-
Answers in Genesis
-
has put forth these statistics.
-
You may find them interesting.
-
I do.
-
Fifty-six percent of Papa's
generation go to church.
-
Forty-four percent of my mother's
generation go to church.
-
Thirty-two percent of Jeff's -
-
he's in a different one from me.
-
He called me a young whippersnapper
the other day or something -
-
but 32% Jeff's age.
-
Twenty-seven percent my age -
-
I'm right there at the
beginning of Generation X.
-
It starts at 1965 and I just slipped in.
-
I think it goes all the way to '80.
-
But millennials -
-
basically those from 1980.
-
Eighteen percent attend church.
-
So what you're watching
is from Papa's age - 56% -
-
down to 18%.
-
What's happening?
-
Scripture talks about there may be
-
a great falling away before the end.
-
What's happening in America?
-
Just listen to this,
-
because the statistics go further.
-
Notice what they found.
-
Of millennials who grew up in the church,
-
61% leave the church
-
by the time they hit college age.
-
Why? The common answer:
-
Evolution.
-
(incomplete thought)
-
This is what they recognize:
-
We hear millions of years
-
taught in high school -
-
elementary school,
middle school, high school -
-
but not only that,
-
you know what else they're saying?
-
And we heard it taught by many preachers.
-
And you know why it's such a battle
-
for their faith?
-
Because they're being honest.
-
The preacher says:
-
Well, it's okay to think this took
-
millions of years.
-
But you know what the problem is?
-
These millennials read Genesis 1
-
and guess what they think
-
they're hearing it say.
-
That it was all done in seven days.
-
See, that is the problem.
-
It sounds like it is saying something
-
and anybody that wants
to take it seriously -
-
You know what?
-
Richard Dawkins says these
sophisticated theologians
-
who want to try to find evolution in here,
-
he says they're deluded.
-
He says these creationists
that are holding
-
to what I am going to espouse,
-
he said they're right.
-
He's saying these other guys
-
that are trying to find this there,
-
they're deluded.
-
Now you see he thinks he's got us then
-
because he thinks that there's such
-
irrefutable evidence for evolution -
-
he calls it - "evil"-lution.
-
The Brits say it right.
-
But see, he thinks he's got us.
-
It's like you can't argue it.
-
But he says at least the creationists
-
have it right.
-
These guys that are trying to
tow the line between both,
-
he says they're deluded.
You can't do that.
-
And he recognizes that.
-
And you know what? The
millennials recognize that too.
-
Listen to what else:
-
He said of millennials who leave church,
-
most heard the preacher teach
-
that it's okay to believe
in billions of years
-
which caused them to doubt the Bible.
-
Of millennials still in the church
-
that haven't left,
-
when asked what, if anything,
-
causes them to ever
doubt the Bible the most?
-
Answer: the age of the earth
-
is by far the biggest issue.
-
Same millennials when asked
-
if they have had their
Christianity challenged
-
and said yes, they
were asked at what point.
-
Two points were about even:
-
The age of the earth
-
and why bad things happen.
-
I'll tell you these young
people are being honest.
-
And they recognize it.
-
And you know what, this is the
very thing Andy Stanley sees,
-
and he's trying to come
up with an answer for.
-
He recognizes people are bailing out
-
because scientific evidence -
-
so-called science is supposedly
undermining this account,
-
and what happens is -
(incomplete thought).
-
See, too many people
recognize the reality of this.
-
You start having the dominoes fall
-
and click, click, click -
-
they go right down the line
-
until you start taking
out the New Testament.
-
See, guys like Andy Stanley who come along
-
and say we've got to unhitch this
-
so that when those dominoes fall
-
they don't take out the New Testament too.
-
So we've got to unhitch the Old Testament.
-
We've got to basically
say, okay, it's myth.
-
We all recognize that.
-
That's not the way you defend it
-
because people aren't buying it.
-
You want to encourage people's faith?
-
What we want to do is we want to
-
defend this book in its entirety.
-
And that's where the problem is.
-
The reality is this,
-
if millennials were
looking at this account
-
and saying, oh yeah,
-
I see billions of years in here.
-
Well, guess what?
-
When they go into their college course
-
and the professor stands up and he says
-
this has all taken billions of years,
-
what are they going to say?
-
They're going to say, yeah, my faith
-
is consistent with what you're teaching.
-
We've seen that all
along right here in Genesis.
-
But they don't see it.
-
That's why it is such a
challenge to their faith.