Volume 2, Issue 33 ~ September 17, 2006
Intelligent Design or Chaotic Accident?
Intelligent Design is back in the news. Baylor college in Waco, TX is struggling once again whether or not to present Intelligent Design along side the theory of evolution. It should be a no-brainer for a Christian college, but alas, Baylor must keep up with the academic Joneses. It wasn’t too long ago, however, when the evolutionists pleaded for their theory to be taught along side of creationism. The infamous Scopes Monkey Trial paved the way for its actual implementation.
It was this court trial which became the basis for the play and movie called “Inherit the Wind.” It pitted an ACLU attorney, Clarence Darrow, against Christian attorney, William Jennings Bryan. The case brought the classic battle between creationism and the teaching of evolution to the public fore. Though much of the dialogue was taken word for word from the court transcript, the play/movie were filled with distortions, misrepresentations, and inaccuracies. Of course, this was not an oversight on those who wrote and produced the play/movie. It was their agenda.
Right from the very beginning the Scopes Monkey Trial was a set up. The ACLU was looking for a patsy to exploit in order to challenge the Tennessee law that prohibited the teaching of evolution in their state. The ACLU placed ads in local newspapers announcing their challenge. Some folks responded and took up that challenge in Dayton, TN. They searched and found a young man by the name of John Scopes and recruited him to their cause. John Scopes was not a biology teacher. He was a substitute teacher who for two weeks at the end of the school year replaced the actual biology teacher who was ill. He jumped at the chance and was guaranteed by the ACLU that they would pay all expenses as they moved forward to challenge the Butler Act.
The play/movie seeks to solicit sympathy and to present Mr. Scopes as the hero being persecuted by the close-minded, ignorant, and arrogant “fundamentalist” Christians. The truth is he was never in danger of going to jail. The maximum fine for violating the Butler Act was $500.00. There were many other distortions as well, but for those interested in getting the real scoop, go to www.answersingenesis.org. You will find tremendous theological, historical, and scientific ammunition to be equipped to give an answer in this debate over origins.
What can we glean from the history of the Scopes trial? Two important lessons, first off, Clarence Darrow paraded so-called “scientists” of his day to prove evolution was true in his attempts to debunk creationism. Ironically, it would be future evolutionists that would refute all their arguments presented in this trial. What does that say of their science? I guess their science evolves as well.
Secondly, it was Sprague de Camp, author of the book “The Great Monkey Trial” who described Mr. Bryan as “...in personality he was forceful, energetic, and opinionated but genial, kindly, generous, likeable, and charming...He showed a praise-worthy tolerance towards those who disagreed with him...Bryan was the greatest American orator of his time and perhaps any time.” This description is a far cry from the one depicted in the play/movie. Bryan is presented as losing all rhyme and reason and going into frenzied outbursts of incoherent tirades as the trial presses to an end. Finally, he collapses in his religious zeal and moments later he dies. Perhaps this was the play/movie’s way of wishing creationism and the Christian faith would die along with him.
Regardless, as great as Mr. Bryan was he did falter at critical points in the trial. He allowed himself to be cross-examined by Clarence Darrow. Mr. Darrow asked him some pointed questions concerning Cain’s wife, Noah’s flood, and the age of the earth. Unfortunately, Mr. Bryan lacked sufficient answers Biblically. As a result, many believed there was no real defense for the Christian faith and creationism and thus much of the church retreated from the market place of ideas, science, and the philosophical struggles of the day.
Intellectually speaking, it appears we are now on the outside of academic circles trying to peer back in, but the cards are stacked against us. Instead of taking up the many challenges that seek to discredit Christianity and creationism, the church, for the most part has found it much easier to rely on our feelings and experiences, rather than loving God with all our minds and to give a defense for the hope that lies within us (1 Peter 3:15).
At any rate, the Christians won the battle, the actual court case, but we having been losing the cultural war ever since. Evolution was placed along side of creationism and where is creationism today? It is stuffed in the church’s intellectual closet. Yes, we have gone into the closet and everything perverse has come out in our stead. As Christians, we must recognize that this development, along with the demands for multiculturalism, diversity, and pluralism, has been part of the secularist’s Trojan Horse that is contributing to our demise. We must also understand that these things in and of themselves are not the end state of affairs. They were merely the transitional conditions that moved America from the one true God and His moral code to a host of idols and their pagan moral codes. This devastating lie started in the Garden of Eve and has ravaged mankind throughout the pages of the Bible and history ever since.
God’s word declares, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).” Both Old and New Testaments reveal God doesn’t take kindly to idols, false science (1 Timothy 6:20), and pagan philosophy (Colossians 2:8) being set up next to Him or being compared to Him. Does anybody remember the fate of Dagon (1 Samuel 5:1-7)?
