Undermining Biblical Authority: the Problem and the Solution

On many occasions, I have shared with you that while Answers in Genesis, the Creation Museum, and the Ark Encounter specifically deal with topics relating to the history in Genesis, our main thrust is really one of biblical authority.

Ultimately, AiG and its various outreaches boldly and uncompromisingly stand on the truth of God’s Word, beginning in Genesis. And we preach the saving gospel of Jesus Christ—that’s the message I have been proclaiming for 40 years now.

We praise the Lord for the thousands of churches that are now using AiG’s apologetics curricula, Sunday school curriculum, Vacation Bible School (VBS) program (which is now in the top third in the nation), DVDs, books, magazines, and so on.

At the same time, we are seeing many megachurches and prominent church leaders not taking a stand on God’s Word in Genesis. Many of them have also become soft on issues like gay “marriage” that are blatantly against God’s Word.

The Church’s Weakening Influence

Overall, the church is not impacting the culture as it once did in our Christianized nations. There’s no doubt we are seeing Western cultures becoming more secular and more anti-Christian. Teens and young adults are less churched and more secularized.

A number of researchers have produced studies that have exposed what’s happening in America’s churches.

I have shared elsewhere that George Barna recently conducted a nationwide survey of Americans (Christians and non-Christians) and presented an analysis of the spiritual condition of the United States in 2016. Here are some of his shocking conclusions:

Americans are losing faith in all aspects of their Christian heritage and commitment. During the past decade alone there have been huge declines in the proportion of people . . . who claim to have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ.

Belief in God, trust in the Bible, and reliance on Jesus alone for salvation have all declined precipitously. Fewer than one in five adults believes that absolute moral truth exists and is defined in the Bible.

The unchurched population is growing like cancer.

The Bible is taking a big hit. . . . Only one out of three adults believes it is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches.

The nation’s morals and values are a mess. . . . A majority argues that co-habitation, sexual fantasies, sex outside of marriage, giving birth outside of marriage, divorce, doctor-assisted suicide, homosexual relations, and same-sex marriage are morally acceptable endeavors.

Barna concluded by noting that these massive cultural changes provide “the cultural context for the 2016 battle for the White House and control of Congress.”

The Problem and the Solution

Now, what’s the real problem? And then what’s the solution?

Although Americans are voting soon in national elections, politics is not the solution. The remedy is that people need to believe God’s Word and respond to the saving gospel. Only the gospel changes hearts and minds, and then the culture follows.

Herein lies a major problem in Western churches. You see, I believe that the church is to blame for much of what has happened in our former Christianized cultures. Certainly, there are many churches and pastors that stand on biblical authority as we do at Answers in Genesis. Sadly, they are the minority.

The majority of churches have departed from an uncompromising stand on God’s Word, starting in Genesis.

The majority of churches have departed from an uncompromising stand on God’s Word, starting in Genesis. This has led to undermining biblical authority and losing generations from our churches.

Last month, I mentioned influential Pastor Andy Stanley (pastor of North Point Community Church in Georgia) and his response to what’s happening in America. He wants to take the focus off the Word of God and concentrate instead on telling people about Jesus and the Resurrection. This strategy doesn’t make sense to me, as we get the message of Jesus and His glorious Resurrection from the Word.

Well, researchers at AiG and I have watched the entire series by Pastor Stanley. I carefully selected many video clips from this series, took video segments of other Christian leaders/academics, and constructed an entire talk around their treatment of God’s Word.

I then presented the talk to a live audience at the Creation Museum a few weeks ago. (It is now being produced for release on DVD in January.)

I think this new AiG presentation really illustrates the problem rampant in our church today—but it also shares how to deal with it. I show why pastors like Andy Stanley (using their own words) are promoting what I believe to be a disastrous approach to reaching people with the gospel.

Not only that, in this new talk I explain why these Christian leaders and others are collectively to blame for much of the loss of biblical authority in this nation.

Raising Up Generations to Stand on God’s Word

Over the years, I’ve seen the church try to respond to the increasing exodus of people from the church and the growing secularization of the culture. We’ve seen the “seeker-sensitive” approach, the growth of the “emergent church,” the emphasis on entertainment, and making music the dominant feature of church services as they become more performance based.

I contend that the church needs to raise up generations who know what they believe, know why they believe it, are equipped with answers to defend the Christian faith against secular attacks (like evolution/millions of years), and know they can trust God’s Word from the very first verse.

I earnestly believe the talk I have prepared and presented at the Creation Museum sums up the biblical authority problem—and also outlines the solution. Frankly, it’s nothing new! It’s what God’s Word has always been telling us.

I believe we need reformation, transformation, and revival in our churches so they will once again impact the culture and raise generations of godly people. Regarding this effort, Answers in Genesis is helping lead the charge through many avenues:

• Books and DVDs providing biblical apologetics and presenting the gospel
• Curricula for science, history, VBS, Sunday school, and more
• Online courses teaching biblical worldview and apologetics
• Websites with thousands of articles reaching 25 million visitors a year
• Answers Research Journal, our online peer-reviewed technical journal
• Translations of AiG resources and web articles—now up to 16 major languages
• Speakers/conferences—hundreds of talks done in churches and conferences this year
• Radio—Answers with Ken Ham program now on over 900 radio stations
• Social media outreach through numerous platforms like Facebook, reaching millions
• Creation Museum—approaching three million visitors!
• The new Ark Encounter, sometimes visited by 7,000 people in a day!

There’s no doubt all of these outreaches are impacting the church. But much more needs to be done, for we recognize the battle is an enormous one—a spiritual struggle of massive proportions.

AiG continues to move ahead to reach millions of souls each year (and, prayerfully, billions) with the gospel. Thank you so much for your prayer and generous support of this vital apologetics and evangelistic outreach!