Merry Christmas from the Fools!

Evolution Exposed, Exposed. Chapter 1: What is Science?

Last week I introduced this series of posts taking a look at AiG’s Evolution Exposed series of classroom reference material for the young earth creationist.   I do not intend to argue for or against young earth creationism, but rather take a critical look at some of the philosophies and claims that those of us who hold to the authority of Scripture may be tempted to endorse.   As a parent, I want to be able to answer my kids’ questions without deterring them from science as well as respond appropriately to those who may want to teach them differently.

This week we are looking at Chapter 1: What is Science and once again will be using the online guide (yes - because I’m too cheap to go out and get the real material).

What is Science?   A proper view of science is foundational to the debate raised by Evolution Exposed and a great lead-in to any discussion on the merits of science.  Unfortunately, despite the chapter title, an opportunity to properly ground the target audience in the philosophy of science from a God honoring perspective is missed.   From the opening paragraph, Chapter 1 sets up its defense of creation science by attacking mainstream science.  According to the authors, science, at least to the ‘outspoken part of the scientific community’, is the ‘systematic method of gaining knowledge about the universe by allowing only naturalistic or materialistic explanations and causes” and by this thinking, in effect rules out God.  We also learn that mainstream science has been ‘hijacked’ by those holding a materialistic worldview.  We read that it is based on faulty presuppositions and works out of a bias against God.   I want to use these three claims to frame our discussion here. 

Just believe: It's easy right?

Once again, some thoughts from Hebrews 11. This week I'm teaching on Noah and Abraham's faith, and something that I have been burdened about for a while comes up in this text.

Somewhere in Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates River, miles of miles from any ocean, Noah’s whole life was one continued concentrated prepara­tion for that which God said would happen. What would possess him to do that?? He believed God. Saving faith leads to obedience. Don’t think, as so many modern Christians do, that the faith you see in this chapter is just add on to Salvation and has nothing to do with it. That these are super saints. The faith that saves will lead to a life of obedience. Not perfection, but a measure of obedience nonetheless.

Let’s think for a minute. Let’s say God warned Noah, and he said, “Oh, ya I believe you God, that’s gonna be terrible”, but then he never built an ark. Would he have been saved? No. But this is key!!!! Why not? Was it primarily because he didn’t build the ark, or because he didn’t really believe God? It was because he didn’t really have faith.
Put it in today’s terms. Let’s say God warns someone, “If you don’t receive my son as Lord and Savior, as the one who paid the price for your sins, you will have no forgiveness of your sins, and you will face judgment for eternity. Repent and believe!” And that person says, “Oh ya, I believe you God, I’m saved, I did that back when I was a kid ya, it’s gonna be terrible”, but then their life is characterized by complete disobedience and they couldn’t care less about God. According to the example of Noah, will that person be saved?? No. Is it because they didn’t obey and love God? Not primarily, it is primarily because they didn’t have saving faith. They didn’t really believe God.

That is what this chapter is all about, because if these Hebrew Christians to whom he is writing, left following Jesus and went back to temple Jewish worship, they weren’t Christians. They never really believed. That’s why the verse right before this chapter says “But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” In other words, the evidence of authentic, real, saving faith is the fact that it presses on, it doesn’t draw back.

Praying a prayer one time, "asking Jesus into your heart", and then living for yourself is not salvation, it’s delusion, and it’s playing games with God, and it reveals the fact that you never really believed him.

I am so burdened about this, because I feel that there are so many people in our small town American Christian culture where everybody’s a "Christian", that will say, Lord, Lord, I did this in your name, and he will say, depart from me, I don’t know you. How many people have a false assurance of some prayer they prayed as a kid, or the fact that they grew up in church, or whatever, and they don’t know God. This is serious.

Noah’s faith pleased God because it was real, and that was evidenced by the fact
that he built the ark.

