Religion “On Their Own Terms”

“Their Own Terms” was the heading of a newspaper article out of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. It was referring to how many college students of today treat the matter of religion in their lives. According to recent studies these young adults generally don’t like to attend traditional worship services, no matter what faith they may embrace. Students don’t like to be labeled as being of any particular denomination. Yet they seem to have a spiritual interest and profess a belief in God. In fact, a University of California study showed that 80 percent of college students say they believe in God, though the study did not specify who this “God” was. With the wide spectrum of beliefs found among the students, we can reasonably assume that for many it was not the Triune God.

So what can be said about this observance of religion “on their own terms”? Perhaps we should not be surprised at young adults turning away from mainline churches, given that so many of these churches no longer offer any real spiritual food. Yet it is troubling to know that the trend among them is to seek religion “on their own terms,” which finds them choosing from a hodgepodge of religions and becoming more misled and confused. The situation is pretty well described by an observer of this trend: “There is a huge number that will say ‘I want a little bit of this and a little bit of that. A little bit of Buddhism and a little bit of Jesus.’ They have been preached tolerance with a capital T so much that there is no critical thinking going on. Unexamined OKness with everything can be very damaging.”

Young adults who hold to the Christian faith can be grateful that they do not have to flounder around in a never-never land of a religious potpourri, but that they have a sure and certain foundation upon which to build their hopes, not only for this life but also for that which is to come. This is not on their own terms, but on God’s—and wonderfully precious terms they are: “God our Savior…desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (I Timothy 2:3-4). “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

Creating a Creation Center

A Creation museum is scheduled to open in April near Cincinnati, in the town of Florence, KY. It will cover an area of 50,000 square feet, with over 250 exhibits. The purpose of the museum is to demonstrate the reliability of the first 11 chapters of Genesis, at the same time revealing the errors of evolutionary science. The museum is a project of “Answers in Genesis,” an organization devoted to defending the Biblical creation. A Harvard trained paleontology expert, who is a creationist, will serve as a consultant for the museum, using his expertise to explain the fossil record from a Biblical viewpoint.

An emphasis of the museum will be to show that, contrary to evolutionary thought, the earth is relatively young, and that those who take Genesis literally have even scientific support. Dr. Kurt Wise, consultant for the museum, argues that to be consistent one can’t believe much of Genesis 1–11 if he does not believe in a young earth. He also argues that many of the foundational doctrines of the Bible, such as marriage, the fall of man, the necessity of a Savior and the end times, depend on belief in a young earth. In these times when evolution is being touted by secular education and the media as the only way to view the world, it is quite refreshing to hear of such a thing as a Creation museum.

“The Bible and Its Influence”

A number of public schools in 26 states are trying out a new text book this year. That is not so unusual, we might think, except when we hear the title: “The Bible and Its Influence.” Apparently some high school and college teachers who recognized the central role the Bible plays in culture and history are distressed by the biblical illiteracy they see in young Americans. “How does a secular school teach the Bible?” you might ask. The answer is: “Very carefully,” lest it offend our pluralistic society. And therein lies the crux of the matter. One thing is certain: The teaching is not going to be that of a Confirmation class, teaching the Scriptures as absolute truth. The new textbook, as reported, “slides through potential trouble spots – for instance, creation in the Book of Genesis and the prophetic predictions of the Book of Revelation.” To be sure, there are plenty of “potential trouble spots” in the Bible for secular humanist educators to “slide through.” But at least, if some students have their curiosity aroused about that Book of which they otherwise have no knowledge, there may be some worthwhile residuals to the course. After all, they will not then be dealing with just another text book, but with The Book. And its influence is immeasurable.