Download September 2008 PDF - The Institute for Creation Research

most of the evolutionists’ theories as indisputablescientific fact. And in somecases they wield scientific or academiccredentials that intimidate readers intothinking their views are the result of superiorexpertise, rather than naturalisticpresuppositions they have brought to thebiblical text. 1Not mincing words when it comes tothose who would elevate science over Scripture,MacArthur laments the drift amongevangelicals toward compromise:The evolutionary lie is so pointedly antitheticalto Christian truththat it would seem unthinkablefor evangelical Christiansto compromise with evolutionaryscience in any degree.But during the past centuryand a half of evolutionarypropaganda, evolutionists have had remarkablesuccess in getting evangelicalsto meet them halfway. Remarkably, manymodern evangelicals…have already beenconvinced that the Genesis account ofcreation is not a true historical record.Thus they have not only capitulated toevolutionary doctrine at its starting point,but they have also embraced a view thatundermines the authority of Scripture atits starting point. 2If the Bible is in fact authored by God, then those whodoubt God’s writings are burdened with proving thatscience explains the origin of life better than Scripture.This capitulation is beginning to creepinto many areas of Christian ministry. At ourseminars, Christian educators express frustrationat having to use evolution-based textbooksin their classrooms. Science materialsthat teach the Big Bang and other evolutionaryprocesses are being sold at homeschool conventions.Sunday school and Bible study materialsare sometimes laced with teachings thatfavor the Gap Theory, Theistic Evolution, ProgressiveCreation, and other hybrid attemptsto wed God and evolution within the sacredconfines of the church.Of course, this is not to suggest that theentire church has been lost to compromise.There are still many pastors who unashamedlyuphold the integrity of Scripture from theirpulpits every Sunday. But pressure is mountingon ministers to give science even more influence.Is this an issue that affects your localchurch? Consider this fact: Since 2004, nearly12,000 pastors throughout the U.S. have signeda statement rejecting the biblical doctrine ofcreation. Called “An Open Letter ConcerningReligion and Science,” it states:Within the community of Christianbelievers there are areas of dispute anddisagreement, including the proper wayto interpret Holy Scripture. While virtuallyall Christians take the Bible seriouslyand hold it to be authoritative in mattersof faith and practice, the overwhelmingmajority do not read the Bible literally, asthey would a science textbook. Many ofthe beloved stories found in the Bible—the Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah andthe ark—convey timeless truths aboutGod, human beings, and the proper relationshipbetween Creator and creationexpressed in the only form capable oftransmitting these truths from generationto generation. Religious truth is ofa different order from scientific truth. Itspurpose is not to convey scientific informationbut to transform hearts.We the undersigned, Christian clergyfrom many different traditions, believethat the timeless truths of the Bible andthe discoveries of modern science maycomfortably coexist. We believe that thetheory of evolution is a foundationalscientific truth, one that has stood up torigorous scrutiny and upon which muchof human knowledge and achievementrests. To reject this truth or totreat it as “one theory amongothers” is to deliberately embracescientific ignorance andtransmit such ignorance toour children. We believe thatamong God’s good gifts arehuman minds capable of criticalthought and that the failure to fullyemploy this gift is a rejection of the willof our Creator. To argue that God’s lovingplan of salvation for humanity precludesthe full employment of the God-given facultyof reason is to attempt to limit God, anact of hubris. We urge school board membersto preserve the integrity of the sciencecurriculum by affirming the teaching ofthe theory of evolution as a core componentof human knowledge. We ask thatscience remain science and that religionremain religion, two very different, butcomplementary, forms of truth. 3Many of these same 12,000 ministers devoteone weekend every February to exalt theperson and work of Charles Darwin, whosebirthday falls on February 12. The next “EvolutionWeekend” will be held February 13-15,2009. You can be sure that this, the celebrationof Darwin’s 200th birthday, will be the grandestevolution party ever.Perhaps it’s time to find out whether thebook stocked in your church’s pews is The Originof Species or the Holy Bible.References1. MacArthur, J. 2001. The Battle for the Beginning: The Bible onCreation and the Fall of Adam.Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson,18.2. Ibid, 25.3. For more information, visitthe Clergy Letter Projectwebsite at www.butler.edu/clergyproject/rel_evol_sun.htm.Mr. Ford is Executive Editor.SEPTEMBER 2008 • ACTS&FACTS5