What? Seriously? Is the church at odds with science and new understandings of the Bible? Well, I suppose there are some churches that are at odds with science, and some that are at odds with new understandings of the Bible. But where in the world does a question like that even come from?
Recently, Michael Luo, editor of newyorker.com, wrote an article that he believes characterizes the state of the American church today (https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-wasting-of-the-evangelical-mind). He observed that “the comity between faith and scientific rationality that had previously existed began to fracture after the Civil War.” He continued, “The church found itself increasingly at odds with advances in science and also new understandings of the Bible.” Then, to explain further, he said, “The social and intellectual upheaval of the late nineteenth century eventually led to a rupture in Protestantism. Some drifted toward theological liberalism, rejecting historically orthodox beliefs and Jesus’ birth, humanity’s need for salvation , and other supernatural parts of the Bible; others retrenched and formed the fundamentalist movement.”
Now from a strictly historical perspective, there is a certain amount of truth there. A great divide did emerge within Christian churches in America after the Civil War, and the fault line fell primarily between Evangelicals and mainline Protestantism. However, the nature of that divide is different from what Luo asserts in his article. He believes that Evangelicals moved into emotionalism and anti-science, while the mainline Protestants took a more intellectual course. Of course, Luo’s perspective suggests that the more “intellectual” course represents the truth, while Evangelicals operate more out of ignorance.
Continue reading here.