Sociologists have estimated that there are anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 religions in the world today. Out of these, the four most popular are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. In the United States, Christianity is the leading religion, but that number continues to decrease, and a group of what is called the “religious nones” is on the rise. Many who once followed Christianity are now questioning their beliefs and walking away from the faith.
Why are people no longer convinced by the claims of Christianity?
People may not be convinced by the truth claims of Christianity because they are not being taught them correctly. Some are easily talked out of Christianity because they were never talked into it in the first place. The increasing number of high schoolers and college students who are walking away from the faith have some common denominators. One in particular is that they see inconsistencies in what is being taught in Christianity. They hear one thing taught in church, another practiced at home, and then they read something different in their Bibles. All their lives they have been taught to trust the Bible, while also being told to trust the voices of those around them. When they start examining the Bible for themselves for the first time, they are at a crossroads. Who holds more authority? Preachers, teachers, parents, or the Bible? The solution they choose is to distrust everything.
The core, foundational teachings of Christianity are true, reliable, and sufficient. However, Paul tells us, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing. . .” (1 Corinthians 1:18). To some, Christianity may look foolish, but Paul provides encouragement, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are. . .” (1 Corinthians 1:27–28). It is a fact that people will see Christianity as illogical, incoherent, or simply not worth following. If we are honest, some things are simply hard to grasp. What person fully understands the nature of God, eternity, or that an innocent man would willingly die to save a guilty one?
Although there are complicated things in the Bible to understand, that does not mean they are false. Christians need to be prepared to study the hard things, talk about them, and teach them to others. If we want people to know the truth about Christianity, we cannot be ashamed to teach it. If we teach the truth, the word of truth will do all the work (Hebrews 4:12–13).
Billy Camp
Dalraida church of Christ is a congregation of Christians that meet in the mid-town area of Montgomery, Alabama. Our goal and purpose is to seek and follow God and His Word in everything that we do in life.