For my own part in this particular battlefront, my interest in it began in beautiful San Diego, CA. in 1996. Operation Rescue/Operation Save America held our national event in that city to confront the Republican National Convention with the horrors of abortion and the abominations of the homosexual agenda. We stood outside the convention and preached the word of God calling upon all delegates to repent, acknowledge the Crown-rights of King Jesus, and return to civil government’s sacred duty, which is to uphold the standards of God’s law, protect life, and to stop the shedding of innocent blood. We passed out a tract that I wrote called “America at the Crossroads.” (To those interested in its contents you can view this tract at our website at www.mttu.com/elijahmin, click on “tracts” and then click on “Crossroads.”)
It was a challenging and yet rewarding experience calling our civil leaders to their God- ordained responsibilities, but there was one other highlight that stands out in my mind as well. A local Creation Museum contacted us and invited the ministry to tour their facilities. They treated us like royalty and gave us a red carpet reception. I remember being impressed with their respect for us and their format of presenting the truth of God‘s creation. One of their unique features was each room chronicled the literal six days of creation that was juxtaposed with the fallacy of evolution.
By the time you reach the end of the tour, each person was confronted with the fruits of his/her belief system. The Christians were presented with the glory of God’s creation and the veracity of His word, while the evolutionists were confronted with the horrors of their distorted belief system. Numerous newspaper articles hung on the wall that demonstrated the connection between the deadly fruit of evolution with the atrocities that hunted and haunted twentieth-century man. Starting with Darwinism and moving on to Marxism, Communism, Nazism, etc., the covenant rebel came face to face with the intellectual underpinnings of evolution that supported these murderous regimes. According to the staff, it was typically at this juncture the liberal, secularist howled the loudest in protest against the Creation Museum. I guess no one wants to be reminded that ideas have consequences.
According to Ken Ham (more on him later), one of the authors of the book “One Blood,” there are several other skeletons that hang in the evolutionist’s hall of shame. In fact, there are several more blights that they would rather see disappear from the historical record. For the purpose of this article, I will highlight just two. The first concerns the travesty of Ota Benga. According to the book, “One of the most fascinating historical accounts about the effects of Darwinism is the story of Ota Benga, a Pygmy who was put on display in an American zoo as an example of an inferior race. The incident clearly reveals the racism of Darwinism and the extent to which the theory gripped the hearts and minds of scientists and journalists in the early 1900s.”
You read that right. The Bronx zoo in America held this man captive in a cage along with a parrot and an Orangutan named Dohong. He was the most prominent feature out of all the zoo exhibits. People came from far and near to get a glimpse of Darwin’s monkey man. The dehumanizing treatment of this man ended tragically. He eventually was set free only to commit suicide at a later date. To read the entire account go to http://www.answersingenesis.org/ and type in the words Ota Benga on their search engine. It will break your heart.
The second historic travesty concerns Darwinism and the hunting down and murder of the Aborigines in Australia. In chapter nine of the book “One Blood” the title is called “Darwin’s Body Snatchers.” It reveals the horrors of people deliberately killing the Aborigines in their attempts to provide ‘specimens’ for evolutionary research. American, European, and Australian “scientists” actually robbed graves, shot, killed, stuffed Aborigines, and shipped them to different museums as “proof” of their evolutionary/racist ideas. According to the book, “There is documented evidence that the remains of perhaps 10,000 of Australia’s Aboriginal people were shipped to British museums in a frenzied attempt to prove the widespread belief that they were the ‘missing link.’”
The authors end the chapter with these observations, “A similar horror reappeared in the 1930s, when the blatantly evolutionary doctrines of Nazism allowed the consciences of hundreds of doctors, scientists, psychiatrists and other officials to be seared as they set up the machinery to help nature eliminate the unfit. First, it was the genetically ‘inferior’—the mentally and physically disabled. Next, gypsies, Jews and others. The rest of the story is well known. Today, evolutionary thinking enables ordinary, respectable professionals, otherwise dedicated to the saving of life, to justify their involvement in the slaughter of millions of unborn human beings, who, like the Aborigines of earlier Darwinian thinking, are also deemed ‘not yet fully human.’”
As the above quote states, Darwinism and its heretical teaching of evolution is what under girds the American holocaust of abortion today. Just as Darwin corrupted the study of biology, eventually his theory spread to corrupt law and government. As a legal theorist and Supreme Court Judge, Oliver Wendall Holmes, became infatuated with Darwin and his evolutionary theory. He, along with a few like-minded jurists in the early twentieth century, expanded evolution “science” from the discipline of biology to the field of law. He was one of the first to try and remove the transcendent understanding of law as a fixed eternal standard to one that evolves. To him, truth was relative and subsequently the Constitution should be recognized as a “living” document that can be fashioned and formed like wax in the hands of the judiciary.
This concept of law is known as legal positivism. It supplanted Blackstones, “the law of nature and the law of revelation, found only in the Scriptures,” with this evolutionary view of law. Legal positivism is what has paved the way for the wave of judicial activism that is destroying the righteous foundations of America today. According to this system, there are no divine absolutes in law. Law is simply man-made and it evolves just like men. It was this system of legal theory that inspired Oliver Wendall Holmes to declare, “I see no reason for attributing to man a significance different in kind from that which belongs to a baboon or a grain of sand.” He furthered stated, “the sacredness of human life is a purely municipal ideal of no validity outside the jurisdiction.”
