Human Flourishing

And the judicious closing of the mind

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Recently I saw where famed anti-theist and author Richard Dawkins came out and said that he considers himself a “cultural Christian.” To say I was shocked is an understatement. Richard Dawkins rose to fame behind books like The God Delusion, which critiqued all religious belief as delusional, and within its pages were scathing critiques of Christianity—though it seemed to me that he was pulling a Don Quixote and simply enjoyed jousting with windmills and strawmen.

What changed in the twenty years since he wrote The God Delusion for him to alter his tune so drastically?

My guess is that he has been watching western civilization erode with the same impending fear as the rest of us and is scared of what is coming next. As far as I know, he still considers himself an atheist, but he now recognizes that he was born on moral/cultural third base. Much of what he holds dear is the result of 2000 years of Western Christendom.

Much of what he holds dear is at risk of disappearing forever—at least from his point of view.

You don’t have to be a scientist like Richard Dawkins to notice that almost every aspect of modern culture is meant to darken the flame of the human spirit. Our culture is not built for human flourishing, but spiritual subjugation. It is inarguable that the Christian West is civilization at its peak, and all attempts to tear it down and replace it with something else simply reveals the stark difference (for those who have eyes to see).

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For much of my life, I considered myself an open-minded person. In postmodern America, “open-mindedness” is the highest of virtues, and the “deconstruction” that accompanies it is a “necessary” part of becoming a wise citizen of the world.

I now recognize this for the pernicious lie that it is.

There comes a time when one must judiciously close one’s mind around a certain set of presumptions, specifically ones that produce personal, familial, and civilizational flourishing. Not every idea/worldview needs to be entertained, especially ideas/worldviews that have shown time and time again to shrivel the human spirit.

Being “open-minded” is not an absolute good.

That old adage is true: don’t be so open-minded that your brain falls out.

Here’s where I (judiciously) plant my flag:

1. Christianity is true.

2. Some cultures are fundamentally better than others.

3. Christian cultures are worth preserving because 1) they’re rooted in truth, and 2) they have better personal, familial, and societal outcomes than all other cultures.

4. Good, Evil, and Objective Truth exist.

5. Secular promises of utopia always leads to mass graves.

I am no longer interested in wasting my time by having an “open mind” about these fundamental verities. Time and time again, being aligned on these five points leads to personal, familial, and civilization flourishing, like I mentioned above. To remove one of these pillars is not only destabilizing for your worldview, but destabilizing for society at large.

I have—through careful consideration and study—arrived at the conclusion that I can confidently close my mind around these realities and still remain on the “right side of history” every time.

G.K. Chesterton said it this way: “The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”

“Solid” is the key word here.

Constant, aimless skepticism (or maybe even more toxic, a belief that all claims are equally valid) is far inferior to finding firm conviction around claims that are good for the soul.

Much of what postmodernism and our culture provides is poison for the soul. Opening our mind to poison—just like closing one’s mouth around cyanide—is our doom. You will be spiritually famished. This leads to toxic relationships and crumbling culture.

Wake up, friends.

It’s time to become “close-minded” again.

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