Why Belief in Biblical Creation is Important

A few years back I heard a presentation by creationist, Dr. Ken Hamm.  He happened to be doing a keynote address at a conference where I was also on the program.  One of the things that Dr. Hamm said has stayed with me.  More children begin to question their Christian faith during high school than during college.  That flies in the face of what I had always believed.  During adolescence teens are still living at home under the influence of their parents.  Many teens attend worship regularly and are involved in the youth ministry at their church.  How can it be that the young people we see in church every Sunday might be actually slipping away when it comes to a relationship with their Lord and Savior? 

I thought of Dr. Hamm's words recently when I read the latest statistic when it comes to the belief in a Biblical creation.  The report, released by the Federal Government, indicates that there has been an 8% increase in the last ten years in the number of people who believe humans evolved from another form of life.  While only 21% of Americans believe in evolution per se, we are a divided nation when it comes to whether both creationism and evolutional theory should be taught in our schools, 40% support it and 32% are opposed.

In Dr. Hamm's mind, and I happen to agree, the issue of evolution is often litmus test when it comes to a young person's faith.  For many young people it is the first time they are taught something that runs counter to what they have teen taught in church and Sunday school.  That, coupled with the opinion among many young people that the church is hypocritical, leads them to at the least view church as irrelevant.  At the worst, they see Christianity as nothing but "smoke and mirrors."

How do we respond to this disturbing trend?  It begins when we equip children and teens to respond to the tough questions.  How can they defend their faith when it is called into question?  Secondly we need to make the church a place where questions about the tough issues can be asked, without being labeled a heretic. 

Biblical creation is a doctrine that is worth defending.  While it has nothing to do with our salvation, that can only come through belief in Jesus Christ, it is an important component.  When it comes to God's Word I don't believe we can pick and choose when it comes to what is truth and what is fiction.