According to Doug Phillips, a good friend of mine who has much training and experience in law, by this evolutionary view of law, “Holmes and his contemporaries laid the foundation for legalized abortion, no-fault divorce, the legalization of homosexuality, and the rejection of the Framers’ vision for Constitutional interpretation. Today, most courts have embraced an evolving standard for Constitutional interpretation, rejecting the notion that the Constitution must be interpreted in light of the meanings intended by the Framers.” For more study on this crucial issue read Doug’s article “Do Laws and Standards Evolve?” Click on this link: http://www.visionforumministries.org/sections/hotcon/ht/interposition/2004-02-20_doug_phillips_dolaws.asp or go to http://www.visionforum.com/ http://www.visionforumministries.org/. I highly recommend these websites for its value in restoring the Christian family, the reformation of the church, history, Biblical worldview, science, and a variety of other disciplines to train and disciple Christians today.
As stated previously, Clarence Darrow latched onto evolution and defended it in the Scopes Monkey Trial. He also embraced the evolutionary view of law and applied its belief system to another actual court case. It was the O.J. Simpson or the Michael Jackson trial of its era. The case was “The People against Nathan Leopold, Jr., and Richard Loeb.” On July 21, 1924, it opened in the Chief Justice of the Criminal Court, John R. Caverly's courtroom. The case centered on two rich and well-educated young men who became obsessed with the notion of taking an overweight young man, kidnap him, and murder him just for kicks. It was a highly charged public court trial. The nation at that time was stunned and shocked at this crime and it was demanding swift retribution.
Clarence Darrow’s purpose was to make sure the retribution demanded was not the death penalty. He pleaded guilty on their behalf hoping to avoid a jury trial. He believed his chances of saving their lives faired better with Judge Caverly than with a jury of their peers. His defense for sparing their lives was based upon evolution. He stated, “Why did they kill Bobby Franks? Not for money, not for spite, not for hate. They killed him as they might kill a spider or a fly, for the experience. They killed him because they were made that way. Because somewhere in the infinite processes (evolution) that go to the making up of the boy or the man something slipped, and those unfortunate lads sit here hated, despised, outcasts, with the community shouting for their blood.” It worked but what has become of justice in our nation?
Notice his rationale, evolution made them that way and then something “slipped.” Evolution played a trick on them and thus they are not responsible for their actions. The problem then is not that they conspired to kidnap and murder a young man. No, it’s the demand for justice by the mean-spirited public that thirsts for their blood. Bravo, Mr. Darrow, Johnny Cochran would be proud.
One of the other objections the Creation Museum encountered is the world’s distaste of Christians trying to utilize science, the discipline of “knowing,” to give credible evidence to the claim that God created the heavens and the earth according to the account found in Genesis. The naturalist, secularist, and the humanist think science is a realm that should be distinctly separate from the world of religion. Even though both disciplines hold great sway over the minds, hearts, and allegiances of men, they still love framing the debate as one that pits science against faith. This, at least in their minds, grants them an advantage. Science can be proven empirically, whereas, faith cannot (again, at least in their minds this premise is true).
Unfortunately, the Church for years has surrendered to this proposition, little realizing that he who frames the debate wins the argument. On the one hand, the intelligentsia loves to paint the picture that science is rational, reasonable, and intelligent, while belief in Christianity is archaic, superstitious, and a crutch for weak, narrow-minded people. It was Bill Maher, god-hater, and former host of the show “Politically Incorrect” who complained, “When people say to me, 'You hate America,' I don't hate America. I love America. I am just embarrassed that it has been taken over by people like evangelicals, by people who do not believe in science and rationality. It is the 21st century.”
Those in the world want to have their cake and it eat too. They want it both ways. They love the science vs. faith premise, but they refuse to deal with a science vs. science scenario. The reason for this is simple. True science is not an enemy to faith, but a powerful ally to the truth. Darwinism and the subsequent evils it has spawned is a house of cards that is falling apart as more and more the scientific evidence points to creation rather than evolution.
For another example of the intolerance of the world against Christians trying to prove creationism is true by scientific research, consider again Ken Ham. Mr. Ham heads up Answers In Genesis Ministries. Part of the vision and mission of this ministry is to construct a Creation Museum in Kentucky. Though the common folk of the community are all for it, Mr. Ham drew the ire and fire of the “powers that be.” The city council, at first, denied the permit to build based on their so-called zoning laws. But as the battle continued to rage, the real reason for the resistance came to light. It was stated, “we wouldn’t mind if they wanted to build a church, but they want to build a museum to change our minds.”
This statement is interesting on two counts. First, it sadly reveals the irrelevance of the church today. This also explains their willingness to zone for a church. Why? Because the church, at least in this instance, doesn’t possess the power to change minds any more. What an indictment! Secondly, if this Creation Museum is built, it may change our minds and bring about genuine repentance and this is simply not acceptable. Isn’t it amazing that the most intolerant are the ones who call for tolerance, open-mindedness, and free thought?
When it comes to this subject of origins, however, both parties must recognize that neither the secularist of today nor the Christian have first-hand, observatory knowledge. None of us were there. None of us saw first-hand how life originated. We both have the same evidence, which is circumstantial. We all have the same fossil record, but our conclusions are radically different. On what basis, our worldview. Thus creation and evolution have to be both accepted by faith. One is divine in its origin and one is humanistic. One leads to genuine salvation and the other leads to Hell.
For instance, Aldous Huxley, a British novelist and brother to atheistic evolutionist Sir Julian Huxley, made this frank admission about his anti-theistic motivation: “I had motive for not wanting the world to have a meaning; consequently assumed that it had none, and was able without any difficulty to find satisfying reasons for this assumption. The philosopher who finds no meaning in the world is not concerned exclusively with a problem in pure metaphysics, he is also concerned to prove that there is no valid reason why he personally should not do as he wants to do, or why his friends should not seize political power and govern in the way that they find most advantageous to themselves. … For myself, the philosophy of meaninglessness was essentially an instrument of liberation, sexual and political.”
Thankfully, Mr. Huxley was an honest humanist, which may be an oxymoron. But note his reason for embracing the theory of evolution and rejecting Theism: he didn’t want to be held accountable for his sexual and political proclivities. He didn’t want a higher authority such as God to exist and regulate his behavior. If the dirty little secret be known, the entire intelligentsia is intoxicated with this same motivation, whether they state it or not.
It is not reason, science, or rational thought that drives the theory of evolution, but mental gymnastics that seek to pretend that God doesn’t exist and that man will not be held accountable for his thoughts, deeds, and actions on Judgment Day. As far as they are concerned, Darwin murdered God and they are now at least satisfied intellectually with their atheistic denial of the truth. Thus we can eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we are all just food for the worms. What a depressing worldview!
Man comes from slime and turns into dirt with no eternal or higher purpose. It’s just goo to zoo to you to tomb and that’s it. Man is nothing more than a cosmic accident fashioned by the impersonal force of random selection. No wonder this world is so depressed and why our kids act like animals. This is what they are teaching in our tax-supported public schools.
Biblically speaking, however, there is no basis for atheism. God denies the very possibility for the existence of atheism. Romans 1:18-32 states, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Every conscious human being on this planet instinctively knows that there is a Supreme Being. Creation itself testifies to this truth. Though man knows this truth, he suppresses it in unrighteousness (remember Mr. Huxley‘s quote). The visible manifestations of the heavens and earth point to the invisible and yet eternal power of the Triune God. It is written on the hearts of men and it is also evident in our consciences as well (Romans 2:14,15). Thus we have no excuse and no justification for atheism. It is the fool, not the wise, who has said in his heart that there is no God (Psalm 53:1).
Man is made in God’s image which theologically means “man thinks God.” It is inescapable. Why do you think man creates elaborate systems of thought, religion, and philosophy? What accounts for all the conflicting ideas and different images of God in the world? Why do some present false ideas of God, while others try to deny His very existence? If there are so many counterfeits doesn’t that warrant the existence of an original or why bother to distort and fight something that is not there?
God through wisdom, knowledge, and understanding created the heavens and the earth (Proverbs 3:19,20). This implies reason, rational thought, and logic that has been made available to the crown of His creation, man. Because of the fall, however, and the advent of sin, our reason, logic, and rationale has been made corrupt. That is why education in and of itself can never solve man’s dilemmas or problems.
For instance, when we go to the abortion mills and display the bloody signs of aborted babies, the police, security guards, those who pass by, clients, and workers all see and recognize the self-evident truth. This is a human baby that has been cruelly torn apart by an act called abortion. It is the intentional murder of an innocent, defenseless child in the womb of his/her mother. At that point, their minds have become educated, they know the harsh reality, and yet most of them still proceed to murder the baby or allow abortion to continue unabated.
People can even read the Scriptures, like many mockers of God today. They don’t do it to gain revelation and the truth in order to taste of God’s great salvation. They don’t do it in order to discover how they should relate to God and fit into His world. No, they do it to find the “contradictions” in order to blaspheme God and discredit His word. They do it to twist the Scriptures in order to justify their bloody perversions. Regardless, many of the world’s hammers have been broken upon the anvil of God’s word as they pursued this treacherous course.
The point is, they read the same words that believers read and get a “biblical education,” but they still remain in their unbelief, doubt, and enmity against God. Why? Because unregenerate man will never fully agree with God’s assessments and conclusions concerning the various issues related to this life or the one that is to come.
