Biblical Creation and Evangelism

To hear believers in universal common descent tell it, animals killing and eating each other has always been around. T. rex  would see another dinosaur and they would fight. Lions constantly on the prowl, killing whenever possible. But nobody knows the dispositions of dinosaurs and lions only kill when it is necessary. Biblical creationists presuppose that the Bible is true and authoritative. They say that just after creation week, everything got along and had a vegetarian diet. Animals began putting other animals on their menus at some point. Lion eating, Pexels / jiju joy There is some disagreement among Christians and biblical creationists about when carnivory entered the picture. Some think it did not exist until after God gave humanity permission to eat meat after the Flood, others say carnivory started at the Fall of man. While Scripture is the final authority, science is useful here to help clarify things. What follows is the position of CMI, but I think it is common to the majo

Once again, I was woolgathering while riding. Out Folly Road, past Stinking Lake (not as bad as it sounds), and I decided to head on back. Of a sudden, I noticed a horse under a tree. Heading closer, I saw Lisa Myworries, the Winkie Guards supervisor at the Darwin Ranch sitting there. She beckoned me over and said she needed to talk. Although the Darwin Ranch up yonder by Deception Pass is infested with atheists, she believed in God. Recent creation in six days bothered her. Lisa wondered why biblical creationists have a problem with long ages. The idea of the early chapters of Genesis actually being allegorical or symbolizing long ages is understandable when coming from new Christians, sincerely-questioning unbelievers, and people who have not really thought about the ramifications before. When professing Christians who claim to believe the Bible try to force millions of years into Scripture and compromise with secular concepts, that's a very different matter. Lisa and I had a nic

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

The way someone views the world includes ethics and morality, origins, expectations for the future, and more are contained in their worldviews. Christians who have a biblical worldview believe that it is true from the first verse and are supposed to live accordingly. A materialistic worldview (all that matters is matter, no God exists) does not have a consistent standard of morality . Fish-to-fool evolution is actually a religion to people with these beliefs, so if they cheat and steal, they are being consistent with their worldview. Man thinking by a lake at sunset, Pixabay /  StockSnap Materialists cannot be consistent in their beliefs, because they use logic (which is not material), and use logic in science — but science would be impossible without God ! An evolutionary worldview is prominent in leftist ideologies, past and present. Adherence to a biblical worldview (beginning in Genesis) reduces the evil that is brought by materialism. To read the article that inspired this post an

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

People who are involved in Christian apologetics ministries (especially biblical creationists) are often ridiculed by atheists as "reality deniers" or with similar epithets. Critics claim the intellectual high ground because they believe reality and Christians do not, but that is posturing — and unwarranted. Everyone has the same facts, but their worldviews dictate how facts are interpreted. When atheists claim that that material things are all that exist and that  is reality, those are just arbitrary assertions. They have no facts. People who believe the Bible can see that atheists are blocked from reality. Gate - You shall not pass, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Unfortunately, it is not just misotheists who are blocked. Many Christians are being harmed by the denial of the truth and authority of God's written Word. Evolution is a stumbling block for both believers and unbelievers, as people are told that particles-to-pastor evolution is a proven fact. (Indeed, evolutio

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 thei

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  There are people who are so determined to force enthusiastic acceptance of LGTBQ+ lifestyles on everyone, they see references for it in the Bible that do not exist. The relationship between David and Jonathan is a favorite target of these people. Like making long ages for compromisers with secular science views, massive eisegesis is necessary to twist Scripture so that it indicates an erotic relationship between Jonathan and David. Interpreting the text and culture of their time with contemporary views exacerbates the problem. David and Jonathan / Rembrandt (1642) In my school days, boys would put their arms around each other's shoulders because we were "buddies." That faded from my experience and I did not see it again after we moved to another city. In the nineteenth century, men would hold hands or put their arms around each other. This showed affection and friendship , and was not tainted by suspicions of homosexuality. Indeed, I have affecti

For some reason, many professing Christians are determined to get long ages out of the first two chapters of Genesis. The word under fire is  yôm , which means literal day (or part of a day) when qualifiers are used, otherwise it can mean an indefinite  period of time. Why those people want to take the only word that can mean literal day and confuse the issue so they can have millions of years in Genesis is baffling. They take the rest of Genesis and the Old Testament at face value, relying on context, when  yôm is used. Bible and pathway, Unsplash /  Aaron Burden If God wanted to indicate long ages, there are other words available. Several popular efforts have been made to compromise with the enemies of God and make creation seem to be older than God's Word tells us. (Do they really  believe the Bible, or is it just for show?) These compromises include the " Gap Theory ," the " Framework Hypothesis ," theistic evolution, and others. One of the others is the po

