A CHRISTIAN DECLARATION

And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” – Matthew 22:20-21

The Season of Advent, a new year on the Christian calendar, has come. A time of preparation, consecration, devotion and praise! Our Savior first came to take on our human flesh and blood as an infant, a baby conceived in his mother’s womb by the Holy Spirit, and began an earthly journey that led to his death as a sacrifice on a Roman cross. It is a story that we contemplate every year while the days grow short and the night grows long. Then, in the darkest night of the Northern hemisphere, we celebrate the birth of our hope. Yes, we know that Jesus’ actual birth date was not established by the Church until the 5th century and many scholars place it more likely in the early fall of our year. Others hold fast to the 25th of December in spite of the Roman celebration of Saturnalia which it replaced. Either way, however, it remains symbolic of a turning from darkness to light in the Nativity of our Lord.

Many in our day and in our culture and around the world see again a darkness coming over the world in which we live. It is not a new darkness, but one that cycles throughout human history when morality becomes increasingly and universally more corrupt; when governments grow more intolerant of individual freedom and the free expression of religious faith; when economies decline and lives are lost in poverty and disease and war and terrorist acts. In times like these Christians look up, knowing that our redemption is near. But we must not use that wonderful assurance, we know to be true, as reason for passive resistance when we have been given the means for humanities sake to act responsibly. For as sure as God has given us the Gospel in His Son Jesus Christ, releasing us forever from the bondage and decay of the world; He has also through divine providence given us systems of governance rooted in his Law by which we have access in civil matters to voice our objections and concerns so that right and reasonable laws prevail.

Over the last several months a new Christian declaration has been formed and signed by Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:

1. the sanctity of human life

2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife

3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

Their website at ManhattanDeclaration.org says the following:

Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

It seems to me that in the darkness, as we proclaim the Light who came into our world, the above referenced declaration gives honor and meaning to the Christian faith given to us in our baptism. May you have a blessed Advent and Christmas Season, and at the same time consider your declaration for the sake of our culture. Look up the Manhattan one, read it and if you agree, sign it on line. I did, what about you?

Merry Christmas,

Pastor PJ

INQUIRING MINDS

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. – 1 Peter 1:8-9

If you read history you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. - C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Inquiring minds want to know. Is there a God who made heaven and earth and everything in it? Is there a final accounting for the life of man? Is there a life after this one where we can look forward to being in a better place? Is there a Redeemer who can save us from our deserved fate in death and give us hope that we have not lived in vain? Sadly, according to Lewis, not many are inquisitive of such things. It is more characteristic of our age to live in ignorance of such questions. The result of which is not only detrimental to the soul, but a cause of deterioration in present affairs.

Where are the minds today who like Peter found inquiry regarding the truth and value of eternal matters both beneficial to one’s present state of being but filled with hope for the outcome of life? They exist, to be sure. Otherwise Christianity would have died completely out long ago, Thanks be to the Word of God which continues to yield its benefit to inquirers of our generation. But trends in our culture of the West and specifically for us, America, leave us concerned. Not for the salvation of faithful inquirers guided by the Holy Spirit through the Word giving faith of our Fathers, but for those who lack interest in such things: Those in our own families, those in our neighborhoods, in our nation, in our government, our media and our schools of learning. How ineffective we have become, overall, and even in the Church to an extent, that Gospel redeeming influence is not making the impact we believe it should.

It is time for us to awaken, to be inquisitive about things that really matter, to ask tough questions and seek real answers pertaining to real and permanent things. It is time to take the Gospel seriously, not just in agreement but in dialogue, in the exchange of thoughts and intentions of the heart pleasing to our Heavenly Father. And this should be done in thanksgiving and expectation with demonstrated love where it counts. For only when Christians thinking of the other world are asking God what He would have us do in this one, will there be effectiveness in all aspects of life.

The believer, who truly knows where he or she is going, when their numbered days are completed and can rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, will make a difference. With Christ at our side, having redeemed us by his blood on the Cross, we will continue our inquiry of those around us, encouraging them with the Word to find the answers for themselves. This is our calling; this is our purpose.