Man doesn’t have an educational problem, he has a moral, ethical problem. Our natural mind apart from God’s revelation is openly hostile to God and His law (Romans 8:7). Sin has made us enemies against God and we seek to dethrone Him by becoming a law and god unto ourselves. The Apostle Paul verifies this predicament again in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
Until natural men who view life through the lust of their flesh, humble themselves, repent of their sin, turn from their wicked ways, and receive the grace of God by faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, they will remain in that blind, darkened state till death do them part. They will perish eternally in their sin. Their souls will be lost forever. They will be cast into outer darkness where the smoke of their torment never ceases, and the worm never dies (Matthew 22:13; Revelation 14:11; Mark 9:44). Instead of the worm feasting temporarily on decaying flesh as atheism believes, the reality is, there is a worm that feasts forever upon those who die the second death (Revelation 21:8).
It was St. Augustine who was one of the first to try and tackle this phenomena from a Christian, philosophical point of view. Does man gain a true belief system through education or does a true belief system grant man wisdom and understanding? The world says “seeing is believing.” That is why those who reject the claims of Christ and His word have a natural affinity towards science and empirical evidence. If man can’t taste, touch, smell, hear, or see it, then in their minds it doesn‘t exist. How many laws of science would have to be rejected, like gravity, if this was the one and only true measure of discerning and understanding reality?
Augustine on the other hand stated, “If you don't believe it, you won't understand it.” He also stated, “Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe.” Whereas general revelation from creation teaches man God exists, it takes special revelation (found only in the Holy Bible) to reveal to man the one, true, and living God, the correct object of man’s faith that leads to salvation. This is why Jesus after he was raised from the dead said to his doubting disciple Thomas, “...Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed (John 20:27-29).”
There are two other points that I want to raise as this article comes to a close. Number one, Christianity and science are not mutually exclusive. They are not antithetical. They are not in opposition to one another and therefore should have nothing to do with each other as the world demands. No, there is a rich history of Christians pioneering science and discovering different branches of science. They believed in creationism and therefore believed they were privileged to think “God’s thoughts after Him.” For more information on this important topic, Dr. D. James Kennedy wrote a fine book called “What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?” Chapter seven deals with Christianity’s impact on science.
As Christians, we should never retreat into an intellectual ghetto established by the world to try and contain Biblical revelation from infecting the greater communities. The truth is, wherever Christianity is allowed to flourish, invention, discovery, and witty ideas blossom and bloom. There is a reason why the Christian West has led the way in science, technology, and invention. Wherever God’s word is preached and believed, men’s spiritual and mental capacities are awakened, which leads to physical and material prosperity. Every nation that rejects Christianity and is in bondage to idols and false religions, the opposite is true. Spiritual darkness leads to mental ignorance which results in physical poverty. Though these other nations may have tremendous natural resources, the tyranny of sin and the deception of Satan, keeps them bound. Thus only the elite few benefit as the mass of humanity suffers in their idolatry.
Finally, without the revelation of the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the revelation of His word, and the moral absolutes the Bible contains, there can be no basis for the laws of logic, the laws of science, nor the laws of morality. There is a powerful CD offered by Vision Forum called “The Great Debate: Does God Exist?” It pits Christian Apologist, Dr. Greg L. Bahnsen, against “Atheist” Dr. Gordon Stein. Much of it is heady and lofty, but at the end of the day, Dr. Stein could not answer the Transcendental argument put forth by Dr. Bahnsen. Dr. Bahnsen presented the premise that the atheists have to borrow from a Christian worldview in order to even try and prove in a reasonable, rational way that God doesn’t exist.
For instance, when it comes to the laws of morality, how can they exist in an atheist universe? Dr. Stein was hard pressed to provide an answer. He stated that morality is based upon consensus or convention. Man just makes it up as he evolves. His rationale, however, became suspect when he was asked about the evil of Hitler’s Germany. Could he say that what Hitler did in Germany was evil and if he could, by what standard is it evil? Again he mentioned that Germany was a western country that was influenced by the Judeo/Christian ethic. It was by this consensus and convention, he could say it was evil.
Two obvious fallacies emerge: number one, he doesn’t believe that there is a God who could establish a Judeo/Christian ethic. Number two, Hiltler introduced an entire different consensus and convention that led to a holocaust. Some of Germany agreed with this new consensus, so on what basis could he say it was evil, especially, since the consensus and convention changed?
This essay was written to promote the premise that ideas have consequences and a belief system will lead mankind somewhere. Where has evolution led us as a nation? Where would a return to God and creationism leads us once again? The hard truth is, life simply doesn’t work correctly without God, the Bible, and His eternal laws. God created both physical and moral laws that if believed and acted upon can benefit mankind, if denied and disobeyed, however, it inevitably brings severe consequences upon us. Let us therefore, humble ourselves, repent of our folly and ideological rebellion that is espoused in evolution, and return to the God of our fathers and the divine principles of His word.
Elijah Ministries: http://www.mttu.com/elijahmin/
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1st Amendment victory goes to Christians
Parade rule had restricted assembly, free speech in city
Posted: September 13, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
The city of Florence, S.C., has given up its battle to keep a city parade rule that imposed unconstitutional limits on a group called Columbia Christians for Life.
