During our “Fact or Fairytale?” Series it was suggested we make notes available since there is a lot of material and a lot to think about. I hope you will continue to pursue your own encouragement and equipping as we all face a society which is extremely skeptical with a faith that is extremely defensible. From our talk on Creation and Evolution:
How do we answer the challenge of evolution?
Romans 1:18-22
Understand
Understand Biblical Creation:
1. An artist made the art
The potter’s relationship to clay
God cares for His creation but is not dependent on it.
Transcendental realities – love, courage, compassion and justice are OUTSIDE.
Outside, not dependent, can affect it but chose to do it.
Can destroy it and not be diminished himself
2. The art reveals the artist.
You CAN look at the creation and see the unseen.
Suggested reading:
“A Meaningful World” by Benjamin Wiker and Jonathon Witt, (accompanying web site): http://www.ameaningfulworld.com/ “Billions of Missing Links” and “What Darwin Didn’t Know” both by Geoffrey Simmons. “The Case for the Creator” by Lee Strobel, “The Evidential Power of Beauty” by Robert Moray,
3. The Art is broken and rebelling. V. 21
CURSED IS THE GROUND/ SUBJECT TO FRUSTRATION
“although they knew God they neither glorified Him as God, nor gave thanks to Him.”
There is a loaded deck
“Evolution is promoted by its practitioners as more than mere science. Evolution is promulgated as an ideology, a secular religion—a full-fledged alternative to Christianity, with meaning and morality. I am an ardent evolutionist and an ex-Christian, but I must admit in this one complaint. . . the literalists [i.e., creationists] are absolutely right. Evolution is a religion. This was true of evolution in the beginning, and it is true of evolution still today.”– Dr. Michael Ruse, author, Darwinism Defended: A Guide to the Evolution Controversies
The suppression of truth – the desire for independence
The basic idea is that we don’t WANT there to be a personal CREATOR
Understand evolution
1. It DOES happen. . . to a point
be fruitful and multiply – implication that he began with a few. Changes happen in the multiplying process.
This is called micro evolution, but does not apply to everything (called macro evolution) – this is the error scientists are making.
There are borders – DARWINS CONTEMPORARIES challenged it AS SCIENTISTS
2. It claims FULL ability
Where ALL of life came from and GOD IS NOT REQUIRED. Here is no need to put God into the evolution process because it does not REQUIRE Him.
Limits of change / Systems – your body has to have everything working at the same time – how do you evolve a heart?
3. Discussion is not allowed
Any challenge to evolutionary theory is met with: you are talking about religion not science.
Chapter in Origin of Species: ‘Difficulties With the Theory”
