Biblical Creation and Evangelism

— Cowboy Bob Sorensen In Part 1 , I defined theological "side issues" as things that are not essential to salvation, but are varying in importance. Some are extremely important, some not at all, and some are not important but vital in the eyes of adherents. One of my main points was that creation science is a side issue, but it is extremely important because Genesis is the foundation of almost all major Christian doctrines. This article will draw from some of my own experiences (some recent) and observations to emphasize the points I am making. Some people are so focused on their prize nonessentials that they elevate them to supreme importance. Many put aside instruction in sound doctrine, glorify themselves (which sounds to me like, "I am so clever because what I believe is a vitally important truth") and put others down for disagreeing. As I have discussed here before, one of the reasons that I put aside the Christian faith for about fifteen years was becau

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Edited 1-11-2017 This article will undoubtedly upset some people. Do creationists have any business complaining about others who emphasize theological "side issues", when creation science is one of them? Absolutely! There are different kinds of side issues, some marginal importance and others with tremendous importance. Ancient of Days / William Blake, 1793 What is a "side issue"? People have their own opinions about and definitions for the term "side issue". One frequent connotation is that a side issue means something is not important. People are offended when they are told that the item they brought up is "just a side issue" and dismissed. For me, the best usage of "side issue" means that the subject under discussion is not essential to salvation. For example, belief in a literal six-day recent creation, belief in annihilation as opposed to eternal punishment in Hell, social concerns, speaking i

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen This article is going to be an odd analogy between hardworking, loyal cowboys and people involved in ministries. The "golden age" of cowboys and the great cattle drives only lasted about twenty years, but quickly became the stuff of many television shows, books, movies and so on. However, cowboys still exist. (While some ignorant people use the word as a pejorative, cowboys then and now were known for hard work and loyalty .) There are not many Westerns being made for television and movies any longer (except for ultra-violent and "adult" shows, it seems), but the image of the loyal cowboy that puts in long hours and does often dangerous work lives on — and cowboys still exist . Roundup on the Cimarron, 1898, Library of Congress A duty in farming and especially in ranching is to "ride the fences". The cowboy rides the fence perimeter to look for damage (which may mean thieves breaking it down to make off with livestock

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Although this article is written for Christians, other people should be able to get useful information out of it as well.  There are Christians who complain that their walk with God is severely lacking. We cannot base our faith (or worse, base our assurance of salvation) on how we feel, but perhaps we're getting a spiritual nudge to examine ourselves. It amazes me how in conversations, on social media and so on, I encounter people who have indicated that they are Christians but have — uh, interests — that are opposite to those that a Spirit-led Christian should be indulging in. Now wait, I'm not going to get legalistic like some Fundamentalists I've known and give you a list of "approved" activities. (I'm listening to secular instrumental music while I write this.) What I am going to do is give you some things for your prayerful consideration. Not being a fan of the highly subjective "What Would Jesus Do?" movement,

Christians have confidence in God's power for salvation. God is trustworthy because of who he is. Sometimes we have some difficulty trusting in him because we usually cannot see what he is doing, but that improves as our faith grows and we have more experience in our walk with him. Humans are another matter, as trust has to be earned. We often start out small and see if our trust in someone is justified, and then build from there. Unfortunately, trust can be easily shaken or even destroyed. When someone does something to shake our confidence in them and our trust level, it can have a ripple effect, influencing other areas of our relationship with that person. Especially if someone is a respected teacher or apologist. freeimages / Vjeran Lisjak Simple Matters There are nonessentials that some of us prefer, such as eschatology, continuance or cessation of the sign gifts of the Spirit,  pedobaptism, predestination and other doctrines. We can disagree on these without breaki

In observance of the third annual international Question Evolution Day , I am going to focus on biblical authority and worldviews. With the help of a couple of articles, of course. First of all, I do not know of any major creationist organization that says that you must believe in a literal six-day creation and reject evolution in order to be a Christian. This is not a salvation issue, but it is still important. It is my belief that most people simply never gave it a second thought, Genesis is a story but science tells us how life began and evolved, so God used evolution. Of course, they have evolution assumed to be true, are given many fancy stories that may sound plausible on the surface, and if people question evolution, they are subject to ridicule and being called "anti-science". In addition to appealing to emotion with ridicule, they also appeal to emotion by saying that "scientists agree that evolution is true", and, "most rational people believe i

Some Christians insist that creationism is divisive . Well, standing for the truth is divisive. But so was Jesus! (Luke 9.62, Matt. 10.34-39, Luke 11.23) People are ignorant (sometimes willingly) that creation is foundational to the gospel message . Many have compromised on a straightforward reading of God's Word , insisting on adding to it so they can have their own interpretations and accommodate atheistic interpretations of scientific evidence for an ancient Earth (Prov. 30.6). The Bible does not teach an ancient Earth , nor does it accommodate theistic evolution . There is no need to please men and dishonor God (Eph. 6.6, Gal. 1.10, Col. 3.23). Christians are to base our faith on God's Word (2 Peter 1.19, 2 Tim. 3.16), which does not change (Isaiah 40.8, Mark 13.31). Consider this: Philosophies of science continually change. If someone bases their faith and their understanding of the Word of God on what "science" has given, what will become of their

Do we really think that an hour in church and an hour in Sunday School is going to equip us to present and defend our faith? Are we really surprised that our kids are being deceived when they're under the control of secular humanists for several hours each day? Mike Riddle discusses the importance of DNA and information in refuting evolution, and also the importance of a proper understanding of creation. The answers are there, and Christians should be learning as well as teaching the children.

A short video discussing dinosaurs and the Bible. Several basic questions are answered. Some people might be surprised to find out that the fossil record is actually a friend of the Bible! I hope this encourages people to check out creationist sites and find out more. Piltdown Superman (this site points to other biblical creationist sites) Institute for Creation Research Creation Ministries International Answers in Genesis Apologetics Press

This edition touches on several topics, including evolution, the importan ce of Genesis, atheism and logic. But more importantly, it dealt with how Christians should present the gospel message, and what kind of foundation we should have. Sunday, October 14, 2012 was an interesting day for me. I was invited ("invited" as in, "hounded the guys until they gave in") to be on the "Evidence 4 Faith" radio show/podcast . Host Keith Kendrix was away, and Kirk Hastings was filling in. It was my first live guest spot on a radio show, not including call-in shows. (Before that, I was involved in a three-part   podcast for Theopologetics , but that was recorded and not a live broadc ast .) I was hesitant a few times, not wanting to steamroll over Kirk — it's not my  show. And I had a dry throat problem on occasion. Perchance they wish to have me on again, there are some items that I would like to expand upon. The next time should be better. If you find this m

Did you know that the one who was most influential in forming the modern scientific method was a Biblical creationist? Yes, it was Sir Francis Bacon. Although he has been called a great man of faith, he actually did damage to our understanding of science. He wanted to leave God out of science and be strictly secular with it. He had an unscriptural belief that God's revelation was expressed in "two books". One of those is the Bible, the other is nature. When "interpreted correctly", they are in harmony. (Frankly, this sounds cultic, smacking of the Mormon claim that the Bible is true "as far as it is translated correctly".) Compromisers like Hugh Ross will give priority to the current understanding and beliefs of modern science trends, interpreting the Bible to fit with those preconceptions. Christians gradually surrendered science to the secularists. Then, they began sacrificing their belief in the authority of Scripture. There are two parts to the fo