Good morning. In recent times, Bible believing Christians have received harsh criticism from those who profess themselves to be “”liberal cultural elites.” In a recent presidential campaign one of the leading candidates described a large section of Americans who were considered to be disaffected voters as those who “cling to guns and religion as though they will find answers in them.” Apparently, in that person’s mind, religious belief is to be considered an intellectually limiting factor and a character flaw. This candidate was not elected, at least not yet.
I believe that the first responsibility that falls upon any of us when we feel we are being harshly criticized is to do an honest and objective assessment to discover what level of truth may apply. When we do such an assessment, we will almost always discover that there is some truth to what is being said, and we must find the humility to accept what is true, and where it is required, we must find the strength to overcome any chosen ignorance. That strength is rarely of our own making.
In my personal investigation of the charge that I am intellectually limited due to my faith, I need to consider what truths might genuinely apply. It is true that I choose not to pursue certain philosophies and teachings because I feel that my faith prohibits it. I do not need to personally experience every kind of evil for the purpose of “greater enlightenment”. As a case in point, a New York University professor of ethics and philosophy was recently defending his point of view that it should not be considered “wrong” for him, or any adult, to engage in sexual activity with a 12 year old girl (or a child of any age for that matter), as long as the child in question was “consenting” to the act. In the opinion of this professor, attitudes that would prohibit such activity are archaic and steeped in “religious teaching” rather than being open to the more enlightened philosophies which have evolved. I am sure that he would disagree, but I would suggest that his philosophies are reflective of his own “religion”, and that he is serving his own spiritual master, who I believe is the true enemy of mankind.
While I try to be well read and informed, I confess that I do not pursue every teaching or philosophy. Does this leave me ignorant of some truths? I suppose that is inevitable, but I suppose that we all prioritize according to our idea of what important to us at that time.
I believe that there are a couple of areas of confusion that have led to the belief that Bible believing Christians are intellectually inferior. The first is that as Christians, we are instructed to base our lives on faith instead of fact, as if those two are in opposition to one another. This is the view that is increasingly accepted and taught in today’s world. What does scripture tell us about the reality of faith? Consider Hebrews 11:1-3 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
The descriptive words of faith used here: assurance and conviction, are not whimsical. Those words are evidentiary. These verses proclaim that our Christian faith is, in fact it must be, subject to proof. Our faith is built not merely on ideas, but also on evidence. We read in Romans 1:19-20 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So all people are without excuse.
These verses tell us that recognizing God, knowing the very nature of God, is not a matter of whim or empty faith. God, His reality and His nature, are demonstrated and revealed throughout His creation. However, we must engage our minds properly to gain this needed understanding. To choose not to engage our intellect in this way leaves us without any excuse for our ignorance, because it is an ignorance we have stubbornly chosen to accept.
The other area of confusion that leads to the belief that Bible believing Christians are intellectually inferior is the notion that the God’s Word is a ridiculous gathering of conflicting ideas and stories, and anyone who would claim it as a life-authority is, well, an idiot.
I am always amazed at the willing acceptance of that point of view from those who consider themselves to be the intellectually superior examples of humanity. They tend to accept that idea without ever spending the time and effort to learn the truth of what they are saying/believing. The idea tends to be passed on, one to another, with the basic belief that it must be true because after all, isn’t this what truly smart people believe? They say that the Word is full of contradictions and falsehood. Have they actually studied the Word of God in the languages in which it was written, or do they just believe what critics of scripture have written? Have they studied the work of archeologists and historians up to this current time, or are they content to believe the findings and opinions of individuals whose ideas have subsequently been proven to be false? This is the truth: There are some who have studied the Bible in depth and continue to cling to the idea that it is false and errant. There are also a great many people with excellent academic backgrounds who have set out to prove that the Word of God is nonsensical, only to become believers in the course of their study.
I believe that as Christian people we should accept this as truth: it is our responsibility to learn, to test, to question, and to grow in our intellectual discovery. It is also our responsibility to accept what God has proven to us without complaint. Additionally, it is our responsibility to never engage in hateful words or actions against those who would call us names or disagree with us. We are to reflect the love of Christ. That truth is always what we know to be true.
Vern