God, Evolution, & You... (researched)

Why is evolution pushed as true and authentic? Do you really, I mean do you really believe you evolved from an ape? Next thing you know, that ape evolved into another ape, and so on and so forth. Why are scientists and philosophers so convinced that there is no God and evolution is legit? From a well researched perspective, I just may have an answer. 

Now we even have numerous Christians who see evolution as authentic and true. Are they right? The second most conversed upon genre within the doctrine of God, behind the Trinity is the doctrine surrounding “God and Creation.” It begs the questions of “Where did we come from?” and “How did we get here?” Academia has been one of the avenging culprits, alluding to evolution over creationism, science over Scripture. However, evolutionary theory is just one of an array of theories proclaiming origin decisiveness. Dualism as a theory of origins takes various forms, but the fundamental idea of dualism is that there exist two distinct, coeternal, self-existent principles.¹ These are God and matter. One of the basic maxims of this sort of theory is ex nihilo nihil fit (“from nothing comes nothing”).² Rather, God must be coeternal with matter so there is something to work with as he frames the world.³ Notable philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle held to this theory, as well as Gnostics Basilides and Valentinus. According to the Zoroastrian variation of this view, matter is not necessarily negative and imperfect, for it is the creation of the good being.⁴ This general form of dualism also explains evil in a way that doesn’t attribute it to God or the good spirit.⁵ So, from a dualistic perspective, God needs matter in order to fully be God, for he lacks divine providence over matter. Then there is the gaining exposure of the “gap theory.”

The gap theory was founded in 1814 by minister Thomas Chalmers. Chalmers decided that because science has spoken, and what it said must be accepted as true, it then was necessary to modify the Bible to make it agree with science.⁶ Chalmers suggested that a large gap of time passed between the first two verses of Genesis 1.⁷ This supposed accounted for “the heavens and earth being created,” and suddenly “the earth being formless and void with darkness covering the face of the deep.” This gap of time could account for both an old earth for the evolutionists and a more recent six-day creation for the creationist.⁸ Yet, evolution is inconsistent with any other portion of biblical text. Additionally, this theory implies a pre-Adamic race or creation that became lost to darkness; nowhere in Scripture is that emphasized. So this theory stands alone, apart from this Genesis 1 interpretation. Then there are emanation theories which are extremely pantheistic. Hence, the One or “God” is part of all that is.⁹ Though, as mentioned earlier, the grandest culprit used within the world of academia is evolution.

Evolution is in direct opposition to biblical creation. But there are those claiming these are of like minds. There are the theistic evolutionists. Theistic evolution teaches that God initiated the original creation process and then used the life-and-death struggle of natural selection’s proverbial survival of the fittest to complete the job.¹⁰ Then there are the day/age theorists. Advocates of the day/age theory believe that life evolved over billions of years.¹¹ And similar to theistic evolution, God guided evolution through evidences such as the geologic column and fossil records. Although the nuts and bolts of this controversy is between only two theories: Naturalistic evolution and creationism. Naturalistic evolutionists claim that the origin and development of the universe can be explained in entirely natural terms in virtue of purely natural laws operating over natural phenomena.¹² Many are unaware of the two diverse forms of evolution––micro and macro. Micro-evolution is the change within species.¹³ On the other hand, macro-evolution claims that the processes described also resulted in changes from one species to another, ultimately culminating in human beings.¹⁴

The macro-evolution present disturbing accounts such as humanity evolving from apes or common birds forming into dinosaurs. As to the origin and development of life, evolution says that from nonliving matter there ultimately resulted a living cell capable of reproducing itself.¹⁵ Contrary to every evolutionary theory is the biblical form of creation. Biblical theists have invariably held that God created the universe and all its contents.¹⁶ Creationists hold to ex nihilo indicating a miraculous creation. Creation out of nothing means creation despite the absolute absence of anything. ¹⁷ Implying this, God is sovereign, even over matter and science. Herein is where much of the controversy lies. Most evolutionists are atheists or share some form of agnosticism. And the thought of God agitates them. But the thought of a God that transcends what they worship, which is science and the ego of their superior knowledge within it, infuriates and belittles them. Instead of getting upset, they should surrender to a God of this magnitude that cares deeply about them, so much so to redeem their souls.             

