Biblical Creation and Evangelism

People have wanted immortality for a very long time and pondered various ways to make it happen. Many believe they will live on in some way through their progeny. Some have tried to use the occult to attain immortality. With the rise of technology, science fiction writers were inspired to write stories of brains being kept alive, consciousness transferring to another person or into a machine — the 1818  Frankenstein  novel certainly inspired many of these ideas as well. Some folks believe c ryonics  (or cryogenics ) has definite possibilities. Cryonics, Pixabay / harmonynotapathy No, despite urban legends, Walt Disney was not frozen. Quite the opposite , in fact. There are many books and movies that involve people being frozen and reanimated at a future date. Some have people standing in chambers, or laying in stasis pods or something similar. There are businesses that will freeze people shortly after they are legally dead in hopes that in the future, whatever killed them will have bee

The idea that the waters above or firmament in Genesis 1:6-8 indicated a canopy was used by biblical creationists a few decades ago, but knowledgeable creationists have mostly abandoned it [ 1 ]. The idea was promoted by Dr. Henry M. Morris, and the Institute for Creation Research still has some hints about it [ 2 ], but they were seeing problems with it in the late 1990s [ 3 ] and have pretty much put it out to pasture today [ 4 ]. I taught that idea myself. Part of its appeal is its explanatory power. RGBStock /  Sias van Schalkwyk One of the challenges of creation science material (and scientific material in generally, if you study on it) is that things change — often quickly. Theories and conjectures are modified and even rejected, but someone may own a book or video from a few years earlier that influenced their thinking. Perhaps an underinformed lecturer is spreading outdated information. So, we have to cowboy up, get informed, and make changes when necessary. Theories come and

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 &quo

Those nice people who come to your door attempting to convert you to the One True Church™ are usually cultists, and the two most likely groups are Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. Some people boast about slamming the door in their faces, but that is a lousy Christian witness. Also, they put most professing Christians to shame because they are actively sharing their false beliefs while so many of us wallow in our complacency. Sadly, both groups are working toward earning their salvation. Desert View Watchtower, Flickr / Grand Canyon National Park  ( CC BY 2.0 ) Jehovah's Witnesses reject evolution, but are also not friendly toward biblical creation. This is most likely due to isolation efforts of this and other cults; your JW coworker will not be attending a social club or (shudder) your church with you. Their rejection of voting, standing for a National Anthem, refusal to participate in Christmas and birthdays, and several other isolating peculiarities are famous. JWs are adama

Christians and Jews generally affirm that God is independent, the maker of all things, and needs nothing. It should be obvious. Although these facts are made clear throughout Scripture, there is a view known as process theism  that rejects biblical truth in this area. Everything depends on God for its existence (Heb. 1:3), but process theism rejects this. Somehow, God depends on some other entity, and he is evolving with creation. With this comes a rejection of creation out of nothing —  creatio ex nihilo . Dwarf Starburst Galaxy Henize 2-10 credit: NASA , ESA et. al. (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) I'll allow that ex nihilo  creation is not stated explicitly in the Bible, but it is clearly found by reasoning from Scripture. The denial of creatio ex nihilo  is tied in with greater problems in process theism. (Adding to the confusion is that there is no specific creed for process theism, so one may encounter those who believe in certain aspects but not others. So

Mockers as well as compromisers on biblical authority point to Genesis 2:17 and say that it is untrue, that Adam did not drop dead when he ate the forbidden fruit. Therefore, Genesis cannot be taken more than a fictional story or allegory. A more in-depth approach shows that they are wrong. Knowledge of the Bible is necessary, and it is very helpful to get the perspective of people who have spent time studying and writing about it. One of these is Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Although this child has taken heat from both Calvinists and Arminians for refusing to identify with either group, Spurgeon is popular with Calvinists. That doesn't matter here, because the man referred to as the Prince of Preachers has some important material for us. He preached a huge number of sermons , and was known for keeping his listener enthralled. Spurgeon also was faithful to Scripture and spoke so that people could understand his messages. The sermons on Five Kinds of Life help give us a fuller understan

In Isaiah 45:18, we read that God created the earth for us. We have seen that our bodies have many marvelous examples of his engineering skills. This planet is made to keep us (and itself) going, and there are protections around the planet to shield us from cosmic dangers. Stories about journeying to other planets real or imagined have been popular for a mighty long time. Passing through areas of radiation, colliding with asteroids and meteors, space junk  and other problems are plentiful. Then there are concerns with human physiology. Soviet space station Mir, modified by FotoSketcher from a 1989 NASA image of Mir taken by STS-89 In addition to being hit by something zooming past and requiring shielding from radiation, humans must be physically capable of withstanding the gravity to blast us up yonder. Another part of the problem with gravity is the lack of it while up there. Human red blood cells deplete quite rapidly, causing anemia and other physiological problems. Valery Polyako

For a very long time, people accepted the genealogies in Genesis as accurate chronologies: chronogenealogies. After Christians began ceding science to secularists with the advent of deep time and Darwinism, excuses were found to deny their accuracy. There are many problems with this, including casting doubt on God's preservation of Scripture, his care for us, trusting Jesus, and a tacit denial of the truth of God's Word from the beginning. People have lost sight of the purposes of the genealogies. Unsplash / Priscilla Du Preez On a somewhat side note, someone was hawking his book about leaving atheism and coming to Christ. Since he is in the flaming liberal United Methodist denomination (in which I was raised and my father was a pastor for fifty years), I suspect he has some serious theology problems. His reaction to my comment says a great deal: It's unfortunate that you think only those who follow your unorthodox, recently cult derived interpretation of the Bible can clai

It is common to take a stroll in a wooded area and encounter critters, which often scamper away. Others freeze in place as a defense, or possibly doing threat assessment. They usually want to get away from us. Animals have fear of us and of each other.  Our apartment is on the second floor of three. Lots of trees in the area. Squirrels show no fear in leaping up onto our porch, but when we go outside, they run off.  Wikimedia Commons /  Jineshpanchal  ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) One was on the porch when a big hawk landed on the railing. That's never happened before. The rodent froze in terror and just laid there. The hawk just looked at it, probably not hungry at the moment. If we had gone to the sliding glass door, I lack belief either would have stayed put. Even domestic animals show fear of humans, including pets around strangers. Animals that have gone feral or never knew human contact are in touch with their inner wildness. It takes a mighty long time to make friends with a feral animal

The article featured below makes a couple of points, both of which are important to Christians. Apologists and those who value rational thinking should take note of them. One is a common error in logic called appeal to authority . The other important point extends from the first: old Earth compromisers claim that Augustine and other church fathers were "on their side", and people just assume that they are being truthful. People who want the facts can check things out nowadays. Original image: St Augustine in his Study , Sandro Botticelli, 1490 Don't be disunderstanding me here, citing authorities in their areas is necessary. It becomes fallacious when there's an emotional component that is manipulative. Also, getting an opinion from someone who is unskilled in an area is a fallacy, such as quoting Clinton Richard Dawkins, an angry atheist, on matters of theology. Referring to him on zoology or animal behavior might be more accurate. Matt Slick of CARM says, "My

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

Some opponents of biblical authority tamper with the words so they can change the meanings, or even impugn the character of God. Something that cannot be emphasized enough is context . Theistic evolutionists are known for manipulating context for their own ends. Credit: Pixnio / Luis del Rio There is an old joke that, although oversimplifying, makes a point. A man wanted to hear from God about a problem in his life, so he opened the Bible at random, plunked down his finger, and read that Judas went and hanged himself. Well, that was unhelpful. He tried again and found where Jesus said to go and do likewise. This was getting annoying. His third attempt gave him where Jesus told Judas to go and quickly do what he was going to do. The man realized he was using the Bible the wrong way. Context takes several forms, including the chapter and even the whole of Scripture. Sometimes people need to drill down into the original languages to understand context more fully. Some owlhoots riding for

Many people who claim to "follow the science" really do not. Appeals to authority linked with lack of critical thinking, plus ignorance of actual science, are disastrous to societies as well as individuals. Culturally correct, consensus, and "woke" views actually dismiss scientific realities in favor of political trends and emotionalism. Taking a stand for truth and reality can be hazardous to careers — and even personal safety. Credit: Pixnio / Rachel Claire (slightly modified) Darwin's hijacked version of natural selection as well as neo-Darwinian evolution are thrown around as if they were established truth. We are bombarded with the "fact" of evolution, and assertions are often subtle. Most people go along with the herd and accept what is presented as science. What is more disturbing is that in recent years, secular scientists have been saddling up and riding with deviant behavior. Considering how the formerly United States is under divine judgmen