The city has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the pro-life organization by paying $51,000 in damages and attorneys' fees, according to a report by WBTW News 13.
The case was triggered by the arrests by Florence police of several Christians who were "peaceably assembling and exercising free speech and freedom of religion on public sidewalks without a permit from the government," according to the pro-life organization. Florence city manager David Williams told the television station the Columbia Christians for Life had challenged a parade permit requirement that was similar to another ruled unconstitutional in Charleston and Travelers Rest. ...
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Fighting for that City on a Hill
By Joe Murray
September 7, 2006
(AgapePress) - It is written in Proverbs that "[w]hen the righteous increase, the people rejoice, [b]ut when a wicked man rules, people groan." In a day where unborn children are reduced to a personal choice and images of a crucifix dipped in urine substitute as art, many Christians have hung their heads in shame -- shameful of the nation we have become. Their groans can be heard from miles away.
In response to America's slide towards Sodom and Gomorrah, Christians have fallen to their knees to pray for our nation; so that men and women elected to positions of power would follow a biblical compass. These Christians, rightfully so, understand the command of Paul in 1 Timothy, when Paul proclaimed, "[f]irst of all ... I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." Thus, for a faithful Christian, prayer is integral in attempting to rescue a government that been placed on the slippery slope to the sewer.
It is clear that Paul understood prayer was always the first step for a Christian seeking to confront the demons that plague his earthly life, whether they are public or private. But does a Christian's responsibility in creating a government that reflects natural and biblical law stop at prayer? Is it enough for a Christian to pray for a Godly government and then go about his business? Put simply, is it acceptable to have prayer without action? Not a chance. ...
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Christian Faces Trial Over Bible-Based Pamphlets
By Patrick Goodenough
CNSNews.com
International Editor
September 12, 2006
(CNSNews.com) - Evangelical Christians in Britain are concerned about the prosecution of a protester who was arrested at a homosexuality rally while disseminating leaflets quoting the biblical view about homosexuality.Stephen Green, who heads a small but active lobby group called Christian Voice, is scheduled to appear before a Cardiff court on September 28, after pleading not guilty to a charge of "threatening, abusive or insulting behavior."Although some Christian Voice campaigns and tactics have caused unease among some Christians, Green on this occasion won support.
The Evangelical Alliance, a 160-year-old group representing more than a million British evangelicals, said it was worried that the case may "erode" Christians' freedom to proclaim their faith, as well as freedom of speech and religious liberties. ...
Editor's Note: For a blessing, please visit Mr. Green's website "Christian Voice" at: http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/ , and then go pass out some Gospel tracts to those who are spiritually dead and lost in their sins. Thank you, AW
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Church and Government
By Rev. R.J. Rushdoony
California Farmer 237:3 (Sept. 2, 1972), p. 36.
One of the more serious examples of false or muddled thinking today is with a regard to the use of the words “church” and “government.” When people say “government,” they usually mean the state or federal government, and nothing could be more false. The Puritans knew better. The state for them was “civil government.”
Government meant first of all the self-government of the Christian man. There is no more basic and important government in society than that. Government also means the family, a very important area of rule and authority. It means the school, which governs the early lives of people, and it means also the church, a very essential area of government.
Our work governs us, as do our friends and relatives, and the people of our community, by their attitudes and opinions. Clubs and organizations we join also govern us. The kinds of government are many. Civil government is an important one among many, not the only one, and the most important government of all in human society (other than God’s) is self-government. ...
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Foster child deaths tallied
Some 50 children died last year in the state's protective care, say the advocates tracking numbers.
By Clea Benson - Bee Capitol Bureau
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, September 17, 2006
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3
Almost 50 abused or neglected California children died last year in foster care after the state took them away from their parents for their own protection, according to child advocates who started counting because the state does not keep track.
The tally by the Children's Advocacy Institute is the first measurement of how many of California's most vulnerable children die while under the state's guardianship.
Almost 50 abused or neglected California children died last year in foster care after the state took them away from their parents for their own protection, according to child advocates who started counting because the state does not keep track.
The tally by the Children's Advocacy Institute is the first measurement of how many of California's most vulnerable children die while under the state's guardianship.
The institute, based at the University of San Diego School of Law, also found that more than 60 children in foster care died in 2004. California has about 75,000 foster children, one-fourth of the nation's foster-care population.
Some of the children died accidentally or of natural causes. But others were neglected or abused by caregivers. The causes of death were not included in the study.
The death count includes children such as Dylan James George, 2, whose foster parents have been charged with fatally beating him in their Fremont home in 2004. Anthony Cortez, 15, was choked to death by another child in a Stockton group home in 2003. Four-month-old Christopher Battie died of sudden infant death syndrome in a Fresno foster home in 2003. ...
Please read more here.
Source: Protect Our Children From CPS
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TEENAGE TERRORISTS... n/t/q
Post
TEENAGE TERRORISTS- A plot to kill (massacre) other students at a high school in Green Bay, Wisconsin , was discovered before any assault by two teens was made. They had gathered explosives, guns, materials to kill . It was said they were into Gothic culture, hated school and had been watching "documentaries" on the Columbine massacre . They were 17.
