By Jessica Martinez
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Josh McDowell, an apologist and evangelist, spoke at Southern Evangelical Seminary’s Christian Apologetics conference on three culture changes that create a “perfect storm” that challenges and poses a threat to the church.
McDowell says the first is an epistemological shift that is occurring regarding Biblical truths due to modern perspectives on God’s word.
“We’ve had a major shift in what truth is and where it comes from. We’ve gone from being God-centered to self-centered, from being objective to being subjective and from being internal to external,” he said.
He argues that the truth that the church upholds is merely viewed as personal opinion by some people, especially young individuals due to the idea that most think that God is dead.
“In 1991, 51 percent of evangelical young adults said there is no truth apart from their own views. Today, that number is 91 percent,” said McDowell.
The respected apologist also says the Internet’s “exploding information” plays a major factor in challenging the way young people view culture, the church and their moral views. According to his research, millions of youths take in about 34GB of Internet data each day, which is equivalent to the amount of lyrics found in 8,160 songs.