There's No Such Thing as a Golden Age
Photo by Rod Flores on Unsplash
We hear it all the time.
The 1950s were the golden age of television. The golden age of Athens saw more developments in art and philosophy than similar civilizations. The golden age of Clemson Football was in the 80s … until the era of Dabo arrived, and then we REALLY saw the golden age. Even pirates, cowboys, and knights each had a golden age. (Google it!)
What is a golden age?
An actual golden age is a historic season of unparalleled success or development.
More times than not, in our conversations, when we nostalgically look to a supposed golden age, we’re making a judgment call. We’re saying things were better then. We reflect on the present with frustration and long for the Norman Rockwell vignette of the past.
Here’s my take: There’s no such thing as a golden age.
Yes, the concept of a historical golden age should rightfully exist as a category. We wouldn’t have the term Hellenism if Greece did not experience a heyday of sorts.
But, in the way we usually toss around the term—to suggest things were once better in the past—I think we’re fooling ourselves.
For instance, consider these two examples: Sexual Ethics and Politics.
That Which is No Longer Taboo
Christians can look around the world and quickly recoil at the state of morality. The sexual revolution has left our culture in a tailspin.
Postmodernism is rearing its head to increasingly dismantle the traditional and biblical sexual ethic. In modern societies, most people are not asking, “What should I do with my body,” but instead asking, “What do the impulses from my body demand that I do?” On this notion, curious readers might consider taking up Nancy Pearcey’s Love Thy Body or Carl Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.
The kind of expressive individualism we see in today’s sexual appetites may seem to result from an increasingly degrading society. Still, we must remember that humans have been distorting the created order since the earliest days. In Genesis 4, we see Lamech, a descendant of Cain, take two wives. By the time of Lot’s visit to Sodom and Gomorrah, homosexual relations had been (at least regionally) normalized.
In my own reading of Romans 1:18-32, I think Paul is giving a commentary on the distortion that occurred in the beginning with humanity’s first sin. That which God designed was distorted by sin, and sin was then celebrated by sinners. Sin, rinse, repeat.
History shows the multiplication of this effect—sexual misconduct is present at every turn.
It may seem like things are bad now—and they are—but we must consider the indignity of the past. In most ancient cultures, social status was demonstrated by wealth, power, and sexual prowess.
To keep it simple, the higher up the food chain one found themselves, the wider their sexual reach might span—with or without the consent of others. In Ancient Rome, sex was more about an exercise of power and pleasure rather than emotion or relationship. For the general pagan population, it would have been more common to see people as sexual prevailers or pawns rather than partners.1
The reality is now that more people experience societal freedoms and privileges, more people can act upon their urges. The world is not a more sinful place today than it was at any point in human history. We simply live in a day in which the once-private sins of the privileged are more common in public spheres by virtually every demographic.
On the Shoulders of Giants
The political realm provides another example with which to debunk the myth of the golden age.
Like most of us, I grew up understanding something to the effect of “America is a superior nation because of its Christian founders.” Yet, as I’ve read more broadly, I’ve been shown a few holes in this logic.
For the sake of time, let’s focus on just one issue: the supposed Christianity of the Founding Fathers.
Many people believe heroes like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Benjamin Franklin were Christians—mainly in part due to much of their spoken and written rhetoric. To be sure, they touted Christian values and were biblically well-versed. Yet, experts in the field have been able to interpret their words in context.
Take Thomas Jefferson, for example. Jefferson, like his contemporaries, was a deist—at best. Generally speaking, a deist is someone who believes in God. At the time of America’s inauguration, to be a deist meant believing in God with a loosely held confidence that the Bible had described him properly. Thomas Kidd’s recent biography of the fourth President of the United States shines a light on Jefferson’s belief system.2
Jefferson, perhaps more than others, was a product of the Enlightenment. He had caught a fascination to question everything—including much of ordinary society’s religious order and sensibilities. The Enlightenment began as an attempt to contemplate God in human terms with pure logic and reasoning, yet there were drastic consequences in some pockets. In the case of men like Jefferson, people began to think of themselves as wiser than “God.”
Jefferson spoke so often in support of Christianity (and would describe himself as a Christian at times) because he believed the ethic of Jesus would ensure the healthiest society. In this way, Jefferson, like Franklin, would be considered a “moral deist”—a far cry from an evangelical.
Logically, it should not surprise us to learn of moral failings and scandals among these founders. If they were not truly born again but only admirers of our King, their hearts were continually steered back toward the ways of the world.
Here’s the point, world leaders from the past—even the Founding Fathers—were flawed leaders. The United States has seen various expressions of prosperity, but so has Egypt, Babylon, and Rome. These “success stories” can only be attributed to the providential hand of God working all things for His purposes and glory.
Once again, the point is clear—there is no such thing as a golden age.
Forward-Looking People
The false enchantment of a golden age should resonate with Christians, in particular. We are a people whose master has trained us always to look forward.
Aside from the moments of meditating on the past to build understanding, Jesus consistently tuned his disciples’ eyes to the future. His works and miracles proved he was the promised messiah, but his teachings extended the messianic promises forward. He worked to clarify the intent and scope of the Kingdom and encouraged his followers to travel the narrow path.
Most notable to me is how Jesus told his disciples they would be more blessed after he had departed and the Helper (the Holy Spirit) had come.
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” (John 16:7, ESV)
This brought evident confusion to the group, but they soon learned just how right Jesus was. In leaving, Jesus would send the Spirit to illuminate and empower these first missionaries and leaders of the church.
As their guide, Jesus was helping steer the disciples away from a critical danger—believing Jesus’ time on earth was some sort of golden age.
Disciples today face another danger. Yes, we are still vulnerable to the first—we can read our Bibles and long to have walked alongside Jesus in Galilee. Yet, I think the more likely danger for many Christians is to believe we live in some sort of golden age right now.
Many who will read this post know prosperity and very few people on its outskirts. While we can easily bemoan the way things seem around us (looking to the past for some fantasized golden age), we also find ourselves very comfortable with our lives.
When things are good, they can seem golden.
The result is often a faith that stagnates and a lifestyle that softens according to the expectation of the Great Commission. We, more than anyone, know that today is not the peak of existence.
We look forward to an actual golden day when our Savior will seal his victory and welcome us home.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.