SOMETHING ABOUT OCTOBER

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” - Ecclesiates 3:1

I love October! Something about the change in climate, the change of season, the change in people when things cool down but don’t get too cold. It’s a beautiful time of year with the color of the leaves and the crispness that fills the sky. The interests of people also take on the flavor of football weekends, baseball playoffs and, in the south especially, the NASCAR Chase.

October is a particularly meaningful time in the church as well. Schools have been session since August, routines for families have been reestablished, vacation absences have subsided and worship attendance starts climbing again in anticipation of holidays soon to come. For us Lutherans we again focus on Reformation themes and our annual remembrance of Martin Luther’s 16th Century contributions to the faith and emphasis on Holy Scripture and salvation by grace alone.

To be sure Christmas and Easter, scripturally understood, concentrate on the major events in the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But October gives its own opportunity for grateful observance of our salvation’s cause in the Person of God’s Son, while in the midst of more ordinary activities connecting our daily Christian lives. It is a time when our faith is exercised in the more normal things of daily life without dependence on the trappings of secularized holiday observance. It is a time to walk and work as followers of Jesus among our neighbors and friends while enjoying the contribution of sports, schools and social activities to our culture. It is a time to live and work, worship and play, all in thankfulness to our Creator and Lord.

It is a beautiful time! Enjoy it and be glad!

The Darwin-Luther Connection

This article by Dr. Ken A. Ham, is printed with permission from “For the Life of the World,” published quarterly by Concordia Theological Seminary Press, 6600 North Clinton Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46825.

Whether it’s liberal theology, evolutionism, the age of the earth, or moral issues (e.g., abortion and gay marriage), these are all ultimately battles over the same issue. In 2 Corinthians 11:3, the Apostle Paul warns us about an ever-present danger: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Paul, in essence, is warning Christians that there will be efforts to seduce people away from a simple devotion to Christ and His Word.

To understand this text better, we need to go back to Genesis 3:1: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say . . . ?’ ”

From the beginning, the battle was over the authority of the Word of God. The first woman, Eve, followed by her husband, Adam, gave in to the temptation not to take God at His Word. Instead, he relied on his human reason to determine truth. All his descendants inherited a sinful nature that would be prone to refuse to take God at His Word, and instead they would make human reason their supreme authority.

This battle against God’s Word has manifested itself in every era of history. This year, Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday is being celebrated, along with the 150th anniversary of his work On the Origin of Species. More than ever, secularists are using evolution to attack the reliability of the Bible.

On every side the Apostle Paul faced skeptics who questioned the clear proclamation of God’s Word. The early church faced several challenges to the authority of the Scriptures, including Gnosticism, which taught that man was his own god.
In the sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences for forgiveness of sin and release from purgatory marked a climax in the elevation of human thinking above God’s Word. Luther nailed his 95 theses to the Wittenberg Church door, challenging such indulgences. This act sparked a debate about whether the Bible or the church is the ultimate authority, and it essentially began the Reformation.

The battle against God’s Word did not cease, as a series of men and events sought to undo the positive effects of the Reformation. Behind these attacks was an effort to make human reason supreme and steer people away from the authority of the Word of God. It was another manifestation of Satan’s attack in Genesis 3:1.

In the 1800s, new speculation about the age of the earth and the evolution of life raised questions about the accuracy of the Bible. The growing doubts gained international attention at the 1925 Scopes evolution trial. The trial marked a symbolic turning point in Christendom and in American society. The media reported that Christians could not adequately defend Genesis. In the decades that followed, increasing compromise about biblical authority in Genesis 1–11 has made the church so weak that the Bible no longer impacts the culture as it once did. The Bible’s influence is largely gone because the church has allowed human reason (including Darwinian thinking) to invade the church and push aside God’s Word.

Today a new reformation is needed. It’s time for a new generation of reformers to stand up and call the church back to trust in God’s Word where it is most under attack: the history of Genesis. Apologetics ministries, including the new Creation Museum, have already issued the call to turn away from the opinions of fallible men like Darwin and stand firmly on the entire Bible.
Believers need to nail Genesis 1–11 on church doors across America! And as we take God at His Word, we can then watch the power of His Word transform lives and influence the culture. Christians should be praying that the Lord will rebuild the foundations of His house that shifted from the firm ground of His Word because of the works of people like Charles Darwin.

Dr. Ken Ham is the founder and president of Answers in Genesis-USA and the high-tech Creation Museum near Cincinnati, Ohio. He has authored or co-authored many books concerning the authority and accuracy of God’s Word and the effects of evolutionary thinking, including the just released Already Gone and the bestselling The Lie: Evolution.

BIBLE STORIES OR FACTS?

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. – 2 Timothy 4:3-4

What is happening to our youth in the church today? Or, we might ask, “Where are the youth in the church today?” Several recent studies have been addressing various aspects of these questions, but perhaps the overall problem is, “where is the Christian Church headed today?” The Hartford Institute for Religion Research drew some conclusions about the younger age of those who attend Megachurches, but pointed to the fact that most give little support to the church’s ministries. At the same time younger adults are more drawn to the large-scale, professional, high tech contemporary worship and the variety of activities they offer. Another study by the Pew Research Center highlighted the major differences in points of view of younger people and older people today. Claiming that the generation gap is now the largest since the 1960s, their survey showed disagreements over lifestyle, views on family, relationships and the importance of religion among other things. No big surprise there if one simply gauges the cultural trends of the day. And then there is an article in the Wall Street Journal last month titled “Why Sunday Schools Are Closing,” which describes the diminishing impact a movement little more than 200 years old is now having on the Church’s youngest.

Against these publically reported findings, comes another even more important study in the book “Already Gone – Why your kids will quit church and what you can do to stop it” by Ken Ham & Britt Beemer with Todd Hilliard. Analyzing a survey of 1000 young people in their 20s who had attended church nearly every Sunday in their youth, but no longer or only on holidays continued to attend, Ken discovered some extremely insightful comparisons. One amazing find was that those who earlier had attended both Sunday School and church were more likely than those with only church attendance to have greater doubts about the truth and authority of Holy Scripture. They were also more likely to accept premarital sex, gay marriage and abortion and less likely to view the church with favor. What a contrast to an expected outcome for youth raised with regular attendance in Sunday School.

One might conclude from these results that a reduction in Sunday School participation can only lead to improvement, but if they are going to leave the church anyway that seems to be a fatalistic approach. No, Ken Ham is rather encouraging and I would urge you to read the whole book which may be obtained from www.answersingenesis.org, a great source for many materials that support the authenticity and authority of God’s Holy Word. But the root of the problem in Ken’s analysis is the lack of authoritative and competent teaching which leads to doubts about the Bible as an accurate, dependable and historically valid record of God’s creation and ultimate loving and fulfilled plan for the redemption of Fallen Man through the person and merits of Jesus Christ. By teaching “Bible Truths” instead of “Bible Stories,” and substantiating the facts as presented in God’s inerrant Word, even in age appropriate ways, it is Ken Ham’s and my belief that we may see the trend reversed. And regardless, we will at least be more faithful in the commission of our task. It begins with Genesis, for if we can’t defend God’s first revelation about Himself how can we insist on the whole truth of Scripture without “undermining every single thing that we say.” (p.90)

Yes, we preach Christ Crucified, about trusting Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and life everlasting, but we also defend the Word, live by the Word and stand on the Word without compromise. Does this come through to our children in Sunday School and in Church so that they are prepared when they face the doubters and naysayers in their maturing years? The Bible is not a collection of stories, often equated to myth, but is a factual accounting of God’s revealed knowledge to guide us on the path of life—to the Life.

PENTECOST WHAT?

“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; ... and you shall teach them to your sons...”-Deuteronomy 11:18,19

June is a very key month of the year. It is the beginning of mid-year for the calendar of the church. The church has now passed through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent and Easter, all within a six month period emphasizing the great historic and biblical themes about Christ’s birth, death, resurrection and ascension. We now enter the second half of the year, with all six-months under the Season known as Pentecost. We count the Sundays after the Sunday of the Holy Trinity (June 7th this year) as Sundays after Pentecost until we complete our cycle of annual worship.

But for many, it seems, the church year has ended with Pentecost Sunday May 31st. They’ve done their duty, they’ve been faithful throughout the important stuff of the year, like Christmas and Easter, and they’ve been fairly good with their attendance while the kids have been in school. Now its time for a break--a six month long break, except for dropping in occasionally. Or maybe only a three month break, since the kids will be in school again in September.