There are two views on losing salvation: You can, or you cannot. The Arminian view generally affirms that loss of salvation is possible, but there are variations. Then the Reformed (Calvinist) view is that the doctrine of election settles it, the elect cannot lose their salvation. Some seem to believe that any unconfessed sin sends you to Hell (which is a very low view of the work of Jesus). That would cause fearful professing Christians. Another is that salvation can be lost by deliberate renunciation, but that downplays many verses to the contrary. Rail trail bridge, Unsplash / Cowboy Bob Sorensen Opponents of what is called eternal security  (or somewhat disparagingly as "once saved, always saved") do indeed have some Bible verses that may at first glance appear to indicate loss of salvation is possible. Those are usually take out of context, whether immediate (surrounding verses) or a greater context. Having come from an Arminian tradition and now accept eternal security,

One of the most popular "gotcha" questions from scoffers (the kind of question they presume cannot be answered properly) is, "Where did Cain get his wife?" There are people who are genuinely interested in the answer — including some Christians. Biblical creationists can provide an answer . There are professing Christians who may make nods at believing the Bible, but some of their beliefs are...truly bizarre. They spiritualize, allegorize, mythicize, excise, and do other things to Genesis to avoid believing what it plainly says. Now it is more like, " What was Cain's wife?" Neanderthal Woman, PLOS One / WikiComm (now deleted) / Bacon PCH ( CC BY 2.5 ), Modified at PhotoFunia People are so bamboozled by the perceived authority of science, they put those ever-changing secular views of history and origins above Scripture. Can't be seen as an evolution denier or people will say mean things about me. (Did you ever carry your cross through town, buddy?)

It is clearly seen in nature that God exists and is the Creator (Romans 1:20), and when we read the Bible, we see that its authors were well aware of his work in creation. Keep watch in your Bible reading for the many references to creation. Further, it is obvious that God likes beauty and order. Indeed, we are living in a world that was wrecked by the Genesis Flood, but it was designed to still  show beauty. When we look up yonder at the stars, we see beauty and order. A bit of astronomy reveals attributes of the Creator. ESA / Hubble & NASA,  Sarajedini  et al  (Usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Secular scientists keep trying to throw God out of creation with their naturalistic philosophies, but those are incoherent. For that matter, the vaunted Big Bang is being doubted publicly by some scientists  and others admit that they don't understand much about it at all. The heavens show the glory of God, and each star has its own glory. The incomprehensible number

Humans are a strange lot when it comes to knowledge of the future. Some say that nobody knows, others consult spirits, the stars, tarot cards, and other things. (Why the dead know about the future has not been adequately explained.) Some folks say nobody knows the future, but then use fortune tellers. It may be difficult to grasp that God is not subject to the same limitations that face us. He is the Creator of matter, energy, time, and space. A wrong theology called open theism  claims that God does not know the future. Time, Pixabay / Gerd Altmann (geralt) To say that God does not know the future is to demonstrate lack of knowledge or even disbelief about the Bible. In it, he claims to know the future. We also have hundreds of prophecies that have been fulfilled — many of them are very specific. Further, there are prophecies about the end times that are yet to be fulfilled. God's knowledge of the future is important to us as Christians. In a fallen world filled with death, suffe

The philosophy du jour  is postmodernism , which is very nihilistic. Previously, modernism  held to the belief that truth could be found, but postmodernism essentially holds to the claim that there is no ultimate truth. Biblical creationists as well as all Christians are to be ready to share the gospel to anyone, but a person having a philosophy of hopelessness makes it a mite difficult. One reason is that the "no absolute truth" aspect is self-refuting, but people who hold to it do not grasp the absurdity. Postmodern (because I said so) photo taken by Cowboy Bob Sorensen and modified at PhotoSketcher Some people may think that postmodernism fits with atheism, but that is not exactly right. While postmodernism complements the skepticism that is so common in society, but atheism disqualifies itself because they believe they have ultimate truths. Effective evangelism with postmodernism as well as atheism and others needs the examination of a worldview for internal consistency.

