Recently I was interviewed by Jonathan Morrow for his excellent new book Thinking Christianly (Zondervan, 2011). He asked me about Darwinism as well as reaching the next generation. Here is my brief excerpt. Enjoy!

Jonathan Morrow: It is commonplace to hear about the “overwhelming evidence” for evolution. Have you found this to be the case? Can you talk a little about the role that Darwinism plays in our culture?

Sean McDowell: There’s a well-known joke for lawyers that says when the facts are on your side, argue the facts. However, when you don’t have the facts, use emotion and state your case with absolute certainty. This is precisely what is going on with claims about the “overwhelming evidence” for evolution. We live in an information age, and materialist theories such as Darwinism are slowly going the way of the Dodo. Intelligent design (ID) is on the move. Many Darwinists know this, which is why they focus their primary attacks on ID being religiously motivated or based on ignorance and avoid engaging the actual arguments. But they can ignore the substance for only so long.

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You Lost Me by David Kinnaman is the book I have been waiting for (Baker, 2011). I found myself reading it saying, “Yes, Yes, YES!” There has been much talk recently about the phenomena of young people disengaging the church when they leave high school, but now we have some substantive data as to why this is happening and what we can do about it. Kinnaman is the president of the Barna Research Group, so he backs up everything he says with research.

According to You Lost Me, 59% of young people with a Christian background report they have dropped out of the church after going regularly. Interestingly, Kinnaman notes that they are not necessarily leaving the faith. In fact, he says, “Most young Christians are struggling less with their faith in Christ than with their experience of church” (27). While historically young people often return to the church when they have kids, the new social and spiritual realities of this generation makes it less likely they will come back in the same numbers.

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Going on a quest is one of the most adventurous, important, and significant things any of us could ever do--if not the most important. Some of the greatest and most enduring stories told in books and film are about epic quests: The Odyssey, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia, even the Wizard of Oz--all are stories of a hero in search of the one true thing that brings meaning to life.

Even ordinary people go on quests. They may not call it that, but they are on a search for meaning and something that offers true hope in a world that seems to be running out. Some people look for meaning in material things, while others search in various philosophies and religions. Still others seek after meaning by giving themselves to a cause or a political system they hope will make the world a better place. The problem is that at the end of these searches, no matter good or how worthwhile, is a host of unmet expectations.

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Earlier this week was the 100^th birthday of former president Ronald Reagan.  Whether or not you believe in Reagan’s philosophy of governing by “Peace through Strength”, there was a more foundational side to lasting peace, strength, and stability Reagan believed in.  Although Reagan championed peace through strength by forming a stronger military against the Soviets, he also penned in a letter written to Monsignor Meyers on January 19, 1984, “I believe that a spiritual renewal is the necessary precondition for the accomplishment of any good if it is to be lasting and pervasive.”

Reagan understood that he was up against more than a military conflict with the Soviets.  He was battling out an oppressive ideological force as well, that of communism.  The religion of such a regime has no room for a creator God to look to.  It is atheistic.  I believe Reagan’s confidence in being able to defeat communist regimes, came from his belief in America being on a stronger moral foundation.

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Tuesday night was one of the most interesting and enjoyable experiences I’ve had in some time. For two and a half hours I had a conversation with fourteen skeptics from the Freethought Alliance of Orange County at a beautiful home in Villa Park. Their questions for me ranged from stem cell research to separation of church and state as well as the common ground shared by atheists and Christians. There were both men and women ranging in ages from 22-80. We will post the video in a few weeks for those who want to see it in person.

I was also able to ask questions of them. Rather than try to “nail” them with tough apologetic questions (as some of my friends suggested) I wanted to build common ground and try to understand how they perceive Christians. Here are some of the questions I asked them and how they responded. I don’t necessarily agree with all their responses, but there are some powerful lessons here that Christians need to take to heart. These are not direct quotes, but my best reconstructions of the heart of what they said.

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Check out this short video of The Unshakable Truth, the new book my dad and I wrote together. This was truly a special project as it was released in the 50th anniversary of my dad's ministry. It's really a milestone book for us, as it captures some of the key lessons my dad has learned over 5 decades in ministry. And, of course, I add a lot of stories and research from my own ministry and experience. EnjoyI

Check out this short video of The Unshakable Truth, the new book my dad and I wrote together. This was truly a special project as it was released in the 50th anniversary of my dad's ministry. It's really a milestone book for us, as it captures some of the key lessons my dad has learned over 5 decades in ministry. And, of course, I add a lot of stories and research from my own ministry and experience. EnjoyI

Miss the live interview? Watch the full video archive!  

The 'A Word with Sean McDowell from ConversantLife on Vimeo.

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