In this thoughtful if misguided piece from The Wall Street Journal by Alain de Botton, we find another secular thinker lamenting the loss of what Christianity has given us: community, a sense of purpose and history, and ethical standards for living corporately.  "I, for one, believe that it is possible to reclaim our sense of community," he writes.  "And that we can do so, moreover, without having to build upon a religious foundation."  His solution is to create, in effect, a secular church complete with book, building, and worship.

The truth that de Botton has landed upon is that man is a teleological being; that is, he is purposeful and must worship something, be it God, work, the environment, American Idol, or himself.  Where de Botton goes wrong, however, is in removing the source of community: God.  It is as if he wants to sew without thread or lay brick without mortar.  Without God there is no compelling reason for community.  In such an environment false gods are erected to replace the authentic one.  This is the lesson of history.

As you read de Botton's column consider what is missing from his "Agape Restaurant."  Is the kind of community he offers authentic or contrived?  Does it offer real meaning and standards for living or simply disguise our lack of it in a godless world?