Adam's Lost Dream

Behemoth & Leviathan

2011-12-28T20:34:00.007-06:00

Was Behemoth an elephant or a hippo? Was Leviathan a crocodile? The Lord describes these creatures in Job 40 and 41.

The 1959 scifi movie The Giant Behemoth from the UK got it right – this creature was a dino! The film can be seen here. In the story, paleontologist Dr. Samson says, “I knew these creatures [dinos] were alive somewhere.”

The Apologetics Study Bible suggests that Behemoth may have been a buffalo, dino, rhino or hippo, but says that the hippo is the “most likely” identification. [1] It even points out the tail being like a cedar! This reference Bible favors the crocodile as being the Leviathan.

The NIV Study Bible claims that the description of Leviathan’s fire-breathing abilities (Job 41:18-21) is “highly figurative, exaggerated poetic imagery.” [2] In contrast, we read this account from 1685 with the title A True Relation of the Dreadful Combat between More of More Hall and the Dragon of Wantley [3]:

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK) says the following about the Behemoth:

Perhaps an extinct dinosaur, maybe a Diplodocus or Brachiosaurus, the exact meaning is unknown. Some translate as elephant or hippopotamus but from the description in Job 40:15-24, this is patently absurd.

Carl Sagan (d. 1996), host of the PBS Cosmos series, made this startling admission:

Is it possible that dragons [dinos] posed a problem for our protohuman ancestors of a few million years ago, and that the terror they evoked and the deaths they caused helped bring about the evolution of human intelligence? … Could there have been manlike creatures who actually encountered Tyrannosaurus rex? Could there have been dinosaurs that escaped the extinctions in the late Cretaceous Period? Could the pervasive dreams and common fears of “monsters,” … be evolutionary vestiges of quite adaptive baboon-like responses to dragons and owls? ... [4]

Sagan’s last interview may be found here.

Here are fascinating firsthand accounts of Mkele Mbembe (a small dino) from the History Channel.

There’s nothing on this earth quite like him [Leviathan], not an ounce of fear in that creature! He surveys all the high and mighty - king of the ocean, king of the deep! Job answered GOD: I’m convinced: You can do anything and everything. Nothing and no one can upset your plans (Job 41:33 – 42:2, Message).

Notes:

1) The Apologetics Study Bible ed. by Ted Cabal (Holman, Nashville, TN, 2007), p. 781.
2) The NIV Study Bible ed. by Kenneth Barker (Zonderven, Grand Rapids, MI, 1995), p. 770.
3) British Dragons by Jacqueline Simpson (Wordsworth Editions, London, 2001, orig. pub. 1980), pp. 147, 150.
4) The Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan (Ballantine Books, NYC, 1977), pp. 150, 151.

Ross is Boss? – Noah’s Flood

2011-10-29T15:51:00.002-05:00

Once upon a deep time there was a Wise Man from the land of Roz. Little Hank wanted to know where babies come from and sought out the Wise Man of Roz. The Wise Man said babies come from the cabbage patch and are delivered to eager families by storks. Hank understood from the Bible the children were a blessing from God that came after a husband and wife “knew” each other (Ge 1:24, 4:1, 25; cf. 2 Sam. 11:3-5, 26, 27). The Wise Man had read the Big Book of Science and suggested that Hank had misread the Scriptures. Psalm 127:3-5 compares children with arrows. Well, arrows have feathers at the end – could they be stork feathers? The word for “lovingkindness” in Ps. 51:1 is hesed – the root of this word relates to a stork which is very kind and compassionate to its young. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance regarding his immoral relationship with Bathsheba. Maybe the stork really did bring the baby! …

Hugh Ross of Reasons To Believe (RTB) thinks that the traditional view regarding the Global Flood is wrong since he uncritically accepts the supposed hundred of millions of years of the Geologic Column. RTB has been rebuffed by certain Christian colleges because they “accept the scientific evidence for the age of the Earth …” [1] Ross claims that traditional creationists are “demeaning science.” Ross should reject mainstream dating methods and Old Earth Fallacies (OEF). Cheng Yeng Hung, who has been published in Transactions, Geophysical Union, has proposed a dating model that takes into account the affect of the groundwater stream. Based on Hung’s adjustment, the Uranium-Lead dating of the earth should be 220K years. [2]

According to Flood Geology opponent Davis Young, paleontologist Timothy Heaton “interprets Ross’ mixture of empirical data and Scripture as an arbitrary blend of science and religion …” [3] Young observes, “… the scientific approach to knowledge is invariably and unavoidably subservient to each scientist’s religious worldview” [4] Ross is stuck in OEF and refuses to see the validating evidence for Young Earth Science (YES).

Ross has a new video on the Global Flood, In the Days of Noah, where he makes the case for a local flood. He presents a map of the Roman Empire to show that “the world” does not mean the entire globe (note: he misses Hadrian’s Wall and has Ireland under Roman control):

This actually defeats his purpose. A flood that would cover the Alps and Mt. Ararat would undoubtedly be global (cf. Ge 7:19)! Ross even admits that, “The Roman World [Empire] … would establish a maximum limit for the extent of the Flood of Noah.” [5]

Ross makes a number of errors in this video:
Ice Cores represent annual layers
Eden was located in the Persian Gulf (cf. 2 Peter 3:6)
All mainstream geologists disparage a global flood [6]
Psalm 104 refers to Creation Week, Day 3, not the Flood [7]
George McCready Price started Flood Geology
Noah may have lived 55K years ago! [8]

Ross emphasizes the limited judgments of Sodom and Jericho, but fails to see the actual parallel between the global destruction of Judgment Day and Noah’s Flood (Lk 17:26, 27; 2 Peter 3:3-7). Ross claims that the Flood covered the Persian Gulf and surrounding regions:

The Ross Flood did not even cover Jerusalem!! This flood is only 300 miles wide. In London, on October 20th, 2002 Oleg Kharitonov walked/jogged 100 miles in just 11 hours, 28 minutes and 3 seconds. Noah’s contemporaries could have escaped the Flood if it were so small. Besides, humanity would have gone global by the time of Noah.

Ross completely misses the fact that global flood legends point to a Global Flood. Terry Mortenson has written an excellent piece showing that Jesus' teaching supports the Young Earth (Mk 10:6; Mk 13:19, 20; Lk 11:50, 51). [9] Other than the nice graphic presentation, there are few positive points in Ross’ new video on the Global Flood.

Notes:

1) RTB support letter, July 2011.
2) “Reevaluation of Earth Age Using Hung’s Dating Model” by Cheng Yeng Hung, Creation Research Society Quarterly, Vol. 48, Summer 2011, pp. 59-62.
3) “For the Rock Record” (book review) by Davis Young, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, Vol. 62, No. 4, Dec. 2010, p. 296.
4) Ibid., p. 297.
5) In The Days of Noah (DVD) by Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe, Glendora, CA, 2011).
6) Introduction to Geology by William Stokes and Sheldon Judson (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1968), p. 296.
7) The Genesis Flood by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris (Presbyterian and Reformed, Philadelphia, PA, 1961), p. 122.
8) “Do the Genesis 5 and 11 Genealogies Contain Gaps?” by Travis Freeman in Coming to Grips with Genesis ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), pp. 315-346.
9) “Jesus’ View on the Age of the Earth” by Terry Mortenson in Coming to Grips with Genesis ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), pp. 315-346.

Perfectly Clear Podcast - Junk Science (Dan Agin)

2011-09-10T13:50:00.001-05:00

On today's Perfectly Clear Podcast we take a look at Dan Agin's book Junk Science.
You can find it here.

References:
Science Week (ed. by Dan Agin)
Junk Science website (opposes Global Warming hysteria), not affiliated with Agin
Szent-Gyorgi quote
Augustine quote
Sacred Cows In Science (No Objectivity Allowed)
Moon Rocks 10K
Round Earth
Bible Astronomy
James Irwin (creationist astronaut)
Mortimer Adler, see Persuaded by the Evidence by Doug Sharp and Jerry Bergman (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), pp. 283-288.
Books on the Age of The Earth (BATE) ;-)

Evolution – A to Z

2011-08-19T20:49:00.007-05:00

Atom-to-Adam
Bacteria-to-Braniacs
Cells-to-Cave Men
Diatoms-to-Dentists
E. coli-to-Einstein
Forams-to-Faraday
Germs-to-Granny
Hydras-to-Historians
Ions-to-Intellectuals
Jellyfish-to-Jezebel
Kelp-to-Kings
Laminaria-to-Language
Molecules-to-Man
Nanoplankton-to-Newton
Organics-to-Opera
Particles-to-People
Quarks-to-Queens
RNA-to-Reagan
Snails-to-Saints
Trematoda-to-Techies
Unicellular-to-Urey
Volvox-to-Verne
Worms-to-Webster
Xenusion-to-X-Files
Yeast-to-Yiddish
Zooflagellates-to-Zeno

Evo-Zombies

2011-08-08T19:12:00.007-05:00

Who are the Evo-Zombies? They are the walking dead (Rom. 4:17) who have lost the skill of critical thinking and blindly (Mt. 15:14) follow the dictates of Big Science. They feed on the minds of young children and keep them from denying Darwin. Evo-Zombies are mindless followers, origins agitators and support the biased media and darwiniac academia. For Evo-Zombies, morality is relative. Evo-Zombies are not scientific – they’re darwintific.

Evo-Zombies follow Darwin because of feelings, not fact. Isaac Asimov said, “Emotionally I am an atheist. I don’t have the evidence to prove that God doesn’t exist, but I so strongly suspect he doesn’t that I don’t want to waste my time.” [1] Avoid the emotional seizure of origins apostasy and believe Genesis 1-11 (G111).

Evo-Zombies buy the BigBang and anything Stephen Hawking is hawking. Sir Hermann Bondi (d. 2005), mathematician and astronomer, said, “… theories of the origin of the Universe have been disproved by present day empirical evidence as have various theories of the origin of the Solar System.” [2]

Evo-Zombies don’t believe in the SOUL. In The Spiritual Brain: A Neuroscientist's Case for the Existence of the Soul, Mario Beauregard (Ph.D. Neuroscience) and Denyse O'Leary (ID activist) defend the view that man has a non-material part. We are more than "computers made of meat."

Evo-Zombies don’t debate; they attack! In 1986, The Huxley Memorial Debate tackled the topic 'That the Doctrine of Creation is more valid than the Theory of Evolution' at the Oxford Union. Arthur E. Wilder-Smith (3 earned doctorates) and Edgar H. Andrews (Ph.D. Theoretical Physics) supported creation and Clinton Richard Dawkins and John Maynard-Smith defended Darwin. Dawkins attacked Wilder-Smith’s faith, rather than sticking to the science and violated the agreed upon format. Dawkins urged the voting members not to give one vote for the creationists! [3] The final score was,

So, in spite of the Evo-Zombies in the crowd, the voting members voted 43% in favor of the creationists!!

Evo-Zombies think life came about by chance! Astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle (d. 2001) said, “The notion that … that operating program of a living cell could be arrived at by chance in a primordial organic soup here on the Earth is evidently nonsense of a high order.” [4]

What is the cure for Evo-Zombies? They need gospel-powered transformation. Also, they should see Ben Stein’s movie EXPELLED (see video here). In the leader’s guide for EXPELLED we find this:

The suppression of new scientific ideas … presents today’s students with a one sided argument in the court of public opinion. It’s as if they’re a jury being shown evidence for only ONE SIDE of the case. All evidence from the opposing side is being thrown out of court … It’s suppression at its worst … [5]

Hopefully, Ben Stein will focus on Young Earth Science (YES) in his sequel to EXPELLED.

Evo-Zombies deny the Global Flood of Noah’s day. In contrast, Geology Professor James Zumberge (d. 1992) was the president of several schools: Grand Valley State University, Southern Methodist University and the University of Southern California and considered Flood Geology a “viable option.” [6] He was also the Director of Earth Sciences at the University of Arizona.

Catfish soft parts have been found in “ancient” rock. The Mt. Saint Helens explosion of 1980 has demonstrated catastrophism in action. Many mainstream geologists endorse “episodic” events. Radiocarbon increase implies a 30K year old earth. Radiometric dating of recent lava flows give false dates (way too old). Uranium in the sea gives a limiting age of 1.3M years. Some Darwinists claim that 50B humans have existed, but where are the graves? [7] Russell Humphreys has provided 14 evidences for a young world. Analytical chemist Frederic Jueneman said prophetically in 1982:

… radiodecay rates are not as constant as previously thought, nor are they immune to environmental influences. And this could mean that the atomic clocks are reset during some global disaster, and events which brought the Mesozoic to a close may not be 65 million years ago but, rather, within the age and memory of man. [8]

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:1, 2).

He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes (1 Jn. 2:10, 11).

Notes:

1) quoted in The Biblical Basis for Modern Science by Henry Morris (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2002 ed.), p. 91.
2) Ibid., p. 152.
3) The Time Dimension by A. E. Wilder-Smith (The Word for Today, Costa Mesa, CA, 1993), pp. 19-23.
4) Morris, p. 216.
5) Expelled Leaders Guide, p. 2.
6) Morris, p. 283.
7) Ibid., pp. 322-324, 305, 243, 250, 245, 395.
8) Ibid., p. 246.

***

Google “Young Earth Science” and you get 274K hits.
E.V.O. = Evidence? Variation! Observation?
Special thanks to Francis Hall for the Darwin and Ben Stein pics.

God's Wisdom for Man

2011-08-01T21:10:00.001-05:00

God's Wisdom for Man by Norbert Smith and Jay Hall provide a complete topical treatment of Proverbs and James. Smith and Hall categorize all of the proverbs and all the verses from the book of James. God’s Wisdom provides the context for wise thinking in its Introduction and Conclusion. If you are looking for a guided tour through the divine wisdom of Proverbs and James, you will find this volume most helpful. The potent maxims of Proverbs and James impart a profound wisdom that is urgently needed in today’s confused world. Do the righteous thrive and the wicked suffer in general? Read this book and find out.

The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor. (Pr 15:33, ESV)

Get wisdom - it's worth more than money;
choose insight over income every time. (Pr 16:16 Msg)

Francis of Assisi rightly said:

Where there is charity and wisdom,
there is neither fear nor ignorance.
Where there is patience and humility,
there is neither anger nor vexation.
Where there is poverty and joy,
there is neither greed nor avarice.
Where there is peace and meditation,
there is neither anxiety nor doubt.

Mark Fitzmaurice - End of Christianity

2011-08-01T19:41:00.002-05:00

Mark Fitzmaurice, a physician from Australia, wrote the Foreword to William Dembski’s The End of Christianity where Dembski claims that the effects of the Fall were retroactive. Fitzmaurice spent 12 years in a rural hospital in Papua, New Guinea and supports Intelligent Design (ID). I have evaluated The End of Christianity here and here.

Kudos to Fitzmaurice for this admission:

It was natural for me to opt for a plain reading of the Bible. And what could be plainer than the teaching of Genesis on creation? A young-earth perspective therefore seemed to me the only viable approach to anyone who took the Bible seriously.

Fitzmaurice seems to overlook the noetic effects of sin and that non-Christian scientists may come to anti-biblical conclusions (cf. Lk. 11:23):

I never intended to depart from a plain reading of Genesis. It was forced upon me with great pain and with tears. … To question a young-earth reading of Genesis was to question the entire Bible and to place one’s faith in jeopardy. … I was compelled by the scientiﬁc evidence: stars are a long way off and very old; the earth and its landforms seem clearly the result of millions of years of normal processes …

There are a few options for explaining distant starlight. According to Tom Siegfried, editor in chief of ScienceNews, “No cosmic clock governs time’s flow for the whole universe …” [1]

We challenge the millions of years for earth’s features. Let’s take coal for instance. Even mainstream geoscientists Marshall Kay and Edwin Colbert in their textbook on Stratigraphy admit that polystrate fossils in coal beds indicate rapid deposition [2]:

One coal seam can be traced from Oklahoma, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky! [3] Such a widespread formation (260,000 sqr. km) makes more sense in the Flood Model. The 80 m thick anthracite seam in the Hongai coalfield of Vietnam speaks of catastrophic conditions, not a peat bog. [4] Andrew Snelling observes, “Some coal seams when followed laterally are found to spit into two seams, separated by strata consisting of transported marine sediments.” [5] Thus, the whole sequence must have been transported. Marine fossils have been found in coal as well as boulders as heavy as 73 kg (164 lbs) - both point to catastrophy and not peat bogs. [6] Derek Ager, author of The New Catastrophism, has this to say:

Broadhurst and Loring … recorded standing trees up to 10 m high in the Lancashire coalfield of north-west England. … Obviously sedimentation had to be very rapid to bury a tree in a standing position before it rotted and fell down. … we cannot escape the conclusion that sedimentation was at times very rapid indeed and that at other times there were long breaks in sedimentation, though it looks both uniform and continuous. [7]

Or, could they be “uniform and continuous” because their burial was part of the Flood Event?

If Fitzmaurice doubts Young Earth Science (YES), then he can go to a local coal mine in Australia where he lives and have a sample dated by radiocarbon. I predict that the sample will be dated in the 40K-60K range and not millions of years old. You can see how AlphaNova did this in Ohio here.

Fitzmaurice rejects the view that, “… a young earth is the only way to be biblically sound and theologically faithful.” I would recommend the following to help change his mind:

Refuting Compromise (2nd ed., 2011)

Coming to Grips with Genesis (theological and historical)
In the Beginning by Joel Heck (short)
The Genesis Flood (foundational)
The Young Earth (2007)

Fitzmaurice has some issues with YES:

YEC [Young Earth Creationism] has significant issues when it comes to the age and nature of the universe, the dating of the earth, and galaxies, and stars. There are problems with geological history, biogeography, and the high rate of evolutionary change needed to fit with the limited time available since Noah's flood. Population geography and archaeology also present significant challenges to YEC. [8]

Galaxy Age >>
Spiral arms show that the Milky Way is young. When you stir cream in coffee the swirls quickly disappear. Crikey!

GeoHistory >>

Please read fellow Aussie Andrew Snelling’s Earth’s Catastrophic Past (Vol. 1 & Vol. 2, 1566 pp.)

Earth Dating >>

Precambrian feldspar has been dated at 5100 years old (+3000, -2100) based on Argon diffusion rates! [9]

Biogeography >>
Here’s how the animals went global after the Flood - kangaroos in Australia, kiwis in New Zealand, etc.

No Time for Change >>

Marc Kirschner and John Gerhart wrote The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin's Dilemma in 2005 and proposed the theory of Facilitated Variation. [10] Modular regulatory mechanisms (switches) allow quick changes to occur.

Archaeology >>
John Ashton and David Down have shown in Unwrapping thePharaohs: How Egyptian Archaeology Confirms the Biblical Timeline that the evidence fits with a more recent Egyptian history. Many dynasties overlap.

Dembski states that ID is based on “a rigorous information-theoretic underpinning” – so is YES. [11] Genetic Entropy & The Mystery of the Genome by John Sanford (PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Wisconsin—Madison) has shown that there is not enough time for a supposed primate ancestor to evolve to man. The genome is degenerating too rapidly. Mutations are mostly neutral or harmful and natural selection does not “sanitize” the DNA. Genetic meltdown would have already occurred if life is so many millions of years old. Mutations reduce information – evolution needs new info. Man was perfect and then Fell, thus Genetic Entropy! Here is an excellent video on Sanford’s book.

Dembski expects that ID will supersede Darwinism by 2025. [12] We predict that he will adopt YES and reject Old Earth Fallacies (OEF) by 2013. He has already accepted the Global Flood and even the Father of ID, Phillip Johnson, has warmed up to Recent Creation. May Fitzmaurice follow their lead.

If Fitzmaurice wants to know the truth about the age of the earth I would recommend the words of scifi time traveler Doctor Who: “Why didn’t he ask someone who saw it [the origin of the universe] happen?” [13] The Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator (Col. 1:16, Heb. 1:2) and said, “From the beginning of the creation [not billions of years later], God made them male and female” (Mk 10:6).

The following Origins programs are relevant:

World Wide Flood (Parts 1,2,3) – Andrew Snelling
Evidence for a Young World (Parts 1,2) – Russell Humphreys.

The smart money is on YES!

Notes:

1) “Anniversaries Inspire Timely Ruminations” by Tom Siegfried, ScienceNews, Sep 13, 2008, p. 2.
2) Stratigraphy and Life History by Marshall Kay and Edwin Colbert (John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1965), pp. 259, 261.
3) Earth’s Catastrophic Past (Vol. 2) by Andrew Snelling (Institute for Creation Research, Dallas, TX, 2009), p. 551
4) Ibid., p. 552.
5) Ibid., p. 553.
6) Ibid., p. 554, 555.
7) The New Catastrophism: The Importance of the Rare Event in Geological History by Derek Ager (Cambridge University Press, 1995), p. 49.
8) Science and the Christian Mind by Mark Fitzmaurice, p. 4, audio here.
9) “Both Argon and Helium Diffusion Rates Indicate a Young Earth” by Larry Vardiman, Acts & Facts, Aug 2011, pp. 12, 13.
10) summarized in “Facilitated Variation: A New Paradigm Emerges in Biology” by Alex Williams, Journal of Creation, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2008, pp. 85-92.
11) “Mechanism, Magic and Design” by William Dembski, Christian Research Journal, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2000, p. 46.
12) Ibid.
13) “Destiny of the Daleks” Doctor Who w/ Tom Baker (BBC, 1979).

Unshackled Apologetics

2011-07-25T19:11:00.014-05:00

Unshackled! is a radio drama series produced by Pacific Garden Mission, in Chicago, Illinois, that first aired in 1950. It is the longest-running radio drama in history (sorry, Johnny Dollar).

Well known evangelist and creation supporter Ray Comfort (and friend of Kirk Cameron) had his conversion story featured on Unshackled!

WayneSpencer (M.S. Physics), who writes extensively on astronomy topics, had this to say:

The truth of Christianity is … born out in the real life experience of Christians who live by it. Christian faith has a long track record for over 2000 years now of making positive changes in the personal lives of people. So the reasons for having faith in the Bible are not merely intellectual, but also revolve around people experiencing God changing their lives and making life more meaningful for them. It is usually the life of a Christian lived out with integrity that is more persuasive to most people, when it counts, than a logical argument.

C. E. M. Joad (d. 1953) was the head of the Philosophy Dept. at the University of London and was a long time critic of Christianity, but finally said, “I now believe that the balance of reasonable considerations tells heavily in favor of the religious, even of the Christian view of the world.” Joad had appeared on BBC radio attacking Christianity in the 1940’s, but later wrote The Recovery of Belief in 1952.

Bishop John Subhan came to Jesus from a Muslim background. When he read the Gospel the second time he came to see that is was the true Injil. He was convinced that it was God’s Word and divine revelation. He saw a dramatic difference between reading the New Testament and the effect of reciting the Qur’an. [1]

Have you ever heard a new convert say, “I wonder if Genesis One through Eleven is really true?” The lost, who do not know Jesus, have not experienced regeneration and don’t have the assurance through the Holy Spirit that the Bible is true.

R. C. Sproul states, “The Scripture objectively gives evidence that it is the Word of God. The Spirit … gives us the quiet assurance that the evidence is certain.” [2] The Westminster Confession concludes, “… our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. (ch. 1, sec. 5). Sproul, Gerstner and Lindsley proclaim, “… the Spirit of God persuades and assures us of the infallible truth and divine authority of the Word of God.” [3]

For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit … For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth … (1 Thes. 1:5-8).

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father." The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:15, 16).

How does God give us assurance of our adoption? Through the Bible!

These things [the book of 1 John] I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. … And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life (1 Jn. 5:13, 20).

Glenn Beck and other Mormons claim to have had a dramatic conversion experience. Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? by Cowdrey, Davis and Vanick, provide strong evidence that the Book of Mormon was based on a work of historical fiction, A Manuscript Found. The Book of Mormon has been changed many times. Beck’s evidence for Early American Jewish influence is better explained by Phoenecians traveling to the New World.

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things (Phil. 4:8).

How can we think on what’s true if we don’t know the true truth?

Frank Turek, while debating Christopher Hitchens at Virginia Commonwealth University, on the topic of theism said, “I’m giving a probability argument … you can’t prove beyond any doubt that there’s a God. I’m giving probability … I’m giving cosmological, teleological, moral, consciousness, reason, mathematics [arguments].” [4] Turek should have stated that as Christians we know God is there and Jesus is Lord (cf. Jn. 7:17).

Notes:

1) Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Vol. 1) by Josh McDowell (Here’s Life Pub., San Bernardino, CA, 1979), p. 351.
2) “The Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit” by R. C. Sproul in Inerrancy ed. by Norman Geisler (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1980), p. 342.
3) Classical Apologetics by R. C. Sproul, John Gerstner and Arthur Lindsley (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1984), p. 171.
4) See this debate at 1:14:00.

John Lennon: God, Hell & Evolution

2011-07-07T11:52:00.001-05:00

John Lennon (1940-1980) on God:

If I’m going to be a monk with nothing, do it. … People got the image I was anti-Christ or antireligion. I’m not at all. I’m a most religious fellow. I’m religious in the sense of admitting there is more to it than meets the eye. I’m certainly not an atheist.

Yes Virginia, there is a Hell – just imagine what John Lennon might say (& did):

The idea of being a rock‘n’roll musician sort of suited my talents and mentality, and the freedom was great. But then I found I wasn’t free. I'd got boxed in. … a physical manifestation of being in prison. … Rock ’n’ roll was not fun anymore. So there were the standard options in my business: going to Vegas and singing your greatest hits - if you're lucky - or going to hell, which is where Elvis went. [1]

John Lennon had some choice words regarding evolution:

Nor do I think we came from monkeys, by the way. That’s another piece of garbage. What the [**/% is] it based on? We couldn’t’ve come from anything - fish, maybe, but not monkeys. I don’t believe in the evolution of fish to monkeys to men. Why aren’t monkeys changing into men now? It’s absolute garbage.

Lennon was critical of Young Earth Science (YES), but also recognized the limitations of Big Science and the dominance of Sacred Cows inScience:

[Evolution is] absolutely irrational garbage, as mad as the ones who believe the world was made only four thousand years ago [sic, Y6K], the fundamentalists. … I don't buy it [Evolution]. I've got no basis for it and no theory to offer, I just don't buy it. Something other than that. Something simpler. I don't buy anything other than "It always was and ever shall be." [fixity of Kinds?] I can't conceive of anything less or more. The other theories change all the time. They set up these idols and then they knock them down. It keeps all the old professors happy in the university. It gives them something to do. I don't know if there's any harm in it except they ram it down everybody's throat. Everything they told me as a kid has already been disproved by the same type of "experts" who made them up in the first place.

Fred Seaman, who worked with Lennon from 1979 till his death, said that Lennon would vote for Reagan and that Lennon, “did express support for Reagan, which shocked me.” Raymond Damadian, a YES supporter, was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1988 by Ronald Reagan and in 1989 was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for inventing MRI.

John Lennon as prophet: “The biggest prize is when you die - a really big one for dying in public. OK: Those are the things we are not interested in doing.” Lennon was assassinated by Mark David Chapman in NYC in 1980. [2]

If you want to see John Lennon “alive” today you need to go see a Beatles tribute band. The-Fab-4 , Lennon is far right, celebrated the Fourth of July in Big Spring, Texas this year (photo courtesy Francis Hall).

Did Lennon believe the Good News about Jesus Christ before he died?

For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life (Jn. 3:16, AMP).

See my contact info in my profile (“About Me” top right).

Possibly The-Fab-4 could add this song to their repertoire:

Evo Submarine

In Shrewsbury where he was born,

Lived a man who sailed with gust
And he told us of his life,
In the land of Galapagos,

So he sailed on to the sun,

Till we found the finches mean,
And we lived beneath the waves,
In our EVO submarine,

We all live in a Darwin submarine,

EVO submarine, UCA* submarine,

And our fossils are all aboard,

Many more of them live next door,
As we live just as we please
Idols all and live for greed
Sky of blue, and sea green
In our EVO submarine

*UCA = Universal Common Ancestry

Notes:

1) quoted in All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono by David Sheff (St. Martin's Griffin, 2000), p. 6.
2) Ibid.

Search for the Historical Adam

2011-06-20T18:25:00.015-05:00

Was Adam real? Can we go to his tomb now? Our prior post dealt with survey results of Christian schools and the truth of Genesis. One pillar of Bible truth under attack is the existence of an historical Adam. Richard Ostling, former religion writer with Time, has written the cover article “The Search for the Historical Adam” for the June 2011 issue of Christianity Today.
Christianity Today has made a neat video on this topic. Thankfully, Wheaton College supports the statement "God directly created Adam and Eve, the historical parents of the entire human race."
In The Language of Science and Faith, Francis Collins (Human Genome Project) and Karl Giberson deny that Adam and Eve were the first couple in a historical sense. Giberson, Physics Professor at Eastern Nazarene College, claims that this is "a secondary or peripheral disagreement that shouldn't cause us to hurl accusations of infidelity at one another." We have responded to some of Collins’ errors here.

Collins claims that humanity came from a group of 10,000 ancestors around 100,000 to 150,000 years ago. That is, mankind came from a group and not Adam and Eve. Elizabeth Mitchell comments, “Search the Christianity Today article much as you will, it never explains how the conclusion that there had to be 10,000 original people was reached. Oddly enough, neither does the BioLogos website.”

According to A. Gibbons, writing in Science, “… researchers have calculated that ‘mitochondrial Eve’ - the woman whose mtDNA was ancestral to that in all living people—lived 100,000 to 200,000 years ago in Africa. Using the new clock, she would be a mere 6000 years old.”

Ostling rightly points out what is at stake, “… Christian doctrine on original sin and the Fall, the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke, and, perhaps most significantly, Paul's teaching that links the historical Adam with redemption through Christ (Rom. 5:12-19; 1 Cor. 15:20-23, 42-49; and his speech in Acts 17).” Orthodox Protestants who take Genesis as Historical Narrative (OPGHN, “opgane”) present “one option” according to Ostling. It is not one option, but is actually the Bible option:

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Ge 2:7).
All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust (Job 34:15).
The first man [Adam] was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man (1 Cor. 15:47-49).
Genuine humanity was from made from dust, not a prior hominid (Lucy, Lucky or anyone else). Rather than refer to specific scholars who work with Answers In Genesis, many with Ph.D.’s, Ostling uses the nebulous term “writers with Answers in Genesis.”
Ostling tries to put James Montgomery Boice (d. 2000) into the anti-Genesis camp – this is a mistake. Boice, though not holding to all the tenets of Flood Geology, held that much geologic data “must be explained by a flood of worldwide dimensions.” He also said that, “a flood of that duration [377 days] is not a local flood!” Boice wrote a whole chapter on Flood Traditions and concluded that, “Hundreds of flood stories abound throughout the world in various cultures and are therefore evidence not merely of the historicity of the flood but of its universal extent.”

Ostling points out that Genesis doubters assume that starting with two people, “… would have required God's miraculous intervention to increase the genetic diversity to what is observable today.” Maybe Ostling does not know about Marc Kirschner’s and John Gerhart’s book The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin's Dilemma (2005) who proposed the theory of Facilitated Variation. [1] Modular regulatory mechanisms (switches) allow quick changes to occur.

C. John Collins (not related to Francis) has written Did Adam and Eve Really Exist? and takes a more conservative view. He points out that human language poses a serious problem for Darwiniacs. Evolutionary linguist Mark Seidenberg freely admits, “Humans acquire and use natural languages, and lower primates do not.” [2] Fred Field (Ph.D. Linguistics) points out a further problem with assuming that true humanity started many thousands of years ago: “… it is curious how writing could have suddenly emerged after 30 to 100 millennia of speech. And , if writing had been in existence prior to that of the Sumerians, where is the evidence?” [3]
Consider these powerful words from Lita Cosner, who is working on her M.A. (New Testament) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and who was awarded the Carl F.H. Henry Scholarship (their highest award):

Scripture itself does not allow Adam to be taken non-literally; many passages in Scripture require Adam to be a historical individual. Among them is Romans 5:12 -21, where a historical Adam is contrasted with the historical Jesus. … Paul’s argument [in Rom. 5:12-21] depends completely on a historical individual man called Adam, who committed a real sin bringing real death. Otherwise, why believe in a real historical Jesus who brought justification from sin? No, it is clear from this passage, and many others in both the Old and New Testament, that Scripture itself takes Adam to be a historical person, and the Fall to be a historical event.19 Without these historical facts, the Gospel itself has no foundation (cf. Psalm 11:3).

Tim Keller, who spoke at a BioLogos workshop, provided counterpoint, “[Paul] most definitely wanted to teach us that Adam and Eve were real historical figures. … If Adam doesn't exist, Paul's whole argument … falls apart. … If you don't believe what he believes about Adam, you are denying the core of Paul's teaching."
The Ica Stones, made famous by Peruvian physician Javier Cabrera, provide a strong indication that man and dinos co-existed. The Travel Channel made a great video on this. Surely, the Darwinist timescale is wrong. Adam may have had dino pets. Doubt Darwin! Don’t Deny Divine Revelation!

Notes:
1) summarized in “Facilitated Variation: A New Paradigm Emerges in Biology” by Alex Williams, Journal of Creation, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2008, pp. 85-92.
2) quoted in “The Language Faculty: Following the Evidence” by Fred Field, Journal of Creation, Vol. 22, No. 1, 2008, p. 75.
3) Ibid., p. 74.

Already Compromised – Review

2011-06-05T22:29:00.027-05:00

Ken Ham and Greg Hall, President of Warner University, present the survey results of Britt Beemer (America’s Research Group) in this highly recommended work. They asked questions of school Presidents, Deans, Science Heads and Theology Heads at Christian colleges and universities regarding biblical authority. A total of 312 people were interviewed (2.5% margin of error).

There are six Christian schools where the presidents accept AiG’s statement of faith:

Bob Jones University
Jackson Hole Bible College
Tennessee Temple University
Northland International University
Appalachian Bible College
Warner University

Out of Ham and Hall’s survey of presidents, VP’s and department chairs, 59.6% of these Christian educational leaders accept Creation In Six Days (CISD), that is 24 hour days. Incredibly, 10.9% of these institutions teach that evolution is true. The term “evolution” itself is confusing, but most commonly means Atom-to-Adam transformation or Universal Common Ancestry (UCA). Only 42.3% of these leaders adopt Young Earth Science (YES). [1] Just 74% of these leaders believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. [2]

Considers these answers from the leaders of the Religion (or Theology) Dept. and the Science Dept. on whether they are Old-Earth or Young-Earth [3]:

57% of the Science Dept. chairs support YES - could it be that there is evidence that supports recent creation?
There is a much needed emphasis on a Christian Worldview in the book. [4] Because Christians have a deficient worldview (WV) they hold to a weak view of Ge 1-11 (G111). Francis Schaeffer (d. 1984) helped popularize the importance of worldview. Doug Groothuis, Professor of Philosophy at Denver Seminary, said this about Schaeffer and worldviews:

Schaeffer taught that worldviews need to be compared on the basis of objective criteria. … [a good worldview] must be internally consistent. … a worldview needs to fit the facts of reality; it must be "true to what is," as Schaeffer put it. A worldview needs to match the external facts of history and science.

I spoke with Ken Ham a number of years ago about my research on Schaeffer that his writings, overall, fall into the creationist camp. Schaeffer held to a non-tranquil Universal Flood, the possibility of man-dino coexistence and that nuclear decay rates may not be constant. [5]

According to John Stonestreet,

… one who may have influenced Protestant Evangelicalism more than any other towards worldview thinking is Francis Schaeffer. Schaeffer’s most significant contribution was bringing the concept of Christian worldview out of the academy to popular Christian thought.

Already Compromised provides a welcome emphasis on knowing Jesus Christ personally. Ham and Hall also give a clear presentation of the gospel of grace. They include a helpful chapter of survival tips for college students. Ham and Hall focus on unity based on truth.

There is an excellent appendix refuting the Documentary Hypothesis (JEDP) by Terry Mortenson and Bodie Hodge. This critical theory was refuted in The Fundamentals edited by R. A. Torrey (the successor of Moody) which were first distributed from 1910 to 1916. George Frederick Wright wrote the article “The Mosaic Authorship of the Pentateuch.” Other articles also relate to the JEDP issue.

Why have so many Christian schools gone astray? They have been unduly influenced by the likes of Mark Noll, who wrote in The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Eerdmans, 1995):

Creation science has damaged Evangelicalism by making it much more difficult to think clearly about human origins, the age of the earth, and mechanisms of geological or biological change. But it has done more profound damage by undermining the ability to look at the world God has made and to understand what we see when we do look. [6]

Christian schools have compromised, but what is the solution? Students and educational leaders should read the following to help restore Evangelical foundations:
Sacred Cows In Science challenges mainstream science with such worldview topics as Darwin, eugenics, animal rights, abortion, climate change, non-material nature of the mind, gay activism, the Global Flood and other hot topics. There are 17 authors, several with Ph.D.’s. Norbert Smith (Ph.D. Zoology) is the editor and has been a creationist leader for many decades. The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer covers much from theology and philosophy to the arts.

The Fundamentals shows the power of old arguments – the new challenges have not yet refuted these. Contemporary scholars reject conservative theology because of bias and false presuppositions. The Fundamentals was edited by R. A. Torrey who actually “met” H. M. Morris, the father of modern creationism, in 1919! R. A. Torrey held the infant Morris, just a few months old, in his arms and prayed for him and his future ministry. [7] Fundamentalist is not a bad word – read The Fundamentals online.

