Biblical Creation and Evangelism

Parents of small children dread the "Why?" stage, as it can continue for quite a while. The first question is asked, and when the answer is given, "Why?" is next. Repeat ad nauseum . Sometimes it seems that the child does not really want to know because it is just a game. Centuries ago, I mentioned to someone that science cannot answer why something happens. I was told that science does know why. Well, why is the sky blue? The answer involves light waves, but that is how . Tell me why  the laws of physics exist. Microscope, Pixabay / Konstantin Kolosov Secular scientists presuppose naturalism. That is, everything happens without the influence of God or spirits. While it is good for scientists to look for natural explanations for phenomena and not simply say, "God did it" without investigating further, secularists tend to essentially use, "Evolution did it" or similar. It is folly for Christians (including scientists who are believers) to leave G...

As I was leaving town, riding east out Folly Road, I came across with Rusty Swingset, foreman of the Darwin Ranch up near Deception Pass. He was with Jacqueline Hyde (who was not really herself that day). We met near Stinking Lake. It was a nice day so we stopped and made chin music for a spell. Sometimes Rusty can be hard to like, and he was a mite on the prod that day. I mentioned having seen a bounty hunter bringing in a bad guy. This jasper was a real animal, and I said so. Tiger, Pixabay / Felix Schweitz   (I like tigers) "Was it Randall that brought in that guy?" asked Swingset. "Nope, it was a different fellow. Didn't hear his name," I replied. "You said the baddie's an animal. Well, Charles Darwin was right, we're all animals." "Not true," I said. Rusty squinted at me and adjusted his hat while Jacqueline looked bored. "Study on this. We're warm blooded, females give milk, breathe air, eat, and all sorts of things lik...

Just over 500 years ago, distressed monk Martin Luther used the social media of his day. He posted ninety-five theses on the Wittenberg church door. There were errors in Catholic teachings and practices, and he wanted them addressed. So began the Protestant Reformation. Many groups that say they are Christian claim to hold the Bible in high regard, but they often find ways around believing what is plainly taught. Things are added to Scripture (Prov. 30:5-6), omitted, ignored, remixed, other books given a superior position — plus folks claiming it does not mean what it says. Luther nailing 95 theses , Ferdinand Pauwels, 1872, modified with FotoSketcher One of the main points of the Reformation was a return to biblical truth. Sola Scriptura : Scripture alone. None of this supplemental stuff or people presuming to tell God what he said and meant. Note that Luther posted his issues on the door. There are several doors in the Bible regarding salvation. One is the door of Noah's Ark. Ano...

People have ideas about what Heaven is like, but much of those are from media mythologies. People have wings, walking on clouds, have halos...storytelling. Religious figures in classical art were depicted with halos, so that may be a source for the myth. Reality is far different and more awesome. It has been almost two years since my wife died, and I will meet her in Heaven along with others I knew who have gone before in a grand reunion. Indeed, when it is time for me to go, I picture her and Jesus coming for me. Heaven clip art, Free Christian Images I'll allow that many ideas that people have about Heaven are speculative and non-biblical, Christians included. We learn some things from Scripture about it and about the departed, but there can be a mix (some of my ideas would be rejected by theologians). I have been told to talk to my wife because she is watching over me. I tell them that she's got Heaven stuff to do. When I wake up in the morning, I ask God to tell Charlene th...

There are professing Christians who have not given much thought to what they believe, especially regarding the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Unfortunately, they are often carried along by the currents of liberal theology or disinterested clergy — even in churches that are conservative in other ways. People may have opinions that Adam and Eve were mythological or they were part of an incidental Bible story. God does not care about opinions. He has given us his Word, and we need to get an understanding of the foundations of our theology. Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden ,  Johann Wenzel Peter There was a pastor who responded to my inquiry about creation by saying that he never really thought about it. Then he added, "The Framework Hypothesis , I suppose." He is teaching doctrine to people, but didn't dig enough into Genesis, which is foundational to all major Christian beliefs . His teachings are incomplete in many ways. This pastor will have some explaining to do (Ja...

There is enough Scripture twisting already, but some owlhoots want more so they can further their agendas. The Trinity (God in three persons, but is still one being) is denied by several, even professing Christians. Some deny that Jesus is God and make him a created being instead — Jehovah's Witnesses teach that today . One with an interesting name is the  Pneumatomachian heresy , asserting that the Holy Spirit is not God. (The JWs believe that he is God's active force.) A newer corruption of the Bible tries to make the Holy Spirit female. White dove (not saying, "Ooh baby ooh"), Pexels / mali maeder Pay attention when reading the Bible, especially the New Testament. It is obvious from the text that the Holy Spirit, just like the Father and Son, is described as masculine. There are times when the way to resolve a conflict is by using the original languages. In this case, certain words and their genders are misapplied. Feminazis and others are thwarted with deeper in...

People adore celebrities, often accepting their opinions and pronouncements on various topics without question. Christians have their celebrities as well. Many are current stars in the music industry, others are known for their lectures, debates, and occasionally for sermons. It is indeed unfortunate that we admire people for wit and charm but may not check what they say with the Bible. Some have said things that are not only wrong, but harmful. These need to be identified and (if possible) shown their errors. This applies to Drs. John Lennox and Jack Collins. Mountains, Pexels / Sergio Zhukov John Lennox is primarily a mathematician who uses philosophy and mixes in some theology. He easily dismantles atheism. Unfortunately, he accepts something that atheists rely on: deep time. Lennox not only accepts it, but encourages Christians to reject what the Bible clearly indicates about the young earth. He also believes in a local Flood. Jack Collins is not so much a celebrity as someone with...

Too bad about yardsticks, and meter sticks, they are not making them any longer. In the physical world, there are units of measure which are standardized. Otherwise, your  yard or meter would be different from my  yard or meter, and so on. Confusion would result. Morality is similar to this (and therefore, ethics). Professing atheists often claim to be "good without God." Yes, atheists do good things. However, atheist organizations like this one often trample the rights of Christians through legislative coercion because they think they are doing good. Atheists are inconsistent. Measuring devices and office supplies, Unsplash / Dan Cristian Pădureț An angry misotheist recently parroted Clinton Richard Dawkins, judging God as narcissistic, sick and sadistic. This was in response to a post was made about the Genesis Flood. He also indicated that he hates Christians. When I pointed out that he was using his own arbitrary standard, he had a snarky reaction. This sort of thing hap...

To be frank (mind if I call you Frank?), operating an online creation science ministry and writing weblogs gets mighty frustrating. While attacks by atheopaths go with the territory (it is who they are and what they do), unprepared and apathetic Christians are hard to take. I have prayed many times if the Lord wants me to continue. Lack of response by readers is cumbersome, but prophets in the Old Testament were told to preach repentance. Few people listened. We can only speculate on details, but Noah was a herald of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). Noah Offers up Thanks / Joseph Anton Koch , 1814 God promised that he would be saved along with his family in the Ark, which may have been in the back of his mind that preaching repentance was in vain. It is probable that he tried to convince people to repent and come along — there was plenty of room. People were constantly wicked which is probably why there were no takers. Preaching and teaching may appear to be futile, whether repentance to ...

There is a question that is common to believers, skeptics, children, and others about how the church got the books of the New Testament. (Someone said that the Bible was written by "old wise men," which shows an assertion based on massive ignorance.) It is also fair to ask what the early church accepted. In the early days, Christians were persecuted and had to meet in secret. There were also false gospels and letters supposedly signed by the apostles that would crop up that had to be evaluated. First page of Genesis, RGBStock /  Billy Frank Alexander With an exception regarding the book of Revelation , almost all of the books in the New Testament were accepted by the early church. When someone came along and dropped a Gospel of Thomas  or a history of the childhood of Jesus (the latter apparently had some pretty wild stuff), for example, those texts were examined for some key details. God inspired the Bible but worked through human authors and copyists who wrote the original ...

Certain sky watchers are looking for trouble from asteroids, and they sound the alarm if some look like they will track too close to the earth. A big 'stroid giving us a near miss will still cause a passel of problems. A direct impact would spoil your day Remember Apophis? No, not the false Egyptian god that shares the name, but the 'stroid that got people agitated. Some Christians thought it fit Bible prophecy about the last days. They were wrong . Now 2024YR4 is coming around, and we know how some religious folks will act. Asteroid and Earth, FreeDigitalPhotos / Idea go Let's face it, there are many professing Christians who are not grounded in the Word. In addition, prophecy gets attention — and money. There are people who actually reject how God required  a perfect record from prophets in the Old Testament: If their prophecies did not come true, they deserved the death penalty! Today, "Thus saith the Lord" claims are swallowed, even though the "prophet...

We hear about races and racism all the time, and some folks seem to be extremely race conscious — thinking of their race as a priority. They even intertwine their personal identities with their race. It may come as a shock, but races do not exist ! From a biblical standpoint, there is only one race. (Nations, ethnic groups, and other distinguishing characteristics, sure.) Another startling fact is that racism accelerated under Darwinism. The Bearded Buddha hinged his evolution story on his own racism. Different ethnic hands, Pixabay / Rhythm_In_Life People who have paid attention to American political news have probably noticed the accusations that Donald Trump is a racist and so are those who voted for him. (How they deal with Blacks for Trump and similar groups is unclear.) Leftist women seek to punish their men who voted for him, and sore losers rail against Trump supporters, sometimes with violence. And yet, none of their accusations have merit. Angry leftists "think" wit...

We know it is human nature to want to learn more, or even fill in the blanks of a story with our own conjectures. People want to learn about enigmatic  Melchizedek , and Scripture almost teases us with references to him. Abram had been called and blessed by God. We read that he was a wealthy and powerful man. There was a war going on (Gen. 14), and Abram's nephew Lot was living in Sodom. He was one of the people carried off in a raid, and Abram took his own men in battle against several kings! The Meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek , Dirk Bouts, 1465 After the victory, the king of Sodom met with Abram, but Abram wanted nothing to do with him. Also, Melchizedek met with Abram. Mel wasn't some guy who ran a diner in Phoenix, but the king of Salem and a priest of God . He blessed Abram, and Abe gave him a tenth of everything (Gen 14:18-20). After this encounter, a few references in the Bible explain that Melchizedek was a type of Christ. People have run several ideas up the flagpo...

Professing atheists are found in several types, ranging from those who simply do not care about God to those who want to exterminate Christians. In my experience, they deny being religious because they do not worship a deity. Those are disingenuous because they ignore the other dictionary definitions of religion. One of the forms their religion takes is Scientism . This is all about knowledge through science and reason, but cannot be lived consistently. Beauty, love, logic and other things cannot be consistently lived through atheism. Especially morality and ethics. Many smugly claim to be "good without God." 1889 guy colorized, then run through FotoSketcher What is their standard? Some will trumpet the things they never do, such as steal, lie, cheat on their spouses, and other things. They may also follow up with their good works. They can be good without God, so we should all grow up and leave God behind. However, we do not know if such braggarts are being truthful. More im...

The Bible makes it very clear that nobody can earn salvation, it is a gift of God. Otherwise, we would have to constantly strive to meet an unknown standard, never knowing when we have attained it — or how to keep it. Faith plus add-ons like baptism, praying to saints, following man-made rules of conduct, being a member of the "right" church — these are usually stumbling blocks. However, baptism is not a requirement for salvation, but an outward expression of obedience to Christ. But salvation and repentance are often used together in Scripture, which can be confusing. Young Man at Prayer , Hans Memling (1475) Unfortunately, there are some people who claim that if one believes in evolution, he is not saved. That cannot be supported by Scripture. However, believing in evolution raises questions about that person's understanding of and commitment to the Word of God, and understanding of actual science. The Bible uses repentance and salvation together quite often. To repent...

A few months ago, I posted " Inner Knowledge of the Creator " on another site. Professing atheists often claim to "lack belief" that God exists because there is supposedly no evidence. Christians who play their game and let them judge the Creator of the universe to see if he is worthy of their  worship offer evidences. Those are rejected. Leaving the Word of God out of such a discussion is wrong — in fact, it is sinful. Not only is the evidence for God abundant (Rom. 1:18-23), they have an inner knowledge. Onteora Lake, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Everyone has what is called general revelation , knowledge about God available to everyone. We are also given special revelation . This is the written Word of God, which obviously goes deeper and shows us the way of salvation. The Bible is the final authority, not the opinions of scoffer and other nay-sayerks. It has been discussed here and elsewhere that to interpret Scripture (as well as refuting scoffers, compromiser...

It was almost time for bed, and I was laying out what I would need for the next day. Of a sudden, there was a rapping at my door. I opened it cautiously, then flung it wide as Stormie Waters and her fiancé Roland Meadows hurried inside. They looked downright frightened. "We saw something. Some... thing  outside!" Stormie exclaimed. "Like nothing I've seen before. It gave me the willies!" Roland added. These two are not prone to flights of fancy and I was very interested. Stump in the sun with growth, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen (modified) They commenced to telling me about a large figure in the road ahead of them, and their horses were skittish. It seemed to turn and look at them with red eyes, then spread bat-like wings and flew away. Having heard similar tales and read historical reports, I shivered despite myself. People sure do like spooky stuff, don't they? This is being posted one week away from Halloween, a celebration of fear and death. And it se...

If you ask around about the identity of Jesus, you will get a variety of answers. Some history deniers try to pretend he never existed, there are "atheist Christians" who use that title because they like some of the things he said, plus vague or even biblical answers. While it may be interesting to get opinions from coworkers or someone at the deli, it is best to go to the sources. The Bible has sections written by eyewitnesses. Church history by people who were not far removed from the events is often useful. Man kneeling and reading the Bible, Unsplash /  Ben White Jesus is God the Son, the second person of the Trinity. He was given and received worship, such as in John 20:28 when "doubting" Thomas exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" (Note that Thomas didn't believe the Resurrection testimony of the others and wanted to touch the wounds himself. He made the above exclamation when Jesus appeared to him, but nowhere does it mention that he followed throug...

Someone may claim to be a perfectionist, and another might assume that the other simply wants to do things as correctly as possible. Sure, many people strive for excellence. However, perfectionism is quite often a trap. Perfectionists may obsess over their appearance, constantly adjust something unnecessarily that was fine already, and more. It can also stop people from even beginning something because they doubt that it will be perfect.* Consider the fact that "perfect" is often subjective. More than the physical and psychological aspects, perfectionism can be a spiritual hindrance. Imperfect blurred woods, photo by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Yes, the Bible tells us to "be perfect," but that is an inadequate translation. It is better rendered complete  or mature  in many instances — especially when the passages are used regarding our spiritual goals. A perfectionist may walk away from the Word of God and attempt to be spiritually or morally perfect by his own standard . T...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  It seems that people began speaking freely about near-death experiences (NDEs) after the book Life After Life  by Raymond Moody was published in 1975. There are numerous books, documentaries, personal anecdotes and more about NDEs. The subject is also very controversial — especially among scientists. Many experiences are dismissed as the brain having hallucinations at the time of death, but certain experiences are not so easy to reject because of details reported. Most of the accounts of the great beyond are pleasant, but there are some about going to Hell. Climbing stairs to Heaven, Pixabay / Tumisu A large number of natural scientists are materialists — essentially, they are atheists because nothing exists to them except material things such as molecules and atoms. Some tried to find a place in the brain where consciousness or the soul resides (those that admit that such things exist, that is) or try to find other explanations that don't conflict with...