Are We Faking It?—Introduction A Lenten Series on What Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche Can Teach Us about Our Faith

This is part of the worship series
"Are We Faking It?"

Introduction | Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 

What can Freud, Marx and Nietzsche teach us about faith?

In his book Suspicion and Faith (Eerd-mans, 1993) philosopher Merold West-phal makes the provocative suggestion that preachers use Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche as the starting point for a series of Lenten reflections. Since these men were all profound atheists, Westphal's suggestion may at first seem merely absurd. But upon closer examination, it becomes apparent that the idea has merit.

Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche are what Westphal calls "atheists of suspicion." Unlike some atheists, these three did not advance philosophical, logical arguments against Christian beliefs. Rather, they became atheists because they suspected that religious practices were usually motivated by very non-religious desires.

In short, they suspected that Christians are shams. While claiming to be inspired and motivated by God, these atheists maintained, Christians are actually driven by more common appetites. Although Christians may genuinely believe they are doing God's will, they are deceiving themselves. "God" is the religious persons excuse to justify self-serving lifestyles and convenient belief systems. In other words, it was the practice of Christians, more than their beliefs, that offended and annoyed these atheists.

God, as the Bible points out, is also interested in the practice of our faith and is mightily annoyed by false practice. As we can see in both the Old Testament prophets' sermons against Israel and in Jesus' New Testament confrontations with the Pharisees, God's interest lies not simply in our doing the right things but in our doing them for the right reasons. As the prophets repeatedly make clear, right actions done for the wrong reasons do not please God, for he sees the heart. Unhappily, the history of Israel (and now also of the church) demonstrates that often our religious practices are motivated by unhealthy, unspiritual, self-serving drives.

Sometimes outsiders can take on the prophetic role of helping us see how and where this happens. So Westphal asserts that before we refute these atheists from a logical standpoint (which is also appropriate for Christian philosophers to do), we should listen to them to see "if the shoe fits." Westphal believes that while some of their premises and most of their conclusions are wholly wrong, Freud, Marx, and Nietzsche are at least partly right. Each is on to something.

In the service plans that follow, we will attempt to let these men tell us what they've seen in Christianity. Our purpose will not be to study their philosophies. Rather we will use some of their basic critiques as jumping off points for biblical reflections designed to strengthen and reform our faith (a tactic that would likely have infuriated these atheists!). Since our Reformed tradition has long affirmed a "common grace" by which God gives gifts, talents, and insights to all people, we should not be surprised (though we may be unsettled) to find some helpful insights even among atheists.

In this Lenten season, when we are called to an honest examination of our hearts, lives, and practices, let's listen carefully to how some famous outsiders to the faith see us. Let's allow our God to speak to us through these unlikely spokesmen to see if some of what they allege might be more true than we'd care to admit. If we find that their words have some resonance in us, let us then confess our sins and reform our ways. In these five Sundays of Lent, let us nail also these sins to the cross, being crucified with Christ that we might also live for him in a purer practice of that most precious of gifts: our faith.

Series Outline

(Note: The passages used in the sermons, prayers, and calls to worship all come from Year C of the Revised Common Lectionary. The prayers could either be prayed by the minister following the sermon or altered slightly for unison reading.)