This past week, CNN posted a video poking fun of creationists. For just under three minutes a young man dressed as a Mormon drives through universe in a white minivan with the words, “Creationist Baptist Church,” emblazoned on the side. Wheeling his way through the cosmos, he makes weighty theological points with a quirky smile:
o Black holes don’t exist because they can’t be found in the Holy Bible.
o One shouldn’t ask why God made anything, since that would be irreverent.
o Fossils were put on earth by Satan to trick us.
You get the point. Mocking creationists is a good way to a quick laugh, and it looks like CNN thinks anti-creationist comedy will promote Internet traffic. The last thing Christians need to do is fret over the public lampooning of their faith. After all, faith in God has existed since creation, so it’s got a pretty good track record.
Nonetheless, we should be aware that popular media is powerful. It forms opinion. It writes theology—even bad theology—on the hearts and minds of those who uncritically consume it. I appreciate Craig Cabaniss’s words of caution: “A lifestyle of careless viewing should concern us. At best, careless viewing reveals an ignorance of the media’s power of temptation.” We shouldn’t be careless about what we view, even short videos on the CNN website!
I speak from experience. As a child, my attitude toward Christianity was almost entirely shaped by what I saw on television. I still remember Major Frank Burns—the obnoxious, hypocritical, and dumb evangelical doctor from the movie, Mash. I saw him and thought that all Christians must have checked their brain at the door. It was a silly conclusion for me to draw, but that’s what young people are prone to do—draw conclusions without thinking.
Elsewhere, I’ve argued that there is very good evidence for the existence of a Creator. But for now, I simply want to offer three warnings for those of us who find our faith in God mocked.
Don’t be surprised. Remember 2 Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Standing up for God as Creator and Christ as Redeemer will likely cost you credibility among family and friends. But it’s okay to look foolish (see 1 Cor. 1:26-31).
Don’t be defensive. I’m thankful for apologists. The church is greatly helped by them, and we should all be ready, willing, and able to defend the faith (Jude 3). But the Bible does not need to be defended. The Bible testifies to its own accuracy. Someone willing to read it carefully will not reach the absurd conclusions found in the satirical creation story I mentioned above. Pastor Lloyd-Jones put it well
The authority of the Scriptures is not a matter to be defended, so much as to be asserted. I address this remark particularly to Conservative Evangelicals. I am reminded of what the great Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said in this connection: “There is no need for you to defend a lion when he is being attacked. All you need to do is open the gate and let him out.” We need to remind ourselves frequently that it is the preaching and exposition of the Bible that really establishes its truth and authority.
Don’t be quiet. You can speak without being defensive. Lovingly ask your skeptical (or obnoxious) friend a few questions. His answers may show that he, himself, actually takes quite a few things by faith:
o Why are you so sure there is no God?
o How do you explain the infinitesimal odds of there being life on planet earth?
o Where do selflessness and love come from if humans are merely result of blind chance?
It's no fun being mocked. But we shouldn't be surprised, we shoudn't be defensive, nor should we be quiet. Let's prayerfully and lovingly explain the Christian faith as well as we can, urging people to move beyond their preconceived notions of who God is and what it means to be a Christian.
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