Biblical Creation and Evangelism

It may seem fair and reasonable for mainstream evangelicals to ask biblical creationists to compromise on literal six-day creation. Indeed, sometimes we are seen as a niche group in an offshoot of the Fundamentalist movement. It is ironic that the Fundamentalists were not exactly biblical creationists . Again, belief in recent six-day creation is not required for salvation. Accepting theistic evolution (TE) is not a disqualifier, nor is acceptance of billions of years. Those beliefs do show, however, that people are not understanding or have a low view of Scripture. Silhouette of group at sunset, Pexels / Min An Some do not understand Scripture or the failings of secular science, and many do not believe Scripture. (I believe that knowledgeable TEs are actually Deists because they reject the inerrancy and authority of God's Word.) Joining in with a group hug and affirming the "Why can't we all just get along?" sentiment involves degrading the Bible. Evolution is not co...

Although professing atheists like to say that if God is loving and powerful, he should be able to stop evil in the world. Even Christians ask these kinds of questions (albeit without the sneering). After all, God created a perfect world. It is natural to question and even argue from our own perspective, but we tend to forget about trying to see things from the point of view of someone else. What is God's side of the matter? If people will allow him to speak, he tells us in the Bible. Living and dead trees in the woods via Cowboy Bob Sorensen, modified at PhotoFunia People, plants, animals get sick. Everything that is born, dies. Evolutionists depend  on death because that supposedly gives rise to new life forms that are more equipped to survive. Yet they still resent it instead of celebrating that the aged and sick are out of the way. That's because they know that God is real. Deep inside, we know that death is the enemy, just like the Bible says. This enemy has been defeated b...

As we saw before, misotheists and professing Christians with a liberal bent sometimes say that the ancient Hebrews believed the sky was a solid dome, and the waters were above it (Gen. 1:6-8). This idea falls apart under examination . Further, some owlhoots  say the ancient Hebrews borrowed mythologies from their pagan neighbors. C'mon, man, that's malarkey! The song " Denomination Blues " by Washington Phillips has a line, ". . . you can go to the college, and you can go to the school, but if you ain't got Jesus you're an educated fool." That fits what has happened. Sun-God Tablet, Wikimedia Commons / Zunkir ( CC BY-SA 4.0 ) Somehow, it seems to be intellectual to denigrate the Bible — especially Genesis. Such thinking also assumes ancient people were stupid because they had recently evolved. It does a disservice to the monotheistic Jews, and other near-Eastern myths are found in the Bible. These "educated" people had proof of what Mesopo...

First of all, the word theory  is often used by people who simply have a conjecture or an idea they are making up on the spot. In science, a theory is a step above a hypothesis  and is expected to have an evidential basis. The Gap Theory  has nothing to do with science, but is not just an off-the-cuff speculation, either. Even though it has been refuted long ago, people zombify it and let it roam around, annoying theologians and confusing lay people. Standley Chasm, Unsplash / Stephen Mabbs There are some variations on the Gap Thing (you make my heart sing). It exists as a compromise for professing Christians to say they believe the Bible and also have deep time. The gap supposedly exists between the first two verses of Genesis, but is supported by an illegitimate reading of the text — and a heapin' helpin' of eisegesis. Now we have a gap. Want to see what's in it? Billions of years. The fall of Satan. Lucifer's Flood, which is supposed to explain geology. Ruin and reco...

As many know, the bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is vitally important to Christianity. While others reject the truth, many Christians have only a superficial knowledge of the Resurrection. There is depth to it that can be traced throughout Scripture. An old expression often found in found in Western stories is  cutting sign . It is used today as well. Basically, it means to look for evidence of an animal or a person and follow their trail. Christians can cut sign beginning in Genesis. Empty tomb,  Free Christian Illustrations The Bible is such that much of it can be understood by us reg'lar folk, but we can keep learning throughout our lives. It certainly keeps theologians busy mining truths. An important procedure is to interpret Scripture with Scripture. We can follow the trail in the Old Testament for the death and Resurrection of Jesus. Working backward, the New Testament tells us that he is our Creator (Col. 1:16, John 1:1-3, Heb. 1:2-3). God the Son ca...

