What Has Christianity Ever Done For Us? These 7 Secular Values, For Starters

Consent, equality, human rights, freedom and progress, they’re all modern values right?

What does Christianity have to do with our fight for social justice and equality?

Well as it turns out, plenty.

Is Christianity immoral?

Our culture sees Christianity as judgemental about the sexual ethics and social values that are so important to them. However, Glen Scrivener from Speak Life UK argues that Christianity is the foundation for most of our secular values:

Here are 7 values which the secular world thinks are vital to a just society, and they’re all Christian:

Equality

If you were female, disabled, poor or unprotected in the ancient world, you were fair game for the rich and powerful. Christianity introduced the idea that people were valuable because they were created in God’s image.

Compassion

Philosophers such as Nietzsche and scientists like Darwin thought it was wrong to show compassion for the “weak”, but the Bible introduced the Good Samaritan, which has become the social foundation for showing compassion.

Consent

The sexual revolution changed ideas about sex and marriage which seemed to be liberating, but secular thinkers like Louise Perry think it’s done more harm than good. Our culture value’s “consent”, but its origins trace back to 1 Corinthians 7.

Enlightenment

Christianity is falsely seen as the reason for “the dark ages”, but modern concepts about democracy, early universities, and the separation of church and state trace back to Christian thinkers from the Middle Ages.

Science

The view that Science is in conflict with religion dates back to the 19th century but early scientific thinking was developed by Christian thinkers as well as secular.

Freedom

Western culture is concerned with human rights, but the idea that people are not products to be bought or sold comes from the mindset of Christian abolitionists fighting to end modern slavery.

Progress

The value behind progress is a desire for the world to be better and hope for the future. Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead and is coming again to right the wrongs of this broken and sinful world.

This article is based on a podcast. To listen to the whole conversation between Glen Scrivener and Deeper Questions host Aaron Johnstone, listen on our website or search for Deeper Questions wherever you get your podcasts.

Article supplied with thanks to City Bible Forum.

Feature image: Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash