For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

This verse has been very clearly played out in my life lately. I am learning so much about prayer. Warfare prayer. About fighting. About rebuking. It’s hard. But God is good and I am growing. Perhaps painfully so, but nonetheless, being stretched and molded. I am learning to put on my armor. I am learning to give my burdens to God. and I am learning the lies and tactics Satan uses to keep us feeling defeated and prevent us from being the a powerful force to reckon with.

It’s tough. It’s been a rough few weeks. But God is faithful.

Yes-that’s a bold statement to make I realize. But I sat through an econ class this morning and listened to my professor and several classmates discuss the reality that there are no scientific facts to prove creationism and there are no scientific facts to disprove evolution. In other words, scientists are right in promoting evolution as fact and the truth and Christians are wrong for attempting to promote creationism and disprove evolution. It bothered me. Quite frankly, it angered me. But the anger wasn’t directed towards my professor. She is a highly educated individual who I respect greatly. I normally enjoy her classes. I would like to grill her brain about her knowledge in certain areas. Today though I got angry at Christians. Christians content to live in their bubble and be passionate only about church and “christian service.” Christians who will encourage someone to become a pastor or missionary, but fail to encourage the person who loves science because becoming a scientist isn’t as spiritual as becoming a missionary. Is there a need for missionaries? Of Course! How else will the world hear the Gospel? (Matthew 28:19-20)

But…

Where are the Christians in science? Where are the Christians in academia? Where are the Christians who are highly educated, Nobel Peace winners, professors, leading experts in their field? Why has evolution been allowed to permeate every aspect of our culture while Creation and Intelligent Design have been kicked out? I believe it is because we do not encourage Christians to go into science. We will let other people do that. We will let people who have no belief in our God become the experts. And once they are the experts, they can say whatever they want and people will believe them. They teach in our colleges and their viewpoints become the beliefs on my generation and the next. Thus my frustration at why is my desire to become a professor not considered as holy or spiritual as a decision to be a missionary? Isn’t being a missionary simply going to a mission field to share the message of Christ? And what bigger mission field that science or academia? Scholars, PhD professors, scientists, and the like tend to view Christians as uneducated and uninformed. They look at them as people who don’t know the facts so they cling to a religion. Which I believe is probably partly true. I don’t think as Christians we should isolate ourselves from what is going on around us. We need to learn the facts, study the science, and get involved. We need to encourage our young people to go into science and politics and perhaps even economics. (I am biased on that one 🙂 ) We need to become agents of change-promoting the Green Revolution, being informed on the economy, and becoming passionate about all areas of politics.

note: I do think we still need missionaries and pastors. But I think we should be careful about what we label as ministry or Christian service. I am preparing myself for a battlefield and mission field that is hostile towards Christians. and I truly believe that my desire to pursue Economics is spiritual in every sense of the word.