3By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
And, then skipping down a few verses, we read:6But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
There is an attempt in our culture to separate faith from science, and faith from reason. And, I don't think that's what these verses are saying at all. We recognize that no one currently on earth was around at the time of the beginning of the world, so we have to rely on reports. The Bible is an incredibly reliable report for us, and if we believe that God's Word is true, then we can consider that events unfolded as He said. There is also an abundance of scientific evidence that points to design, so this information can serve to strengthen our position. We walk by faith, but fortunately, it's not a blind faith - and we can, using the tools of science and the human mind, think and reason together about the existence of God and the evidence of His creation.
When I think about engage the culture with Biblical truth, one instance from Scripture that comes to mind is found in Acts 17, as Paul addresses the men of Athens at Mars Hill. Here's a portion of the passage:
22Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;23for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:24God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.25Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
A new poll has been released by Pew's Religion and Public Life Project about the creation-evolution issue. In it, 6-in-10 respondents indicated a belief in evolution over time, while 33 percent who believe that humans have existed in their present form since the beginning.
The Christian Post quotes the Pew organization as saying that, "...many Americans believe that God or a supreme being played a role in the process of evolution. Indeed, roughly a quarter of adults (24 percent) say that 'a supreme being guided the evolution of living things for the purpose of creating humans and other life in the form it exists today.'"
The Pew survey also found that 64 percent of white evangelical Protestants believed that humans have existed in their present form since the beginning, with 50 percent of black Protestants and only 15 percent of white mainline Protestants agreeing.
Ken Ham, president of the creationist group, Answers in Genesis, told the Post that he felt the Pew findings were "definitely an indication of where people stand in regard to the issue of creation-evolution."
"America has had a lot of conservative Christian background and there's still a very big remnant of conservative Christianity in this nation," said Ham.
Now, there were a couple of things that stood out to me about the Pew Survey. For one thing, there was not definition of evolution - just the general term was used, without a distinction, that I can tell, about whether respondents were talking about changes within species, or the theorized, even fantasized change from one species to another. There was also not a report about how belief in God factored into the answers given by those who related that they believed that humans have existed in their present form since the beginning.
A Gallup poll from 2012 had a clearer picture of people's view of God in the topic area of origins. In it, 46% said that God created humans in their present form, 32% of respondents said that humans developed over millions of years, but God guided the process, and only 15% believed in evolution, without the hand of God. Only 15% believe in a so-called "Godless" evolution, according to Gallup. You could also conclude from Pew that significant numbers of people hold to a view that includes God in the equation.
When asked about what was needed to reverse the trend found by Pew regarding belief in evolution, Ham responded that there were two major issues that needed to be tackled.
Ham said that he felt "there's a censorship" that needs to be overcome in public schools, "secular journals," and television wherein the creation science viewpoint is disallowed.
He also commented that to combat the censorship of creation science, the Creation Museum will begin offering free admission to children younger than 12, starting next year.
Ham also told the Christian Post that another way to reverse the trend noted by Pew is to "reach more of the church to get the church to turn around."
"So many Christian leaders, so many church leaders, so many pastors, so many Christian academics have actually adopted evolutionary ideas," said Ham, adding that, "we need a concerted effort" to combat "the compromises."
Well, Ken Ham is doing his part, through Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum. And, he's announced a debate with noted evolutionist Bill Nye, "The Science Guy". It will take place at the Museum on February 4th and the stated topic is, “Is creation a viable model of origins in today’s modern scientific era?”
Ham says that, "Having the opportunity to hold a cordial but spirited debate with such a well-known personality who is admired by so many young people will help bring the creation/evolution issue to the attention of many more people, including youngsters.”
Ham added, “I hope to show Mr. Nye and our debate audience that observational science confirms the scientific accuracy of the Genesis account of origins, not evolution.”
Well, that's cool, and we can be encouraged by Ken's willingness to step forward and present the clear scientific evidence that supports the Christian worldview perspective. But, it's not just the Ken Hams of the world that are called to reasonably defend the faith - we are each called to present the evidence for God and to share our testimony of His hand in our lives. That is why the upcoming SALT apologetics conference is so important - you will hear from noted experts who will challenge and equip you to be able to engage in conversation with those who do not know or follow Christ. It's coming up January 18 and 19 at First Baptist Montgomery, and you can get more information at our website at www.faithradio.org.
We also recognize that the integration of God into the subject of origins is not a losing position - there are those that would want to eliminate the concept of a Creator or Designer from the discussion of our origins, but there is apparently still a strong belief in God's hand in how we came to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment