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The Creation Survival Guide

A new resource to help students survive the secular spiritual battleground

by Paul Price

Creation-survival-guide

The modern educational environment is increasingly a place of spiritual warfare. Students are being inundated with more and more brazen attacks upon the Christian foundations that underpin our western civilization. According to attorney Bruce Shortt,

“The overwhelming majority of children from evangelical families leave the church within two years after they graduate from high school…”1

In fact, one study claimed that the figure could be as high as 88 percent.2 Other studies suggest it may be two out of three3; but regardless of which number is right, it is clear that an unacceptably high number of children from evangelical homes are leaving the church after going through the education system. One of the biggest reasons for this is the sustained attack by the secular mainstream world against the Christian worldview in our houses of education—and in some cases, a deliberate targeting of Christian children to rid them of their ‘ancient and quaint’ religious notions. Coupled with this, in our experience, is an unawareness of parents about what their children will encounter. Most see their children thriving in church youth groups etc. and, thus, don’t believe that their own young ones will suffer this fate.

Did you know that in 2016, a study was published in CBE—Life Sciences Education, the journal of the American Society for Cell Biology, arguing that not enough teachers were pushing their students to accept evolution as a fact?4 Ironically, though, we can see through the quoted responses by actual educators that the opposite is true: teachers are definitely engraining their students with the notion that Darwinism is unquestionable fact.5

Often, we are contacted by students who are struggling in their classes, particularly when being taught about the theory of evolution, which they don’t accept. At CMI we are aware of the need for a concise, easy-to-read and practical resource aimed at helping students survive the spiritual and intellectual pitfalls of academia in the 21st century. That is the purpose of CMI’s newest booklet, The Creation Survival Guide, which I co-authored with Gary Bates.

We are already receiving positive testimonies from students about this little booklet! For example, D.S. from Georgia (USA) writes,

“I am a high school senior … During one of our leadership training retreats, our school’s president and administrator gave us each a copy of The Creation Survival Guide by Paul Price and Gary Bates. I loved the information in the booklet so much that I wanted to purchase another book right away! I am so thankful that there is an organization like Creation Ministries supplying information that helps defend Biblical teachings. I hope this book becomes the first of many I buy from CMI, and I know your books will help me bring glory to God’s kingdom!”

The bulk of the booklet comes in the form of a series of Dos and Don’ts for the student—and is a great resource for parents as well—to give practical advice on how to successfully navigate the complex issue of origins in school and university. Don’t be taken off guard! The arguments and tactics used in the classroom today can be subtle and clever, or conversely, they can be brute and intimidating; but in either case, reading the Creation Survival Guide will equip students and parents to be prepared for these attacks and to be ready with plan of action. It also has testimonies from creationists and their own experiences at college and how they survived with their faith intact.

The booklet is in-depth enough to be useful in a college environment, but easy to understand such that it can be useful even for middle and high school students as well. It is a perfect gift for the student in your family, or as part of a youth group or outreach mission. Great discounts on bulk orders are available, making it very affordable to distribute to youth in a church setting. We encourage churches to consider a copy for each young member in their congregations.

Hear Carla’s Story (Excerpt from booklet):

“I started my higher education in a Bachelor of Science program before pursuing a specific major. During my first semester, I was taking core education classes, such as chemistry, biology, physics, and a philosophy class. It was my very first day of university that I was exposed to not merely to evolutionary teaching, but to the targeting of Christians and specifically creationists. In that first biology class lecture my professor stated, “Evolution is a fact and is the basis for this class,” and, “If you believe in creation, you will fail this class!” At this declaration I initially thought, “He is attacking a certain group; surely that is not acceptable?”

Upon second thought, I remember thinking this was likely a ploy to draw out and identify ‘Christians and creationists’. In this lecture class of 500+ students, he outlined that tests would be multiple choice with a few questions requiring paragraph answers. I quickly realized that it would be best not to ‘play this professor’s game’ and I would do just fine in this class without needing to paint a target on my back. After the shock of Christians being explicitly singled out, I understood that this was not the time or place to speak out. There will be instances to speak up and take a bold stance on the Bible and creation. This is where wisdom, humility, and understanding take precedence.”

Published: 12 November 2019

References and notes

  1. Quoted in: On the ‘sin’ of sending kids to public school, wnd.com, 7 February 2005. Return to text.
  2. Southern Baptist Council on Family Life Report, 2002, sbcannualmeeting.net/sbc02/newsroom/newspage.asp?ID=261, accessed 6 November, 2013. Return to text.
  3. Barna, G., State of the Church 2002, Issachar Resources, Ventura, California, p. 109. Return to text.
  4. Barnes M. & Brownell S., Practices and Perspectives of College Instructors on Addressing Religious Beliefs When Teaching Evolution, CBE Life Sciences Education 15(2):ar18, 2016. doi:10.1187/cbe.15-11-0243. Return to text.
  5. More details on this are included in the introduction of the Creation Survival Guide. Return to text.

Helpful Resources

The Creation Survival Guide
by Paul Price and Gary Bates
US $4.00
Booklet