This post is number 3 in a series examining the book, Surviving
Religion 101; Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College by Michael J.
Kruger.
Stepping into the intellectual boxing ring, it can be quite intimidating for a Christian college student to face off with an atheist professor with a doctorate and a seasoned argument. In chapter 2 of his book, Michael Kruger asks this important question, "My Professors Are Really Smart—Isn’t It More Likely That They’re Right And I’m Wrong?"
While this book is focused on a college context, this
thought applies elsewhere as well.
For instance, a public school student may
be taught evolution from brilliant high school teachers while they've learned that God created all that there is in 6
days…not billions of years...through God's word.
They may feel foolish and simple-minded holding to the
Biblical account of creation while their teacher is offering another story.
It’s a valid question.
When we face objections to our faith from really smart people, how can
we be sure that we are right and they are wrong…when it seems the intellectual
odds are stacked in their favor?
It can feel quite lonely when it seems you are all alone in
what you think and believe (p. 39). How should Christians respond to the pressures of classmates who think they are strange,
dormmates who think their beliefs are prejudiced, and
professors who think they’ve been brainwashed by their religious upbringing (p.
40)?
Christian students might begin to wonder why it seems the smartest people around them don’t believe what they believe. If it were true, wouldn’t more people believe it (p. 40)?
First off, lets consider how
we come to believe something? How do we
form a belief?
Most of us would probably conclude that we gather facts, and the more facts we collect the more we can know and understand the world (p. 40). That isn’t entirely true. We gather facts, yes, but we examine those facts through the lens of our worldview. Kruger says, “…worldview is not so much determined by the facts as it is controlling of what a person accepts as a fact in the first place.” No one is neutral; we all filter what we see and experience through our worldview (p. 41).
Kruger compares worldviews to looking through different colored glasses that alter our perception of the world. “…a worldview is not so much something you look at as something you look through." Considering worldview is very important, because if someone is starting with a faulty worldview, they will arrive at faulty conclusions no matter how smart they are. For instance, If someone’s worldview denies the possibility of miracles, they will ultimately deny the resurrection. If their worldview holds to the belief that people are intrinsically good, they’ll likely deny their need for a savior. If they deny there is a God, they will likely also deny that there is any moral code they must submit to (p. 42).
The Bible teaches
that because of our sin, we are born this way.
We are naturally opposed to God.
We don’t merely have the wrong lens to look through, we are altogether
blind!
1 Cor 2:14 says,
“The natural person
does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and
he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”
Here, Paul was
writing to the church in Corinth, who found themselves in an environment not
too unlike a secular university. It was
a city where intellectual thought was lauded, philosophers were esteemed, and
new ideas were explored. It would not be
hard to imagine some in the Corinthian church struggling with the same
question: These philosophers are
brilliant! Isn’t it more likely they are
right and I am wrong (p. 46)?
Yet, Paul makes it clear that unless the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the truth of the Gospel, we will not believe. Pounding people with facts will not transform their heart. They need the Holy Spirit to convert them. While we still share our best evidence, offering the reason for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15), we also must pray for our unbelieving friends, recognizing it is God alone who can open their eyes and transform their hearts (p. 46).
As Christians, this should produce humility within us. We are not Christians because we are smarter than others. We are Christians because we’ve received the astounding grace of our loving God who opened our eyes and called us to himself. 1 Cor. 1 26 says, “For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth” (p. 46).
While in an
environment where we find ourselves in the minority, it is easy to conclude we
are all alone in our beliefs. Elijah
came to this conclusion before God told him there were 7,000 in Israel who had
not bowed the knee to Baal. We can
remember that in the US alone, 41% call themselves evangelical Christians while
only 3% call themselves atheist (p. 47).
We are not alone.
Secular
universities often lack Christian professors because the universities tend to
hire those who hold to their worldview.
This means that the Christian worldview is rarely presented in a
positive fashion. Kruger says, “It is
not so difficult for a professor to argue that their views are mainstream when
they get to decide what is mainstream” (p. 49).
Remember Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego. While the masses
bowed, they stood tall. They didn’t say,
“look at everyone else bowing…maybe they are right and we are wrong.” No.
They stood fast. “Truth is not
determined by majority vote” (p. 49).
God proved them in the end.
“Have I not
commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be
dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”—Josh 1:9 (p. 49)
Questions:
Why is it that really smart people can still arrive at really wrong conclusions?
Can you think of any specific areas that world view shapes a person's interpretation of evidence in different directions?
Kruger, Michael J. 2021. Surviving Religion 101; Letters to a Christian Student on Keeping the Faith in College. Wheaton, IL: Crossway
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