Written by: Dominic Statham
Article source: barnabas.digital
In countries historically considered ‘Christian’, churches are losing their young people at an alarming rate. According to Scott McConnell, Executive Director of Lifeway Christian Resources, the situation is particularly serious in the United States of America. In an article titled, Most teenagers drop out of church as young adults, he lamented:
“The reality is that Protestant churches continue to see the new generation walk away as young adults. Regardless of any external factors, the Protestant church is slowly shrinking from within.” (lifewayresearch.com, 15 January 2019).
In another article, Atheism doubles among Generation Z, the Barna research group gives various reasons why youngsters reject belief in God. Prominent among these are, “I believe science refutes too much of the Bible” and “I don’t believe in fairy tales” (barna.com, 24 January 2018). The National Study of Youth—the most extensive sociological project on youth and religion ever undertaken—found that seventy percent of young Americans believe that “the teachings of science and religion often ultimately conflict with each other”
Many parents and teachers will naturally be asking whether such a trend is soon to be seen in Africa, and what might be done to prevent this.
According to the apostle Paul, the evidence for God is undeniable, being seen in the world around us. In Romans 1:20 he argued:
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
God’s unlimited power is seen in the vastness of the universe; His knowledge and wisdom in the indescribable complexity of the human body; and His goodness and love in the beauty of nature. But why do so many young people fail to see it? Many have concluded that the explanation has much to do with the secular worldview fed to teenagers and young adults by the media and in many schools and universities. Particularly, the teaching of evolution as fact—that everything from stars, planets, plants, animals and people arose all by themselves, entirely by natural processes—makes a creator God appear unnecessary and irrelevant.
The South African school curriculum requires learners to engage with the creation/evolution debate in both Religion Studies and Life Sciences, and this provides a great opportunity for Christian teachers to present the evidence for creation. This should not be difficult as recent developments in science challenge Darwinian theory at its core, and more and more facts are providing ever stronger arguments for design in nature.
Much of this new material is provided in a recently published book, Evolution, Creation and Science, now freely downloadable from barnabas.digital. Written in plain English, with many helpful illustrations, the case for creation is presented both powerfully and in a way that makes it accessible to the non-specialist. Hard copies can be ordered by email from order-sa@barnabas.digital.
Endorsements
“Evolution, Creation and Science is an eminently timeous and profoundly relevant body of work. … Every serious Christian ought to have this profound resource on hand as a navigational aid.”
Dr Elton M. Black, MBChB (Stell), MBA (USB) (Cum Laude), MTh (Bangor, Wales)
Medical Doctor and Christian Thought Leader
“An inspiring, well-documented exposition of the world-wide controversy between creation and evolution. … All responsible scholars in biological science should familiarise themselves with this easily comprehensible essay. Highly recommended!”
O.B. Kok , Ph.D. in Zoology
Emeritus Professor, University of the Free State, South Africa
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Date published: 26/04/2021
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