Sad—But a Confirmation of the Decline

The quote I posted on Facebook was from the CNN story (religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/09/survey-one-in-five-americans-is-religiously-unaffiliated). I think it sums up the research well enough to repeat here:

The fastest growing "religious" group in America is made up of people with no religion at all, according to a Pew survey showing that one in five Americans is not affiliated with any religion. . . . The survey found that the ranks of the unaffiliated are growing even faster among younger Americans. Thirty-three million Americans now have no religious affiliation, with 13 million in that group identifying as either atheist or agnostic, according to the new survey.

In the new edition of my book The Lie: Evolution/Millions of Years (that was released this month), I discuss the shift that has occurred in American culture. Basically, the culture has become more anti-Christian, despite having more access to churches and Christian resources than any other country. Below is the explanation I give in my new edition of The Lie for this shift in our society, and I think it’s very appropriate in light of the Pew Forum’s results:

In recent times, however, more and more people have rejected the Bible as the absolute authority on which to build one’s worldview. As people have increasingly rejected belief in God’s authoritative Word as the foundation for their thinking, they have also questioned the basis of the morals of the society in which they live. For instance, if there is no God, then why should they obey any of the Ten Commandments? Why should anyone say gay marriage is wrong? Why should women be barred from having abortions whenever they desire? Once people eliminate God’s Word as the basis for their morality, they set about to change any laws based on Christian absolutes that help God as Creator (and thus owner) of everything.

You see, the authority of God’s Word continues to be eroded in our culture—even in many of our churches!—and we’re seeing the fruits of that erosion in statistics like the above. When I give presentations, I tell people that America is heading down the same path as England and Europe. Two-thirds of England’s young people say they don’t believe in God! Furthermore, church attendance is down to just 5% there. America is headed that direction—and this Pew Forum survey confirms it.

Now, our research and predictions on the exodus of young people from the church are in my book Already Gone. According to our research, two-thirds of young people are walking away from the church by the time they reach college age. Britt Beemer (co-author of Already Gone, and head of America's Research Group who conducted the study) and I also deal with why this is happening. At the root, our children are being secularized—through public school teachers, Christian leaders who have compromised on Genesis, and others. Additionally, our children are not being taught creation and general biblical apologetics (a defense of the faith), but they are being taught how to defend naturalism (atheism), evolutionary ideas, and millions of years. So it should come as no surprise that young people are leaving the church in America! (To order Already Gone, visit our our online bookstore at www.AnswersBookstore.com.) And it only takes one generation to lose a culture! America is on the brink of such a change right now.

Romans 1 lays out the battle that is before us: “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:21–22).

Sinful man is rejecting God for a lie. And I believe the Pew Forum’s research confirms the critical importance of the ministry of Answers in Genesis as we combat the anti-God religion of evolution and millions of years that is taught throughout the world—which justifies people's rejection of God's Word—and as we call the church and its leaders away from compromising with the secular religion of the day and to return to the authority of the Word of God, beginning in Genesis.

Believers everywhere must be diligent in combating this rapid secularization of America. I urge you to ask your church leaders where they stand on biblical authority and to hold them to account—and to boldly proclaim the truth of God’s Word to the world. As Colossians 4:5–6 tells us, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

Auction Fundraiser For Ark Encounter

I encourage you to mark your calendars for the on-line auction of a special gift package in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of The Lie. The online auction begins on Wednesday, October 17 at 7:00 PM and ends October 27 at 7:00 PM. Visit the auction page at this link: myworld.ebay.com/answersauctions.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken