Darwin: Kill the Sacred Cow

How scientific views about the age of the earth affect all this discussion? I'm going to spend very little time on this because we can get into a whole other subject. this debate arose partly because of a guy named Archbishop Usher who argued that he could determine from the Bible that human beings were created and the earth was created in the year 4004 B.C. And if you have a Schofield Bible, you can read your Schofield Bible, and Archbishop Usher says that. The way he did that is he went back and looked at all the genealogies of Scripture, and he took all the years and worked back to Adam and Eve were created.

I think he had it down to October of 4004 B.C. He was very precise.

There is difficulty with that because when you get to some of those genealogies where the Hebrew word says so-and-so was the son of so-and-so, as so-and-so was the father of so-and-so, that Hebrew word for father can mean simply ancestor, and the word for son can mean descendant. So in some of those genealogies, we may not have a father to an immediate son, but we may have key people, somebody who was an ancestor, and then another person many centuries later who was called a son of someone. David is sometimes called the son of Abraham, but King David came many centuries later after Abraham. So that's one problem with what Archbishop Usher says. There are other theories that have been set forth that may make some of his thinking inappropriate, and I think there's no real concern here about the age of the earth for Christians.

the earth real old or is it young relatively young darwinian evolutionists have to have a real real real old earth christians i will i will say my view is i don't think this is an issue that on which christianity has to stand or fall and there's several reasons for that let me give you some of these theories and i think you'll see why let me say this before i give you this don't always scientists tell you, though, about the age of the earth. Some of the processes they use for determining age become very suspect when you get farther and farther back. Carbon dating may not be that accurate after several thousand years. The radioactivity of materials can be affected by a number of issues. So let's be careful that we don't automatically buy what the scientists claim.

But I'm not versed enough to be able to address that, so I'm not going to today. But just, we've already learned you need to raise your antennae up when somebody dogmatically asserts something from the scientific world and says, well, everybody knows this is true. That's when your antennae ought to go to the ceiling. The gap theory. The gap theory says this.

There was an undefined period of time between Genesis 1-1 and Genesis 1-2. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was without form and void, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the earth. Well, for how long did the earth remain? How much time elapsed from Genesis 1-1 to Genesis 1-2? How long did the earth remain unformed and void before God said, Let there be light?

So this gap theory says there could have been a very long period of time from the time the earth was actually created, period of time that it remained unformed and void, and that period of time is difficult for us. We just don't know what it is. It could have been a very long time. The flood theory says, you know, the earth may be really relatively young, but you know, we had a catastrophic flood in Noah's day, something we have never seen before or since, and the effects of that catastrophic flood may have caused this earth that is relatively young to look old, older than it actually is. So it's difficult for us to account for exactly how old the earth is, but let's recognize the flood may have done something to make a relatively young earth look a lot older than it really is.

Another view is this. It's called either the mature earth theory or the ideal time theory. Let me ask you this question. was Adam when God created him.

It doesn't ever say, I don't think, but the sense seems to be he was created as an adult. So when, if that's true, so when Adam was really one second old, he looked like he was 30 or 40 years old. That God may have created things mature.

so that in one sense Adam was one second old but he looked like he was much older and the same may be true those who hold to this mature earth theory say maybe God created a mature earth when he created the trees and so forth he didn't have seeds in the ground he created trees that were only a second old when they were created They looked much older. And maybe the same is true with the earth. The earth was created mature. One other theory is the age day theory. And this goes to the meaning of the Hebrew word for day in Genesis 1.

The Hebrew word is yom, Y-O-M, yom.

That word often means a 24-hour day in Scripture. But it can mean a period of time or an era of time or an epoch of time. So how long did it take God to do creation on the first yom or first day? It took whatever period of time yom was.

That could have been, according to those who hold to the age day theory, maybe that word yom here means an epoch of time or an era of time, a possible meaning of that word.

Now, let's be quick to add, God could have easily done it in six 24-hour days. Once you admit God and his sovereignty and his power, you don't need a long period of time for that sovereign power to create something, but maybe he created in a series of acts over a longer period of time. He says, let there be light. There's a period of time that passes, and then he takes the next day of creation of creation does everybody understand these and you see how these different views can affect this issue of the age of the earth and the christian view about the age of the earth but you will sometimes hear very strident arguments about whether the earth is old or relatively young i do not think as christians who accept the authority of scripture that we necessarily have earth or an old earth because I think it's possible to be consistent with scripture and hold either of those views. Now I think DNA stuff may help us learn some about how old humanity is and when I think there is is is increasing evidence for a younger earth view but I don't think we need to be dogmatic about that because I don't think scripture gives us a basis for dogmatism on it whether you agree with me or not everybody understand the points i'm making nod some heads or raise a hand and ask me a question okay well what does genesis teach about creation what to what must christians hold who accept and i'm when i say that word christian i'm i'm meaning it as people who hold to the authority of scripture as as any christian should those though today some bear the name of Christ who don't.

But today we're talking about Christians who hold to the authority of Scripture. What does Genesis teach about creation? Here are several things, and I'm going to contend and press today that all of us should hold to these truths from the creation account. Number one, there is a creator, and his name is God. anyone who holds to a naturalistic worldview that is a view that that all there is is what you see that there is nothing beyond this stuff this created order anyone who holds that view holds a view that is inconsistent with scripture scripture is clear unequivocally clear that there is a God who rules over and outside of this created order. He is the creator. We call him God.

Elohim is the Hebrew word in that first Genesis 1.1. In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth. When did creation occur? My answer is the biblical answer. In the beginning. That's when creation occurred. Let's don't try to date it. Let's just take the biblical date. In the All that God made was good, at least as originally made.

It was all good. D, this is important, I think. According to the scriptures, God created each animal, quote, according to its kind. Let me just read you part of the scriptures directly. The great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds.

Every ringed bird he made, according to its kind. The living creatures, according to their kinds. The wild animals, according to their kinds. The livestock, according to their kinds. All the creatures that move along the ground, according to their kinds.

Now, why did I stop to make that point?

I think it is very difficult to take this notion that God made all of these animals according to their kind, according to their kind, and then take the Darwinian view that, well, it all really, we all started in some primordial soup and became these things. It seems pretty clear from Scripture that God made the different kinds of animals after their own kind at the beginning. At the beginning. So I don't want to press Scripture to say more than it says, but it seems very difficult to me to take this according to its kind language and make Darwinian evolution fit with a biblical view about creation. E. God created human beings and I'm going to give you a series of words about what Genesis says about the creation of human beings he created them consciously he created human beings intentionally he created human beings purposefully he created human beings in his image he created human beings as his highest act of creation he created human beings to rule over the animals and he created human beings to be fruitful and multiply on the earth let me just read Genesis 1 26 to 28 then God said let us make man in our image in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.

So God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created him. Male and female, he created them. Both men and women, males and females, were created in the image of God. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number.

Fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. and over every living creature that moves on the ground. That is a beautiful passage.

Because we are made in his image. We are not animals. I do not care what anyone else says. We are not animals. I must confess, when I began thinking about, at the beginning of the year, teaching this series of lessons on Darwinianism, this because I know I was taught back in biology back in in high school that we are part of the animal kingdom and it was almost a revelation to me that in the 1800s naturalists separated us out and we weren't part of the animal kingdom we were a human kingdom we were separate we are not animals but you read the literature and see how often we are referred to as just another animal that starts to change your view of yourself and your view of how we ought to treat one another i submit we are not animals we are made in the image of the creator of the universe that means we have intelligence that means we have capacity to love like he loves we have capacity to do the things that he does, creative things.

Now, not to the same degree he does, but we have intelligence and creativity and so forth. The purpose of the created order is to glorify God. Everything that was made, all that has life and breath, was designed for one purpose, ultimately, to glorify God. The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands. Whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God, Paul says.

That's why we're here, to glorify him. Well, what are some dangers we need to avoid in this debate regarding Darwinism? There may be others, but here are some of my concerns. Dangers for us as Christians to avoid. Being sucked into a naturalistic worldview.

We are so soaked in Darwinian thinking, it seeps in everywhere that we find ourselves being sucked into it and thinking this naturalistic worldview that this is all there is and that how we got to be here has to be some natural explanation as opposed to some supernatural explanation. The second danger is thinking the central battle is between genuine science and religion. It is not. The battle is between two different philosophies of life. When the scientist holds to naturalism and says that in the beginning it was just a primordial soup, it's a religion.

It's his philosophy. The battle is between naturalism and theism, between a view that the natural order is all there is and a view that says there is a creator who's outside the natural order. That is the battleground between two philosophies, and they cannot be synthesized. They are at odds with one another. One says there is a creator, God.

The other says there is not.

The third danger is to allow science to be our modern-day idol. Science does not hold all answers. It's good, rightly used, but many worship at its altar slavishly as if it gives us all answers to all things we need to know. It does not. Fourthly, accepting without careful examination the dogmatic assertions of scientists.

My daughter gets National Geographic magazine, many great articles in that magazine.

But folks, it's without debate or even an acknowledgement that there's an issue. This notion of Darwinian evolution is almost as if it's law. It's an axiom. There's no room for debate on it in some of these publications. Let's examine the dogmatic assertions of scientists.

Let's just ask them to be good scientists, not philosophers.

let's say i grew up in greer show me the proof i like to kick the tires and check out the motor don't expect me just to accept your word that it's true buying into the view that human beings are just another animal hogwash holding dogmatically to views that are not clearly taught in scripture Some Christians have fallen into this trap.

The creation account is very cryptic. It's very to the point. It doesn't give us a lot of details. What it does give, we should hold as true. But let's be careful that we don't get on a dogmatic point that is not clearly taught in Scripture and require everybody else to believe that in order to be Christian.

requires that we be careful in our study and analysis of scripture. Next, another danger is failing to understand that it is a privilege and joy to be among the persecuted.

You know, it's tough to be told you're not intellectual, you can't think well, you're just, you know, that F word that they use about us, the F word, you're just a fundamentalist, you know.

persecution is part of the you can't separate being a Christian from persecution I don't think ultimately

but let's not whine about it you know Christians whine too much you know whine about what the courts are doing and I'm not saying we shouldn't have our say and our opportunity to be heard but let's don't whine about it what do we expect it's a lost and pagan world

so let's not cry in our tea when people don't see it our way let's just say well that's the way God said it would be you know who's surprised about that blessed are you when you are persecuted because of righteousness but let's be sure the persecution comes because of righteousness and not because we're mean-spirited because of righteousness what does it go on to say rejoice Rejoice him, be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. So when you get persecuted, just tell whoever's persecuting you, thank you so much. It helps me know I'm among the redeemed.

Lack of courage is a danger. You know, it's tough. I don't know the circles you walk in. And I know the circles I walk in to even raise the notion that you disagree with the Darwinian evolution is to immediately subject one to a little laughter. And it takes a little intestinal fortitude, a little courage to stand with your feet planted squarely and your shoulders up and your head up and say, I stand here with the king.

So laugh all you want.

Sometimes we tuck our tails and run too quickly as Christians. I think we need to be, there's a danger to view ourselves as less intellectual because we believe in the divine creator as taught in the Bible. Sometimes we think, oh, they've got all the intellect on their side.

Hogwash. don't you know i think there's a danger to try to purge all teaching of evolution you know you see people showing up you know let's get it out of the schools let's go to school boards and so forth i think it that ends up working against christians usually my concern is is not to purge the teaching of evolution my goal is to let's be sure we examine it fully let's teach more about it including the problems that darwin himself says it had how many times uh have we had fairly Darwin raised as the problems of evolution. Now he thought he could answer those problems, but Darwin was at least honest enough to say, here's some real potential problems with my theory. You don't hear that much today. So let's don't say let's get rid of the teaching of evolution because it has been a major influence in our culture, but let's just be sure first we're teaching our children, let's give them some ammunition that they can use, and let's be sure we're asking people to teach the full range of it. How many of you in church before this series of lessons have had a series of lessons in a church setting where the time was taken to examine this view we call Darwinianism? You see, I think the churches have dropped the ball. A view of life to be dealt with, I think, in church settings.

So let's get educated and so we can help people see the full view. Next, let's be careful of believing that if we get people to embrace the view that there was an intelligent designer that we have done all we need to do with that person. A person can hold to intelligent design and still be lost as can be. We need them not only to embrace the notion of an intelligent designer, we need them to embrace Christ, who is the only hope of salvation. And lastly, a danger is being harsh and mean-spirited toward those who do not accept biblical truth.

We need to learn, and it's hard sometimes when somebody is attacking something you hold so sacredly and so dearly, to respond with measured words, thoughtful words, kind words but let's remember they're lost their eyes are blinded their hearts are blinded so let's with gentleness as paul says and persuasion help them to see the truth but let's not get angry and spitting mad that doesn't honor god well the question is is it time to slaughter the sacred cow we're to that point in this series of lessons let me ask the question what i mean the sacred cow the sacred cow is not science which rightly used is good the sacred cow is not what we sometimes call micro evolution or the notion that certain types of animals and we ourselves are very adaptive to our circumstances the sacred cow is the slavish adherence to the teachings of naturalism that says that all there is is what we see. The sacred cow is the slavish adherence to the teachings of Darwin who teaches this notion of macro evolution that for instance human beings were first at one time fish and then somehow became amphibians and then somehow became marsupials and then somehow became apes and then somehow became what we are. That's the sacred cow at which so many of the intellectual elite worship. Well, before I answer the question, is it time to slaughter the sacred cow? I want to ask, is Darwinian evolution consistent with reality as taught in the scriptures?

Listen to my contrast between what Darwin teaches and what I submit the Bible teaches. Darwin says there are two kingdoms, animal and plant. I submit the Bible teaches there are four. The animal kingdom, the plant kingdom, the human kingdom, and what other kingdom? The heavenly kingdom.

Never forget the heavenly kingdom. Darwin says we were designed by chance. The Bible says we were designed by God. Darwin says humans were produced by an unthinking, impersonal process called natural selection. The Bible teaches we were created by God's intelligent and purposeful act.

Darwin teaches that the appearance of humans was not part of an intentional plan. The Bible records God saying, let us make in our image that wonder we call man. Darwin teaches that females in certain races are inferior. The Bible says God created all in his image. No one, no one, no one is inferior.

Darwin teaches that if we want to understand our origin, we should look down. The Bible says if you want to know from which you came, you need to look up. Darwin teaches that we are but a little higher than the apes. the Bible teaches that we are a little lower than the angels of heaven who are in the presence of God. Darwin says that nature is king.

The Bible says that the God who made nature, he is king. Darwin teaches that what you see is all that there is. The Bible teaches that there is a glory that is yet unseen. Darwin teaches that the strong shall survive. the Bible says it is the meek who shall inherit the earth.

Darwin teaches the notion of God is but a human invention. The Bible teaches that one who holds such a view is nothing but a fool. Darwin believed that when you die there is no more. The Bible teaches that Darwin now knows better.

Darwin did not accept the view that in Christ there is new life the Bible teaches that if you wish to live you better find the door so is it time to slaughter the sacred cow here's my answer there is no need you see the cow is already dead we just haven't yet had the funeral but it's coming coming. It's coming. The philosophy of Marx crumbled, it seems, almost overnight because it was built on ill-founded foundations. It is my prediction that the theory, the hypothesis, the speculation of Darwin will crumble as well because it too is built on an untenable and false foundation. so if you would take a darwinist to lunch ask him to look into your eye and ask him to explain how this unthinking unguided process made such a miraculous organ of the body and if you will as you go out into this culture will you stand straight and tall and ask people to look to the heavens and to hear those words of Psalm 19, the heavens are declaring the glory of God.

And it is my prayer that there will be a continuing refrain that will see a new rebirth.

It is God who made the heavens and the earth. It is God who made the heavens and the earth. It is God who made the heavens and the earth. Lord this day we honor you because you have honored us you have made us in your image may we claim that truth and may we seek in that image you have made us in to glorify and honor your name in all that we do and in all that we say may we be agents for change in a culture that is often so close to the truth May we be agents of light in a world that is often so dark. It is my prayer that many will see him who is the light and will one day, one day be with us in glory, worshiping him who created it all.

For it is in Christ's name we pray. Amen.