Othering

Unfortunately, we find that the teachings of Scripture and views centered around God's Word can sometimes be unpopular in certain circles. We face the possibility of being ostracized and criticized. But, we can continue to be bold and strong in Him. Peter and John faced the critics, and when they were used of God to heal a lame man, they had to demonstrate reliance on God. Acts 4 records the incident, and we can read:
11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.
14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.

It can certainly be our aim to display the presence of the living Lord, so that people know that we have been and are with Jesus. The way that we walk communicates powerfully the life-changing capacity of God's Word and His Spirit.  He enables us to respond Biblically when we face hostility, when people do not understand our faith perspective, and perhaps through our reliance on the Lord and the words that He gives us, people will be moved by our words and the way we live.

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We give praise and honor to God our creator, the One who has made the heavens and the earth, according to His perfect plan, and as we're told in Genesis chapter 1, created humanity, beginning with Adam and Eve, about whom we read:
26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

This creation narrative is a foundation component of Biblical Christianity, but it has been suggested that if you have taken college courses that offer a the creationist perspective, it should not count toward a degree.

CBN.com reported recently on what was written by a professor from Washington University in St. Louis.  It states:

Dr. Joshua Swamidass claims this "constructive solution" would hold Christian institutions to a higher academic standard.

"Credit from courses that include creation science should not be used toward science degrees," he wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. "Nor should they be eligible for transfer to secular institutions."

Apparently, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has been considering whether or not to continue to recognize the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS) as an accrediting agency, and the professor offered his take on the matter.

The CBN article notes that one TRACS school is Bob Jones University, whose president, Steve Pettit, said, according to the Wall Street Journal: "Our students, while adhering to biblical viewpoints on the origin and diversity of life, must be fully conversant with, and able to think critically about both models," adding, "Dr. Swamidass's 'compromise'—excluding credit from courses presenting evidence for multiple models—would marginalize outstanding scientists with biblical viewpoints about origins..."

The article also includes content from David Klinghoffer, Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, which embraces the concept of Intelligent Design, wrote at Evolution News & Science Today, "Creationist thoughts and those who think them, are indeed penalized in his system...Invidious labeling is all about reward and punishment....and this is a very dangerous concept."

Klinghoffer, who admittedly is not a creationist, is nevertheless bothered by this proposal, writing:

Here’s the concept of invidious labeling: to help favored groups or hurt disfavored ones, you label their work or business by race, religion, viewpoint, or other identity, so that customers or employers can join you in doling out reward or, more often, punishment. The practice has a long and sordid history. 

Another name for it is “othering”:

Othering is a phenomenon in which some individuals or groups are defined and labeled as not fitting in within the norms of a social group. It is an effect that influences how people perceive and treat those who are viewed as being part of the in-group versus those who are seen as being part of the out-group.

That is a definition from the VeryWellMind.com website. 

And, we can pay attention to Klinghoffer's closing statements:

From the sciences, once the rationale about “national norms” is accepted, I don’t see any reason why the labeling or othering concept should not be expanded to cover areas of education where other out-group ideas are discussed, whether political, cultural, or philosophical. Where would it end? Our “national norms” are rapidly evolving, after all, as no one who lived through 2020 could have missed.

The Chinese government, perhaps, offers a preview of what’s to come. They have their Social Credit System, where anti-social deviations are not necessarily made illegal, but are penalized: “disclosed, tracked and reported,” to borrow Josh Swamidass’s phrase.

In a nation that was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, we have now drifted to the point where those who hold a Christian worldview are the outsiders, those who have been the recipients of this "othering."  Face it, no longer are we, as the old song says, "in" with the "in-crowd."  But, the fact is, we are never called to be.  We are, as 1st Peter 2 reminds us, a peculiar people - and our desire to fit in or be liked may indeed conflict with the call to be distinct.  But, that doesn't mean that we should not try to build relationships with those different than we are. 

But, one should never seek to "punish" a people-group due to perceived common characteristics.  That is indeed what is happening in China, and Christians are on the short end.  It has been said that Christians are perceived to be a threat there, and their freedom to practice their religion cannot be tolerated in a totalitarian state.  We have to be aware that there are people in power that, having once tasted it, want to consolidate and expand their power - we must not be that way and have to be prepared to speak truth to those who are.

This leads us back to the contention that creation is somehow not "scientific," or that creation is an inferior explanation of origins.  An examination of the evidence points to a designer, and the Word of God identifies who that is.  But, to embrace that identity of our Creator means that someone has to submit to His authority, so it's convenient to reject that notion.  Two points  the truth of the living Christ, the truth of the resurrection, brings credibility to the Scriptures.  And, one cannot pick and choose what about the Bible to believe - if we believe that He died and rose again, then we should also accept as true the premises and promises of Scripture - the factual Jesus, according to Colossians 1, as a member of the Godhead, was responsible for creation.  Just because that is a "religious" of "faith" premise does not make it any less true.