Biblical Creation and Evangelism

We all have ultimate starting points. Those of us who believe the Bible are to presuppose that it is true, just as unbelievers presuppose materialistic or pagan mythologies. Both biblical creation science and adherents of universal common descent use  operational and historical (forensic) science. Things become more complicated when discussing Noah's Ark. Credit: RGBStock /  Savvas Stavrinos Using science and what is observed in living things today, creationists also reason from Scripture to determine how Noah and the others provided food for carnivores on the Ark. In the beginning, creation was very good. There was no carnivory until after Adam sinned, and humans were not permitted to eat meat until after the Flood . Since God brought pairs of animal kinds  (which were probably very different than species living today ), they were intended to be kept alive. Noah didn't say, "Put the ugly ones off to the left so we can feed them to the carnivores." Obviously, there h

It is easy to find people who claim to be tolerant and open-minded, saying that they defend the rights of others to hold contrary views. It may seem noble, but when the time comes to ante up, it becomes obvious that it was empty bluster.  This is readily apparent when it comes to expressions of biblical truth. Credit: Pixabay /  Angela Yuriko Smith It's interesting to watch a conflict of trends. Charles Darwin was racist and sexist, and his worldview not only permeated his version of evolution, but influenced is followers through the years. Cancel culture is giving him a pass . Obviously, atheistic naturalism trumps outrage at his views. Rational people can examine the details and learn from history instead of trying to erase it. The free expression of our Christian worldview is being reduced at an increasing rate in Western cultures, and there are people (mainly misotheists) who do not even want us to have  our views. Indeed, they dehumanize creationists because we uphold the fou

This post will have some informative material before moving on to more serious matters, and I enjoyed putting it together. While there is a similarity between potholes and sinkholes, the two should not be confused — even though the potholes New York, Michigan, and other places can probably be seen from the International Space Station. Cover-collapse sinkhole in limestone near Frederick, MD Image credit: US Geological Survey / Randall Orndorff (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Sinkholes vary in size and are found worldwide, but most often in areas where the water remains below the surface and erodes underlying rock. The process is usually gradual and may not be noticed for a long time. Eventually, they collapse, such as the one on Washington Street in Kingston, NY  — which troubled residents for five years . They can also occur quickly due to factors like when a water main breaks , heavy rainfall, and others. Let's talk about the power of water for a bit, which s

While Bible-believing Christians understand salvation as being made right with God and spiritual deliverance , other people want salvation in different ways. Because of its Christian connotations, other people seem to avoid the word. But they still seek relief from suffering and to obtain a feelgood experience. Modified from an image at Unsplash / Erik Brolin There is a trend in psychology toward mindfulness  which is a form of meditation that Christians should avoid . Actually, everyone should. Supposedly it relieves stress, but is actually counterproductive. Another secular feelgood technique is to count your blessings , but it leaves out God who provides our blessings. (I fell on Monday and needed medical care. Afterward, I thanked God that it wasn't worse, and that the people at the urgent care clinic had skill and compassion.) Another false feelgood salvation is to have people go to their "happy place", which often has a setting in nature. Mindfulness actually caus

There is a pair of verses that may perplex Christians at first glance, and scoffers call it biblical contradiction. This is Proverbs 26:4-5. The claim that they are a contradiction is easily dismissed, but the question about not answering a fool according to his folly, followed by answering, can be clarified. It is also a powerful method for defending and presenting the faith. Originally, this now-public domain image by Sidney Paget was used to illustrate the 1903 Sherlock Holmes story " The Empty House " The Bible makes it clear that God calls unbelievers fools . That's not God being on the prod and calling them stupid, but it is deeper than that because it is about character, not intelligence (although some exhibit a lack of intelligence). Do a Bible search with theWord , other software, or online and look for fool , foolish , and similar words. It's not gratuitous abuse. I can't think of a good way to open a discussion by telling someone that he or she is a foo

Now there is a provocative title! Believers in an old Earth, evolution, and similar things are probably clutching their pearls while expressing their outrage. Secularists (and many professing Christians, unfortunately) insist that deep time is a scientific fact . We must teach children real science, right? Credit: Flickr / Marco Verch ( CC BY 2.0 ) What is actually happening is that children (as well as the rest of us) are being given stories based on naturalistic interpretations about the past; there is no actual empirical evidence that obliges us to believe that the earth is billions of years old. Children have been enamored with dinosaurs for many years, and this has been increasing in recent years. It is not surprising to find a youngster who can rattle off the names, secular dates, locations, and more of those terrible lizards. Movies and merchandising helped fuel the interest of many people. (I wonder how many were annoyed when the Jurassic Park movies made the Velociraptors

The Bible tells us that no one has seen God (John 1:18). Moses wanted to but was told in no uncertain terms that it was not possible (Exodus 33:20). However, there are statements in Scripture about seeing God (such as the rasslin' match between Jacob and God in Genesis 32:24-30 or Isaiah's terrified exclamation in Isaiah 6:5). How do we reconcile these things? The appearance of the angels to Abraham , Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, 1728 Specifically, no human can see God the Father face-to-face and live. The reference in Isaiah and other places were visions, yet certain people experienced the divine. God has been involved with humanity from the beginning, which includes visitations from angels. Now we come to an interesting aspect. In Genesis and other places we read about "the angel of the Lord". When you read those accounts, this angel is distinct from other angels that God sends to people. Although theologians disagree on this , most seem to believe that this w

We are closing in on Question Evolution Day , and even though the information in the article linked below applies to that event, it is important for any other time. Technology has many important benefits, but it also has a dark side by its very nature. We must have the right priorities and balance. Background image credit: Pixabay / Iván Tamás We are receiving all sorts of information pretty much constantly. Unfortunately, it is dominated by harmful messages and untruthful material about anthropogenic climate change, evolution, adulterous relationships. false views of the Bible, and more. However, we also have a voice and opportunities to make an impact. Smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktops, and other computers connect us to the world. I have people I care about that I've never met and an online creation science ministry. Much of my preparation comes from technology, including podcasts, sermons (I don't want to get "tunnel vision" and not learn other areas of

Some of us get depressed at Christmas. Perhaps we are missing friends and family, or we could be thinking of those who have passed on. Maybe that very un-Jewish manger scene gets you down. There are other circumstances that can get us down. However, Christians can remember the hope that we have. Credit: Unsplash / Tim Mossholder Step up on the hill and get a bigger picture. We have all sinned (Rom. 3:23, Rom. 6:23) against the holy and righteous God, yet he has mercy on us. God the Son is the Creator (Col. 1:16, John 1:1-3), who humbled himself and took on human form (Phil 2:6-11) and died for us while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8). He bodily rose from the dead (Luke 24:6-7, Acts 2:32) and we are adopted as children of God (John 1:12-13, Rom. 8:15-17). Yes, we have our down times, worse for some than others. We need to lift our focus off ourselves and our circumstances and remember what God has told us. We do have hope. Not only at Christmas, but always. Even though some of

In the area of Christian apologetics, we make reasoned defenses for the truth of the Bible and special creation. It is the nature of this work to have people ask questions (1 Peter 3:15). Skeptics often try to come up with loaded or trick questions, saying that they "lack belief" for the existence of God. Such a claim can be met. Although it is presented as neutral, the unbeliever is making a claim with the "lack belief" statement. Someone who lacks belief is actually saying that the evidence does not exist for the existence of God, the truth of Scripture, creation science, and so forth. Similarly, that person may also be indicating that there is no evidence that he or she finds satisfying. Arguing to meet personal preferences is often pointless, as they have apparently already reached a decision to suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18). Many times, misotheists try to put us on the defensive, but we don't need to cower to their "wisdom&qu

This is one of those times when we may wonder if the apostasy of the end times is upon us, especially with the extremely rapid moral decline in society. It is one thing for people to have no concern or even contempt for God, but to pray and confess our sins to plants? Credit: freestocks.org Some Native Americans would pray to the spirits of the animals they had killed, and they had other elements of pantheism and animism in their eclectic religions. Now some global warming activists and owlhoots at an allegedly Christian seminary are having people confess their sins to plants. Union Theological Seminary was, for a short time, orthodox in its theology until it became extremely liberal. They are the ones involved in these shenanigans. Let's ride up on the hill and look at the bigger view for a spell. We have to look all the way back to Genesis, where God gave us dominion and stewardship over creation. Plants were created on the third day of creation week, with land animals an

Cowboys riding the long trail usually clam up, but once in a while, someone commences philosophizing. When the subject is met with little more than grunts from the others, silence ensues again. If you study on it, it seems that everybody has a philosophy of some sort. There are many philosophers throughout history, and many are relegated to history books. Le Philosophe by Henri Martin When people talk about philosophers, images of smug intellectuals taking solitary walks and pondering, or discussing their versions of the meaning of life while smoking pipes. I have stated that I find philosophy useless because I have no use for the ideas of Kierkegaard, Rousseau, Kant, and so on. However, I learned a few things about philosophy since then, especially the practice and purpose. Some folks shy away from philosophy as ungodly, referring to Colossians 2:8. Context, people! Chasing after worldly  philosophies can be very harmful, but the Bible is actually loaded with philosophy. Regu