Their parents were not charged as they apparently were unaware of the massacre planning.
~
1. UN/GWB- The globalist President will talk at the UN soon as the atheist/socialist body starts again to mess up the world leaning on the side of the Moslem/terrorists. I hope the President will not apologize for defying the global plans of the Islamic terrorists.
2. $2 per VOTE- Kenosha's paper headlined that the liberal Democrat pro-abortion Governor James Doyle "may" offer property tax payers $2 less on their local/state bills this year. I can not be bought that cheaply with a "may."
3. BUMPER STICKER: OIL, SATAN'S GOLD
4. QUESTION: Has anyone seen any real men in America or are they all fighting abroad? Our girly governments/media-types ed-elites, silent clergy have turned the nation over to the marshmallow Americans.
5. MICHAEL SAVAGE - He has a good idea on how to end terrorism on airflights: Everyone would fly nude to prohibit concealed things and be given paper clothing at disrobing and leaving the plane. Is this an invasion of privacy or is this a good idea?
6. 'SURVIVORS' - While Americans are entertained with the dumbing down/liberal classroom antics of teamwork, consensus, et al now gone national (adult) into the "Survivor " tv un-drama- one does wonder about real survivors in a war on terrorism in the middle east played out with life and death as the result of the "game". How silly we are at home while our best are being killed abroad without a real Commander in Chief or Military strategists-to win. (and I support the war, the troops, but we have a McClellan-type Commander in Chief). GWB does not have plans to win as no offensive actions are taken. simple.
7. REMEMBER, Islamic killers tried to assassinate the previous Pope without an apology .
8. 200 MILLION CHRISTIAN MARCH - Is needed now to D.C. to protect andrecover by protest the loss of our Biblical, Constitutional republic,now.
9. LEFT, AGAIN -The left in urban media outlets is recrafting an old straw/person for votes saying it is the "radical right (Christian) that is responsible for all their created ills. It is targeted against Evangelicals (those who read/practice Bible values and traditional Catholics). They must know that the radical/right Americans have novoice in DC with the left President GWB in charge.
10. GET THE UN OUT OF THE US
11.CONSTITUTION DAY- SEPT. 17, 1787- the famed document was signed
12. IMAGINE- a world without the killing, lying, mayhem by the M@M(Marxist/Moslem) Axis. Curious, will the M@Ms stop murdering for Ramadan while they secretly build new attacks on Israel and the US when their religion of peace rests to kill again?
QUOTE- -G.K. CHESTERTON, " The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."
~Ideas/observations-
Kenosha, Wis. ^^^
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U.S Constitution week is Sept. 17-23 marking its signing in 1787. It is the basic rule and rights legal framework for our free, sovereign Republic.
All public representatives of the people take the oath to uphold the founding principles in their daily duties.
Abraham Lincoln declared on Jan. 27,1838, " Let the Constitution be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges, let it be written in primers, spelling books and in almanacs, let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation." Hopefully, this would be true today some 219 years later.
The US Constitution was created for a new independent, free, educated and moral people to bring order and purpose to their Constitutional republic.
I have thought that other illegal's in the U.S. are those ,who have remained by choice, Constitutionally illiterate but are still offered the privilege of voting or hold places of public policy. In these times, sufficient funds and places of learning are ample offering opportunities for universal Constitutional literacy to be the norm. (190)
Our republic and its founding principles are being threatened on another level in that a plan/agreement/dialogue was initiated at Waco, Texas, on March 23, 2005 to create a North American Union/Community morphing the borders, economy, security concerns and a super mid US superhighway in the pact called: SPP (Security and Prosperity Partnership) of North America: Canada, Mexico and the United States.
As we inspire other peoples to create Constitutional, representative governments, let's learn and protect our own Republic.
A friend of the US Constitution,
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Hezbollah and Jesus
By Wayne Harris
Christians in America have a golden opportunity. As we watch Israel fight Hezbollah we should ask, “What would Jesus do?” This is an excellent time for those that are in the faith of Jesus Christ to let the Light of Jesus Christ shine through them. It is time to exercise our faith.
The first thing each Christian can do during this dangerous time is repent. We need to surrender ourselves to cleansing. Ask God to create in us a clean heart. Cry out to Him to renew a right spirit within us. To walk in forgiveness, purity of heart and the holiness of God will help us to view what is going on from a perspective that is not muddled by personal agendas or vendettas.
We must repent and seek forgiveness. What sins do we carry around that need to be dealt with? We need to ask God to forgive national sin. Once we have repented as a nation we can better assist other nations. On an individual basis pray that we might unite as a nation in humility, repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
As a nation we can be the greatest nation of war. We can also be the greatest nation of peacemaking. We need to walk in God’s ways. We must see through the glasses of Jesus. We need to receive our marching orders from the Lord of all.
