The Catholic Defender: The Secularization of the Bible With Catholic Convert With Catholic Convert William Hemsworth and his guest Dr. Scott Hahn
- Jan 28
- 2 min read
I am once again honored to have Dr. Scott Hahn .
We are discussing the book he wrote with his co author Dr. Benjamin Wiker titled "The Decline And Fall Of Sacred Scripture: How The Bible Became A secular Book".
In this interview we discuss the inspiration behind the book and many of the historical circumstances that have led to many politicizing and secularizing the Bible.
Dr. Scott Hahn and Fr. Michael Scanlan Professor of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Dr. Scott Hahn is the Founder and President of the St. Paul Center, an apostolate dedicated to teaching Catholics to read Scripture from the heart of the Church.
Dr. Hahn has been married to his wife Kimberly for forty two years.
They have six kids and twenty one grandkids and one of their sons are currently in priestly formation with the Diocese of Steubenville and the other was recently ordained.
The author and editor of over forty popular and academic books, Dr. Hahn’s works include best-selling titles Rome Sweet Home, The Lamb’s Supper, and Hail Holy Queen.
His most recent release is titled Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body and It is Right and Just: Why the Future of Civilization Depends on True Religion now available at St. PaulCenter.com.
The secularization of the Bible is a historical process wherein, starting around the 14th century and accelerating through the Enlightenment, scripture was shifted from ecclesiastical authority to academic, rationalist, and political scrutiny. This shift, often linked to figures like Hobbes, Spinoza, and Locke, reinterpreted the Bible through historical-critical methods that de-emphasized the supernatural, treating it as a historical or literary text rather than divine, inspired, and authoritative Word.
Thinkers like Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Locke interpreted the Bible to suit political goals or to fit a secular, scientific worldview.
The process has led to a reduction in the Bible's influence as an absolute moral guide, substituting it with secular, human-centered morality.
Methods such as redaction and source criticism emerged to "desupernaturalize" scripture, rejecting miracles and prophecies.
Modern secular, Marxist, and feminist views have heavily influenced contemporary biblical studies.
This method of study treats the Bible like any other ancient text, often rejecting miracles and supernatural elements as "prescientific" fables. It shifted the burden of proof, requiring secular validation for any biblical claim to be considered "true".
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