January 29, 2025

Romanticism and the Crisis of Authority

The Christian carries the privilege and responsibility of heralding the Good News of the Kingdom of God, revealed in history through Jesus Christ, the Creator and Redeemer of all things. By the power of the Holy Spirit, believers call people to repentance and invite them to enter God’s Kingdom. Yet, this task has grown more challenging in the West, where de-Christianization has steadily eroded the shared foundations necessary for understanding biblical truth.

Historically, our cultural discourse was profoundly shaped by the biblical worldview, providing a common framework that made the gospel quickly comprehensible. Today, this foundation has been replaced by a cacophony of competing ideas and worldviews, leaving people questioning the authority of the Word of God and the Christian’s right to speak. This cultural dissonance mirrors the challenges faced by the apostle Paul in Acts 17 when he brought the gospel to Athens. Misunderstood and dismissed as a “seed picker” of strange ideas, Paul stood before the Areopagus to explain, defend, and declare the claims of Christ to a diverse audience steeped in idolatry and enamoured by philosophical speculation. Despite scoffers, Paul boldly proclaimed God’s authority, calling all people to repentance and warning of the coming judgment by the resurrected Lord.

Modern Christians face similar barriers in our cultural moment. Even in a world where biblical authority is often ridiculed, we are still called to declare the gospel with apostolic boldness, trusting in the transformative power of God’s Word to break through cultural noise.

The Romantic Movement

One significant factor contributing to the erosion of a shared discourse is the influence of Romanticism, a 19th-century movement that reacted against the cold rationalism of the so-called Enlightenment. Romanticism sought to liberate the human personality from rigid, deterministic views of the world, but in the process, rejected universal moral law. Instead, it grounded the ethical life in individual feelings and the collective identity of unique communities.

This philosophical shift led to moral relativism, where each person or group determines their own truth. Romanticism fostered the idea that human desires, emotions, and inner creativity should govern life – a philosophy encapsulated well in the mantra, “I desire, therefore, I am.” This ethos encouraged rebellion against God’s authority, replacing His law with the self as the ultimate arbiter of truth.

In practice, Romanticism’s answer to the problem of anarchy, implied in its vision of life, was to limit individual freedom by emphasizing communal identity. People found meaning and boundaries within the spirit or ethos of their group, people or nation rather than in God’s Word and Kingdom. This rejection of divine authority still shapes the modern world, where individuals and communities prioritize self-expression and group identity over obedience to God. As a result, the gospel message, which demands submission to Christ’s total authority, seems foreign to many, and Christian witness is often dismissed as irrelevant or intrusive.

The Genius or the Evangelist

Another legacy of Romanticism is the elevation of the “genius”—an individual whose creativity and insight supposedly guide society into the future. In the ancient world, the term “genius” referred to an interior supernatural spirit that guided personages, families, or states—as illustrated in the Roman worship of the genius of the emperor. Early Christians who refused to honour this pagan practice faced persecution, as their allegiance to Christ challenged the state’s authority.

Today, the idea of “genius” is expressed in the intellectual, artist, or social planner who claims to shepherd society through their innovations, manifesting the zeitgeist of the age. This modern “genius” typically rejects the Christian worldview, promoting instead a vision of progress and creativity detached from God’s truth. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche exemplified this romantic spirit and ethos, viewing himself as a “man of destiny” shaping and guiding the future of humanity.

By contrast, the evangelist is not a ‘genius,’ born notable by virtue of extraordinary natural gifts, but one called and commissioned by God. The Christian thinker Soren Kierkegaard distinguished between geniuses and apostles, noting that while geniuses contribute to human historical-cultural development through their talents, apostles are chosen and called by God to proclaim transcendent truth whose origin is from beyond history. The message of the gospel, unlike human achievements, cannot be transcended, surpassed, or simply assimilated as a human ‘idea’ – a mere aspect of man’s cultural development. It stands as a divine revelation, unchanging and authoritative for every generation.

This distinction highlights the unique calling of the Christian witness. Unlike the genius, who is admired for their creativity or intellect, the believer declares the gospel with an authority derived from God. Their message carries power not because of their natural abilities but because it originates from the transcendent Creator and redeemer. This divine commission enables the Christian, and especially the evangelist, to proclaim the gospel boldly, regardless of their rhetorical skill or cultural standing.

The Nature of True Authority

True authority is a hallmark of the Christians’ calling in the gospel. Jesus declared in the Great Commission that all authority in heaven and earth had been given to Him, commissioning His followers to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). This authority, rooted in Christ’s sovereignty, implies that He is the source of all valid law and truth. When societies reject Christ’s authority, they experience a crisis of legitimacy and move into moral decay.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus amazed people with His teaching, which carried an authority unlike the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 7:28-29). Similarly, Peter and John demonstrated boldness and authority as witnesses to Christ, even though they were perceived as not formerly educated men (Acts 4:13). This unique authority is not a product of human effort but a divine gift that empowers the believer to confront the root of human rebellion and call people to repentance.

The gospel message, by the work of the Spirit, penetrates the heart, revealing the paths of life and death. Paul described the witness of Christians as the “fragrance” of Christ, spreading the knowledge of God and exposing people’s spiritual condition (2 Corinthians 2:14-17). This imagery underscores the transformative power of the gospel and the privilege of declaring God’s Word in its purity. Faithfulness to this calling requires resisting the temptation to distort the message to please cultural sensibilities or flatter our hearers. The gospel cannot be softened or reduced to human wisdom and preference without losing its power.

Romanticism or Repentance

The Word of the gospel thus presents a direct challenge to the spirit of Romanticism, which elevates human desires, feelings and ideas above divine authority. Romanticism demands a great levelling of all truth claims, treating the gospel as simply one ‘idea’ among many, which makes the transcendent source of the gospel inherently offensive to fallen humanity. As Paul observed, the message of the cross is foolishness to some and the power of God to others (1 Corinthians 1:18).  It is because of this that Christians must be prepared to face rejection and suffering for the sake of the gospel. Jesus clearly warned His disciples that the world would hate them because of their allegiance to Him (John 15:19-21). To bear the name of Christ is to carry both His authority and His reproach. Yet this suffering is a mark of faithfulness, as Peter reminded the church: “Rejoice when you share in some measure the sufferings of Christ” (1 Peter 4:13-14).

The authority of the Christian thus lies not in personal brilliance or cultural approval but in the divine commission to proclaim the gospel. This unique authority challenges the egalitarian and equalitarian spirit at its religious root, for faithful Christian witness will confront the zeitgeist of the age with boldness, proclaiming the truth of God’s Kingdom even in the face of opposition – a task that requires courage, faithfulness, and a willingness to endure hardship.

We are called to proclaim the gospel, not as though it’s a wonderful new idea of creative genius, but with divine authority, declaring the Word of God in its purity and power. In a culture shaped by Romanticism, we can take heart knowing that we are sent by the King of kings, whose authority and presence empower us to fulfill our privileged task – and His Word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11).

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