Every day, I learn things about science I didn’t know before. I am always learning new stuff, but make no mistake about it, I know very little about science. I know the basics, and I continue to educate myself through reading and listening to podcasts, but I am not, nor will I ever be, an expert. This is what happens when you spend most of your life thinking the King James Bible is a science textbook and the universe as created in six twenty-four hour days, 6,029 years ago. It was not until I deconverted that I read books about biology, cosmology, and evolution.
Since I am not an science expert, I do what I always do; I rely on people who are experts to teach me and explain what I don’t know. This doesn’t mean experts are infallible, but, generally, experts can be trusted to tell us the truth (as they understand it at that moment). I try to check new things I hear against scientific consensus. I learned years ago as a pastor that if I came up with a novel interpretation of the Bible, it was likely that I was wrong. I still live by this principle today.
Sadly, way too many Evangelicals think that they know more than scientists do because the Holy Spirit is their teacher and guide. Dr. David Tee, whose real name is Derrick Thomas Thiessen, illustrates this point when he says:
As usual, he [Bruce Gerencser] thinks unbelievers can understand the Bible even though the Bible clearly says they can’t because they do not receive the Spirit of Truth. Everyone needs the Spirit of Truth to find what God is saying and so that everyone gets the same message.
In other words, the vast majority of humans can’t understand the Bible. Regardless of how much education they have, Bible knowledge is impossible for them because they are not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is why a man with a Bible college education from an unaccredited college thinks he knows more about the Bible than most unbelieving scholars, even if they have PhDs and extensive knowledge about the Bible.
Sunday after Sunday, Evangelical preachers — many of whom who have no relevant college training in the Bible, particularly the original languages — stand confidently before their congregations and say, THUS SAITH THE LORD. I have heard scores of sermons preached by men who have either no secondary training or have degrees from institutions focused on teaching preachers what to think, instead of how to think. These preachers stand before their congregations, preaching a book that they don’t know much about. Often, they just regurgitate what they heard in church or college. The next time you get a chance, check out the curriculums of several Evangelical Bible colleges. You will quickly learn how little they are taught about the Bible. Most preachers will exit college without comprehensively studying most of the books of the Bible (and survey courses don’t count).
That’s not to say that all Evangelical preachers are uneducated. I know more than a few Evangelicals who have educations from major universities. Why they are still Evangelicals befuddles me, but it would be wrong to judge all preachers by the ignorant hillbillies who comment on this site.
Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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