The Worldview of Today’s Youth by Don Landis

 

The relativistic evolutionary thinking of our culture is affecting the worldview, lifestyle, and behavior of our Christian youth.

Men suppress the truth in unrighteousness and worship the creature more than the Creator (Romans 1:18–25). This rejection of God’s truth, which is shown in creation, not only credits the wondrous works of our God to the chaos gods of chance and mutation, but it also has devastating effects on how people think—their worldview and how they live.

If evolution is true, then there is no room for absolutes. If God is true, then there are absolutes. Evolution teaches chance, chaos, randomness, but no sovereign Creator. When this relativism becomes the base for a worldview, truth is redefined by being whatever you want it to be. This is the seed ground of post-modern thinking—which is now the main thinking paradigm of the modern world.

Unfortunately, even many Christian young people evidence post-modern thinking, which redefines truth as being whatever a person wants it to be.

At our Christian camp here in Wyoming near Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, where we host youth groups and also young people at our one-year Bible college, we have the opportunity to observe how they are thinking.

Much to our shock and dismay, Christian young people evidence post-modern thinking, deeply influenced by relativistic evolutionary thinking. The effects are devastating to morals and lifestyle because these young people do not have the absolutes found in God or His Word to influence their living or behavior.

The good news is that the clear teaching of Genesis 1 through 11 presents a solid basis for a Christian worldview. And if there is a God in Heaven who created, then there is absolute reality and absolutes by which to live.

Don Landis is pastor of Community Bible Church in Jackson, Wyoming. He is founder and president of Jackson Hole Bible College (www.jhbc.edu), a one-year program with special emphasis on creation for young adults. Don is also the founding chairman of the board for Answers in Genesis-USA.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n3/worldview-todays-youth