When Bible-believing Christians say that faith in Jesus is the only way to salvation, some people become indignant. They believe, without reason, that there are many roads. Such a thing is not possible. The Crucifixion of Jesus proves it. Reading one of the four Gospels, one may get the notion that circumstances and also the blunt words of Jesus came together to get him nailed to a cross. Those things and people who hated him were a part of it. However, the greater context takes us back to Genesis. Red and white neon cross, Unsplash / Rod Long Adam and Eve sinned against God, who is holy. He had no reason to do anything other than let us go on our self-destructive path. However, humanity earned  death because of sin, but God loved us even then, and offered the gift of life (Rom. 6:23, Gal. 2:28, John 1:12). There was only one way possible for all this to come together. It was a mystery, and if Satan understood, he and his minions would not have crucified Jesus (1 Cor. 2:7-8). Friday wa

It takes a lifetime to master some parts of the Bible, but no human can fully understand all of it. In my own life, there are parts that I find desperately dull and have even asked the Lord why he preserved them. Sometimes a teacher will come along and make certain areas interesting. The main reason we wear clothing (aside from cold weather) is found in Genesis after Adam and Eve sinned. An area that is difficult to understand is the minute detail given to garments, especially in the Old Testament. These actually build on the themes of sin, covering, and eventual atonement. Clothes hanging, Pexels / mali maeder Intertwined with the passages on clothing you will often read about blood. Priestly garments had to be pure and unsoiled by blood, yet the blood of sacrifice makes them pure. Jump ahead to the New Testament, and see that we are told to "put on Christ" (Rom. 3:14) like a garment. There are many references to whiteness of clothing, because the blood of Christ purifies. T

The title of this post should not be news to people who believe the Bible and its authority, as we believe that it means what it says. There are times when people will honestly disagree about the meaning of certain texts, but the global Flood is made clear. People began trying to find ways to grease the pig of deep time and slip in through the fence. Several efforts at compromise have been discussed on this site alone, but one of those most amazing attempts is to claim that the Genesis Flood was a local event. Noah's Ark at Ark Encounter, Wikimedia Commons / Cimerondagert ( CC by-SA 4.0 ) In some ways, the article linked below reinforces what many know, but it may also open the eyes of others. I'd be much obliged if you would let it show you how  to think biblically, and when you read not only Genesis but other parts of the Bible, keep an eye out for the many ways that the idea of a local flood is ridiculous. Here is a nugget for you to keep in your pocket and take it out to l

The most famous thing about Cain is that he killed his brother. Also, that he lived in the land of Nod as part of his punishment . Further, people have puzzled and puzzled until their puzzlers were sore, wondering where Cain got his wife. It was a mystery for the ages. Not really. People made things more difficult than they needed to be. Carefully reading the text, paying attention, and believing  the Bible in the first place can solve many difficulties. Paying attention to context also solves many apparent problems and alleged contradictions . Man and woman on beach, Pexels / cottonbro studio Some ideas about Cain's wife are...truly bizarre. One is that because Genesis only records the names of three offspring yet Cain got a wife, Genesis simply isn't true. Another is that God used evolution. Worse, Adam and Eve were created, but Cain married up with a female product of evolution, which negates Jesus as our Kinsman Redeemer . The answer is simple but shocking to many: Cain mar

Recently on X, the service formerly known  as Twitter, I had to deal with vituperation from angry atheists for some of my posts that pointed out flaws in evolution and supported creation science. Such things are expected and common, but seem to be increasing lately. Misotheists seem to have limited original thought, instead using rhetoric and attacks that are common to their group. Instead of dealing with the subject matter, they attack the person who posted it or the authors of the linked material. Then they fustigate the Bible while demanding proof of God's existence. Hedge bindweed photo by Cowboy Bob Sorensen, modified at PhotoFunia There are honest inquirers and there are mockers, and I'll allow that sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference. My guideline is that if someone is blasphemous from the get-go, there's no need to waste time on evidence; evidence is for believers . When I realize I'm being played, I move on. More importantly, evidence for God an

To say someone has a hole in the heart is imprecise, as there are several conditions that qualify . Most of the time people are born with it, others develop one of the problems later in life. Unless treated, they can be debilitating. Christian denominations have been compromising and even abandoning their foundations for quite some time. Even atheists see that churches are more interested in being "relevant" and keeping up with the trends rather than staying with their true calling — but most churches are oblivious to the correlation between leaving their foundations and churches closing. Black Church of Budir, Iceland, Unsplash / Cassidy Dickens Just recently, my pastor mentioned that James 3:1 tells us teachers receive stricter judgment. That is something I take seriously. Although I am not in a formal setting, I am indeed teaching or offering teachings from others. I pray for wisdom, to glorify God, to edify the saints. Someone who has been trained in a theological cemeter