Chance or the Dance?: A Critique of Modern Secularism

It is one thing to look upon the rotting corpse that is secularism today and critique its weaknesses. It is entirely another to take to pen when the victory of secularism over faith seemed almost complete and to announce to the world that the emperor had no clothes. Such was the case when Thomas Howard published his critique of secularism Chance or the Dance? in 1969. A lot has happened since then but the amazing thing in reading the book now is that it could have been written yesterday. In fact, if one does not notice the original publication date, you would probably think it was a recent writing. The reason is simple - Howard focuses on eternal truths and as such their veracity does not change with the winds of popular fashion. Howard's views the weakness of the secular vision as hinging on the limitations it places upon what subject matter may be cosidered to contribute to our knwledge of the world. Secularism, with its restriction to the natural and its overconfidence in the impartiality of the scientific process, has not eliminated faith but exchanged God for an idol of our own choosing. The author, as an English professor, has a far different and more classical view of knowledge than that supplied by the "conventional wisdom" and explores this in a series of essays that return to a more varied fabric than that advocated by modernity. For Howard, the dismissal of all strata of proposed knowledge beyond empirical data grossly misunderstands both natural and supernatural. By accepting only "facts" we have eliminated the search for purpose in the universe and reduced "the dance" (the interwoven fabric of existence) to "chance" (the purposeless interaction of matter). In relegating the mythical, poetic, and philosophical (in the classical sense) to the realm of the subjective, we have not only stripped the creation of its wonder but have muffled the call of God's image within each of us. Even our most intimate moments have been impoverished by the fruit of modernity. Sexuality is meant to be a beautiful gift of the Creator and to be used in accordance with His purpose. But without purpose, it is something either to be relegated to a necessary bow to our barbaric past (as in Victorianism) or it is to be used for our own self-gratification (as promoted in the "sexual revolution"). Either view is a distortion of God's purpose for man and woman and each shows modernism's twin fascinations with the purely intellectual and the purely savage. The views expressed in Chance or the Dance? are remarkably Catholic (in the general sense) and demonstrate the direction Howard was moving even at this phase of his Christian life. In a sense, the book has proven to be prophetic in that the things that may have seemed an overreaction at the time have over the decaded been shown to be on the mark. This is a memorable work that should be read by all serious Christians.

Thomas Howard never fails to get me thinking. He also quite often sends me to my dictionary or m-w.com. One of his biggest strengths is his ability to bring meaning to just about any subject. He spends a whole chapter on poetry, bringing all of his skills as an English professor to bear in his analysis of this monumental work: One foot up, one foot down, That's the way to London Town. I'm not kidding. His insights are actually incredible and if I taught any kind of literature, I would make this chapter required reading for my students.

Thomas Howard's CHANCE OR THE DANCE? is a little-known modern classic, the sort of book that has changed many lives and is changing them still. In prose that is as beautiful as any you will read, Howard lays out the fundamental question that faces us today, whether to accept a view of the world that says we are extraordinary creatures whose lives have eternal meaning and beauty, or to accept a view that says we are cosmic accidents whose lives have no meaning at all. Simply among the very best books of the latter half of the 20th century. Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery

This book was originally published in 1969, yet it remains fresh and relevant today. Truly a critique of secularism, Howard contrasts the "old myth" (where everything meant everything) to the "new myth" (where nothing means anything). In his chapters he takes on different aspects of these contrasting worldviews, from dishrags and borzoi dogs to sex and beyond. From serious subjects to laugh out loud moments. A fairly quick read, but one that could be repeated several times to catch all the insights of a gifted writer who certainly can turn a phrase with the best. Definitely recommended.