Ken Ham Blames Social Acceptance of Gay Marriage for Loss of 20-Something Christians From the Church
Answers in Genesis CEO and President Ken Ham has blamed the growing acceptance of evolution and the belief that the Earth is billions of years old, along with social change such as embracing gay marriage, for the increasing prospect of Christianity in America "losing another generation."
"Something is wrong. The stories usually involve a close friend or family member who once attended church faithfully but left. In many cases, these once-active churchgoers adopt an openly secular worldview and lifestyle, rejecting all semblance of Christian belief and values," Ham wrote in a lengthy blog post on AiG on Sunday.
"Most churches, it seems, are full of Christian parents, Sunday school teachers, and pastors who tell similar heartrending stories. They just can't believe what's happening."
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Ham said that American Millennials, or people born between 1982 to 2000, are losing or compromising on their faith, because they are accepting things that the broader society teaches.
Ham referred to a poll conducted by America's Research Group in late 2014, which examined the beliefs of churchgoers in their 20s. The survey found that 50 percent of respondents do not believe that the Earth is young, and at least 23 percent believe that God used evolution when developing the planet's various species.
When it came to moral issues, there were significant gaps between the beliefs of 20-somethings and churchgoers in their 40s, with the younger generation being more accepting of things such as homosexual behavior, premarital sex, and abortion.
"I believe this is a huge warning sign to the church. When a generation no longer builds its worldview on the foundation of the absolute authority of God's Word, the new generation begins to question everything it says, including its morality," Ham wrote.
He added that there is a "crisis in leadership" in Christian homes today, and said that fathers are failing to show leadership, which is forcing women to step up. He compared this reality to Adam standing by while Eve was influenced to sin by the serpent in the Genesis story.
The AiG leader further blamed a number of churches and entire denominations of having "abandoned the faith Jesus commanded them to pass on," and warned of an "epidemic of apostasy."
"Our whole Western world is changing. But really, it's the failure of so many Christian homes and churches who have not understood the times, have not stood uncompromisingly on the authority of the Word of God, and have not trained coming generations in the Christian worldview," Ham concluded.
"Who has the courage to stand up and challenge homes and churches concerning the reality of what has been happening to generations of children and now the dramatic changes in the 20s generation?" he asked.
Ham has been outspoken in his warnings that conservative Christians in America are being targeted by "intolerance" in society, pointing to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
"Christians are increasingly being punished by the government for acting on their sincerely held religious beliefs about marriage that are based on the standard of Scripture. And we are hearing of more and more people being disciplined or fired from their jobs because they profess their Christian faith," Ham wrote earlier in September.
