Evolution and Christianity

Tim Challies had an interesting post yesterday concerning an article in a modern science magazine demonstrating why Christians, specifically conservative, evangelical Christians, should also accept the theory of Evolution.

It's an interesting article, so you should definitely read it. But also, it made me think of something. This semester, I'm taking a class on the history of medicine in America. I'm only 5 weeks into the semester, so we've really only covered medicine up until 1900. That means we haven't yet talked about any of the amazing discoveries of the 20th Century. And I must say, I'm amazed at the difference a century made.

Up until 1870, there was no understanding of bacteria or microorganisms, and sanitation. During the Civil War, the majority of deaths occurred long after the battles, when in the makeshift hospitals doctors would perform crude surgery with no sterile tools, not even washing their hands between patients. The majority of soldiers died, for both the North and South, from infections due to the lack of sanitary conditions, and from shock as a result of the lack of anesthesia during surgery and amputations.

I bring this up because of its relation to Challies' article. Mr. Challies mentions in the end of his post that the conflict is not between science and faith, but between worldviews. Just over 100 years ago, the humoral theory was the foundation of medical science throughout the entire world. This theory says that an individual's good health is the result of a perfect balance among the four humors: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. Disease occurs when the four are out of balance. So one person's headache might be the result of too much blood. Therefore, the practice of bloodletting or leeching would be exercised. Or perhaps someone's diarrhea is the result of too much yellow bile. So they would be cupped or blistered. (If you really want to know what these are, I'll tell you in the comments section.)

Now over 100 years later, we have another humoral theory. Only it's about the origins of homo sapiens. It is a theory that claims to be scientific, but contains no actual science. Prior to the 20th Century, a lot of educated people believed in humoral theory. These same people wrote in the scientific journals of the day, even using Darwinism to discount abolitionism, claiming the differece in the species for naturally selecting African-Americans for slavery.

For the theory of Evolution the fight is not over the application of "Science" or faith, but over worldviews. The theory of Evolution is not accepted because of its scientific validity, but because it is the last resort of a worldview that begins by presupposing the non-existence of a soverign God. So you can see why Challies' article is so poignant. Christians cannot compromise on Evolution, because it begins and ends with a denial of God's existence.

The Southern Baptist Primer.... Lives!!!

Stephen,

I want to follow up on a manuscript proposal you sent to Founders Press earlier this year concerning a commentary for the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. We have looked through the chapters you have submitted and we are interested in having Founders Press publish this work for you. This work has great potential to be useful in SBC churches as a way to introduce the Doctrines of Grace.

Our publication schedule for 2007 is almost full, so it may be early in 2008 before we could actually format and print the volume. We would need the files completed and submitted by September 1, 2007. This gives you almost a year to finish the chapters and make any revisions you deem necessary to the work after the first draft is complete.

Please let me know if you are still interested in proceeding with the project. Thank you for your patience this past summer. I had hoped to get final word to you sooner, but this has been one of the busiest summers I can remember.

In Christ,

Dr. Kenneth Puls
Founders Press
P.O. Box 150931
Cape Coral, FL, 33815

This is the email that I received yesterday! I had all but given up hope that anyone would even see the manuscript (examples here, here, and here) much less respond but... here we have it!

I have nothing but the utmost respect and admiration for The Founders Ministry and for Dr. Tom Ascol. To have the opportunity to participate with them in the work of re-introducing the doctrines of grace to our convention is wonderful! My heart, as is Kevin and John's, is to do whatever we can to awaken in our lives, our families', our churches' and our communities' a passion for the Truth once delivered to the saints!

Please pray for Amy and I as we work to glorify the Truth in this work!

Are You a Serious Theologian?

Jim Hamilton decided to make a list of books that every Seminary graduate (or serious theologian) should read, or be planning on reading. It is certainly a thorough, extensive library of historical and modern theology. No real heresy, though. I know that I've only managed about 5 or 6 of the required readings on the list. I've started a few others, and have always been meaning to read a few more. But, we all know how that goes. (Sigh). But take a look for yourself, get inspired and start to work today. You too can be a serious theologian!

Debate Update

So, what are the plans for this? I'm sure you've all heard the news. Where did we leave off in our discussion of attending the upcoming debate.

Also, from what I've heard, Drs. Caner are in a dilemma because, although "everyone" has been invited to the debate, provisions have only been made for the attendance of a few select thousand!!!

The Return of the King

If you haven't heard the news, then you should know that people all over the world are anxiously awaiting J.R.R. Tolkien's new book that will be published next year. That's right, you can read about it here. I don't want to be a cynic because I've been a huge Tolkien fan since I was a wee little tyke, but what I'm wondering is how much "editing" Christopher Tolkien had to do to put this book together.

The suspense is killing me...

The Weekend Review

Well, I was gone all weekend and missed all the action (not entirely sure that I missed out on all that much, but you know). I had completely forgotten about John's story. John, if you had told me, I would have covered for you. I know how Steve's bible studies are, and I understand completely why you picked the football game.
If you want to know what I was up to this weekend ( and how this picture came into existence), you can read about the catfish madness here. But, I can give you a few interesting tidbits that came across my desk so to speak. Without further ado, knock yourself out with these:




The Good:

Thanks to Timmy G. and Kyle for this one. Talk about six kinds of AWESOME! My question is, why don't more singers do this?


The Bad:

Well, this story about a Maine couple who kidnapped their daughter to get her an abortion is simply awful.


And, the Ugly:

Okay, maybe its not ugly but a shark that walks on its fins? That's pretty weird. I wonder where on the evolutionary chain that bad boy is. He seems to be getting ahead of himself.

Do You Baptize or Are You Just a Baptist?

Do you remember last week's post? I want to follow up on the thoughts that I expressed in it.

Our church has been studying The 2000 BF&M on Wednesday evening. This month we are discussing Baptism and The Lord's Supper, Article 7.

In the course of the discussion on what we believe as Baptists, it struck me that most of us are simply Baptists in name ONLY, much the same way we are church members in name only, or even Christians. What I am getting at is this: I am identified with what I do. When I drive, I am a driver, when I speak I am a speaker, or when I eat I am an eater.

Do you see what I am getting at? When we BAPTIZE we are then "Baptists"!

How many of us play the hypocrit in this area? How many would be found to actually be Baptist when most (if the statistics that I read this week are true that it takes over 85 church members to bring one convert into the church - don't get me started about what kind of convert we are talking about!) "baptists" haven't even SHARED the gospel much less been instrumental in a conversion.

In a real way we have too many bench warmers in our pews! We have too many people who simply want to wear the t-shirt without breaking the sweat. What a terrible indictment on the face of our congregations.

What a pathetic example of hypocrisy.

From The Valley of Vision:

Vain Service:

Oh My Lord,
Forgive me for serving thee in sinful ways -
- by glorifying in my own strength,
- by forcing myself to minister through necessity,
- by accepting the applause of others,
- by trusting in assumed grace and affection,
- by a faith that rests upon my hold on Christ, not on Him alone,
- by having another foundation to stand upon beside thee;
for thus I make flesh my arm.

I pray that God will grant us courage and faithfulness to actually live up to the name that we have: baptists!

Let's Throw the Word this week and really get our feet wet!

Confessions of a Reformed Christian Teenager

I'm not a teenager, and this isn't a post on Calvinism. It's a different meaning of reformed, as in a reformed criminal who spent years squandering his or her life doing meaningless, stupid, superficial activities and is now repenting and confessing their mistakes. Now you can clearly see the correlation to youth ministry.

I bring this up because I was speaking to a group of children and teenagers this last Lord's Day, and in preparation, I considered using an example of telling the truth and the effects of conviction by the Holy Spirit. I may yet use it this coming Sunday. But it concerns all three of the contributors to ThrowtheWord.com. Just keep in mind that we were all three much less mature then, and I'm absolutely certain the same actions would not be condoned today. Nevertheless, it makes great sermon fodder!

I always tell people that I grew up in an average church. Then I use that as an opportunity to explain why most "average" churches are in such derelict states, neglected by those who were once filled with the Holy Spirit, but are now devoid of that passion. (Here's a good discussion question: Could Steve's article here be a cause or effect of the state of these "average" churches?)

As far as being an American Christian Teenager™, let's just say I knew Steve Morse when he thought lock-ins were an acceptable form of youth ministry growth programs. There's still a majority who feel like constantly "doing stuff" and planning an endless string of entertaining activities constitute youth ministry. But there really is little value in a ministry that does activities for the sake of fun and games and does not seek the ultimate goal of teaching young Christians how to understand God's Word and live as a Spirit-filled disciple of Christ.


So onto the story: Several years ago, around 1998 or so, I was at a friends house watching a UT Vol's game on a Saturday night. Kevin was there, too! The problem was that at that very same time, I was supposed to be at Steve's house for a Bible Study. Actually, we had started going through this book as the right, a book on discipleship. So there I was at the party watching the game. I was feeling guilty. It was obviously the conviction of the Holy Spirit. All night long I was miserable.

