Biblical Creation and Evangelism

While this post would have been a good fit at one of my other weblogs, the content was in reference to the article featured in " Big Space, Little Planet, and God ." The article featured below has several things that echo my own experiences dealing with professing atheists. Those who read it may remember a previous article was about why God bothers with Earth — and with us. The author mentioned the Middle Ages, and an atheopath decided that he should write to Creation Ministries International and set them straight. It did not go well. Nativity. Birth of Jesus / Giotto di Bondone,  c.1304 - 1306 The first thing worth noting is that the complainant is avoiding the main point of the article and focusing on one area so he could make hay with it. This is something that is a bane of authors and people active on social(ist) media: We try to make a point, then someone zeroes in on something else and hijacks the discussion. Keep in mind that misotheists display traits of narcissism ,...

Sadly, many professing Christians will see that the subject is about evangelism and read very little, or skip it. People are dying and going to Hell, a place of unimaginable torment. Do you care? Jesus commanded his followers to share the gospel of God's love. Paul, Peter and others also emphasized it. Do you care? Evangelism is not just a job for the professionals, but all of us must be ready to share the gospel on some level. It can be done in groups or teams, but we must be able to do it by ourselves, which can be daunting. Outdoor conversation, Unsplash / Priscilla Du Preez Others may laugh, get angry, ridicule us ("Atheists will say mean things about me!") — but what did Jesus endure for us, again? There are ministries to help equip Christians to share the gospel, and creation science ministries exist to help us remove stumbling blocks that others have regarding origins. Of course, it is vitally important for professing Christians to be more than just professing  Chr...

It is indeed unfortunate that Christians can have their faith negatively affected by atheists spouting things that sound sciency, but are essentially hooey-laden personal opinions. Although other people make fact-free assertions, most of those are not directed at our faith. One of these speculations involves our place in the universe. When misotheists say things like, "We know the universe is unfathomably huge. Religious people believed it was small, but Earth is actually insignificant. If God exists, he would not care about it, or us." There are several problems with such remarks. ISS above Earth, NASA (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) First of all, it is prejudicial conjecture; the scoffer already suppresses the truth of God (Rom. 1:18-23) and uses this presupposition to spread unbelief. He or she has no logical basis for thinking that the Creator of the universe would not care about us. Next, the claim that people thought the universe was small is errone...

Many people claim they have a problem with God, or that God has a problem, because they think he is wicked or incapable. They are making their case from a limited perspective. We are human and God is infinite; the created cannot fully understand the Creator. In addition, people are in rebellion against him. Misotheists pretend God does not exist, then absurdly ridicule Christians who say that there is plenty of evidence for him (Romans 1:18-23). Read or listen more and they are condemning God to justify themselves (Job 40:8). The most common complain is evil in the world. Question mark and big door, Unsplash / Jac Alexandru Of course, things God considers evil are often accepted by these people. They are working from personal preferences and arbitrary standards. There's a prairie schooner-full of speculation, guesswork, uninformed opinions, prejudicial conjecture and all that good stuff used to contemplate and "explain" God. Very disrespectful. How about his point of view...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Many of us with some life experience look back on television, movies, and so on, seeing how moral values were more prevalent in the past. We object to the blatant immorality in modern programming and certain agendas being forced on us. Some of us watch very few modern shows. This is all relative, however. I will use The Andy Griffith Show  for an example. Some Christian values were present, and going to church was mentioned, but there was very little content that had any mention of biblical teachings. Many times, Sheriff Taylor and friends would lie to others. He lied to his son Opie, helped Otis the town drunk deceive his relatives to seem respectable, and more. We cannot expect biblical truth from secular entertainment — and never could. One problem with lying is that it shows disrespect for the other person and takes away his or her ability to choose. Also, in The Andy Griffith Show  (and many others), they lied for what seemed to be a greater g...

There are some professing Christians that believe God used evolution for his method of creation, but that view is fundamentally flawed. If you study on it, one simple problem with that idea is how we react to suffering and death. While we know that everyone eventually dies, we are not passive about it. Credit: Freeimages /  V Fouche From the standpoint of atheistic naturalism, there is no hope. As I have stated before, my oldest brother had Down Syndrome. He lived much longer than expected, finally passing away at age 64. My father had dementia, Alzheimer's, and (I think) Parkinson's, and didn't know who I was — or who he was — at the end. Not too long after he died, my mother was taken by a malignant glioma. There are many other people I could mention who have lost loved ones and even suffer under conditions right now. However, we have that hope based on promises in the Bible for a grand reunion when everyone will be whole again. According to Scripture, death is an enemy ...

Something that this child learned several years ago is the importance of worldviews, including how they are made and the way they impact our lives. I bring these things up every once in a while because they are crucial, especially for Christians. Many professing Christians do not know what and why  they believe things, and are essentially heretics. They are riding to perdition in a handcar. We must not only make sure of our salvation , but have a proper worldview and submit to the authority of God's Word. Spectacles by kkiser at FreeImages Everyone has a worldview. It's how we interpret reality and respond to life. People may not know that word, and I doubt that they have analyzed the components and developed their own. Worldviews are mostly built on our presuppositions — those things we take as basic truths, though they are not tested or proven true. For more about this, see " What’s Your Worldview? " Unfortunately, many Christians are into tribalism, a kind of ...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  The hands up yonder at the Darwin Ranch (near Deception Pass) are in a "Katie, bar the door!" frame of mind.  Question Evolution Day is near, and they have an intense dislike people examining the evidence that is presented for quark-to-questioner evolution. It is interesting that many people who tell us to "question authority" are willing to accept pronouncements about origins and even theology because of some vague "scientists say" attitude. We can have an impact and keep the pressure on  using the internet . Flickr /  sentex64  ( CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 ) Despite the claims of prosperity preachers, the Christian life is not fun and games. It is spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10-20, 2 Cor. 10:3-6). We will  have persecution (2 Peter 3:14, Rom. 8:35, Mark 4:17, Heb. 10:33, 2 Tim. 3:12), so we can't just sit back being saved, not fulfilling God's commands to grow and influence the world (2 Peter 3:18, Matt. 5:13-16). It take God-given c...

Many of us engaging in apologetics are confronted with people who say they want to ask questions, but instead, they want to slap leather with us. It seems that they want to play the "Gotcha!" game, and if an apologist is unable to answer a question or objection, they can further justify their rebellion against God. (Embarrassing the apologist is a bonus.) A favored tactic of scoffers is to turn a discussion into a shootout, rapidly firing their statements and not allowing a response.  Cropped from Pixnio / Amanda Mills In the Nye-Ham debate, Bill Nye exploited the debate rules and indulged in a related tactic known as elephant hurling , where Ken Ham was unable to respond in the allotted time. Something I've pointed out many times is that misotheists and other evolutionists often rely on intimidation. While 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to sanctify Christ and be ready to answer, there is no command about getting pummeled. Also, there comes a time when we discern that we're b...

People have long believed in forms of determinism , where behaviors and even events are the result of environmental causes, genetics, conditioning, and so on. This also extends to belief in fate, karma, and God (some religious views make God our puppeteer). So much for free will, huh? I have a vague memory of watching Steve Irwin on television where he came across a dead animal, looked at the camera, and said reverently, "It's nature's way!" In addition to the fallacy of reification, he was affirming an aspect of determinism. Original image: Wikimedia Commons / Tage Olsin ( CC BY-SA 2.0 ), modified at PhotoFunia I'm going to lose friends and followers over this, but I have to be truthful. Like Steve Irwin in that show, some Calvinists solemnly declare after something bad happens, "God is sovereign." We know and believe that, but a little humility is in order: there is no single Christian system that fully understands every aspect of the Bible. It's ...

While everyone has an opinion, most people can tell the difference between an off-the-cuff remark and a truth claim. A truth claim seems to carry knowledge, and it is often said with authority and confidence. One aspect of critical thinking is to have healthy skepticism instead of simply accepting statements. It is very important to have a foundation in the truth, and knowing where to find answers to questions (which is one reason sites like this point to resources). An excellent starting point is ASKing. Pixabay / Justina Nagy Before I turn you over to the featured article, there are a couple of points I want to make. When someone comes along and makes a statement that sounds authoritative, some folks get all het up if it threatens their beliefs. Proof of evolution! The tomb of Jesus was found! Life on Venus! Pull back on the reins there, pilgrim. Think! I had someone who panicked when evolutionary pronouncements were made. He would ask, "This can be refuted, right?" He did...

Misotheists and other unbelievers frequently try to find errors in the Bible, or to simply make God a bad guy. One of these is found in the annals of atheistic  soi-disant  reasoning, equivocating on the definition of slavery . For people today, the word generally has connotations of Antebellum slavery in Southern American. We have seen that context is vitally important for properly interpreting and understanding the Bible. A cursory reading ancient texts translated into modern languages does not provide all the necessary information to do this properly. Pharaoh clipart by Free Christian Illustrations What we can call harsh slavery  has been around for millennia. It was often a consequence of losing a war or battle, but the children of Israel were born into it (Exodus 1:8-13). Such slavery spanned years, cultures, ethnicities, and languages — which means no group can make a pretense at exclusive victimhood. Also, harsh slavery exists today, especially in Communist China a...

