Christ is the Head of the University of Washington whether the Board of Regents acknowledges Him as such or not. If the Board has any authority at all (and it does), it is only because God grants it authority. Jesus made this clear at His own trial, when He said to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, "You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above." (John 19:11)
So when we add up the fact that the universe is held together by the command of Christ, and that everything and everyone on the planet is owned by Him, and that all authority is given unto Him in heaven and earth, the only thing I can conclude is, the "secular world" is the Neverland of our times. We have talked about it so long we think it is actually there. But where exactly is this place?
The word secular comes from the Latin word saeculum, meaning an "age," or "long period of time." At one time, this word may have distinguished the temporal, time-bound realm from the eternal, but today the word goes far beyond that. It connotes things detached from God's business, existing outside the realm of His affairs, interests and authority. But the truth is, we can't get away from His business, interests or authority, no matter how hard we try. Even, as King David said, if we dwell in "the uttermost parts of the sea." (Psalm 139)
I suggest we drop the word "secular" altogether, and substitute the word "secularized." While we don't live in a secular world, we do live in a world that has been secularized by humans. There are no secular jobs, but many secularized jobs. The University of Washington is a secularized place, but not really a secular school.
Words can send unintended messages. Every time we use the word "secular" we reinforce the idea it exists. This makes it hard to eliminate the "sacred-secular distinction," as Nancy Pearcey describes it. So let's quit making the distinction altogether.
See Where Exactly Is The Secular World?: http://youtu.be/gPPh3FCRlnc
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