Of course, summer is a time for vacations and it is a beautiful time to enjoy the sunshine and the outdoors. And most people still have to work through most of the summer, but weekends are a good time to take it easy. Church may not seem to be much of a priority anyway—the choirs don’t sing and there aren’t any major celebrations to attract our attention. So why go to Church and Sunday School, at least so often, in the Season of Pentecost?

Pentecost, however, is as important for Christian worship as all five of the shorter seasons which precede it. In fact the wisdom of the church calendar is reflected in the length of time given to the Season of Pentecost. Such a period and frequency of worship is needed to give adequate balance to the climatic message of the Kingdom of God in Christ upon which we have been so dramatically focused until now.

The themes of Pentecost are as important to our Christian lives as those of Advent and Easter because now we look at our response to the Gospel. Have we been affected by the great truths of God’s Word which we have heard and experienced? Are the vivid images of our Savior’s incarnation and crucifixion imprinted deeply on our hearts and minds so that we carry them with us throughout the year? Does the miracle of the resurrection mean enough to us that we want to celebrate it every Lord’s Day?

The importance of every Sunday in June, July and August lies in the messages and themes that the Season of Pentecost offers. The color of the paraments in the church during this time is green, to signify our growth in the Christian life that has been won for us on the Cross. Our preaching will concentrate on how our lives may be empowered by the Holy Spirit, as were those of the early church under the ministry of the apostles. These lessons are indeed too important for the Christian to ignore or to gloss over just because it is summer time.

We hope this lesson in the meaning of Pentecost for the remainder of the church year will give you added incentive to keep your worship in the fellowship of your church alive and well this summer. For it is a time of refreshing in the wisdom of the Lord when we come together on these quiet Sunday mornings in Pentecost and let our hearts listen to God in the faith we have received.

WITH NO APOLOGY

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. – 1 Peter 3:15

Easter has passed, though the season is still with us until Pentecost, the last Sunday in May this year. And so we might expect the critics and doubters of Christianity, who come out of the woodwork spoofing and scoffing at our faith in Jesus’ Incarnation and Resurrection, to crawl back until next year. But increasingly it is not to be. Our current decade has seen growing opposition in all forms of media. There seems to be a crusade against historic beliefs subscribed by the Bible and any trust in its accuracy or dependability as the revealed and inerrant Word of God.

For the most part Christians have taken Peter’s advice as only offering passive resistance. We can all wait for someone to ask us personally, which they rarely do, meanwhile doing little to defend our faith except to react negatively upon hearing of an attack. Yet the first part of Peter’s admonition goes unheeded by the large majority of the faithful, which is to “always be prepared.”
This is perhaps most critical among those closest to us – our children, families and friends. A lack of emphasis on why we believe the Bible to be true, and an inadequate understanding of why it is defensible, can easily be communicated as not being of great importance to our faith. And unless our faith, and its subjective qualities, is grounded in objective reality and substance we will be weak witnesses to it. We may even inadvertently be giving support to ideas that are contrary to Scripture and truth.

Recent reports that the percentage of self-identified Christians in America has fallen by 10 points in two decades (Newsweek, April 2005) combine with a survey showing only 55% of American Christians having a strong view of the Bible (Barna.org) to give us cause for waking up in the Church. The progressive liberal education, political correctness and pervading influence of materialism and naturalistic philosophies over several centuries are having an accelerated effect upon our culture and its Christian population.

But can we with “gentleness and respect” defend our position and even perhaps regain some credibility in the public square? Of the first question our answer should be a resounding yes, of the second who knows? But that isn’t our main concern; rather that we not only know what we believe but be able to give a credible answer to why we believe it and why our faith is supportable by rational and factual evidence. In other words, why we know the Bible is true in what it says about the origins of the universe and mankind, how it got spoiled in the Garden, God’s plan to redeem mankind from sin and the fulfillment of that plan through the Cross and our assurance of Christ’s resurrection guaranteeing eternal life to faithful believers in Jesus Christ.