Evolution Exposed, Exposed 1

Any discussion on faith and reason will inevitably engage itself into the thick of the creation wars. The battle at times slips into the courtroom but largely finds itself in the arena of the classroom. In one corner is the young earth creationist. Refusing to acknowledge Curious George as his long lost brother, he demonizes widely accepted claims of science in order to protect his Genesis model. In the other corner, the smug evolutionist. Full of confidence, reason, and himself, he spews an onslaught of verbal vitriol aimed at tearing apart the faith of all those who refuse to bow to Science. Okay, so that's a bit dramatic. Truth is, the spectrum between the extremes is filled with both good Christians and good scientists. But, as it often seems, it's the outlying fundamentalists from both camps that tend to have the biggest mouths. One such mouth is Answers in Genesis. In an effort to equip Christian high school students for battle against the Evil Evolution Empire, AiG has published Evolution Exposed in both a Biology and Earth Sciences edition. Intended as a reference guide to be used in the classroom, Evolution Exposed takes aim at four of the most popular high school biology books by summarizing key sections of each textbook while exposing evolution indoctrination throughout and highlighting inconsistencies in their presentation of evolution concepts as appropriate. The evolution debunking cheat sheet even comes complete with questions the students can ask teachers concerning the ideas presented in class.

Since Young Earth Creationism is mostly assumed and not often looked at critically in our circles, I'd like to take a few posts to review the Evolution Exposed on-line guide here on Fools with the hope that it will generate some healthy discussion (even its just among our 3 readers).

A few questions to consider for now.
What do you think? Is this something you'd like to have for your teenager as he engages with his high school science curriculum?
Do you think tactics like this impedes the development of young scientists? (The best way to fight indoctrination by the 'system' is to teach kids to think reasonably for themselves tell them what to think and how to express it - Really?)
Does the faith of Bible believing Christians need protecting?, and if so, does this help?

Depraved Indifference

Smitty, Fitzy, this clears it up a bit, doesn't it.
Thank you Sarah for sending me the link.

The Church's Purpose? Outreach or Each Other

In Smitty's recent post, "Luxury liner...", the point was made very well that Christians are not redeemed so that they can live a life of comfort and security, but rather radical sacrifice for the glory of Christ and the good of others. I agree, and was provoked in my own heart after reading the post.

However, there is an important distinction that is crucial. Krook touched on this and I felt like it deserved a post. Is outreach the purpose of the collective body of Christ? Is the primary objective of the assembly and life of the group of believers in the local church to provide for the needs of others, or is there a different objective for the church's existence? Is being salt and light the purpose of the church (collectively), or of the Christian (as an individual)? Maybe the reason that Christians are, in many cases in America, living lives of comfort with indifference toward the world is precisely because the church is not performing its primary function, which is not outreach, but discipleship, teaching doctrine, exhorting, building up, etc. (Eph. 4) What do you think? Should the church (as a group) be more concerned with outreach, each other, both??

Foolish news, 12/1 edition

Here are some not-so-noteworthy news stories that briefly grabbed my short attention span today.

If you watched any of the NFL highlights from this past weekend, no doubt you saw Buffalo Bills WR Steve Johnsons drop of a perfectly thrown ball in the end zone that would have clinched an OT victory over the highly favored Steelers.  In the post-game press conference, he shared his devastation from the podium,

"I'll never get over it. Never. The Buffalo Bills will get over it. I'll never get over it.''  While in the car yesterday, on one of the Moody radio programs, the hosts and callers were talking about a recent Tweet put out by the WR.  I only heard bits and pieces of the conversation, but the discussion seemed to be on whether or not this Steve Johnson is a believer and what he met by his Tweet.    Was he really blaming God for his gaffe?  After seeing the tweet, and reading the rest of his recent posts, I think the radio hosts should have done more background due diligence.  Here is his tweet page.  What do you think?  I tend to think that if King David tweeted, that some of the Psalms may look a bit like this.  Also of note, check out Kurt Warner's tweets of encouragement here, here, and here.

In lieu of our recent conversations on faith and reason, check out this billboard paid for by the American Atheists. 

Just one more, seems like the guys at AiG are planning to one-up their Creation Museum with an all out Noah's Ark themed amusement park.  Aside from the fact that an amusement park is going to be themed on the last time God obliterated the earth and all but a few of its inhabitants, this makes me a bit uneasy - but that's just me.  What do you think about a creationism themed amusement park?