Last night at youth we discussed impact of our worldview in interpreting scientific evidence. A participant in the conversation bravely asked something like, "Can you be a Christian and still believe in evolution?" Though many young people in our group go to Christian private schools, belief in Darwinian evolution is largely believed and advocated by teachers and students alike. I explained God has allowed a wide latitude of beliefs and practices among His people, and a belief in evolution does not strip anyone of their position as a follower of Christ. The grave concern I have for all who do so is their willingness to substitute the ideas and philosophies of men for the plain Word of God.
Evolutionary thinking is not the problem here. The issue at stake is the authority of the Bible. I have never heard anyone use the Bible to remotely prove their case for evolutionary theory - because evolutionary theory did not arise from the scripture. Still some make room for it, explaining away plain passages as metaphorical in the first 11 chapters of Genesis. IF it is God's Word, let it be God's Word without apology. Let the Word of God speak for itself, even if all the learned men and women disagree with it. If the Bible contains the words of life, woe to us if we deny them! There are deep philosophical and personal reasons for people to deny the existence of God and the veracity of God's Word, but let no follower of Jesus be named among them. This kowtowing to oppositions of science (1 Timothy 6:20) is a disgrace to God and does Him dishonour.
Can you be a genuine Christian and believe in evolution? Sure, just like you can be a born-again Christian and a scientist. Following Jesus and a keen interest in science are not mutually exclusive, for God is the One revealed by scripture who made men with minds who have freedom to choose. Yet there is an erosion in the church and in Christian schools where evolution is no longer a theory, select portions of the Bible explained away as myths and fables, and God is not really necessary. Brothers and sisters, humanistic and naturalistic philosophy and the denial of scripture has been a virtual millstone which has dragged countless down to hell, and I will (God help me!) stand on the divinely inspired Word of God without fear.
Luke 3:28 (written by a doctor, by the way) traces the ancestry of Jesus Christ all the way back to Adam, the man God created from the dust of the ground and breathed into a living soul. Paul spoke several times of Adam, as did Jude. This is clear evidence one cannot intelligently chalk Adam's existence up to myths and fables - whilst claiming the Bible is the Word of God! Again, the issue isn't evolution, the age of the universe, the moral morass which seems to plague society, or the use of figurative language: the core issue is a devaluing of God's Word where men (men who profess Christ) twist and distort the Bible to accommodate themselves. The world doesn't care for the Bible anyway: why change it to suit their unbelief?
Evolutionary thinking is not the problem here. The issue at stake is the authority of the Bible. I have never heard anyone use the Bible to remotely prove their case for evolutionary theory - because evolutionary theory did not arise from the scripture. Still some make room for it, explaining away plain passages as metaphorical in the first 11 chapters of Genesis. IF it is God's Word, let it be God's Word without apology. Let the Word of God speak for itself, even if all the learned men and women disagree with it. If the Bible contains the words of life, woe to us if we deny them! There are deep philosophical and personal reasons for people to deny the existence of God and the veracity of God's Word, but let no follower of Jesus be named among them. This kowtowing to oppositions of science (1 Timothy 6:20) is a disgrace to God and does Him dishonour.
Can you be a genuine Christian and believe in evolution? Sure, just like you can be a born-again Christian and a scientist. Following Jesus and a keen interest in science are not mutually exclusive, for God is the One revealed by scripture who made men with minds who have freedom to choose. Yet there is an erosion in the church and in Christian schools where evolution is no longer a theory, select portions of the Bible explained away as myths and fables, and God is not really necessary. Brothers and sisters, humanistic and naturalistic philosophy and the denial of scripture has been a virtual millstone which has dragged countless down to hell, and I will (God help me!) stand on the divinely inspired Word of God without fear.
Luke 3:28 (written by a doctor, by the way) traces the ancestry of Jesus Christ all the way back to Adam, the man God created from the dust of the ground and breathed into a living soul. Paul spoke several times of Adam, as did Jude. This is clear evidence one cannot intelligently chalk Adam's existence up to myths and fables - whilst claiming the Bible is the Word of God! Again, the issue isn't evolution, the age of the universe, the moral morass which seems to plague society, or the use of figurative language: the core issue is a devaluing of God's Word where men (men who profess Christ) twist and distort the Bible to accommodate themselves. The world doesn't care for the Bible anyway: why change it to suit their unbelief?
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