Finally, everyone got hungry and so we decided to order some pizza. Somewhere along the way of deciding how much pizza to order, where to get it from, what toppings, and who was paying for it, Kevin got the brilliant idea of calling Steve to get him to order it for us, and get a "youth minister discount" so we would be able to get it at a cheaper price. While they were on the phone, Steve seemed reluctant. At some point in Kevin's argument, he mentioned that technically he could get the discount since one of his youth was present. That was me! I HAD BEEN EXPOSED!!! Anyway, I think they ended up getting the pizza, but I was devastated.

So long story short, while I don't think it was a really big deal, it was magnified by the conviction I was feeling. I left the party and went to Steve's house, and we had the bible study. In fact, it was a really good discussion about the direction the youth group was taking. (I was the only youth who showed up.)

Why would I share such an embarrassing story? I guess we could ignore the silly things we've done in the past to present the image as church leaders who always make the right decisions. But I think the best approach is to share our past mistakes for two reasons.

First, the younger generation needs to know that they're not alone in failing to always trust and follow God. I know it sounds cliché , but others can learn from our mistakes. We're only human. Nobody's perfect. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The reality is that a lot of this mess would disappear if we would face our mistakes and persuade others to honestly follow God.

The second thing that sharing our mistakes with others accomplishes is proving God's Word true. God has proven to be faithful and true through what he has accomplished in our lives in the past. He has taken us from where we were, to where we are now. And because of this, we trust Him to be true in the future. We can trace the hand of God and the truth of His Word by examining our lives, and this includes by reflecting on our prior bad decisions.

Have We TOTALLY Forgotten God? And What About Sin?

I have no problem admitting that my children are agents of depravity. They are, without any outside influence, prone to disobedience and rebellion! What they watch on DVD (Little House onf the Prairie, Disney movies, and the like), what they read (Brio, Highlights, Louis Lamour, Jack London, etc), and what they eat and do play a part in their poisoning but these things are not the sources of their infection. My children are not good, they do not seek for good, their hearts are deceitful and evil already. These outside influences simply help them to develop and groom their already illicit behavior.

In this article I found no real solutions to the problem. Read it and you will find appeals to politicians, advice on diet, and exercise. You will see a panel of teachers, doctors, authors, and psychologists calling for action before "the death of childhood." What you will not find is ANYTHING to do with parents. Outside of a reference to "real-life significant adults" there isn't a hint of the need for covenantal parenting relationships.

I, a real-life significant, covenantal parent am concerned with my children's health, their mental development, their personal satisfaction, their contentment, and their intelligence. The difference (and the solution to the problem presented in this article) is that I look to God to keep His promises (His covenant) revealed in the pages of the Holy Bible. Passages such as the one I read this morning when I got up:

"Therefore watch yourselves very carefully [Deuteronomy 4:16].... For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God [4:24]... but from there [the outworking of the sinful rebellion of the human heart] you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him [4:29]... you will return to the Lord your God and OBEY his voice for the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them [4:30-31].... to you it was shown [God's glorious sovereignty in the deliverence and salvaiton of an enslaved people], that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides Him [4:35]."

Our satisfaction, more than that, our hope, help, and our eternal destiny is caught up in this reality: God's active-present-jealous-mercy.

Do we need to monitor our children's cultural and secular intake? Absolutely!

Are we to be concerned with the "death of their childhood"? Without a doubt we need to protect their exposure to all things.

Is it because of our desire for them and their satisfied contentment? No. It is for the glory of the God who made us in His image and no amount of behavioristic interference will be able to correct the wrong that is hidden [and often revealed] in their hearts. Only God can do that. Only God can solve the problem that has poisoned our children.

Only God can actually change their heart. Only God can give them a total transplant. Someone must die for a heart to be provided. Jesus Christ, sin's antidote, has already suffered the sting of death for all who will believe! He defeated the grave and His blood is the antidote for the problem we face. Won't you believe today? Won't you stop looking to this world for the solution that only God gives?

Parents won't you trust The Heavenly Father? You will find Him if you will seek Him!

I made a mistake.

I meant to post on here about the bobcat I saw on friday, but I accidentally posted it here instead. so please go and read about how I sat within thirty feet of one of these wild cats for a while on Friday.

Do YOU Play or Are You Just On The Team?

Our identity is directly connected to what we are and what we do. In high school I could tell you if a guy was actually a football player by listening to how he answered the question. If he told me that he “played football,” I could pretty much assume that he actually played, but if he said that he was “on the football team” I was fairly certain he warmed the bench. Almost without fail, when I finally found out about his ability, the one who was a “wrestler” was different from the bench warmer who was “on the wrestling team.”

When I was in high school I wrestled and ran track. Those 2 things were my identity. My day was structured around running, jumping rope, lifting weights, wrestling, reading about running, lifting weights, wrestling, etc. Wrestling, for most of the year, was my life. Even my car tag read: WRESTLIN. If you haven’t picked up on it yet… I was a RASSLER! Plain and simple, ask anyone who knew me then and that’s how they knew me and that is how I wanted them to know me.

I am not sure how, exactly, you would’ve identified me before high school. Just like every other little boy, I struggled with what and who I was. I can hear Jason saying things like goofy, gross, or gaudy (don’t even mention lemon juice, long hair, or Miami Vice!). I struggled to learn every country music song once I found out that the coolest guy in the youth group was impressed that I knew the words to a couple of them. I grew my hair out when I noticed that the girls seemed to notice that a lot. Fortunately I never pierced anything (NEEDLES?!?!?!) but I am sure I would’ve even gotten a tattoo if it would have given me the identity that I wanted.

Then came high school and my identity. My father and his father used to talk about one of my uncles: Charlie. Charlie was the epitome of the things that seemed to impress them and I wanted, so very much, to have them talk about me that way. I NEEDED to have an identity. He was the super-high-school-athlete and every conversation between my father and grandfather included the story about how Charlie actually tied an opponent into a knot and left him out on the mat in the championship of some important tournament. If only I could hear my father talking about me that way!

That became my ultimate goal, my ultimate identity. I was going to become a wrestler and I did. I won tournaments and brought home medals. My shoulders still pop every time I move my arms due to an injury I received in my last match at the state tournament. I even went on to become a 4th degree black belt in the Korean martial art: Hapkido (which totally eclipsed any kind of idolatry that wrestling became for me, but that will have to be another blog on another day).

Now, almost 20 years later it all seems so insignificant to me. Now I am much more concerned with whether or not I “am the father” or if I am “a parent.” I am more concerned with whether I am Amy’s “husband” or her “spouse.” There are just so many other things that identify me.

Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.” Matthew 12:33 tells us that “the tree is known by its fruit.”

I want you to think about this: What is important to your identity? How do people see you? Are you an actual player or are you one of those who only signed up to get the t-shirt and then hid before the coach started practice?

Next week I want to make an interesting (I think it is anyway) connection between this line of thinking and baptism.

Carson Speaks!

D.A. Carson, in speaking of postmodernism, says:

It is fundamentally backward-looking, not forward-looking. How could it be anything else? Postmodernism defines itself most clearly in terms of what it isn't- and that inevitably means a critique of the past. It has nowhere to go, for it has no vision of the transcendent reality pulling us onward. It is all rather sad and pathetic.

Now, this isn't all that Carson has to say on postmodernism (not by a long shot!), and he finds several positive aspects of postmodernity as well (Yes, they really are there!). But this point is a valid one, and one that should remind thinking Christians that without the truth of a transcendent, sovereign God who is the standard and governor of all things, our philosophies will ultimately fail. Anything that has as its standard the individual will not function across an entire society. A Christian can approach these philosophies, and understand Truth in light of that Absolute, the Creator God of Christianity.

The sad thing is that one can take this quote, replace postmodernism with church, and it would still ring very true in most places today. And that is a shame.

- Kevin

Buy The Gagging of God by D.A. Carson
Buy Is There A Meaning In This Text? by Kevin Vanhoozer
Buy Christianity and The Postmodern Turn: Six Views Edited by Myron Penner

The Hardest Mission Field!

John came to visit a couple months ago and he joined me during my normal Tuesday/Thursday routine: visitation. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I make my rounds through several nursing homes in our area as well as to the homes of church members who do not get out much. After one of the nursing home visits I was telling John about the most difficult mission field that I have ever experienced: Senior Citizens. Either they already "know about it", "did 'something' about that years ago", or "really aren't interested in that kind of stuff anymore". I find that so depressing.

I saw this on Frank Martens' site this morning and I found myself thinking that I think I have thought this before (Think about that for a minute!). John Piper says that:

"There are few things more tragic then a Godless old person who no longer has any capacity to feel anything about spiritual reality. There's a tragedy. And you will be that if you don't avail yourself of these wonderful years. Few things are more to be feared then getting old in a frame of mind that is no longer capable of fearing hell or loving heaven."

One of my deepest longings is to find an older Christian who is deeply in love with Christ. I need to see the depth of passion that 5-7 decades of the Living Word brings. I pray that God will cause me to grow in the Love and Truth of His presence so that when I am older it will be evident that I am not of this world but am looking toward Another!

Don't Just Remember: REALLY REMEMBER!!

