Christianity's Credibility Problem

 Christianity has had a credibility problem for quite a while. It started when Modernism's reliance on science and reason replaced Pre Modernism's reliance of faith and revelation. Since then, as attested to by a teaching series by W. Robert Godfrey on the fall of Christendom posted on the Abounding Grace Radio website (click here for the newest post on the website and there for the archives), the influence on the western world by Christianity has be diminishing at a steady clip.

To help counteract this credibility problem, Joshua Ryan Butler (click here for a bio) has written a short article for the Gospel Coalition website on 4 causes for this loss of credibility. The loss of credibility occurs because the Gospel is eventually blamed for the struggles witnessed by a given individual. Butler's article calls this loss of credibility 'deconstruction' and he lists 4 causes for this loss. Before delving into the article, we should note that there is technical definition for the word 'deconstruction' and a more common definition. While the former definition deals with a critical approach dealing with the weaknesses of language, the latter definition serves as an analysis that reveals the inadequacy of a set of beliefs.

In his article, Butler lists 4 causes for the current deconstruction of the Christian faith in today's world. And though we will list them and briefly describe those causes here in the review of Butler's article, it is my opinion that Butler really doesn't address the core reason why Christianity is not seen as being credible as it use to be (click here for the article).

In his article, the 4 reasons for the current deconstruction of the Christian faith as identified by Butler are: Church Hurt, Poor Teaching, the Desire to Sin, and Street Cred.

Church Hurt is described by Butler as the pain caused by exploitive leaders or churches. When one is personally injured by a church leader or disillusioned because of some significant sins by a recognized Christian leader occurs, or when one is injured while attending or participating in a church whose atmosphere is toxic, that individual feels betrayed among other things. 

Poor Teaching is described by Butler as when what can be said about God or the Christian faith consists of misrepresentations. Butler mentions the first general description of poor teaching as when people are made to believe that they must face a false dichotomy between faith and science. One of the first historical examples of such poor teaching not mentioned by Butler was when Heliocentrism was first introduced. Because of centuries of teaching to the contrary, rejection of Heliocentrism should have been expected. But it was how that rejection was expressed by prominent leaders of both the Roman Church and Protestant Churches that serves as an example of what Butler means by poor teaching. More recent areas in which poor teaching has been provided by some Church leaders include a total, as opposed to a partial, rejection of evolution, resistance to what science has said about man-caused climate change, and resistance to what medical science has said about about the Covid 19 Pandemic. Of course poor teaching isn't restricted to areas of science. Poor teaching can focus on misrepresenting how one should live as a Christian.

Now while the first two causes for deconstruction revolve around external sources to the individual, the 3rd cause deals with the desires of the individual who is struggling to maintain their faith, That the real conflict that a given individual is facing is their wanting to engage in ways of thinking or behaving that are forbidden by the Scriptures. Of course, each of us Christians have areas of life where how we live is not in line with the Scriptures. But when those desires lead to the continued committing of certain significant sins or make us want to give up the fight against sins, then rejecting the Gospel becomes preferable for some to continuing the fight against sin.

According to Butler, Street Cred becomes a cause for deconstruction of the Gospel when fitting in with cultural heroes becomes more important than to a person than God's approval. As with the 3rd cause for deconstruction, this cause rests with the individual who is being pulled to resign from the Christian faith as defined by the Scriptures.

What all of these causes have in common is that they focus on the actions of the parts of the Church rather than the Church as a whole, as an institution. And that is where Butler's list of the 4 causes for deconstruction comes up short. Never mind that, like many Gospel Coalition articles, the desired accessibility of a given article often overrides the need to adequately discuss the complexities and details of a given subject. But still, the forsaking of Christendom, the rejection the Christian faith by Post Modernism, or the replacing of the Gospel with alternative secular ideologies is due to Church history more than to the actions of individual Christians, individual churches, or small groups of either. Church history is plagued with examples that makes one question whether believing in the Gospel actually makes a difference in people's lives. For in Church history, we see a great plethora of examples of corruption or of approval of exploitation by those with wealth and power.

Though I am not sure of the context of Marx's statement about religion being the opiate of the people, I know the context of the same sentiments expressed by Lenin. For when Lenin called religion the 'opium for the people,' he did so out of observation rather than out of a logical analysis of the Christian Faith. Read what Lenin observed in 1905 (click here for the source):

Those who toil and live in want all their lives are taught by religion to be submissive and patient while here on earth, and to take comfort in the hope of a heavenly reward. But those who live by the labour of others are taught by religion to practise charity while on earth, thus offering them a very cheap way of justifying their entire existence as exploiters and selling them at a moderate price tickets to well-being in heaven. Religion is opium for the people. Religion is a sort of spiritual booze,   in which the slaves of capital drown their human image, their demand for a life more or less worthy of man.

If we Christians really want to battle the attempts to deconstruct our faith, we, both as individuals and the Church as an institution, must add to the list provided by Butler words and actions that counter the damage that Church history has done to the reputation of the Gospel. We must admit how all too often, the Church has sided with wealth and power at the expense of justice and mercy to individuals and the masses. And for us Americans, that battle begins with the Conservative Church's conflating of Christianity with Capitalism and the American way of life. For what Critical Theory and CRT is correctly but with flaws pointing out are the atrocities and vast injustices practiced in the name of Capitalism and the American way of life. For while it is easier for many of us to see the atrocities and injustices practiced in the name of Marxism, we need to see that what we often treasure about our American heritage has caused as much injustices and suffering as that which we attribute to Marxism. We need to see that there is no innocent ideology nor is there any ideology that is omniscient. Thus we need to separate our Christian faith from Capitalism and Americanism if we are to adequately answer the current challenges to Christianity.

References

• https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/4-causes-deconstruction/
• https://www.joshuaryanbutler.com/about-2/