Good teachers tell Christians that we are in spiritual warfare, whether we know it or not. Our main enemies are unseen. Before we came to Christ, we were prisoners of Satan. Now we are defectors and he wants to neutralize us. Christians belong to Jesus, and God has blessed us with the spiritual things we need (Eph. 1:3). Although we belong to Christ, we still have to fight spiritual battles. I am not talking about demons coming into your home (unless you are inviting them by messing with occult things), but even small daily concerns as well as larger battles. We have been given armor and weapons. Roman soldiers defensive group, Flickr / rikdom ( CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 ) Roman soldiers were a disciplined, ruthless, efficient fighting force. If I got word they were going to attack my place, I'd light a shuck out of there, you betcha! The apostle Paul was being guarded by these guys (who also protected him very handily in Acts 23:12-25). Imagine him writing to the Ephesians and contemplati...

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Every once in a while, celebrities make remarks about their legacies and the public also gets involved for a spell. Perhaps we all want to be remembered. Most of us want to have a legacy that is kind to us, but others may strive for a legacy of crime and evil. A song by Blue Öyster Cult titled "Goin' through the Motions" has several possible meanings , the most likely being about troubled relationships. It referenced earlier dreadful lyrics , but was a mite touching here: To thee, I dedicate this photograph  I'll even sign it "love to you" again And when it's faded and forgotten in some book You'll sometimes look... A celebrity was important enough to someone to want an autograph, but the singer knew he would be mostly forgotten. Will we forget Bill Shatner? Truth Jabs  by Dan Lietha, used with permission (click for larger) People probably know him from the Star Trek  franchise and hosting The UnXplained  documentary series, am...

A common argument from misotheists against the existence of God is that since there is suffering in the world, God either does not exist or does not care. Some suggest he does not have much power. Christians also wonder why pain exists. God is condemned by unrighteous people to justify their rebellion (Job 40:8), but they do not see things from his perspective. They use prejudicial conjecture and statements without knowledge. Darwinists will say that pain evolved to help organisms survive; keep your fingers out of the fire. Cross and crown of thorns, RGBStock / Adrian van Leen Six days ago, this cowboy had torn meniscus surgery. It's a comparatively minor knee surgery and I went home the same day. It still hurts there and in other parts of the leg. Ibuprofen helps somewhat, but I really don't want to take the prescribed opioid. Naturalism relies on the complex scientific principle of Making Things Up™ because they are working from other conjectures that are also made up. While ...

People have been fascinated by ideas about the end of the world almost since it began — maybe Adam and Eve speculated on the subject. People lived for decades in terror of nuclear annihilation, and that specter looms again. NASA tells us why the Mayan prophecy of 2012 was wrong, but they  are incorrect because they speak from a naturalistic paradigm. Some consult the vague stuff of Nostradamus and various fortune tellers, others expect a giant rock from space. All wrong. The world will  end, but not in any way these folks expect. End of the World, Pixabay / Geralt (Gerd Altmann) When people say that the Genesis Flood is just an allegory, point out that Peter referred to the Flood as real when he wrote about the coming Big Bang at the end of the world in 2 Peter 3:5-10. Also, Jesus likened the end to the Flood in Matthew 24:37-39. There is a Judgment coming, and people need to be ready. There are people who think that perhaps the world will not be destroyed and remade, but mo...

When someone claims to be a skeptic , the word can have various meanings. Absolute Skepticism is a philosophy that nothing can be known except for the knowledge that nothing can be known. So how do you know even that is true? More commonly, people are skeptical of news or claims. Healthy skepticism demands support or verification of claims and helps people from being gullible. When it comes to atheists who claim to be skeptics, they usually make it clear that they cannot be convinced about God. Atheists often ridicule God, the Bible, Christians, and so on. These should be considered scoffers and misotheists, since a skeptic (in common usage) will consider evidence. On occasion, an unbeliever will want to have a discussion about evidence for the existence of God. Christians often argue in the worst possible way: Letting the unbeliever dictate the terms of discussion, and when asked to argue "on neutral ground," they are actually admitting that the Bible is wrong! Learn this we...