Western Civilization at Risk

Sounding the Alarm

There are an increasing number of voices—both Christian and Jewish—calling for the rescue of civilization from its decline. The first voice I gave any attention to on the matter was my daughter’s when she crafted an essay in high school on the necessity of preserving Western civilization.

To be honest, my original thought on the topic was, “Yes, that’s nice. We should certainly have museums that make sure the art, architecture and literature of Greece, Rome and Europe are preserved for our posterity.” But I was sorely missing the point. Civilization itself is at risk and must be jealously guarded lest we lose what sustains humanity.

Voices more authoritative than my high school daughter have been sounding the alarm and calling for action. I offer two, one Christian, one Jewish, both British: Tom Holland in Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind; and Melanie Phillips in The Builder’s Stone: How Jews and Christians Built the West—And Why Only They Can Save It.

A Judeo–Christian Civilization

As an eminent historian, Holland’s work shows how the West is so immersed in Christian influence that our morals and ethics should not be assumed to be universal but rather the fruits of a Jesus-following culture. He asserts, “So profound has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilization that it has come to be hidden from view” (p. xxix). That impact includes the application of reason, science, education, healthcare, liberty and justice.

As a leading journalist and cultural observer, Phillips wants us to understand that what Christianity propagated to the world—Holland’s “hidden from view” origins of Western societal norms—originated with the Jews. She writes, “What so many overlook is that moral principles assumed to have been invented by Christianity, such as compassion, fairness, looking after the poor, or putting others first, were all introduced to the world by the Hebrew Bible” (p. 43). She maintains that what we know to be “civilized” would not exist without God’s Book given to Israel.

Gifts of the Greeks and Hebrews

Greek thinkers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle significantly shaped Western civilization with foundational concepts in logic, philosophy and politics. They systematized man’s search for goodness, truth and beauty in a world they reasoned had to be governed by some logos (unifying principle).

Phillips acknowledges the Greek contribution, but points out how they were confined in abstract general principles with a cyclical, fatalistic concept of time. Their city-state—where power was a virtue and not recognized as a corrupting influence—was an end in itself. There was no real equality among a people whose fate was determined not by individual responsibility but by the whimsical orders from their pantheon.

In contrast to the Greeks, the Hebrews gave the world a linear understanding of time: from a foundational past to a hoped-for future. This broke the power of fate, as man’s actions were understood as a matter of individual liberty in the context of responsibility to the community. The Israelite polity that formed was not the end but the means of worshipping God and serving the higher calling of a moral humanity.

Torah and Talmud

God gave Israel His Torah (Gen.–Deut.). Through it, Israel gave the world the rule of law, justice and the responsibility to steward these foundations of civilized society. The reality that all bear the image of God means that all are equal under the law. Because the Israelites adopted the ordinances of Moses through personal commitment and not totalitarian domination, the world discovered personal liberty with individual accountability for the greater good. The Hebrew Bible gave us limited government since no human power is absolute, with sovereignty belonging to God alone.

The rabbis and sages who crafted the Talmud (recorded commentary on the Torah), gifted the West a hidden treasure. During a 1996 lecture, Judaism scholar Jacob Neusner argued that it gave us “scientific and philosophical categories for the material and tangible relationships of home and family, kitchen and bedroom, marketplace, synagogue and study house…an authentically sacred life.”

The power of the Talmud, says Neusner, is “the translation of the abstract principles of science and philosophy into concrete and everyday matters.” In fact, the Talmudic arguments are among the most influential shapers of public discourse in the West.

Jews and Christians Together

Western civilization is at risk. There is a full-scale assault on biblical norms and values. Voices on the political far left would dismantle all religion if they could, but they are particularly bent on eradicating the Judeo–Christian societal ethic. Voices on the extreme right, mainly jihadist Islam, will not relent until all—but particularly Jews and Christians—submit to their ideology. Alarmingly, the extremists from extreme left and extreme right are joining voice and infiltrating the mainstream of Western society with a further-delineated target for destruction: the State of Israel.

We should not be surprised that God’s chosen nation stands as the vanguard of Western civilization. The lying tongues and accusatory entities arrayed against Israel appear demonically inspired with the understanding that if they take down the Jewish state, they can roll back Christianity and the West.

Embracing our shared heritage and inherited responsibility, Christians and Jews must work together to preserve Western civilization by standing on the Bible as our foundation, building God-honoring relationships between our communities and standing with Israel in our prayers, giving and advocacy. With this combined effort and with God’s help, the frontline in this epic battle will hold. And may we together call for Messiah to come in our day and make all things right for our at-risk civilization.