Front Page Paganism

In the not so distant past, I have written about paganism, Abraham Kuyper’s foresight of its resurgence and its growing influence on our culture. The story at the top of today’s front page of the Indianapolis Star is ideal for introductions in evangelism: “Judge: Parent’s can’t teach pagan beliefs.” The story is about a judge who has told a separating Wiccan couple that they may not teach their son pagan religions, but only “mainstream” religious beliefs and rituals, which he fails to define. That the judge will be overruled is almost certain.

However, the point that is more interesting is that paganism as a religion is itself becoming more mainstream. Perhaps the Star puts it at the top of the front page thinking the whole episode is rather shocking, and while a judge forbidding the practice of a religion may be, the fact of the matter is that paganism is becoming all too common. The father in the story has helped organize pagan pride days in Indianapolis, and says this about his faith: "I celebrate life as a duality. There's a male and female force to everything. I feel the Earth is a living creature. I don't believe in Satan or any creature of infinite evil." Classic paganism blurs the distinctions between things the infinite and transcendent God has separated. Here, this man blurs the lines between male and female, Creator and creature, and good and evil. A great place to start is to ask if people believe there is such a thing as true evil. Do you believe there such a thing as inherent good?

On a related note, I was flying last week and browsed the “Air Mall” magazine provided. It sells you all the things you never knew you needed until you saw it there. I found it interesting that they have Buddhas for sale as lawn decorations and also other Greek gods ready to adorn your patios. It is fascinating to see the popular influence of pantheistic paganism all around us. These examples can all be inroads into sharing the gospel with people as we compare the hopeless gospel of nature with the living hope we have in the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. So let us actively use the open doors provided to us – what we really have today is a front-page opportunity.