The Genius Of Genesis Series

Last spring, while we were crossing the new I-74 bridge, Beth made an astute observation about the old bridge. While our community was excited about the opening of the new bridge (and rightly so), the old one was being dismantled piece by piece, without anyone really paying attention. She said this is a metaphor for what is happening in churches and in our culture today as doctrine is being dismantled right in front of us, without people noticing.

Last week, WQAD ran this headline: “Old I-74 Bridge prepares for ‘piece by piece’ demolition.” The report continued, “Initially planned as an implosion, it will now be dismantled piece by piece…[but] explosions will be used on select locations of the bridge.”

Since we as a nation have disconnected from the Bible, doctrine has been dismantled and we are in a societal free-fall. Wrong is now right and what is right is now called wrong. Lamentation about abominations in the past has been replaced with ubiquitous celebration in the present.

How else do you explain the new animated sitcom by Disney called, “Little Demon?” Listen to how Disney describes the storyline: “Thirteen years after being impregnated by Satan, a reluctant mother and her Antichrist daughter attempt to live an ordinary life.”

I watched the trailer for this show slated to begin this fall on FXX and Hulu. It was abhorrent, evil, despicable, and nauseating (and I’m being nice). I’m reminded of Isaiah 5:20: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”

While we certainly need to sound the alarm about what is happening in our society today, we also need to look inside our own lives, and inside the church. While explosions have certainly rocked long-held biblical beliefs in our country, most of what is happening is a result of the ‘piece by piece’ demolition of doctrine among Christians.

Allow me to share some highlights (or lowlights) of a just-released study called, “The State of Theology,” commissioned by Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research. Since 2014, every two years, these ministries take the theological temperature of our culture and of Christians. You might want to buckle up because it’s about to be a rough ride. I’ve selected just five of the findings (if you want to do a deeper dive, see the link on our Sermon Extras tab on the website or app).

1. Not surprisingly, 71% of Americans agreed with this statement, “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.” What is shocking and extremely sad, is almost two-thirds of evangelicals also hold to this belief! This reveals that the biblical teaching of original sin is not embraced by most evangelicals. Listen to God’s summary of the pervasiveness of sin as recorded in Genesis 6:5: “The Lord saw the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” If one does not hold to human depravity, then the grace of God as displayed in the gospel, is stripped of meaning and relevance.

2. When surveyed about Scripture, the authors elicited a response to this statement: “The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.” Eight years ago, 44% of Americans agreed with this statement. Today, 53% of Americans and 26% of evangelicals believe the Bible is not literally true. This makes it easy for individuals to ignore any biblical teaching that is out of step with their own personal views, and more readily embrace sexual behavior condemned in Scripture. This hearkens back to how Satan got inside Eve’s head when he asked in Genesis 3:1: “Did God actually say?”

3. Another telling response came when 42% of Americans and 37% of evangelicals agreed with this assertion: “Gender identity is a matter of choice.” This goes against the clear teaching of Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

4. Trends over time reveal an increasingly unbiblical belief among evangelicals that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.” It’s almost unbelievable to me that 56% of evangelicals do not believe Jesus is the only way when Jesus Himself said in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Sadly, the percentage of Evangelicals who do not believe Jesus is the only way is up 14% in just two years!

5. Increasingly, evangelicals believe religious faith is a subjective experience rather than an objective reality. In 2020, 23% agreed with this statement: “Religious belief is a matter of personal opinion; it is not about objective truth.” In just two years, this has jumped to 38% for evangelicals!