Edited 5 December 2021  To be a Bible-believing Christian (as opposed to a "cultural" or in name only) is not easy. It may seem tempting to put our beliefs out to pasture and embrace the laziness of atheism. We can sit back and say, "I lack belief", and demand proof for everything a Christian says, only to reject anything that does not meet our subjective criteria. Very lazy. Very selfish. But for a Christian, it means denying our very nature — and denying what we know is true. Unknown source image derivative via FotoSketcher and PhotoFunia A Christian is born from above (1 Peter 1:3, John 3:3) and a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). To act in such a way means denying our very nature and rejecting what we know is true. Atheistic philosophies and excuse-making are ongoing. Just watch when a Christian wants to share evidence and have a discussion: atheists keep dodging and changing the subject, as well as attacking God and people. It's also a safe  religion as well as ...

Secularists often say science and faith are not compatible, which is usually accompanied by misrepresentations of faith and then ridicule. Professing atheists furiously defend minerals-to-microbiologist evolution, which is foundational to their religion. Theistic evolutionists promote atheistic interpretations of science philosophies above biblical truth. A major organization for TEs is BioLogos, which is famous for misrepresenting and belittling biblical creationists. Like cultists, they occasionally have elements of truth in what they say. This happened in their article on trusting scientific experts. Although the BioLogos article had grains of truth, it had serious errors from the start. There were also inconsistencies and contradictions. Biblical creationists do not advocate denial of science, but we do encourage discretion. Scientific "facts" change. (The proponents of "follow the science" cite the secular science industry where it has promoted biological impos...

The Bible has been restricted and even illegal in many countries , especially those controlled by atheists or Islamists. China and North Korea have state atheism, as did the former Soviet Union and other communist countries. Obtaining a Bible in many Mohammedan countries is done through covert means. Christian persecution is increasing in the West. There are several reasons for this, including apathetic professing Christians, trends in the world, and allowing ourselves to be kept in a box. Militant atheists are increasingly vitriolic in their efforts to legislate (and ridicule) Bible-believing Christians. Unsplash / James Coleman Romania is one of the places that was in the Soviet bloc, so naturally they pushed evolution and atheism. Richard Wurmbrand was an atheist, became a Christian and a pastor, then was heavily persecuted for his faith. In his 1967 book Tortured for Christ , he wrote: The cruelty of atheism is hard to believe. When a man has no faith in the reward of good or the ...

Several months ago, I was in a hair cuttery and we were making conversation. It came up that I write creation science material, and the lady said she had never heard of it. Her nearby co-worker had a modicum of knowledge, but that was it. Living in a culture that is saturated with atheistic materialism, that is not a surprise. Freeimages / Brano Hudak People are in spiritual darkness (John 3:19), are blinded to the light of the truth (2 Cor. 4:4), and cannot understand spiritual matters of any depth (1 Cor. 2:14). While it is not up to us to have brilliant arguments and save the lost (1 Cor. 2:1-5), we are to sanctify Christ as Lord and be ready to present the gospel (1 Peter 3:15). The Holy Spirit does the drawing, convicting, and saving. Evolution is foundational to atheism (which in turn are foundational to naturalistic philosophies, secular humanism, and so on) as well as some other non-Christian religions. Some people, like the barber mentioned above, are ignorant of the truth. Af...

As Christians, we freely admit that we walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), and that it is impossible to please God without it (Heb. 11:6). Despite the claims of mockers, faith is not believing in something that is not true. The Bible is self-attesting, and our faith is supported by evidence. Ironically, materialists believe everything came from nothing. Credit: Pexels /  Ave Calvar Martinez Professing atheists frequently object that they do not believe everything came from nothing. In fact, I have provided this link  (as well as the quotes from it), but instead of admitting the truth, it was met with ridicule. Some secularists realize the foolishness of their claims, so they deal from the bottom of the deck and claim that nothing  means something else . The faith of atheists is absurd and based on rebellion against the God they know exists (Rom. 1:18-23). They believe everything came from nothing, life on Earth originated with rocks ( here is an interesting link about that ), pro...

As regular readers have noticed, the Christian worldview makes sense of what is seen in the world. Logic, science, mathematics, and other necessary but intangible things are impossible without God. It is often easy to dismantle spurious arguments from professing atheists, but Christians are called to a higher standard . Deluge (II) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis, 1904 A professing Christian decided to slap leather with Dr. Jason Lisle regarding the lengths of the days before the Genesis Flood and why days are longer now. It did not go well. The challenger acted like an atheist in several ways by using logical fallacies, uninformed conjectures, exceeding what was written in the Bible — and lying. Dr. Lisle corrected him with Scripture, reason, and mathematics. This guy, like atheists, seemed to resent being kept on topic. We here examine some assertions made by Troy, a young earth creationist who has made some very unorthodox claims about conditions before the Genesis flood....