Biblical Creation and Evangelism

Despite the claims of some old-earth compromisers like Hugh Ross, the church fathers believed , for the most part, in a young earth. For that matter, the Genesis Flood, recent creation, and similar matters were largely undisputed and a defense of the position was generally considered unnecessary. The concept of deep time is the new gelding in the theological stable. Credit: Pixabay / strecosa What about the Reformers? You know, that Protestant Reformation that is considered to have begun back yonder about 500 years ago? Yeah, those guys. Remember, a movement does not usually happen in a moment; there is groundwork and developments until the thing commences to happen. We know that Martin Luther took Genesis seriously , but we may wonder about the other Reformers during that period of years. It's a reasonable question, since liberal theologians and many professing Christians today believe the old earth view — especially since Christians ceded both science and theology to secula...

Back on October 22, 1844, followers of William Miller (Millerites) expected Jesus to return. This was called the "Great Disappointment" for obvious reasons. People kept going with it, modifying views and such, eventually spawning outfits like the Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses . I guess you could say they evolved from a common ancestor. Those of us who have a few decades under our belts have experienced several "end of the world" prophesied events. Nothing happened. In 2016, some of us endured the "Super Shemitah" and blood moons business — and it was a business for people like Jim Bakker and others. But, as usual, those sidewinders kept on a-selling to their gullible followers. At this writing, the latest big thing was supposed to have happened on September 23, 2017. People were interpreting the signs in the heavens, earthquakes, storms, wars and rumors of wars, and so on as indications that the time of Christ's return...

It is October, 2017, the month of the Reformatin's 500th anniversary. The Reformation is considered to have begun when Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the Wittenburg church door — a kind of social media of the time, and not an act of vandalism. He wanted debate, or serious discussion, on some matters that had been troubling him about the Roman Catholic Church, faith, the Bible, and more. A movement does not typically happen in an instant, and Luther was a priest and a monk who had been pondering some things for a long time, including his own salvation. He learned some things from Scripture that brought problems into focus, and his writings caused him a heap of trouble, and he was investigated for heresies at the Diet of Worms in 1521. We've heard and read about it a great deal lately. It sounds like a California fad eating style, but actually a diet  back then was a formal assembly, and this was conducted in the city of Worms. Now the term makes sense, doesn't it? It...

One of the main problems for Christian theology occurred when Christians ceded the proper understanding of Genesis to secular science. Not only did those owlhoots compromise on long ages, but they often included evolution as well. At this time, liberal theologians were stampeding through academia and the churches, causing a great deal of confusion and apostasy. Theologians back then had forgotten the importance of a solid foundation. Martin Luther had a different problem than we have: some people rejected six day creation because it seemed too long! (Click for larger.) In the course of events leading to the Reformation, Luther realized the importance of the foundation of Scripture itself. He also held fast to the foundation of the gospel message itself, which begins in Genesis. Our creation reformation requires rejecting compromise on biblical truth, beginning from the very first verse. Five hundred years ago in Wittenberg, Germany, an unusual scholar changed the course of hum...

As most Christians are aware, 2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, so don't be surprised when you see a whole passel of articles, sermons, and so forth all over the web. While major movements begin suddenly and have various events leading up to them, October 31 is considered the "official" date when Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg. Then things really took off. No, not because of the apparent vandalism, because that was the form of social media back then. Instead, things really took off because of what Luther had written. Luther nailing 95 theses , Ferdinand Pauwels, 1872 / Wikimedia Commons Luther emphasized the solae ("alone"): Scripture, faith, and grace. In later years, "Christ alone" and "glory to God alone" were added. The religious authority of the Roman Catholic Church had usurped its authority, focusing on tradition and selling of papal indulgences . Luther also wanted...