Our faith seems childlike in comparison to what is going on in the Middle East. Yet, to follow Jesus, one would love his neighbor as himself. But how could terrorists and the Jewish state they want to annihilate possibly love one another? Try one person at a time.
As Christians we are to love our enemies, as well as our friends. This does not mean that we support evil deeds or attitudes. We love enemies with the goal of seeing them come to the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus. The love of Jesus reaches beyond national boundaries. Christ’s salvation penetrates borders. Anyone can be saved. We are not here to condemn our enemies. We are here to be used by God to rescue the perishing.
The spirit of fear grips people. This fear is a catalyst for hate. Hate inspires us to kill. This is not the way of the follower of Jesus Christ. The way of the Christian is love, forgiveness, self-sacrifice and a desire that none remain lost and in the dark.
As a Christian I choose to bless Israel. My belief is that Jesus, a Jew, came to save the lost sheep of Israel. Thus, I will proclaim the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus, by the way, died to save Gentiles from their sins, too.
Those that walk by the Spirit through faith in Jesus must emerge from the cloud of fear. We must soar above fear. We are commissioned to offer good news to our enemies. It is our mission to let them know that they do not have to be angry and full of hate. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He died to forgive and save them from their sins, just as He did for all mankind.
Politics and war make for a crazy world. Christians can help by not adding to the craziness. We need to illustrate with our lives that there is a better way.
Christians in America have a golden opportunity. As we watch Israel fight Hezbollah we should ask, “What would Jesus do?” This is an excellent time for those that are in the faith of Jesus Christ to let the Light of Jesus Christ shine through them. It is time to exercise our faith.
The first thing each Christian can do during this dangerous time is repent. We need to surrender ourselves to cleansing. Ask God to create in us a clean heart. Cry out to Him to renew a right spirit within us. To walk in forgiveness, purity of heart and the holiness of God will help us to view what is going on from a perspective that is not muddled by personal agendas or vendettas.
We must repent and seek forgiveness. What sins do we carry around that need to be dealt with? We need to ask God to forgive national sin. Once we have repented as a nation we can better assist other nations. On an individual basis pray that we might unite as a nation in humility, repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
As a nation we can be the greatest nation of war. We can also be the greatest nation of peacemaking. We need to walk in God’s ways. We must see through the glasses of Jesus. We need to receive our marching orders from the Lord of all.
Our faith seems childlike in comparison to what is going on in the Middle East. Yet, to follow Jesus, one would love his neighbor as himself. But how could terrorists and the Jewish state they want to annihilate possibly love one another? Try one person at a time.
As Christians we are to love our enemies, as well as our friends. This does not mean that we support evil deeds or attitudes. We love enemies with the goal of seeing them come to the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus. The love of Jesus reaches beyond national boundaries. Christ’s salvation penetrates borders. Anyone can be saved. We are not here to condemn our enemies. We are here to be used by God to rescue the perishing.
The spirit of fear grips people. This fear is a catalyst for hate. Hate inspires us to kill. This is not the way of the follower of Jesus Christ. The way of the Christian is love, forgiveness, self-sacrifice and a desire that none remain lost and in the dark.
As a Christian I choose to bless Israel. My belief is that Jesus, a Jew, came to save the lost sheep of Israel. Thus, I will proclaim the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus, by the way, died to save Gentiles from their sins, too.
Those that walk by the Spirit through faith in Jesus must emerge from the cloud of fear. We must soar above fear. We are commissioned to offer good news to our enemies. It is our mission to let them know that they do not have to be angry and full of hate. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He died to forgive and save them from their sins, just as He did for all mankind.
Politics and war make for a crazy world. Christians can help by not adding to the craziness. We need to illustrate with our lives that there is a better way.
Since we reap what we sow, it behooves us to sow the best seeds possible. Instead of flooding our minds with secular news that returns void within hours, let us saturate the airwaves with the Word of God. It does not return void.
Preach in the streets of the benefits of a life lived in Christ. Stand in the presence of the lost and declare the love of God by pointing to the cross at Calvary.
Stand in your living room and declare the Word of the Lord into the spiritual realm. Stir things up in the unseen realm. Begin to declare faith that the Lord God of heaven will intervene in the Middle East. Pray that His will be done.
You can be effective in this war. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!
Drop me a line at: weharris44@hotmail.com
Wayne Harris is a graduate of Mars Hill College and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree in theology . He served as a Chaplain in the U.S. Army, and is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He is a journalist for the Tribune Papers in Asheville, Hendersonville and Weaverville, North Carolina. He hosts a television program on Channel 10 in Asheville, NC, "The Wayne Harris Show". In his columns he comments on issues of the day with a biblical perspective.
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For His Glory,
Angela Wittman
(Publisher/Editor of Christian Heritage News)
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NOTE: Even though all effort is made to only publish and share solid Christian news, commentary and information, Christian Heritage News does not necessarily endorse all that you may read in the articles appearing above, or at the sites of the news providers to which you will be linked. Please use Biblical discernment. Thank you, ed.
