal of the decade.

But where did that dominance originate? Did Malcolm X give a speech and the whole world suddenly agree with him? Did everyone immediately support the Vietnam War? Did everyone hear the same Beatles song at the same time? Of course not, but what is the origin story of the freedom zeitgeist? The term zeitgeist connotes a spiritual origin, with some attributing that origin to demons, and Ephesians 6:12 refers to “the rulers of the darkness of this age.” I believe that each zeitgeist is part of a broad demonic strategy to eliminate, misdirect, or otherwise reduce the effectiveness of the Body of Christ. 

To demonstrate this, it may help to look at the past millennium in a less charitable light. The theocratism of the Crusades was a push toward manmade religion on both sides. Religions are systems men devise for other men to utilize to access God. This is in contrast with Jesus, who lived a perfect life and willingly lay down His life to be brutally sacrificed so that we could access God through Him instead of other people. This push away from Jesus and toward religions culminated in a substantial loss of life. Those who died paid the ultimate price for physical territory, when Christianity focuses more on salvation (being born again spiritually), and sanctification (continuous spiritual growth and renewal through spiritual disciplines). The zeitgeist of this era pushed people away from Jesus and into religion, focused on material outcomes instead of spiritual ones, and resulted in a lot of bloodshed and loss of life. That sounds like the enemy’s agenda to me.

You can see the same demonic agenda in the humanism of the Renaissance, which glorified the self, and in the Age of Exploration, which led to a lot of greed and exploitation. As the spirit of religion corrupted Roman Catholicism, the Protestant Reformation left a five-century wake of division and rebellion instead of submission and unity. As the Reformation ended Roman Catholicism’s theocratic stronghold over the West, secular states seized power that should have belonged to the church, and it has only gotten worse over the past 500 years. Furthermore, the spirit of rebellion and emphasis on self led to revolutions, which led to nationalism, and which eventually led to secular totalitarianism.

Please do not misunderstand. Recognizing that zeitgeists are part of a broader demonic agenda is not a criticism of everything they have produced. I am pro-church, pro-Reformation, pro-America, and pro-civil rights. I believe “that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). At the same time, I recognize the harm that these zeitgeists have inflicted upon the Body of Christ. As a descendant from long lines of Protestants, Americans, and Southerners, many of my ancestors lived much more in rebellion than in submission and unity. They were focused on their ability to do what was right in their own sight instead of submitting to authority, and their legacy has cemented rebellion as my flesh’s default setting. I understand and share their desire for autonomy and liberty, but I recognize that true freedom is only available through Jesus Christ.

If zeitgeists are part of a broader demonic agenda, what should we make of the zeitgeist of this present age? What is it, what is its intent, and how should we as believers respond? I answer these questions in the next article.