_______________________

Bibliography:

Feinberg, John S. No One Like Him. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001.

Hindson, Ed and Ergun Caner, The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics. Eugene, OR:

Harvest House Publishers, 2008.

_______________________

1 John S. Feinberg, No One Like Him. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001), 541.

            2 Ibid.

            3 Ibid.

            4 Ibid.

            5 Ibid.

            6 Ed Hindson and Ergun Caner, The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics. (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2008), 155.

            7 Ibid.

            8 Ibid.

            9 Feinberg, No One Like Him, 543.

            10 Hindson and Caner, The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, 154.

            11 Ibid., 156.

            12 Feinberg, No One Like Him, 543.

            13 Ibid.

            14 Ibid., 544.

            15 Ibid.

            16 Ibid., 548.

            17 Ibid., 552.

JESUS: "Bad for Business...?"

What are churches here for? "Churches are here to minister to people, right? Maybe, they're here to reach the lost for salvation? Okay, I got it; they're here to feed the poor and house the homeless, right?" Unfortunately, many of today's local churches are more focused on big business, like a McDonald's or Wal-Mart (going after that 'almighty dollar')! "What? Mark, no way, churches could care less about big business." I wish I was wrong, but sadly it's true.

Before I go on any further; note, I love the church and am a grateful member of it. I've been involved in church ministry for nearly 20 years, highly involved in some leading churches/Christian organizations and see how far we've came. But also I'm not blind to much of what today's church has leaned toward following after. Let me give you some examples:

The McChurch Movement

Charles Colson's 1994 book The Body, which describes a McChurch that the author attended in Japan. The author also uses the term "Hot Tub Religion" to express the same sentiment.

Dan Schaeffer's article "McChurch" in the 2002 issue of the Christian-themed Plain Truth Magazine. Schaeffer states that many Christian churches have "gone Las Vegas" in order to grow their congregations.

Maine State Representative Stan Moody's 2006 book McChurched which describes a pervasive consumerism in the evangelical Christian community. Moody, a Democrat, attributes this sentiment to the incorporation of Republican pro-capitalist influence into the religious community.

The CEO Movement

Megachurches tend to have a powerful charismatic leader. They tend to be centralized, concentrating authority at the top. The founders’ tenures average over fifteen years and there is great dependence on their personalities. These leaders preside over large staffs of up to 250 full-time employees. The pastor of one mega-church had the following to say about the organizational structure of these mammoth churches, “These are not just churches; they are also corporations.” The pastors of many of these huge churches consider themselves CEOs. ("Multiplying in the Megachurch?"). Crossbooks.com. 2011-09-29. (http://www.amazon.com/dp/1462706703/ref=tsm_1_fb_lk.)

Megachurch services tend to be highly choreographed and music features prominently in services. "Given the congregation’s size, this service cannot be left to ‘the flow of the spirit,’ especially if there are multiple services on a Sunday morning …As a mega-church grows, worship becomes more professional and polished, but also more planned and structured.” ("Exploring the Megachurch Phenomena: Their characteristics and cultural context").  

The Seeker-friendly Movement

A common criticism of megachurches is that they draw members away from other churches. This has led to use of the derisive term, "big box churches". From a National Congregations Study from Cumalative Dataset, the majority of North American church-goers attend small churches of fewer than 200 members.

Critics of megachurches claim that such churches are more concerned with entertainment than religion (http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2006/sep/17/long-reach-of-a-big-church/). Al Sharpton has claimed that such churches focus on personal morality issues while ignoring social justice.

Businessweek reported---Critics have also raised issues with the application of secular business models, e.g., from Wal-Mart; a seeker-friendly approach, intensive market research, heavy reliance upon opinion polls, polished advertising targeted at affluent young professionals, unconventional worship styles and Eastern influences. ("Earthly Empire:How evangelical churches are borrowing from the business playbook")-Business Week.

Goodness, that was a mouthful! It's clear to see that the McChurch, CEO and seeker-friendly approaches have business written all over them. So when did the local church become a business? When did things become all about appeasing clientele, establishing corporations, adjusting profit-margins and recruiting numbers?

