Is Set Theory anti-Christian?

Question

I read this article entitled "What do Christian fundamentalists have against set theory" and was shocked since I grew up (Grade 1 - 8) in several (what could be described as) fundamentalist/evangelical private schools, and I majored in Computer Science / Discrete Math in college and if the two concepts had some sort of conflict I'd be the person to know. However, I had never heard of a Christian objecting to set theory on religious grounds.

To summerize the article he basically sites this by a christian textbook publishers:

"Unlike the "modern math" theorists, who believe that mathematics is a creation of man and thus arbitrary and relative, A Beka Book teaches that the laws of mathematics are a creation of God and thus absolute....A Beka Book provides attractive, legible, and workable traditional mathematics texts that are not burdened with modern theories such as set theory." — ABeka.com

Then he explains set theory and goes on a rant (which may or may not be derived) against fundamentalists who object to modernism and all things tainted my modernism. Then talks a little tiny bit about how they may be offended by any type of theory that can contain infinities.

Is there any Christian objection to set theory?

Answer 1

"Is it anti Christian" is a Truth question. Answering in such a way as to avoid that...

From a doctrinal or even denominational perspective, the answer is "no". Do some Christians think this way? Yes.

The author of the article does, however, quite accurately describe the mindset of certain types of individuals within more conservative, fundemantalist Churches like those that I favor and prefer. I am personally friends who share the type of mindset he describes. In some of the examples, I fit the stereotype he's describing.

One of the relevant statements made in the article is this:

I can tell you from experience that A Beka (and Bob Jones University Press) are stridently against modernism in all its forms. (I'm assuming they're against post-modernism, too, but you have to understand that the opinions and perspectives this sort of Christian fundamentalism has about society and culture were formed between the late 1920s and early 1970s and, because of this, the culture wars that they are fighting often come across as confusingly antiquated.)

He's dead-on there. There is a culture of anti-modernism inherent in Fundamentalist culture and the Fundamentalist mindset.

And there are certainly individuals that I know that would say, "Amen, brother!" to the A Beka statements. But none of them would confuse such a thing as a Doctrinal issue. Another hallmark of Fundamentalism is a strong belief in Sola Scriptura, and a rabid belief in sound doctrine. This isn't to say that they wouldn't argue that such things are true. Certainly, there are, as I said, those who believe such, but they know the difference between such beliefs and doctrine.

Rather they might say that their opposition to modernism is an application of doctrine. They believe x is evil, dangerous, wrong, etc, because of doctrine y.

So they might argue that set theory is anti-Christian, but that is a personal interpretation and application of doctrine, not a doctrinal statement in and of itself.