What Causes the Onset of Secularization?

In today's blog by Albert Mohler, he leads with this paragraph:

Does worldview determine behavior or does behavior determine worldview? In the end, the process must certainly work both ways. An individual's basic worldview surely determines moral choices and behaviors. But habits of life and moral context can also lead to modifications in worldview.

The rest of the blog discusses an article by Mary Eberstadt in which she discusses the causal link to the secularization of a culture.

In a nutshell, the dominant theory on secularization of a culture postulates that the cause of a cultural secularization is the erosion of a religious world view into a secular world view. As the authorities inherent in the religious world view are removed, the view of marriage and children as divine callings is also removed. So in a sense, a secular world view causes the family to break down and results in a secular culture.

Mary Eberstadt postulates the causal link to be the opposite. She points to examples such as Europe where family decline preceded the onset of secularization at the expense of Christianity. The United States is also held up as an example where the U.S. leads the world in many dimensions of "modernity" or secular thinking, but that most Americans claim to believe in God and large portions of the population attend church.

This is where I begin to take some issue with the categories being used here. I think that it's important to note that not all who are "religious" actually have world views which are non-secular. Many reports from the Barna Group reveal that a great deal of "religious" people in our culture have secular world views. It is quite common, in fact, for people's actions to be in complete opposition to their claimed world view. Even where great attempts to be internally consistent are made, contradictions are there. This is why in Christian theology, sanctification is seen as a process in addition to being seen as a state of being. Truly religious people will continue to grow in their faith and understanding, and the contradictions will be reduced as maturity increases.

In my opinion, I think Mary Eberstadt may miss the point a little bit on what causes secularization, that is, what causes a society's character to change towards a secular view. As we know, the world view of the next generation is shaped by the parents of that generation independent of family size. In my opinion, a society changes towards secular, not because families are breaking down or because the thinking of the culture is secular. To me, the causal link to the secularization of a culture is the lack of generational vision in the parents. If parents of a generation do not disciple their children in a particular world view, then the world view of the next generation is "up for grabs". Without consistent pressure by the parents through the training of their children's minds, the world views of the children are free to drift away from their parents' views. It doesn't matter how many children you have, if you disciple them properly, there is a very good chance they will share your world view. I think the growth of Islam supports this point. (to my dismay)

This then brings up another question. If the parents are not faithful in passing their views of the world to their children (and thus maintain societal continuity), is there a "default" world view when none is actively trained? I would say, yes, there is. Based on the fact that our minds are corrupted by the curse, we do not have the natural capacity to truly know the spiritual truths which lead to Life. Without the Spirit enlightening our minds, we will do what "seems right". And Proverbs 16:25 says that the ways which seem right to a man will lead to death in the end.

Thus, the default world view is inherently secular, and is the world view which naturally results when the parents exhibit no leadership or improper leadership in the discipling of their children.

In summary, I believe that having one world view or another doesn't have much bearing on the shaping or changing views of a culture over time. To me, the successfulness of passing of one world view or another to the future generations is what maintains cultures and prevents the onset of secularization.