Now, I do realize, there is a balance to this equation. No one is indicating to not prepare for growth. Or, a church can't offset their fiscal woes with sound business practices. Just take out time to check out the many leading universities, prep-schools, charities, hospitals and (dare I say) businesses started and still run by churches. And many of these are doing a greater good for the nation and world as a whole. But still there just may be too much of a business focus implied. When we become more concerned about building our local church empire instead of surrendering to the Holy Spirit's leading, that's a problem!

God didn't call us to manipulate numbers, become advertising salesmen for our local church or sweet-talk new recruits into joining the ranks. Really, it's NOT about us (period). The sooner we get that, the better! Let me leave you with a last thought based on some Biblical approaches. (Mark 11:15-19, Luke 8:43-48, Acts 16:16-24) in each one of these scenarios, Jesus was bad for business. And He didn't mind business practices, until it started to become the primary focus. Keep business where it belongs, solely in the background and not leading the ministry God has so preciously graced you with.

An Ear-full

Well, last week was one of the roughest weeks I had in a long time. First, I started off with a stomach virus from something I ate. That virus lasted about 2 days. Next, I was victim to the flu. Following that, I had a lingering fever with a touch of Laryngitis (a severly sore throat). And just when I thought everything was over, I was hit with an ear infection. The ear infection was so bad that it kept me up for almost 3 days. By the way, it's still lingering even as I write this blog post. But it is quickly fading as of late. So I had to search out what went wrong so horribly that I had to endure a week as severe as this one. The answer was discomforting. I was told that this was normal, especially for children. Not only that, the earache probably was the cultprit that started everything else into motion. And trying to wrongly treat it may have led to the other ills. The solution was mainly simple rest, that's all---REST. Earaches and ear infections (especially to the middle ear--where the eardrum is located) can cause the eardrum to deteriorate from something as simple as the flu and grow back healthy after the old and swollen eardrum (from excessive mucus) is fused out through eardrop medication, antibiotics, and other treatments---such as simple rest. Also, I learned that stress, diet, and a lack of temperture control to the environment could add to these ailments.

What's more interesting is the fact that God puts so much emphasis on the ear. Matthew 11:15, Revelation 2:7, and Revelation 3:22 all place strong focus on those who have an ear should hear what the Spirit is saying. I finally get it..."God was wanting for me to slow down and simply rest." He was pretty clear about it. He also wanted me to begin paying even more attention to Him on a continual basis---something I thought that I was already doing enough of. If anything got my attention this week, that certainly did. But, enough about me,..."What about you?" What has God allowed in your life as an ATTENTION GETTER? My advice would be to start noticing Him even more and listening to His direction. It's NEVER too late!

Finally, Saying Something...!

People argue that God has given you 2 ears and only 1 mouth so you're suppose to listen twice as much as you speak. But, Christians should speak when they truly have something pertinent to say that can save a life, change a heart, or renew a mind.

"WISE people speak because they have something to say; FOOLS speak because they have to say something...!" There's a distinct difference.

I have been running my mouth for as long as I could remember. I come from a family of talkers, so I got it honest. I've often heard this statement from many editorial platforms:

"Everyone has a right to speak, but not everyone has a right to be heard."

I desire to definitely be one saying something WORTH hearing. I have sought this stance over the years and gained somewhat of a reputation as an individual with something to say, especially when it comes to Godly matters. Fortunately, I've had a good track record within this area of teaching. Evidently, God has graced me with a voice not merely for melodious song but for Biblical instruction. More importantly, I'm just a mouthpiece for God's glory and you can be one too. Just allow God to touch your heart in an undeniable way and get across to others how that simple touch has transformed your life for the better.

Dying to Live...!

We all have to be cognizant of the fact that life isn't forever, and one day death may come knocking at our door. But, one's focus shouldn't so much be overwhelmed by the thought of death or it's inevitability. Rather, one's focus should be saturated with life and that abundantly.

So, how does one come to know life in that way-ABUNDANTLY?

Is it through countless parties, a special significant other, downing multiple amounts of booze, or some other vice? Or, is it through centering one's focus around themselves coupled with accomplishments and accolades? Okay, I got it...it must be through accumulating a lot of cash $$$$$.

Unfortunately, neither one of these things bring forth a life that's truly abundant from the inside out.

Only God brings that type of life to a longing soul/heart. He wants you "dying to live"...
As we continue on within this blog, one will eventually find what this whole concept of dying to live fully entails.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey!