There has been a lot of ink spilled and trees killed writing against what have been seen as the three main threats to the Christian faith: Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, and Sigmund Freud. But this is yesterday's news. The times aren't just "a changing." They done changed already.
Marx lost his steam when the Soviet Union fell. While there are a few hardened holdouts on campus here and there, his credibility is shot. As they say, "You're not going to get many dates talking about Marxism." The romance is gone. (as a note, mixed economies are common. America has been a mixed economy for most of its existence. No student is going to take seriously equating European socialism with Communism.)
Freud took a beating over the last two decades. His methods have been called into serious question. He is now mostly seen as a man who let his ideology corrupt his research. His ideas are not promoted on campus in the way they once were.
Darwin is not seen as a reason to disbelieve in God by most students. Yes, atheists still use him to support their cause, but most students do not equate Darwinism with the death of God anymore. I very rarely find students who gave up their faith because of Darwin. On the other hand, I have met many students who have left the church because of it's perceived anti-science bias. Those students have come to believe that Christians have a low respect for truth.
The greatest challenges to faith come in three new flavors: Religious illiteracy, practical atheism, and political conservative extremes. I will cover these more in upcoming blogs, but here's a quick rundown.
First, as Boston University professor, Steven Prothero, has noted in his book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know--And Doesn't, this is the greatest period of American religious illiteracy since Europeans landed on these shores. In many ways, it's easier to be a Christian on campus than it was twenty years ago, but the average Christian student knows so little about their faith that they are easily blown out of the water by the smallest challenge.
Practical atheism is the second largest challenge. True atheists only make up 4% of the population at best. Most students say they believe in God, but live as though there were no God. Most believe that an intellectual belief and occasional prayers are all that is necessary to please God. Discipleship is a foreign concept.
Lastly, the extreme Christian right has eroded many students' faith. The last year has seen some prominent Christian groups and leaders promoting Glen Becks self-proclaimed revelations from God (even though he is an active Mormon) and the writings of Ayn Rand. The promotion of Rand is especially troubling. A well-known atheist, here's what she had to say about God: "And now I see the face of God, and I raise this God over the earth, this God whom men have sought since men came into being, this God who will grant them joy and peace and pride. This God, this one word 'I'." Rand is promoted because she is ideologically conservative, but in her writings she identifies Jesus as the one of the primary opponents to her conservative ideology. Students are aware that political ideology has come to lead part of the church. This happens with liberal politics and the church in the 50s and the 60s and now we see it with conservatism. Students aren't interested in a church that is lead by the world whether it be the left-leaning world or the right-leaning world.
Of course, sensuality, pride, and sin are still the major obstacles to faith. Some things will never change until Jesus returns. But the cultural pressures, the voice of the world and the questions it raises do change. The goal here is to let you know what students face today and help you prepare them to face those challenges.
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