>I'm 57 now, and I believe many in my generation, as students, were
>strongly influenced by an apparent weakness in the Christian position(s)
>on evolution and other science-related issues.....
>Yet, it's my impression that most young people today,
>when considering the claims of Christ, and challenges to their Christian
>faith, have very little interest in, or concern with, the issue of
>evolution.....
>Why might this be so? Perhaps because science is no longer viewed with
>the same awe it once was - perhaps because of the influence of post-
>modernist thought; these two might be related....
Hello, I've been a lurker for awhile on the evolution list and even longer on
the ASA list. I am 28 years old, finishing up a Ph.D. at Duke Univ. while
teaching here at Gordon. I can say that in my undergraduate days, I was
deeply disturbed by the claims of evolution and have spent lots of time
trying to resolve how to be a Christian and deal with the apparent "fact" of
evolution--which was presented to me with very atheistic implications. But,
there are many ways in which I am not typical of "Generation X".
I think for the most part you are correct in that most people under 30 don't
feel the tension between Christianity and evolution. It is a very empirical
issue and in the postmodern milleu that modern students are saturated with,
empirical evidence is given very little weight. "It's just a choice between two
different belief systems and all the facts in the issue just depend upon your
interpretation. You believe what is right for you, and I'll believe what is
right
for me." Very few young people would give you an answer with that clarity,
but that's how a frightening large number of my peers basically think.
I think the ICR and young earth creationist unwittingly play right into the hand
of postmodern thinking. They basically say, "you have to make a choice between
the 'Christian' belief in creation or the atheist belief in evolution".
Both sides offer
tons of 'evidence' that the other side is total hogwash, so from the
ordinary person-
on-the-street's point of view it is just a choice in belief systems and
empirical
evidence is nothing more than propaganda for each side. Ask a bunch of high
school
and college Christians about why they don't believe in evolution and you
will find
that most emphasize the choice of belief system, not factual information.
Having said that, there is a minority of young people who do care deeply
about the
facts and they find the case for evolution very convincing (if they are not
Christians)
or troubling (if they are Christians). Besides myself, I worked alongside
an atheistic
undergraduate at Duke who thought one of the principle weaknesses of
Christianity
was its anti-scientific nature (Galileo, evolution, etc.) Another was a
woman who
worked at the Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill who was a devout, sincere
Christian
who was given a big cold shoulder at her church when it was found that she
believed the
earth was millions of years old and God worked through the process of
evolution. She
left that church rather than renounce everything she learned in
anthropology. I suspect
most of the young Christians who are troubled by scientific issues tend to
not share their
struggles with Church leaders for that very reason. It's better to live
with a little personal
tension rather than face wide-spread rejection from your church family.
These are the
people for which this discussion list has a relevant ministry.
If you really want to reach the first group, you must emphasize SUBJECTIVE
experience
along with empirical relevance. Tell them 99 facts that show Christianity
is a credible
philosophy and you'll get a ho-hum response. Tell them how Jesus can solve
the emptiness,
heartache, loneliness, etc. that they feel inside and give a few powerful
testimonies and
you'll be packing the house. If you want to know where the young people are
flocking to
church, I predict you look at the charismatic, gifts of the Spirit, divine
healings and miracles
denominations. My guess is that the average age of many Vineyard
Fellowships is 30 or
below. I'm not advocating all of the Vineyard theology and practices, but
they are offering
an answer that is resonating with the younger generation in America.
__________________________________________________________
"Looking back, there's a thread of love and grace
Connecting each line and space I've known" -David Meece
==========================================================
Eddie Gene Olmstead, Jr. Chemistry Department
Asst. Professor of Chemistry Gordon College
Email: olmstead@gordonc.edu 255 Grapevine Road
Phone: (508) 927-2300 Ext. 4393 Wenham, MA 01984