Secular Benefits of Christianity

The Bible teaches that believers bring God's blessings to even the unbelievers who live around them. For example, the Lord blessed Potiphar's entire household because Joseph was placed in charge of it. Yet, enemies of Christianity, especially secular humanists, almost never grant that Christians bring blessings to those among whom they live.

Recently, Guenter Lewy of the University of Massachusetts set out to write a book entitled Why America Doesn't Need Religion. He wanted the book to be "a defense of secular humanism and ethical relativism." Lewy is not a Christian and does not believe in God. But he was determined to offer his results as objectively as possible.

As Lewy assembled his extensive research, he received a surprise. He found himself forced to conclude that Christianity has a record of strong support for social justice and human dignity. Other research forced him to conclude that Christians at that time constantly showed a lower rate than non Christians of the behaviors associated with social ills and moral failure. These include divorce, domestic violence, out of wedlock births, adult crime and juvenile delinquency. He finally concluded, from other studies, that people who actually live the Christian life have higher rates of happiness and are healthier. The final title of his book is Why America Needs Religion.

Christians should not be fearful about living out their faith, even among unbelievers. As they live out their faith, God is not only blessing them, but also the unbelievers who surround them.

References: Charles Colson, "The Gospel according to Jesse: Is religion a crutch?" Minnesota Christian Chronicle, December 2, 1999, p.16.

2009 April Lorier Perspective

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked. Proverbs 11:11