The Greater Threat To Christianity In The U.S.

Big gifts sometimes come in small packages. God Spoke, by Dr. Erik Strandness, is such a gift. In a mere 56 pages, the author says things better than most writers can do in 256 pages.

Dr. Strandness points to a 2016 Gallup poll showing 90% of Americans still believe in “God.” Turns out, the greater threat to Christianity in the U.S. is not atheism, but polytheism: the postmodern notion that any god will do, and one god is just as valid as another. This is ancient Greece all over again.

“We all have the same God-shaped hole,” writes Dr. Strandness, “but the odd ways in which we try to fill it create religious differences. Our postmodern culture [is] telling us that all paths lead to the same divine mountaintop, but that illusory unity is shattered once we reach the summit and look around to see that each religious victory flag has been struck on a completely different peak.”

The “spiritual hole” Dr. Strandness alludes to is the same spiritual hole Paul found in the marketplace of Athens. Paul congratulated them on their religious nature, but challenged them to get specific about who their ‘unknown god’ really was. Strandness takes a similar tack, using brilliant 21^st century imagery.

This is a beautifully written apologetic for people who are wondering about who the ‘unknown god’ really is. It reflects the journey of the author himself, who practiced neonatal medicine for twenty years before his life was radically transformed by a passion to thoroughly understand his faith.

Temporarily setting aside his medical practice, Dr. Strandness went back to school and earned a degree in theology. It’s a rare thing to find a medical doctor with a theology degree! Erik has since resumed practicing medicine in Spokane, Washington, and serves as a Christian worldview educator during his off-hours.

I met Erik while he was participating in the Colson Fellows Program of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. I can vouch for his character. He is the “real deal.” What’s more, he is a great writer, with the most unusual way with words I've seen.

God Spoke: Bridging the Sacred-Secular Divide with Divine Discourse is Erik’s 3rd book. Prior to this, he wrote The Director’s Cut: Finding God’s Screenplay on the Cutting Room Floor, and, Cry of the Elephant Man: Listening for Man’s Voice above the Herd.

For your copy of God Spoke, click here.

Posted by Dr. Christian Overman