John Sweetman
I have been reading a fascinating book (Nick Spencer and Graham Tomlin, The Responsive Church, IVP, 2005) about Christians and their mission in society. I really am wanting to be a more missional leader. Last week we looked at society's view about God and spirituality. Here are some thoughts on society's views of Christianity.
What people think about Christian beliefs
Belief in specific Christian claims (like Jesus is the Son of God and the Bible is the unique word of God) sits around the 30% mark, although 52% do believe in heaven. So more people have Christian beliefs than go to church. But many who believe in god clearly don't hold to Christian beliefs.
The most prevalent barrier to Christian beliefs is the presence of suffering in the world. This is the most common argument that people raise. Most people can't see how an all-powerful, loving God (as Christians claim) would allow the degree of suffering that people experience in our world. This is very personal for people, so intellectual debate is difficult.
Other major criticisms of Christian beliefs include Christianity's claim to exclusivity (intolerance is not tolerated), the lack of historical reliability of the Bible, and science's disproving of Christian beliefs.
When pressed, people don't have much depth in their objections. They have not really thought through the issues and don't have specific examples. They know very little about Christian faith. Their objections are not really intellectual, but more cultural. Because these are the commonly held beliefs about Christianity, people presume that they must be true.
Over 70% of people feel that there are no good reasons for Christian beliefs.
How Christians can respond
This information is both concerning and encouraging. It concerns me that most people dismiss Christian beliefs easily without serious reflection. They have unknowingly made their decision based on hearsay not real evidence.
On the other hand, it does suggest that some may listen if we provide the right answers in the right way. People do have questions that are unresolved. Most will not be convinced solely by logical argument. (I am never persuaded by someone who sets out to prove me wrong.) But we must provide genuine responses to genuine questions. There is a place for humble, authentic apologetics.
We need to make sure that we are able to gently explain Christian truth, with a genuine heart for the well-being of others. We need to know how to respond to the following common criticisms:
1. A God who controls everything and genuinely loves people would never allow the severity of suffering we see.
2. Christians have caused a huge amount of suffering to the world. Look at the Crusades and missionaries who destroyed cultures.
3. Science has disproved God. All the things we needed religion to explain are now explained by science.
4. The Bible is full of contradictions. You can't live your life by 2000 year old stories. That's stupid.
5. Christianity is arrogant because it says that everyone else is wrong.