We can begin by studying the Bible as a whole and understanding how this most amazing collection of Scripture has been given to us, the reliability of its human and divine authorship, and its history of transmission through prophets, kings, apostles and Christian pastors and teachers over thousands of years. For if we use the knowledge available to us and to anyone willing to consider it honestly and we know well the Bible’s story, then with guidance by the Holy Spirit and God’s wisdom we will be prepared to give our answer with reason and respect—and without apology!

Consider the effect of those first century Christians, convinced of Jesus’ Bodily Resurrection and the complete reliability of God’s Word. They turned the world upside down and history confirms that they and their followers did. Think what may happen if just American Christians having a strong view of the Bible increased from half to three-quarters or more. Nevertheless, may God’s will be done—with no apology!

CELEBRATING CREATION

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. – 1Corinthians 15:22

Celebrating Easter, celebrating Spring, celebrating Creation – what do they all share? So much it is worth our contemplation as we enter April this year of our Lord 2009. And we certainly need something to celebrate this year amid all the doom and gloom that has set in for our country and our time in the world. The apostle Paul said it best, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8) When better to apply such encouragement than now as we prepare to enter Holy Week on Palm Sunday, April 5th.

Celebrating Easter may come a little harder for some this year. So much negativity in the air it’s difficult to manage that positive outlook that Easter usually brings. But then we think about Jesus rising from the tomb overcoming death and proving that God’s love for us is still intact and our confidence is restored. Not in earthly things, but the things that ultimately matter most in life, things worthy of praise. Truly, the Resurrection of our Lord is cause to celebrate and to be given our thanks. Here we have reason for joy in our hearts to replace our sorrow for having our sins covered by the Blood of Jesus who died for them on the Cross.

Celebrating Spring has its way of lifting us up, if only after a rather dismal winter with waves of cold temperatures and a few storms we watched pass through with concern. Seeing the greening of trees and grass and the flowering of fields and gardens renews our appreciation that some things return with regularity. This gives us hope that the same may hold for the economy and the American way. Winter for these may be more long-lasting, but nature’s springtime offers some respite to our outlook as we hope for a better future for our children and for coming generations.

Celebrating Creation is also appropriate in a time when God’s divine providence in making the universe and all it contains is given less credence than it deserves and demands. Celebrating Creation has much in common with both Easter and Spring. All are about new life, all are about God’s power and love, and all give us hope of redemption and purpose. Celebrating Creation doesn’t mean to worship the thing created, but to worship the Creator for the fact and evidence of his creating hand over all the eye can see. When we do this on the basis of God’s Word, for He is the only one who can tell us about it—He was there!—then we are giving Him honor, glory and praise. When God completed creation in the beginning as Genesis tells us, He saw everything he had made and behold it was very good!

When we celebrate Spring by thanking God for restoring life that had lain dormant through winter we again recognize his goodness in all that He has made. And when we celebrate Easter by coming to our places of worship praising God for raising his beloved Son Jesus from the dead, we are again acknowledging his goodness to us. The Resurrection of our Lord declares the power of God to make all things new. Not only the newness of Spring and not only our newness of life in the Spirit through our baptism and God given faith, a new creation itself, but a new heaven and new earth in the promise of God at the final resurrection when we will be like Jesus.Truly we have much to celebrate and much to think about when it comes to Creation, Spring and especially Easter. Let us then rejoice in all our Creator has done for us. Happy Easter!!!

WORSHIP

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. -Psalm 84:10

One of my favorite comments that I occasionally hear is when someone says they appreciate our worship services or that worshiping with us was an enriching experience for them. It is refreshing and encouraging to know that our offering is recognized as giving support to the worship of God’s people in our Sunday services.

Trinity’s regular worship preserves the traditional liturgical heritage of the Lutheran Church. Our form follows to a large degree from Martin Luther who reformed the Mass to ensure biblically sound teaching at the foundation of our faith. Luther, however, didn’t just have one “liturgy” but developed variations suitable to the season and to the contemporary needs of the church. Putting worship into the language of the people was one of his major contributions. Yet Luther was conservative in his approach, wanting to keep that which was beneficial for the heart, mind and soul, rather than making radical changes. Worship was to retain the dynamic sense of God’s presence and to raise people up to the appreciation of his holiness and grace. Participation of the laity was encouraged and hymn singing became as important as liturgical expression.