Earth Day was established on Lenin's 100th birthday and is most definitely not  just a good idea for conservation and care of the planet. Political and economic Machiavellian machinations aside, however, many people sincerely want to do good things for the world. I thought you otter know that this photo was taken by  Joe Tomoleoni for the USGS (Also, I hope you sea that usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) Unfortunately, the environmental movement is saturated with evolutionary thinking. That is, humans and other living things ultimately came from a common ancestor. To be consistent, why should we care that various species are becoming extinct or are endangered? We crawled to the top of the food chain, so we should reign supreme and do whatever we please, right? Fortunately, secularists, pagans, evolutionists, and others are not  consistent. Christians (and especially biblical creationists) should care about the environment — God has created us in his image, and we

Some professing Christians are setting themselves up as authorities to say that God did not mean what he said in the Bible. This is a serious problem. Unfortunately, gullible people are being deceived about our alleged goodness, and humanoids that existed before Adam. Credit: Unsplash / Krys Amon American author John H. Walton has some odd views that can be considered Gnostic , and Irish theologian Niamh Middleton presents some beliefs that are truly off the rails. These sidewinders are not only rejecting biblical authority, but are also accommodating atheistic views of origins as well when they accommodate theistic evolution. False teachings like these seriously damage the gospel message. Today, many modern writers who describe themselves as evangelicals openly disagree with the core Christian doctrine of original sin. Some argue instead that Jesus seeks out original goodness in us. They reject a historical Fall in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve rebelled against the clear instru

The immediate reaction from some people would be that God stopped his creation work, as stated in Gen. 2:2, Ex. 20:11 and 31:17. It may be surprising to learn that God is still creating today, but in a different way than he did in the beginning. Credit: Photos Public Domain This is not like some owlhoots who say God is still creating today through theistic evolution. No, he didn't transform a pre-Adamite group of subhumans by giving them souls in a mangled metaphor of Genesis. There are certain acts of creation that are still happening today. God created both man and animals with  nephesh , which means life or soul (see " Brain and Body are not the Soul " for more in-depth material that also refutes naturalistic claims). He is not creating new stuff like he did during creation week, but makes some things out what already exists. Then there's the news in 2 Cor. 5:17 that is so important to Christians. But didn’t God rest from His creation work on Day Seven? The correc

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen February 12 was the 10th annual  Question Evolution Day , an event in which almost anyone can participate. People may object, thinking that origins is an academic issue. Some even think that there is a  message of hope in evolution , but that is the opposite of the truth. Image for the 10th annual Question Evolution Day by  Why?Outreach Seekers after the truth become excited after attending seminars, reading articles and books, watching videos, and so forth about how recent creation affirms the Bible and refutes evolution. Then many lose their enthusiasm. Indeed, people were excited about QED and promised to get involved, but failed to keep their promises (there were some, however, that did their part, and even more. I am grateful to them.) There are parallels in the Bible to consider. What Kind of Soil? While the Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15) is about people who hear and receive the word of the Kingdom, similarities between enthusiasm for Question Evolution

There are some professing Christians who insist on finding ways of adding long ages into the Bible, but they ignore the context. While the context is frequently the surrounding verses, it can also mean culture, languages, and more. We look now at make  and create . Credit: Freeimages / Fernanda Ferrari Those owlhoots have attempted to bushwhack the plain meaning of Scripture by saying that they are different aspects of creation, and that make  means using material that was already created. Their eisegesis becomes heinous when their alleged distinction is used to give them license to add millions of years. Some even try to shove evolution into the picture. It won't work, especially when the greater context includes the New Testament. Many people who have written on Genesis 1 have attempted to make a very significant distinction between two Hebrew words found there: bara (בָּרָא, to create) and asah (עָשָׂה, to make or do). Theistic evolutionists (TEs) and old-earth creationists (O

So often with various kinds of conversion experiences where people get all worked up about something — then the excitement cools. Books are untouched on the shelves, no interest in lectures (videos or otherwise), but they have a smattering of knowledge. Image source before modification: Pixabay /  Spencer Wing This is especially sad when someone believes in Jesus Christ but then falls away (Matt. 13:18-23). In a similar way, someone can become excited about biblical creation science but get discouraged and distracted by philosophies, intimidated by militant atheists, harassed by college professors, teased by friends, and so on. There are some who claim to be "former creationists" that have saddled up to ride with the Old Earth brand (or even with professing atheists), but when they have discussions with knowledgeable creationists, it is discovered that they only had superficial knowledge of biblical creation science. Worse, their theology (which is intertwined with it) is als