This is a great picture

Are You Paying For Atheism?

"Children spend the majority of their waking hours in school. Parents invest a good portion of their life savings in college education and entrust their offspring to people who are supposed to educate them. Isn’t it wonderful that educators have figured out a way to make parents the instruments of their own undoing? Isn’t it brilliant that they have persuaded Christian moms and dads to finance the destruction of their own beliefs and values? Who said atheists aren’t clever?"

Dinesh D'Souza
What's So Great About Christianity

Another Emerging Poster

The Word Made Flesh

I was reading (as I am prone to do) and came across this really good quote. It comes from a book I mentioned in an earlier post a few weeks ago, Your Mind Matters by John Stott. He makes the following statement which I think is pretty awesome.

"For in and through Scripture God has spoken, that is, communicated in words. One may perhaps say that if in nature God's revelation is visualized, in Scripture it is verbalized, and in Christ it is both, for he is "the Word made flesh".

A Great Quote By a Great Writer

If you have never read anything by Mark Steyn, then you need to start reading his stuff. He is a very good writer, with some great thoughts, and always adds in some humor. Here is a quote from a recent article he wrote that I found to be great!

"I'm something of a phobiaphobe. I don't subscribe to the concepts of "homophobia" and "Islamophobia." They're a lame rhetorical sleight to end the argument by denying it's an argument at all: you don't have a political disagreement with me over gay marriage or sharia, you have a mental illness. But don't worry, we can give you counselling and medication and your "phobia" will eventually go away."

Along the same lines, I was watching a talk by Dr. Frank Beckwith where he addressed this issue of "phobias". His example was in relation to when someone called him a "homophobe" during one of his speeches. He responded to that person by saying (paraphrasing), "You know, that's interesting that you would call me that name. If you really look at the word, then it would really mean I have a fear of homosexuals. Thus, if I have a fear of something, I essentially have a handicap. Why would you make fun of me for having a handicap such as my fear of something? Shouldn't you not make fun of me or put me down for my handicap in this area?"

I found this response to be right on target and hilarious. The idea of name-calling is so ridiculous and intellectually weak. If you can't offer a defense of your position, you take the easy way out and just call someone a name. You try and cower someone into your position by calling them a name that is supposed to be the worst thing ever. This tactic is usually implored by most liberals on any issue. If you oppose gay marriage, you are a "homophobe". If you oppose illegal immigration, you are a "xenophobe". If you say anything that has to do with race, you are a "racist". Do anything that might support the male species, you are a "sexist". Oppose anything liberal and you are a right-wing, fundamentalist. Unfortunately, this type of name-calling has infiltrated the church and continued the diminishing of the evangelical mind.

Food for Thought

Today, i went to a fast food restaurant and bought a biscuit.  Yes, it was Saturday morning and I was going to have a little taste of the my childhood memories.  As I was eating my biscuit, I noticed something on the bag.  It read, "Please put litter in its place".  I found this statement to be ironic.  If I really put litter "in its place", wouldn't that be just throwing it on the ground somewhere?  I mean, if I pick it up and put it into the trash can, then it is no longer "litter", but rather "trash".  So, if they want me to put litter in its place, then I should just throw it somewhere outside on the ground.  Do they really mean what they say or did they not really think about it? Hmmmm.  

Just something to think about it.  

It's Been A Long Time...

Wow! I just got back on this thing and realized how long it has been since I wrote anything on here. My life has been extremely crazy lately and by the looks of it, I actually do have a life! That's why I haven't been sitting in front of my keyboard posting thoughts for no one to read. Hmmm. However, I found some time and a new topic to ramble on about so here goes....

Let me first begin this post by laying out some interesting statistics about young people going to college these days.

• 75% of Christian youth leave the church after high school.
• Intellectual skepticism is one of the major reasons they walk away.
• Most Christian students are unequipped to resist rabidly anti-Christian college professors who are intent on converting their students to atheism.
• College professors are five times more likely to identify themselves as atheists than the general public.
• More than half of all college professors view evangelical Christian students unfavorably.
• The “new atheists”—Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens—are writing books and are growing in popularity.
• Anna, a pastor’s daughter, became an agnostic at UNC Chapel Hill.
• Steve, son of a famous Christian, renounced biblical morality at Elon.
• John, a high school worker for Campus Crusade, became an atheist after reading a Richard Dawkins’ book on atheism.

*statistics provided by www.crossexamined.org

These observations are quite informative and interesting to read. It is true that many college campuses are just a bastion of atheism and contain people who challenge the beliefs of Christians. Why are kids leaving the church so rapidly after they face these various intellectual arguments against Christianity? I think Frank Turek, of http://www.crossexamined.org/, has provided these fascinating statistics, but also a great observation about the church.

"Some think church is irrelevant. Others, out on their own for the first time, are attracted by all the world has to offer and put God on the back burner. Yet many leave because they’ve come to doubt Christianity. In fact, intellectual skepticism is a major reason cited by those who have left.

We can lay the blame for much of this on ourselves—that is, on the church. While there are notable exceptions, most American churches over-emphasize emotion and ignore the biblical commands to develop the mind (1 Pet 3:15, 2 Cor. 10:5). In other words, we’re doing a great job performing for our youth with skits, bands and videos, but a terrible job informing them with logic, truth, and a Christian worldview. We’ve failed to recognize that what we win them with we win them to. If we win them with emotion, we win them to emotion.

Now, I don’t want to discount the importance of emotion. If the Bible is true (as we show in the seminar), then God does want us to love Him with all of our hearts. But He also wants us to love Him with our minds (Mt. 22:37). Christians don't get Brownie points for being stupid! We're supposed to know what we believe and why we believe it. And for good reason-- emotion alone is not enough to protect Christian students at college or make them bold witnesses for those they meet. If they arrive at college with nothing more then good sentimental feelings about Christ, they are easy prey for anti-Christian professors and a campus environment intent on undermining their faith. "

I think Frank has nailed it squarely on the head here. The idea that so many churches are producing young people who have no idea what they believe or why they believe it is due to the lack of discipleship. Too many youth ministries cater to the young people and worry more about numbers and entertainment. As long as we can keep them in the church, then that is the main goal. The church, as a whole, has developed a Christianity that is merely based on emotion and a more pragmatic approach of "what works in my life". As long as it helps us get through the tough times and make me feel like God is in love with me, then this Christianity thing is pretty good! John Stott, in a recent book he wrote entitled, Your Mind Matters, makes a key observation when he writes, "Young people tend to be activists, dedicated supporters of a cause, though without always inquiring too closely either whether their cause is a good end to pursue or whether their action is the best means by which to pursue it." (pg. 14). If anyone knows young people or does any type of observing of them, you know this statement is true. They jump on the "environmental bandwagon" and "Can't we all get along" movements without really considering why they believe it or support it.

In the evangelical circles, I believe that this goes back to making "man" the center of the church and the teaching of the Bible. We have lost the idea that we are here to serve the Lord with all of our heart, mind, and soul. He is the one who deserves the glory, honor, and praise. We should be bending, molding, and submitting our wills, thoughts, and actions to God. However, today we think that if we cater to society and change everything that that is really true Christianity. We make God and His Word submit to us, through our desires, thoughts, and the way the world thinks. God doesn't need us. He doesn't need anything at all, but He wants to have a relationship with us because He loves. The belief that God's message should be changed to fit the postmodern mindset is not only blasphemy, but out right "man-centered" evangelism. I think that an omnipotent God can produce a message and gospel powerful enough to change lives and bring reconciliation between Himself and manthroughout time. We do not need to change or manipulate the message to reach a new generation as many in the emerging church are suggesting, such as Brian McLaren, Tony Jones, Tony Campolo, and Rob Bell.

Young people are leaving the church because we have offered them something that makes them feel good and just fits into their current thinking. It hasn't changed their life or impacted them because they haven't heard the true gospel. Yesterday I was reading in an issue of Christianity Today a reader wrote in and said that we don't need intellectual responses to skeptics and unbelievers, but rather just tell them about our own personal experience and the wonderful feelings we have about God. Welcome to Mormonism! That is the old mormon view of how they know the Book of Mormon is true. They have felt the "burning in the bosom". Is that really how we know we serve and worship the one, true, and only God? Based on how I feel inside? Yes, great emotions accompany saving faith in Christ, but they are not the foundation upon which our faith stands. It is in knowing the Scriptures first and then knowing what and why we believe based upon the evidence. Our testimony is a powerful witness to unbelievers so they can see what God has done in our lives and how He has changed it. However, everyone who believes in anything has a "testimony". Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims, and even Atheists. Our testimony must be an essential part of our witness in order to relate to people and show them the power of the one true, living God. However, we must be prepared in and out of season to provide other answers to questions that they may have. Apologetics will never save anyone, but it does lead a horse to water. It can remove certain barriers for unbelievers before they can humble themselves to the Lord. Should apologetics be used in every instance of evangelism or witnessing? Not necessarily. Our primary source should be the Bible and the message of salvation by grace through faith. However, apologetics is just another weapon in our arsenal when people have true and deep questions about things. We need to be prepared to give an answer as Peter instructs us (1 Peter 3:15). Also, it builds our faith in knowing that we have a firm ground to stand on in our faith and allows young people to know it as well, especially when they face attacks on our campuses.

Churches need to finish the discipleship process or maybe just begin it. It starts with teaching the basic beliefs of Christianity as found in the Bible. Our first source should be a well-grounded disciple in the Bible. Teaching them the truths found in God's word, but then as they mature in Christ, we should explain to them the evidences found through logic, philosphy, science, and theology. Otherwise, we will continue to produce feel-good young people who fall under the pressure of any kind of objection to their faith. Josh McDowell could very well be right. We may be witnessing the appearance of the "Last Christian Generation".