Due to the influences of scientism in the culture and weak biblical teaching in the church I was an evolutionist until the age of forty. This was true even though I was a better than average church attender for probably 30 of those years. I had never been introduced to the idea that it was important for Christians to consider the information in Genesis chapters 1-11 of the Bible as God-inspired historical narrative until 1984. Even if I had been introduced to the concept of creation science I would have considered it as an oxymoronic expression. Therefore, I was not a Bible believer, and I am convinced that this is the case for the vast majority of evolutionists, whether atheistic or theistic. Since I attended church I told people that I was a Christian, but in reality I was a committed secularist.
Upon my introduction to creation science I was able to accept Christ—a logical impossibility for one who rejects the Bible. I then set myself on a lifelong journey with the purpose of searching for truth. That search continues today some 35 years after making my decision for Jesus. This article is a summary of how the battle between secularism (evolutionism) and Christianity (Biblical creationism) has proceeded over that period of time. That is, who is winning and who is losing the creation vs. evolution battle—not only in the society but in the church as well.
The modern creation movement began in 1961 with the publication of the book The Genesis Flood by Whitcomb and Morris. From 1961 to 1984 I was a true evolutionist and had no knowledge of there being any sort of disagreement regarding origins. Once I became involved in the battle in 1984 I studied everything I could get my hands on regarding creation vs. evolution. My main sources from 1984 to 2004 were The Institute for Creation Research, Answers in Genesis and The Center for Scientific Creationism. Upon the founding of my ministry Creation Engineering Concepts in 2004 and receiving my Masters degree in Biblical Creation Apologetics in 2005, my sources regarding the battle were greatly expanded, both creationist and secular.
So, what are my observations regarding the battle during the period from 1984 to the present? Firstly, I think that in the Christian evangelical community creation ministries such as mine have helped hold the line against secular encroachment into the conservative church. From 1984 until the present there has been a tremendous increase in creationist ministries, speakers, research and publications. That has resulted in most evangelicals at least being aware that there is a battle going on. So give us a star for that.
How about Christians as a whole and the rest of western culture? Remember that in these two worlds creationists have little real leverage. Let’s take a look at some statistics that will shed some light on the question:
1. A 2015 Pew Research Center poll (USA) reflects the impact of decades of secular education and legal rulings outlawing dissenting scientific views. More than 70 percent of young Americans (30 and younger) now embrace molecules-to-man evolution and reject creation according to the survey.
2. A 2016 poll of Icelanders revealed that 93.9% of youth in Iceland, under the age of 25, believe the big bang explains the formation of the universe, and 0.0% believe the universe was created by God.
3. According to Gallup in a 2019 survey, the number of evolutionists in America outnumbered creationists by 47% to 44% in 1984, by 48% to 46% in 2004 and by 55% to 40% in 2019.
4. The number of atheistic evolutionists in America has grown from 9% in 1984 to 22% in 2019. This is an increase of 2 ½ times over this period. See the chart below where the blue line represents percentage of creationists, the green line is for percentage of theistic evolutionists, and the red line is for percentage of atheistic evolutionists:
I am hard pressed to put a positive spin on these statistics. Some would say that in 2019 it is good that creationists are a higher percentage than the other two groups (40% vs. 33% vs. 22%). However, that is not a positive thing if you believe, as I do, that there is little difference in the detrimental impact on society and the church that comes from evolutionists no matter the variety. I think the important figure is 40% vs. 55%!
Next, let’s look at some additional related polls for another western country:
1. A recent poll in the United Kingdom revealed that 89% of young people, ages 16 to 29, “believe that their lives have no meaning or purpose.”
2. Only one percent of this age group identifies as belonging to The Church of England, the largest denomination in the UK, meaning that very few young people in the UK hold to any semblance of Christianity.
3. Half of UK residents now identify as atheists!
4. Church attendance in England today is 5%, down from 50% at the end of WWII.
The result of rampant evolutionary secularism is this very situation where so many have no meaning or purpose in life. When one adopts the religion of evolutionism (atheism), one has to deal with the consequences and one consequence is that ultimately there is no meaning or purpose to life! This is a hopeless condition to be in!
The Bible says that we are all created in the image of God and that we are each created to bring glory to our Creator and enjoy him forever. That is ultimate meaning and purpose. Is it any wonder that we have a downwardly spiraling culture along with school shootings and a rampant increase in suicides especially among the young? Our public institutions are indoctrinating our youth into believing that they are evolved pond scum and so they act as if that is true. The church must recapture the responsibility for educating the populace with the fact that God is real and He is the reason each person exists.
So finally, the reader now has the privilege to come to his own conclusions about who is winning the battle at hand. Christians can know from the book of Revelation Who the ultimate winner will be, but Matthew 28:19 makes it clear we are not to give up our commission responsibilities just because the current outlook is not all roses. We must keep up the struggle and remember that a person who does not believe the Bible from the very first verse is at a severe disadvantage for becoming a true disciple of the Lord.
God bless,
J.D. Mitchell
