Pitfalls

I mentioned last post that teaching Christianity is rational from a "godless" paradigm is setting up our next generation for belief failure. Unfortunately we have found ourselves reacting to our culture's current focus on scientific rationalism (which some have called scientific naturalism) and establishing apologetics teachings to guide our young people in how to argue someone from unbelief to belief. In theory this approach seems good in that we are both equipping our young people to counter doubt around them as well as assuring them against the doubts within them. What happens, then, if the youth discovers that his rational beliefs only truly work within the framework based on the presupposition that there is a Christian God? An honest theologian will sadly admit there is no solution to the problem of evil, and no real unimpeachable proof of God's existence without first acknowledging God.

God Himself states in Scripture that while He has given clues to his existence around His creation most human eyes are blind to them. Sadly, it is the very extensive knowledge, or rather the personal recognition of one's own knowledge, that makes it difficult to identify God as the Creator. Jesus often said that the simple recognize God, but wise overlook Him. Ah! Says the agnostic, so you do want me to "check my brain at the door", but that is not it at all. It is pride that needs to be checked, though many mistake their sense of pride for a self-awareness of intelligence.

Our culture is already developing a shift away from pure rationalism. Even those, with certain very vocal exceptions, who decry the danger of religion often state the importance of spirituality. The spirituality that these agnostic/atheists accept is loosely based on Hindu ideas of energy and karma. I expect another swing toward "new age" spiritualism in the next decade with a more rationalist bent than we have seen in the past.

How this effects our youth is that spiritualism will explain certain emotional experiences that the rationalist describes, but everything else in his universe will be seen from the atheistic frame of reference. As our youth continue to engage the culture many will not want to have it appear that they have checked their brains at the door of faith. Friends and professors will regard the fundamentalist Christian youth with condescension. Soon the youth will find that all the arguments he was taught in church about how to prove God's hand in creation is not sufficient for even himself.

It is not, then, wise to declare Christianity to be rational in the modern sense. Instead we need to accept that true faith in God is just that- faith. We are not saved from the power of sin and death by our ability to discern the truth. Paul made this clear in his letter to the Ephesians- "By grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourself..." It is better to teach our children the value of their gift of faith rather teaching them to explain their faith using the world's reasoning. We need to teach our children that it is ok to say "I believe because I have faith given by the Holy Spirit." It is ok to not have all the answers because, as Paul wrote, right now we can only know in part (I Corinthians 13:12).