The Eden Lie: Progressivism as Demonic Counterfeit | Jesus Smart X, Ep. 376

Brian traces progressivism from its Enlightenment roots to its expression in modern politics and the church, exposes it as a demonic counterfeit to the Kingdom of God, and points to the real future — the City of God coming to earth and the New Heavens and New Earth.Real freedom is downstream from truth. The kingdom is here. And the real Eden is not the one progressivism is building.----------See the full episode transcript below.👉 Explore more episodes: JesusSmart.com/podcastIf this episode gave you a fresh perspective on Kingdom Living, share it with someone who needs encouragement.Be sure to follow the podcast. Each episode is designed to help you think more clearly and pursue the kind of life only Jesus makes possible.Stay current via The Smart Edit newsletter—Elevate your faith. Live smart. Make an impact. Free. Weekly. 5 minutes to grow. Sign up at JesusSmart.com/smartedit.----------EPISODE TRANSCRIPT: The Eden Lie: Progressivism as Demonic CounterfeitReal Freedom Is Downstream from TruthTruth is upstream from freedom. Freedom is a wonderful value — one we all want. The human being is created to be free. Here's what Jesus said in John 8. He said to the people who believed in him: "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." The Amplified has it as continually obeying his teachings and living in accordance with them. Then in verse 36, Jesus says, "So if the Son sets you free, you really will be free." And in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." According to the Jesus worldview, the Christian worldview, truth is ultimately a person.So if you can go upstream and say there is no ultimate truth — if you can say there are many truths — then downstream from that you can affect human freedom. This is a core question. When Jesus stood before Pilate at his trial, just overnight before his crucifixion, at that critical moment when the Son of God was being offered as a sacrifice, Pilate asked: "What is truth?" That question echoes throughout human history.A Quote That Rocked MeI was sitting on the couch recently doing old school newspaper reading — the kind that makes your fingers gray from the ink. I've been reading the Epoch Times. All I needed was a pipe, a fireplace, and a dog sleeping nearby. I'm reading this article, "Looking Through an Adversary's Eyes: A KGB Agent's Prophecy," and I come across a quote that stopped me cold.It's from a French liberal politician and journalist who lived from 1830 to 1888 — very influential, very progressive. The article used his quote to illustrate what they called the arrogance of intellectuals taken in by radical ideologies. Here it is: "Beside the divine garden from which I have been expelled, I will erect a new Eden. At its entrance, I will set up Progress, the personification of progress, and I will give a flaming sword into his hand and he will say to God, thou shalt not enter here."Can you imagine that? The human quest has set up a counterfeit Eden. Instead of being removed from God's Eden because we were grasping at what is right and wrong, God is now removed from our Eden. And the guardian is not an angel of God. It's the personification of Progress — that is progressivism.What Progressivism Actually IsThis is a primer, and I want to be clear — I'm on a continuum of learning here. Progressivism is rooted in the European Enlightenment. In America, it has been at least a 100-year struggle between progressivism and traditionalism. It began as an intellectual rebellion against the founding political philosophy of America — constitutionalism — rooted in the thought of John Locke and the founders of the republic.The founders saw the authority of government depending on observed limitations on its powers. Progressivism rejects that. Its vision is a linear path in history toward absolute equality, a utopia. Social justice as equality of outcomes — in everything. And progressives want to liberate individuals from history. They want to release them from religion. They want to redefine gender and marriage. They want to dismantle the family. Progressivism believes that social conditions can change human nature.If there is anything in you of the Christian worldview, that will run against the grain. You understand that human nature cannot be changed by social conditions alone. It requires spiritual regeneration and development as a Christ follower. And what begins as soft totalitarianism will eventually evolve into total totalitarianism — a form of government that asserts total control over the lives of its citizens through coercion, suppr