Central to Lutheran worship are the Scriptures. The opening prayers and absolution follow the Scriptures in form and content. The Introit which welcomes our Lord to our worship is derived from the Psalms. The Kyrie is our cry for the Lord’s help in all the needs of our earthly life, again biblical. The Hymn of Praise (Gloria in Excelsis) reflects the heavenly praise of God’s angels and saints gathered in his holy presence as we will one day experience before the eternal throne of Christ. We are transported to the mountain top and there we listen to God’s Word in the Scriptures and the Sermon of the Day. The Sacrament of the Altar invites our participation in holy communion with the saints of heaven and earth as we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord according to biblical and historical practice. Our worship is completed with prayers, anthems, hymns and spiritual songs as we make melody with our hearts to the Lord.

There is ample room within the form for refreshing variation in style and content, that our worship not become stale or only a rote offering of the flesh. Special services during Lent, Thanksgiving and Christmas also give us opportunities to experience different forms. Our choir and special music add substantially to every form and service, giving us joyful worship experiences to strengthen our daily walk with the Lord.

Some churches have given over completely to other styles of worship (usually called “contemporary”). Others have offered alternatives. Some of these have merit in attempting to reach the unchurched. Sometimes the rich heritage of Lutheran liturgical worship is discarded by the wayside. Our approach doesn’t satisfy everyone, but attempts to retain what is good yet with freedom to enjoy a variety of worship expression. We seek to enrich your worship experience without getting in the way of your meeting the Lord in the process. Sometimes we may succeed. Where we are lacking we pray for God’s guidance and direction. Above all, it is Him we seek to please and to serve. Yet it is for your sake’s that it is important we try. Please feel free to speak to your pastor with your thoughts on our worship practice and above all do not forsake coming as often as possible to worship our Lord together with us.

May we always continue to grow up into Him who is our Head, Jesus our Savior and Lord of all.

150 YEARS OF MISGUIDED SCIENCE

"Darwin Day is a global celebration of science and reason held on or around Feb. 12, the birthday anniversary of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. This year marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth."

Thus states the Institute for Humanist Studies website for organizing celebration events in memory of Charles Darwin and his instrumental work On the Origin of Species first published in 1859. Answers In Genesis, a Biblical Creationist organization, in their January-March issue of Answers magazine encourages all Christians to dig a little deeper in their understanding of the issues and evidence regarding the “science” of evolution that itself has evolved since Darwin’s theoretical propositions. This emphasis is particularly important at present in view of the growing indoctrination in our public media, schools and government at all levels and in every area affecting our knowledge and beliefs.

We are seeing more and more a hardening against anyone who holds to the necessity of a Creator or who incorporates a belief in the Bible into their views on scientific evidence and the origin of life or species thereof. Increasingly anyone who criticizes Evolution of its essential validity, despite many weaknesses and unsupported conclusions, is considered ignorant, fanatic and out of touch with reality. All true scientists, it is claimed, accept the general theory as unquestionable and voices to the contrary are rightly subject to ridicule.
The basic tenets of Evolution are that science can only deal with nature and matter and these can only be evaluated in terms of time, chance and Nature’s laws. Good enough, but the overriding bias that we see today is the importance of eliminating God or the possibility of an outside intelligence in the equation at all. In effect for all practical purposes Evolution has become a faith based universal religion that is not to be questioned.

However, on the other side the Christian should know that they are being maneuvered into a corner, they are being dismissed as irrelevant and that even their values are being questioned and in many cases discarded. The victims will be our children and grandchildren, if not including ourselves. The most significant evidence of this is the effect on national policies favoring abortion of unborn children and embryonic stem-cell research.

Yes, the Christian community, i.e.: people in our churches, need to wake up, dig in and try to understand the issues and the facts concerning the glorifying celebrations they will be hearing about in this Year of Commemoration for Charles Darwin. There are scientific disputes by true and legitimate scientists who disagree with Evolution’s consensus. There are alternative scientific theories of beginnings and the development of life on our planet that do not contradict Christian beliefs and the Bible that supports them. But you will not hear much about them, either in public media, our schools or institutions of government. You will have to dig for it – but its there and in abundance. Just remember, if you hear only part of the evidence and believe it you have been indoctrinated. But if you examine all the evidence and then you make a decision, you have been taught.