In our Wednesday evening study at Shellsford Baptist Church, we are studying The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. This week, actually this next month (and maybe a half), we are in Article 7: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. In my introduction to the article I considered several things that I would like to share with you, hoping that you might think about them over then coming days.

One might find it very interesting that the article describing the defining doctrine of the Southern “Baptist” Convention appears so late in The 2000 BF&M: it is Article VII(7). That is interesting, when we look at the structure of The BF&M we find the doctrines of Scripture, God, Christ, Holy Spirit, man, salvation, election, eternal security, and the church precede the doctrine of Baptism. The reason for this is that our study of these doctrines helps us to clarify and more fully understand what the doctrine of baptism stands for.

Why is that? It is because these doctrines play a fundamental role in defining us as “Christians”, which covers those essential doctrines that unite us over and above the non-essentials that tend to divide us from some of our brothers (literally in some cases) in the Presbyterian, Methodist, or Episcopalian denominations.

The term “baptist” was given to us almost 400 years ago as a derogative name for those who rejected the State Church’s instruction and legislation of infant baptism. During the last couple of centuries Baptists have become one of the largest, if not the largest denominations in the world, the negative aspect of the name has been lost, and now most Baptists are known more for their promotion of the greater doctrines of God’s Word (sadly this might become wishful thinking if we do not promote the biblical preaching/teaching of God’s Word in the face of the desire to entertain and manipulate people through the shallow pulpit ministry that is so prevalent in many Baptist churches today), evangelism, and missions, than for the fact that they immerse their members.

The picture of what baptism represents is evident throughout the Scriptures. In the lives of both Noah and Moses we see that water is an important symbol of God’s Salvation of His People through the washing away of sin and the deliverance from death.

Noah was brought through the flood. God delivered him and his family as they experienced the covering of the rain and the rising of the flood. Peter identifies this with baptism in 1 Peter 3:21-22 when he writes that “baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.” Just like the Ark of Noah carried him and his family through the water’s of God’s destructive judgment, so baptism demonstrates how Jesus, by His death and resurrection, carries us through the waters of God’s judgment of our sins.

Moses and the children of Israel, in Exodus 15, proclaimed God’s glory when He brought them safely through the water. Psalm 106 also serves as a memorial to this tremendous deliverance: ‘He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; so He led them through the depths...’ Isaiah speaks of this deliverance through the water as one of the things that God identifies Himself with in Salvation (Isaiah 63:11-14 Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people. Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock? Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. Like livestock that go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name.). Paul says that this is their “baptism” in 1 Corinthians 10:1-2 (I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.) Even David pled with the Lord to “wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin” and to wash him that he “would be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:2 & 7).

Baptism still demonstrates, in a powerful way, the glorious work of Christ in the salvation of His children, the washing away and burying of the old life and the raising up of the new life.
The second symbol that this article affirms is The Lord’s Supper. As Baptism symbolizes the work of Christ on the Cross, the Lord’s Supper memorializes it each time we partake of the bread and the wine. ‘...the communion envisioned is more than a mere mental bringing to mind of Christ’s death; it is a renewed appropriation of the spiritual benefits of Christ’s redemption represented by the elements.’[1]

There isn’t an area, at this time in my ministry, that has been more neglected than the recognition of the importance of the Lord’s Supper. We need to be so much more real in our “doing this in remembrance of me”.

We have a cemetery here at Shellsford Baptist Church. The cemetery has been around for almost (maybe even more than) 2 centuries. There are many, many bodies buried. There are family names that date back to the founding of our nation and many of those families have descendents that still live around here and decorate the gravestones on a regular basis. There is A LOT of meaning behind those decorations. People take a personal interest in the placement and upkeep of them. It is more than just checking off an item on a list of things that they want to remember. It is a memorial, a personal, intimate, fond, loving, sensitive connection to the lives of their family, their precious grandparents and parents. When they visit the tombs the actively remember their family members words, their touch, their promises, and their love. It affects them. They cry and laugh. They change their schedule and make time to remember. They get personally offended when the wind blows their flowers away from their loved ones’ graves.

This is real remembering!

We need to renew our minds in this area! We need to actively celebrate the Lord’s Supper with this mindset: that we remember His life, His words, His Works, His loving kindness towards us, His grace, His gift of life, peace and hope, His purpose, His will, and His return! We need to adjust our schedules and alter our priorities because of the personal, intimate, fond, loving, sensitive connection that transcends everything else in this world!

As modern Baptists we need to renew our understanding of these activities and work to live out the message found within them. We ought to strive to live up to our name by leading our friends and family members through the waters and to the table of the Lord’s Salvation.
We must demonstrate the same faith that led us to Christ and testify to the truth that keeps us in Christ.

[1] Reymond, Theology, page 966