There is a simple prayer for salvation and it goes something like this:
Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and in need of salvation. I believe that You came to earth to seek and to save people who are lost in their sins, and I believe that you died on the cross as the substitute for my sins.
Millions of people have prayed this simple prayer or one like it and have been led to Christ and I was one of them. Having been raised in a Christian tradition, it seemed a natural way to affirm my childhood faith. It was a decision that felt right for me at the time.
But as I started attending church again, I would learn that a significant number of Christians adhere to assumptions that gave me pause. I would find core doctrines very difficult if not nearly impossible for me to believe. I began to think that I might be in a cult. Some might call it “buyers remorse”.
Gallup polls have been asking the following question since the early ’80s:
Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and development of human beings:
- Human beings have evolved over millions of years from other forms of life and God guided this process. (37% take this first option which could cover beliefs in intelligent design, various forms of old-earth creationists, or theistic evolution),
- Human beings have evolved over millions of years from other forms of life, but God had no part in this process. (12% back this nontheistic evolutionary account)
- God created human beings in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years. (44% endorse this option)
This breakdown has been remarkably consistent over the decades.
In 2009,George Bishop ran a survey that clarifies how many people really think the earth is only 10,000 years old. In survey results published by Reports of NCSE, Bishop found that 18% agreed that “the earth is less than 10,000 years old.” But he also found that 39% agreed “God created the universe, the earth, the sun, moon, stars, plants, animals, and the first two people within the past 10,000 years.” Again, question wording and context clearly both matter a lot.
In summary, between 18% and 44% of the adult population say they believe in a literal creation story. Maybe this shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. The stories of the “fall of man and salvation” are not just metaphors or allegories but are very real for a large minority of the American population. They are key components of their belief mosaics.
It made me wonder how that could be in a modern world. It had been over 130 years since Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” in 1859 which proposed evolution by natural selection. ‘The Descent of Man” would follow in 1871. Evolution had been overwhelmingly accepted by mainstream scientists. When Mary and Louis Leakey discovered remains of an early protohuman at Olduvai Gorge in Africa in 1959, I thought the issue of human evolution had been put to bed.
I would come to understand that many evangelicals misunderstood evolution. They would view it as a “theory” not realizing that the scientific definition of the word was very different. They would ask questions like “ if man evolved from monkeys..why are monkeys still around?” Some would make the distinctions between “macro evolution” and “micro evolution”.
Were there dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark? Remember that we didn’t even know what a dinosaur was until 1843?
I would read Richard Dawkins “Blind Watch Maker” and was blown away by how elegant it was in explaining the diversity of life on our planet.
To add perspective, It is important to understand that Christian fundamentalism came about as a backlash to modernism. Fundamentalists doubled down on core supernatural beliefs. In 1910, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church identified what became known as the five fundamentals:
- Biblical inspiration and the infallibility of scripture as a result of this
- Virgin birth of Jesus
- Belief that Christ’s death was the atonement for sin
- Bodily resurrection of Jesus
- Historical reality of the miracles of Jesus
Probably no event more symbolized the clash between religion and science than the Scopes Monkey Trial in Tennessee in 1925. William Jennings Bryan, three-time presidential candidate, argued for the prosecution, while Clarence Darrow served as the defense attorney for Scopes. The trial publicized the Fundamentalist–Modernist controversy, which set Modernists, who said evolution was not inconsistent with religion,against Fundamentalists, who said the Word of God as revealed in the Bible took priority over all human knowledge.
In the fifties, American evangelist Billy Graham became popular. The Southern Baptist minister held large rallies called “Crusades” that were broadcast on radio and television for six decades. He also hosted the radio show Hour of Decision from 1950 to 1954. Graham helped shape the worldview of a huge number of people.
In 1975, one of the first megachurches in the US, Willow Creek Community Church, was founded. Rick Warren’s Saddleback followed. He would write the best seller “the purpose driven life”. Sermons are often inspirational, motivational, relevant and well-delivered but the message remains solidly conservative Christian. Today there are thousands of such churches in America. Joel Olstein’s church even exceeds 40,000 attendees a week.
Modern mega churches frequently followed a “seeker friendly” approach, often downplaying their core doctrines and emphasizing a positive church experience and values including contemporary music, community and friendship. Indoctrination of new members happens over time via Bible studies.
The truth will set you free. – John 8:32
It’s important to note that there are Christians who reconcile the evidence of science and their faith and still find spiritual meaning in the stories and parables of the bible. They buy into the core values and principles of their faith rather than literal and or legalistic interpretations. They don’t necessarily see accepting Jesus as the ticket to heaven but “Christ consciousness” as a model for living.
Admittedly, this is a bit too nuanced for most Americans. “Christ what?”
The Catholic Church made a formal apology to Galileo and officially accepted evolution as not being incompatible with the faith.
In 1992, Episcopalian John Shelby Spong would write “Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism”. In 1999 American biologist Kenneth Miller, PhD would pen “Finding Darwin’s God”. In 2007, Francis Collins, head of the NIH and Human Genome project published “The Language of God”.
In the last couple decades “non religious” or “nones” became the fastest growing segment of belief garnering over 22 percent of the population. “Spiritual but Not Religious” has become a popular way of describing oneself and it appeals to me.
But a large swath of Americans refused to accept the new paradigm or connect the dots on what it might mean for the integrity of their faith.
The internet and YouTube in particular would bring about a platform where ideas would could be freely and shared. People didn’t need to spend 15 hours reading a book. Remember that the vast majority of Americans don’t read even one book in a year.
The Four Horsemen of the Un-Apocalypse video featuring Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris and Daniel Denett came out in 2007 and went viral.
Deconversion and deconstruction videos would follow. Prominent Christians like Jon Steingard, frontman for the Christian band Hawk Nelson, and Josh Harris, the author of purity culture book “ I kissed dating goodbye” would bravely admit struggling with their faith. YouTubers Rhett and Link with millions of followers would “come out”.
Don’ confuse me with the facts. Cognitive dissonance is painful.
What is this even an important issue? Does it really matter?
I believe it does. Since Constantine and Charlemagne, many leaders have realized that they can use the authority of their faith to gain influence, power and rule empires. Today this is exemplified by televangelists such as Kenneth Copeland who buy executive Jets with the donations from their followers. There are many politicians who wear their faith on their sleaves to solidify their power. Trump successfully courted the religious Right when he ran for President.
Willful ignorance and delusion can be very dangerous, especially when it is used by those in power to create laws and public policy that are imposed on the lives of others. It is time to outline, expose and challenge these underlying faith assumptions for what they are.
Let’s not sugarcoat it. Most fundamentalists believe that nonbelievers are damned to an eternity in hell whether they explicitly say it or not. I believe that the Radical Right is promoting a misleading narrative. They are making unsubstantiated claims. The Gospel is a good news and bad news story. Often, it is with love that they share their faith.
At it’s core, It is the ultimate bomb threat because it claims a forever punishment for a finite sin. Let me repeat this.. It is a threat and given the eternal consequences of the claim it needs to be taken seriously. Is there any evidence to support this bold claim? Let’s dive in.
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