It has long seemed contradictory to me that there are Christians who ride for the defense of the Bible, but then shy away from the Genesis Flood, creation, and the young earth. It appears that those Christians are not fully signed on with the inerrancy of the Word, treating biblical authority like a buffet . Credit: Morguefile / imelenchon (modified) Am I doing them a disservice by questioning their commitment to the authority of the Bible they profess to believe and defend? I'll go a bit further and also say that I think that they have a problem with pride. We want the hands at the Darwin Ranch to think we're sorta smart after all, so we cede the age of the earth and the Flood to secular views. In an older article, I asked if we shut up about creation, would unbelievers leave us alone ? I disremember where i said it, but I attended a church that claimed to believe in recent creation. They did not want to be "labeled" and kept their belief tied up out back. I

You may have noticed that purveyors of atoms-to-astronomer evolution are very evangelistic, making efforts to destroy the faith of Bible believers. It would not surprise me if they eventually wore name badges and white shirts, rode bicycles and came to your door with the "good news" of Darwinism. Some try to tell us that God created through evolution. Original image before modication: Freeimages / Mario Alberto Magallanes Trejo Look at all the wonders and beauty around us. Mother Nature perfected everything through the magic of evolution , you know. That may sound good, but these sidewinders are deceitful. Way back in the thrilling days of yesteryear, I presented creation science talks in churches. One point I raised is that evolution is that evolution is wasteful and cruel, thought some wolves among us who profess to believe the Bible want us to embrace Darwin . Of course, atheists want to destroy our faith and have us to add evolution . No surprise there, it's w

When pondering ancient texts, people wonder why we should trust biblical manuscripts. After all, we do not have the originals. We do have copies that have been passed down through time. Lots of them. In fact, there are far fewer copies of works by Plato, Caesar, and other ancient writers, and there is a tremendous gap between when they were written and the oldest manuscripts — and people trust their authenticity for some reason. What makes the Bible more reliable? Section of P-45 Greek papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of Luke, via Wikimedia Commons It has been suggested that since people tend to worship and idolize things, God has not made the originals available. That may also be the reason the body of Moses was buried by God (Deuteronomy 34:5–6). For that matter, I heard someone say that if a miracle happened on a particular spot, people would adore the spot instead of the one who performed the miracle. I'll allow that this is all speculation, but it makes sense. Biblical

The word meditation has many connotations, and if you study on it, you will see that it has a variety of meanings. Some folks might think of formal meditation practices used in Eastern religions, but others may be pondering something and call that "meditating". Meditation is popular nowadays, but what do people really mean by it? Credit: Unsplash / Yogi Madhav If you spend a great deal of time thinking and focusing on something (or someone), you're meditating on it. Take a gander at what people are doing and see if you agree with me. They meditate on church activities, politics, global climate change hysteria, sports, a favorite musician, sex, and so on. (I remember hearing a caller to a political talk radio show and the host exclaimed, "Your religion is liberalism!" The caller replied, "Yes!") This can also have a negative thrust. I can name a few atheists and anti-creationists who essentially meditate on their hatred for God's Word. See P

Addendum added 2-17-2019 For Question Evolution Day , we are going to examine something that atheists and other anti-creationists loathe, and something of which many professing Christians are unaware. Some people claim that evolution is science, but this shows the paucity of their understanding of the nature of science. Simply put, evolution is not only opposed to actual science, but science is impossible in an atheistic worldview. via GIPHY To be consistent, evolution is random, but its proponents want to perform science. If evolution were true, science would be impossible because the laws of logic, consistency of nature, and other things could not be consistent. Someone may object that they rely on their senses, but that is circular reasoning because they cannot know their senses are actually working; it could all be an illusion, false memories and all. Scientific predictions could not be made. The Bible is true, God is the Creator, and he upholds all things. An athei

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Evolution is not simply a biological hypothesis, but is actually an ancient pagan belief presented as science. Indeed, when the Apostle Paul was debating with philosophers in Acts 17:16-34, those Epicureans in Acts 18:18 were pagan evolutionists. If you commence to doing some reference digging, you will find that evolutionary beliefs can be seen in ancient Hindu beliefs. Did you ever notice that much of paganism is based on goddess worship? Gaea  (another spelling of Gaia) by Anselm Feuerbach, 1875 You hear the expression "Mother Earth", right? People usually who use the term are generally ignorant of its pagan origins and associations . Same as referring to Earth as Terra (standing on terra firma, the earth) , which is the Roman counterpart for the Greek Gaia  (or Gaea). The enviornmental movement is, at its core, essentially based on evolution and the rejection of our Creator. While there are good points in the environmental movement, some