The Tragedy of Biblical Illiteracy, Part 2

Image

Read Part 1.

National Study of Youth & Religion

The bad news does not end with LifeWay’s latest survey. Considered the most comprehensive study on the religious views of teenagers ever conducted, a four year effort led by Christian Smith called the National Study of Youth and Religion in 2005 determined that the majority of American teens believe in God and worship in conventional congregations, but their religious knowledge is remarkably shallow, and they have a tough time expressing the difference that faith makes in their lives.

Though the phone survey depicted broad affinity with religion, the face-to-face interviews found that many teens’ religious knowledge was “meager, nebulous and often fallacious” and engagement with the substance of their traditions remarkably shallow. Most seemed hard put to express coherently their beliefs and what difference they make.

Many were so detached from the traditions of their faith, says the report, that they’re virtually following a different creed in which an undemanding God exists mostly to solve problems and make people feel good. Truth in any absolute, theological sense, takes a back seat.

“God is something like a combination Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist” who’s on call as needed.1

It should be observed that this survey is 12 years old and these teens are now grown up and have apparently carried over their view of God and truth into adulthood, as the LifeWay survey indicates. Indeed there is some evidence that as a result of this understanding of God and Scripture the majority of the evangelical church has now become infected with a social disease. The disease is popularly called MTD, or Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. A generation which has been trained by its elders (intentionally or by neglect) to believe in “an undemanding God” who “exists mostly to solve problems and make people feel good,” can be excused for confusing biblical Christianity with a sickly, unhealthy mimic. After all, moralism can appear at first to be godly living, therapeutic psychobabble can have similarities to biblical principles for sanctification, and deism fits well into a worldview that finds God unnecessary except during times of emergency.

When one is infected with MTD the knowledge of truth (if it exists at all) is superfluous and unwanted baggage. The study of Scripture or theology has no real relevance to those who have reduced their religion to how to solve problems and feel good. If one subscribes to “pan-theology”–it will all pan out in the end—then why sweat the details? Does it really matter that Jesus was born of a virgin or that He has always existed in contrast to being the first thing created by God? Does it matter if Jesus Christ died as our substitute or was bodily resurrected?

Essential doctrines such as these are mattering less and less among those claiming evangelical faith. As an example, it is interesting to examine church websites and search for a statement of faith. What is commonly found on most church websites yields either minimal results or none at all. I was recently reading an article in Christianity Today which was highlighting some fast growing churches. One in our area was featured so I took a look at their website. What I found about their published beliefs is representative:

Having witnessed first-hand the transforming power of Jesus Christ in our own lives, the community at … strives to create an environment where the “un-churched” as well as the “de-churched” will feel unconditional acceptance. We gather weekly to share stories of courage and sacrifice; stories that have the power to change our lives and the lives of others. We value the power and authority of the living Word of God and the life changing effects it has. Therefore, our community has been founded on the principles discovered within the Bible.

Life changing effects are mentioned, as are “principles discovered within the Bible” but there are no details as to what these effects and principles might be. The emphasis is on an environment in which everyone, especially the un-churched (read unsaved) and de-churched (whoever they are) get to share their stories and are comfortable.

From these statements one would expect in attending this church to have a good time, be accepted, be instructed in some general principles for living and go home relatively happy. Few will notice that this philosophy of church life is virtually the definition of MTD and does not represent the New Testament view of the Christian faith.

It is almost certain that the leadership of this church, and others like them, intend no harm to the body of Christ. Their philosophy of ministry appears to be working, numbers are growing, enthusiasm is high, and all seems well. But appearances are often deceiving.

If we use the mirror of the Word of God, rather than the mirror of culture, we discover that the church was designed by God for the believer as a place of worship, ministry, instruction and fellowship (Acts 2:42). It was not designed for the un-churched or de-churched. The church in the New Testament is not a place where those who do not know Christ and thus are under the wrath of God (Rom 1:18) are comfortable. The church is not the place where people are given a few principles found in the Bible, but a place where the Word of God is seriously preached and taught passionately (2 Tim 3:16-4:5).

Churches which are being organized to please the culture instead of God are steadily growing spiritually sick. However, because they are growing numerically, offer enthusiastic worship services and outreach opportunities, and have perfected the art of meeting felt-needs, the symptoms of MTD are being ignored.

(Coming soon: Part 3, biblical illiteracy and biblical inerrancy)

Notes

1 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/7019023/ns/us_news/t/study-most-us-teens-serio…(emphasis mine).

Gary Gilley Bio

Gary Gilley has served as Senior Pastor of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, Illinois since 1975. He has authored several books and is the book review editor for the Journal of Dispensational Theology. He received his BA from Moody Bible Institute. He and his wife Marsha have two adult sons and six grandchildren.

Discussion

From the article:

…the church was designed by God for the believer as a place of worship, ministry, instruction and fellowship (Acts 2:42). It was not designed for the un-churched or de-churched. The church in the New Testament is not a place where those who do not know Christ and thus are under the wrath of God (Rom 1:18) are comfortable. The church is not the place where people are given a few principles found in the Bible, but a place where the Word of God is seriously preached and taught passionately (2 Tim 3:16-4:5).

I wholeheartedly agree. My husband and I often mourned the degree to which church classes and activities were geared for evangelistic appeal, but not to deepen theological understanding or build one’s faith. We often kept our kids with us in church to increases their chances of getting a little meat—but even that was meager pickins due to the emphasis on behavioral changes without proper exposition.

We’ve been visiting churches in our area for the last 5 years or so, and the only church within a 20 minute drive that we feel is truly teaching/preaching the Word with a fruitful congregation is a Reformed Baptist church. What’s up with that?

You could do a lot worse than that. :)

G. N. Barkman

[G. N. Barkman]

You could do a lot worse than that. Smile

Agreed. Plus Charles Haddon Spurgeon would approve!

JSB

It strikes me that the path to theological coherence and Biblical literacy starts in the pulpit, and continues out into the foyer and into the world. If the pastor uses the text more or less as a springboard to talk about what he really wanted to discuss, be that funny stories, theological or societal hobby horses, and the like, the congregation is going to tend to follow his lead—and become Biblically illiterate.

On the flip side, if the pastor takes on the tough passages and exegetes them faithfully, the congregation will tend to follow his lead there, too. A young missionary candidate did just that last weekend, and I greeted him with a “well done” and jokingly admonished him “not to get any smarter”. Not that intellect is a bad thing, mind you, but a lot of men go astray when they get too clever by half. Sometimes it’s best just to let the text take you where it goes.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

Susan, this is our exact scenario except that the IFB churches are all some strain of KJVONKY as well. Now attending a reformed Baptist church.

I am sorry you haven’t found anything which fits. I hope the Reformed Baptist church is working well. I’d invite you to come down to Olympia, but that’s a bit of a drive for you!

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

Part of what may make them so appealing, beyond the fact that a great portion of the good theology being done these days being Calvinistic in its nature, is the simple fact that Reformed Baptists don’t have the huge infrastructure of tradition that their non-Reformed brothers have. Hence they may be freer at times to simply preach the Word as it’s written, even when the doctrines of grace are not obviously involved.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

Tyler,

My son is on his way to Olympia right now for a debate tournament! I am picking him up on Saturday but did not plan to stay over that night or else we would go to church with you.

Although I wish things were different regarding church I am thankful for a solid bible preaching ministry that strongly affirms the fundamentals and faithfully preaches an unadulterated gospel.