Dr. Os Guinness delivered an insightful Faith & Reason lecture on the monumental task of today's believers to tip the societal scale away from postmodern thought and towards virtue, faith, and truth.
On one day each semester at Patrick Henry College, everyone pauses, and all ears, students, and professors alike tune in to a special guest speaker or faculty member to consider the shape and contour of important topics in the nation and in the Church today. This particular Friday was a rainy one, much like the dreary English weather you’d expect at an assembly of the Oxford Union. The dreary skies were quite fitting, as the Faith & Reason speaker was Oxford native Dr. Os Guinness.
Born in China in 1941 to missionary parents, Dr. Guinness witnessed the false wielding of power early in his life, when Mao Zedong took charge and initiated the Cultural Revolution soon thereafter. His family then moved to England, where he pursued divinity and philosophy, two fields that he discussed in great detail during his speech. His passion for these subjects was on full display.
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In his Faith & Reason Lecture, Guinness reflected on his tumultuous childhood in China, as well as growing up during the counter-cultural revolution of the sixties; both were environments that challenged his faith, which he accepted enthusiastically. He argued that when a certain ideology claims to have the answers, the best Christian response is to allow those ideas to reach the end of their thoughts. Christianity then has the opportunity to shine in contrast to the shallow promises made by one regime after another, and the Good News of truth can prevail.
Yet Christians should not stand on the sidelines forever, as faulty ideologies and their practitioners twist reason and grip power, subjecting the masses to subscribe to their will. "Reason absolutized produces authoritarianism," Dr. Guinness says; Christians ought engage in the fight against darkness, but in a way that is righteous and upright.
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So what is the young Christian's delicate role in this? Through a study of previous empires, nations, and kingdoms from Rome to England, and now the United States, Dr. Guinness claimed that Generation Z will decisively tilt the scale towards either the Christian lifestyle or postmodern thought once and for all. Though the stakes are high, Dr. Guinness was less sure of a one-size-fits-all charge for every young Christian to undertake. Instead, he called on each of them to consult with God through prayer and to understand their role in advancing the Kingdom. For some, that will be in the public capacity through government; others will thrive in private as parents, teachers, dog walkers, or friends.
The necessity of living out the Christian faith, he claimed, is that it provides social roots for greatness, restraint, and grounds for renewal when things stray from ideal. Dr. Guinness argued that religion, and particularly living faith in God, is crucial for a society's development, trust, and cohesion, as well as the best means for avoiding the downfall that often follows dramatic change. The young Christian can be a body of stability in an ever-changing world; a group of them joined together can provide the stability needed to guide a nation through hardship. .jpg?width=365&height=243&name=Faith%20%26%20Reason%20SP%2025%20(165).jpg)
By the last question of the Q&A, the attention was rapt on Dr. Guinness. One student asked him to expand on the schism between Scripture and ideologies, and how to defeat them in an honorable way. Without a moment's hesitation, he answered optimistically: "The radical left's revolutions never succeed, their oppressions never end, and their futures never arrive. The visions of the left have ended well nowhere. As C.S. Lewis used to say, 'Press them out to the absolute ruddy end...' that is a key part of our logic. The Gospel is good news to people in a bad situation, and many people don't realize the bad situation they're in until they realize that the end of the line of their own ideas is hitting the wall. Only then do they begin to see that there is a better way—and not a moment before—and that is good news. That, we'd say, is the best news ever."
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Patrick Henry College exists to glorify God by challenging the status quo in higher education, lifting high both faith and reason within a rigorous academic environment; thereby preserving for posterity the ideals behind the "noble experiment in ordered liberty" that is the foundation of America.
