The folly of human wisdom

Walter Unger

The original seal of Harvard University, founded in 1636 as a Christian institution of higher learning, was striking. It portrayed a shield and three opened books, two facing up and the third facing down, as well as the Latin words "Veritas Christo et Ecclesiae" ("Truth for Christ and the Church"). This motto was followed by a reference to John 8:32: "And Jesus said, `If you hold to My teaching . . . then you will know the truth and the truth will make you free.' "

For many years, the Harvard seal was a constant reminder to students of the source of truth and freedom--Jesus Christ. The three books illustrated the importance of knowledge--yet the one book turned down showed the limits of human reason.

The modern Harvard has exchanged wisdom rooted in the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10) for the all-sufficiency of human wisdom. The new seal makes no reference to Christ or the church. The book facing down has now been turned up, indicating that there are no longer any divine mysteries--we can know it all. Human wisdom is everything--the indispensable requirement and guarantee of life. The boast is of human achievement and power, not of wisdom and truth grounded in biblical values.

Warnings

The prophet Jeremiah warned: "Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth" (Jeremiah 9:23, NRSV). Paul referred to Jeremiah 9:23, as well as Isaiah 29:14, reminding the Corinthians that God had said: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise.". Paul added, "Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (I Corinthians 1:19-20). It is Christ who is the true source of wisdom, and therefore "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" (I Corinthians 1:30-31, cf. Jeremiah 9:24).

Paul lists a series of rhetorical questions in order to make his point: "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age?" "Wise", "scribe" and "debater of this age" are typical terms to describe those who are learned and on the cutting edge as the world counts wisdom. Human wisdom, divorced from God, is transitory, indicated by the use of "aion" (age). The world will soon pass away, and its wisdom with it. God declares such wisdom folly and devoid of power to save. Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (I Corinthians 1:24).

The lure of modernity

Jeremiah's warning not to boast in wisdom, might and wealth must be seen in light of Jewish history. These three attributes characterized the royal establishment as embodied in Solomon; Solomon and his successors were exemplars of self-sufficiency and human arrogance. The leaders of Judah prided themselves on their political manoeuvring, their wheeling and dealing, their wisdom in forming alliances with one power and then another.

Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggeman suggests that "wisdom" in Jeremiah 9:23 means "technique"--controlling the outcome of things through technical data. There is a warning in this for the contemporary church, which can also get caught up in the folly of human wisdom.

There is enormous pressure for today's church to think it can control, direct, even manipulate by using the right techniques. The pressure comes to the church and to Christian institutions to rely on slick advertising and recruitment methods, cleverly-crafted fundraising approaches or user-friendly techniques--all without regard to how such human wisdom flies in the face of Christian truth.

In this day, evangelicals (and many Mennonites among them) often pride themselves in being market clever. However, great caution needs to be taken not to allow the market and the consumer to dictate and shape the product. It is one thing to be market-sensitive. It is quite another to be blindly market-driven. We need to guard against having such great confidence in the managerial approach that God becomes merely a pious appendage to the Christian enterprise. A Japanese businessman commented to a visiting Australian: "Whenever I meet a Buddhist leader, I meet a holy man. Whenever I meet a Christian leader, I meet a manager."

The temptation for the church and its agencies is to glory in the power of managerial and entrepreneurial techniques, the "bottom up" approach of human engineering rather than the "top down" approach of God and the supernatural. This is the lure of modernity. Technology, marketing, management and innovative methods of communication promise enormous success in worldly terms, but they can lead to a surrender of the church's need for God, prayer and the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Os Guiness's prophetic warning is: Beware of modernity; it is a double-edged sword for followers of Christ. It has enormous benefits if used properly but can kill the spirit of the Christian enterprise if its techniques are relied on.

Are Christians not to use the tools of modernity? Yes they are, but these tools must be used with great caution and discrimination lest God condemn us, along with the world, for relying<> on the folly of human wisdom. Proverbs 3:5-7 puts the issue in proper perspective: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not (do not rely on, NRSV) your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes."

Walter Unger is president of Columbia Bible College, Abbotsford, B.C. and a member of Bakerview MB Church.

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