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Should We Clam Up about the Outlandish Stuff?

If I profess, with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity. Where the battle rages the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle-field besides is mere flight and disgrace to him if he flinches at that one point.
Elizabeth Rundle Charles, wrongly attributed to Martin Luther

Do you have outlandish beliefs and doctrines? I don't mean strange cult stuff like the serpent seed doctrine or that you must speak in tongues or you are not saved. But then, I did not start with a fair question. Actually, do you think that your beliefs are outlandish, or seem outlandish to unbelievers? Further, are you embarrassed and hide your beliefs?

Are you embarrassed about your biblical creation beliefs? Should we just shut up about them to appease others? That becomes a downward spiral.Regular readers know that I am biblical ("young earth") creationist. I reject evolution because the science supports creation, and I reject it on scriptural grounds. This is horrible, outrageous, outlandish and even offensive to atheists. It is also offensive to many Christians who have compromised on the Word of God. That's right, I said it! Some people want to force-fit millions or billions of years into the plain reading of the text to accommodate evolution. Why is that? Perhaps because they've never learned that evolution is not science, but a philosophy about the past based on scientific principles. Maybe they've been told to disbelieve creation by people they admire. Or it's possible that they simply do not believe the Bible very much. One other thing I've noticed is that some people have not bothered to think things through, and are comfortable in their opinions.

Listen, I know full well that young-earth creationism is not an essential for salvation. Nor is it a requirement to disbelieve in evolution (despite the misrepresentations of atheists to that effect). A literal interpretation of Genesis is important. Very important. It affects our understanding of the gospel message, and rejecting its historicity causes all sorts of doctrinal problems down the line. But it is faith in Jesus that saves you, not your view of evolution and Genesis. Again, it's important, but not a requirement for salvation. A note to those who misrepresent us: I do not know of any young-earth creationist organization that contradicts what I said.

Some people want to dodge the issue and hate to admit that they believe the Bible, and that Genesis is written to be literal history, not allegory or poetry. They may not be ashamed of the gospel message itself, but are embarrassed about that view.

What if it went away? What if for some reason you never had to be embarrassed about the first eleven chapters of Genesis ever again?

Christians believe some strange things:
  • The Trinity
  • A talking donkey
  • Parting of the Red Sea
  • Prophesies about the birth of Jesus
  • The virgin birth
  • Prophesies about the crucifixion of Jesus
  • The bodily resurrection from the dead
  • Salvation, the baptism and indwelling of the Holy Spirit
  • The resurrection from the dead of everyone
  • The second coming
Do any of these cause you embarrassment? Let's face it, as Christians, we believe some strange things. We trust God as revealed in his Word, and the leading of the Spirit. We also know that there is logical evidence to believe the Bible in the first place.

But people give us funny looks and walk away.

I'm saying that we need to take a stand for the truth no matter if other people find reasons to laugh at us. If they laugh at us for believing in Genesis, then they'll find another excuse to laugh at us.

So, use the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Eph. 6.17). Unbelievers live in the material realm, and we are citizens of Heaven. Things of the Spirit, which they deny, are actually a part of us. Let's not be afraid to take our stand for the truth!