We Are... Saving Christianity?

"At [a particular institution] we have made our peace with evolution and it has been liberating and even faith-affirming. We encourage conversations to further that agenda and make no excuses for that. We are not destroying Christianity. We are saving it."

I am always thrown for a loop when I hear that Christianity is in need of saving. I am pretty sure the Bible teaches that it is we who are in need of saving. Does God the Father, the creator of the entire universe, really need our help to save Christianity (Gen 1:1)? Is Jesus, the author and perfecter of the faith, up in heaven right now wringing His hands just hoping that some of us will stand up and save Christianity for Him (John 1:1-3)? Or is the Holy Spirit, Who in the beginning hovered over the face of the primordial waters, waiting with baited breath for someone to take the initiative and put Christianity back on the right track (Gen 1:2)? I believe it is safe to say that the answer to all three of these questions is a resounding no!

We cannot "save Christianity" because Christianity is not about us; it is about Jesus (Eph 2:20). We- Christians- are sinners, who have been saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus- faith in: Who He is, what He has done, and why He had to do it. We can bring no merit or accomplishment of our own to the table, we have no bargaining chip to offer, no ace in the hole to play; we are wholly dependent on God for our initial salvation and the preservation of our relationship to Himself.  God is all in all (Eph 2: 8-10).

I do not believe the author, of the above statement, meant to say that he, and others like him, him "are saving Christianity" in the way that I just addressed. I am sure he meant that, in his opinion, they are keeping Christianity relevant, engaged with the world, and scientifically honest. In any case, I do not have any real interest in debating the subject of evolution. My concern (at least in this instance), is not with the author's position on evolution, but with the anthropocentric view of Christianity that his language reveals. Statements, like the one above, completely miss the heart of Christianity- a loving and righteous God, Who created the world and is redeeming it to Himself for His own glory. Our faith is not rooted in humanity, it is not sustained by humanity, and does not depend on human understanding. God testifies to Himself and all creation declares Who He is (Rom 1:19-20).

Christianity, like its name, is founded on Christ Heb 12:2). It was not initiated by man and has no need of man's "saving." Quite the opposite; we have every need of God's saving work and without Him we can do nothing (Jhn 15:5). Tim Keller, Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC, gave great three minute teaching on the question of what the Bible- and by extension Christianity- is all about. Check it out here: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2010/08/26/the-bible-is-not-basically-about-you/