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Christianity 101

Why creation should be part of any basic discipling

iStock photo teacher-blackboard

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First appeared in a CMI newsletter in March 2010

Many CMI supporters may recall that a few years ago my family relocated from Australia to head up CMI’s US office. Changing cultures, even from one Western one to another, is a steep learning curve. Particularly when it comes to language and the way we encapsulate various local cultural ideas or concepts. One such US expression that has been exported overseas with American culture is the term ‘101’. You might have heard it used to describe basic mathematics or English courses, such as “English 101” or “Geography 101”. It actually refers to a form of basic study or an introductory course that one takes when one enters university in the US. Simply, it is entry-level study that one undertakes before embarking on further ventures etc.

Our ministry is an equipping and information ministry. It may surprise you to hear that the information that we share at churches and via our resources has never been heard before by the majority of Christians. But it shouldn’t surprise us if we stop and think about it. Education is not neutral (parents beware!). The world’s education system and the media do not teach creation—they teach a secular history from a non-Christian worldview. If everyone has been taught evolution it cannot be a side issue for Christianity.

The issue of all issues facing the church today

This realization should have alarm bells ringing in our churches. Because people have overwhelmingly accepted the ‘world’s science’ when it comes to origins, it obviously leads to doubts about the reliability of God’s Word. Tragically, the Christian culture that once dominated the West has been declining due to this number one issue—the truth and authority of Scripture—and the doubts start in the very first book.

If our faith is going to be relevant to the real world, and not perceived as something we just practice on the weekends to make us feel good, then we have to take the Great Commission seriously. As Christians, one of our primary roles is to replicate ourselves. That is, make disciples, who in turn will make more disciples. If those original disciples are being hampered because they cannot defend or answer the very questions that people are asking, then we are not going to discharge our duties and the call that was given to every Christian properly. When witnessing to people who regard both Genesis and the Gospels to be mythical it is simply inadequate to say, ‘Just believe in Jesus.’

A call for the church to take this seriously

I know it is only too easy to criticize the church as a lot of visiting preachers seem to do (this is actually something our speakers have been trained to steer away from). But we are actually trying to encourage the church to be proactive. But we have to recognize the problem before we can do something about it. If these are the questions people are asking us, then we are duty-bound to provide the answers (1 Peter 3:15). The highways of eternity are littered with millions of lost souls that believed evolution to be true.

Recently, Mike F. wrote to say:

“Just a note to tell you how much of a blessing CMI really is. … Recently, my seventh grade daughter was subjected to the evolutionary theory at school. … Debunking evolution should be a part of any Christian’s witness. Evolution is so damning to so many peoples’ worldview. So, thank you all for the excellent resource that is CMI”. (emphasis ours)

The skeptics and humanists know that creation information changes lives. This is why they spend so much time and energy in agitated blustering on their websites about what creationists allegedly believe. It’s because people are being affected, and they don’t want that to increase!

‘Christianity 101’ should include creation

We are calling for a revolution in the church—isn’t it about time? Let’s recognize that the culture has changed and meet the challenge. Churches (and parents) please start training your folks in creation apologetics, and when new Christians come along, creation should be a staple part of their discipling. Let’s make it a part of ‘entry-level Christianity’ and then when we reach out with the Gospel we’ll hear more testimonies like Jeannie J. who emailed to say:

 “I am thankful to our Lord for your ministry from Him. I grew up in an atheist/evolution home, married a ‘JW’ [Jehovah’s Witness], ended up a demonised witch by the time the Lord, our creator saved me at 46, 11 years ago. Almost all the Christians I’ve met don’t think it is important to take Genesis literally. I have to hang on to the hard truth of God’s word. … Thank you so much. My faith grows as I read and listen to [you].”

Thank you so much for supporting CMI to produce such material that helps change lives all around the world.

Published: 11 April 2015

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