Joel Heck has written In the Beginning, God: Creation from God's Perspective which is a superb defense of traditional creationism from Scripture and science. It is short and economically priced – ideal for mass distribution (hint: college presidents!!).

A future project for this team might include a national (US, CAN, UK) survey like the following:
The results could be displayed on billboards in various parts of the country (e.g. 84% of Alaskans support Young Earth Science). Amazingly, 29% of Russians, formerly an atheist state, hold that dinos and Man lived together. A survey of 1,600 Russians was conducted in January of this year (3.4% margin of error). The response in Gallup polls for those who agree with the statement “God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so” has changed little since 1982.

Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods [Darwin, Big Science, Old Earth Fallacies] which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Josh. 24:14, 15)

Notes:
1) Already Compromised by Ken Ham and Greg Hall (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2011), p. 22-24.
2) Ibid., p. 30.
3) Ibid., p. 55.
4) Ibid., pp. 204-212.
5) Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer by Francis Schaeffer (Crossway, Wheaton, IL, 1982), Vol. 2, pp. 94, 95, 132, 134.
6) quoted in Head and Heart: American Christianities by Garry Wills (Penguin, New York, 2007), p. 550.
7) A History of Modern Creationism by Henry Morris (Master Books, San Diego, CA, 1984), p. 58.

***

On a lighter note, maybe some visionary educational leaders will someday start International Creationist University (I-C-U). ;-) G111 = believe Genesis 1-11 (not just what comes after)

Exodus 20:11

2011-05-17T07:46:00.012-05:00

Consider the Sabbath commandment:

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Ex. 20:8-11).

We work six days (144 hours, twelve dozen) and rest one. These are not imaginary days – they are real. Creation Week occurred in six 24 hour (approximately) days. Creation In Six Days (CISD) is an important teaching of the Bible.

For in six days GOD made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore GOD blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day (Ex. 20:11, Msg).

Exodus 20:11 is the Haec Credimus (“this we believe”) of the Creation Research Society:
Exodus 31:17 is a parallel passage:

It [the Sabbath] is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.

The Hebrew of Exodus 20:11 may be found here.

John Trapp commented on Ex. 20:11, “God took six days to make the world in, to the end that we might be in a muse when we think of it; and think on his works in that order that he made them.” [1]

Robert McCabe concluded, “… both passages [Ex. 20:11, Ex. 31:17] have been clearly understood as references to man imitating the divine pattern established in the first week of temporal history by working on six consecutive, normal days and resting on a literal seventh day…” [2]
Notes:
1) Online Bible (2004)
2) “A Critique of the Framework Interpretation of the Creation Week” by Robert McCabe in Coming to Grips with Genesis ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), p. 243.

Creationism 101 with Joel Heck

2011-05-16T22:11:00.014-05:00

Joel Heck has written In the Beginning, God: Creation from God's Perspective which is a superb coverage of the basics of creationism (Concordia, 2011). It’s short (80 pages) and is only $3.99 (what a bargain!).

Dr. Heck has a ThM in Old Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity and a ThD in Exegetical Theology from Concordia Seminary. He gives a detailed explanation of Genesis chapter one. He lists 17 reasons why yom means a normal day in Ge 1, including #12, the years lived chronicled in Ge 5 & 11 make sense only if day in Ge 1 refers to a regular 24 hour day. That is, if day means millions of years for Creation Week, then how do we understand Methuselah living 969 “years.”
Dr. Heck also argues against scholars who oppose taking Genesis chapter one as historical narrative. He also discusses OT & NT references that bolster a traditional reading of Genesis (a comprehensive compilation of these may be found here). There is an excellent 10 page summary of scientific research supporting fixity of kinds, the Flood and Young Earth Science (YES). If you know anyone who is sitting on the fence on the crevo issue please give them Dr. Heck’s book! Few other works provides so much bang (a BIG one too) for the buck.

It is a rare pleasure to find a theologian courageous enough to take the first chapter of Genesis at face value, disregarding those of his peers who feel they must kowtow to the latest fad in “science.” Dr. Heck explains the passage clearly, showing it is historical narrative supported by true scientific research—not myth, poetry, or vague allegory. -- Russell Humphreys

Michio Kaku - Epic Fail?

2011-05-16T14:39:00.033-05:00

Physicist Michio Kaku (b. 1947) is the host of the radio show “Science Fantastic.” Kaku is a leading futurist and the co-founder of string field theory. His parents were held in an internment camp during World War II. While in high school, Kaku made his own particle accelerator! He caught the attention of atomic scientist Edward Teller and Mrs. Teller arranged for Kaku to receive a scholarship to Harvard. [1]

Kaku contrasts the God of Miracles and the God of Order (Einstein’s god), yet does not deny that miracles may happen. [2] However, he gives no examples of miracles that he accepts as historical. Empiricist philosopher John Locke (d. 1704) had no trouble with miracles [3]:

The evidence of Our Savior's mission from heaven is so great, in the multitude of miracles he did before all sorts of people, that what he delivered cannot but be received as the oracles of God and unquestionable verity. For the miracles he did were so ordered by the divine providence and wisdom that they never were, nor could be, denied by any of the enemies or opposers of Christianity.

Kaku overlooks the fact that science itself is based on Christian principles [4]:

As Francis Schaeffer pointed out, “Both Alfred North Whitehead [d. 1947] and J. Robert Oppenheimer [d. 1967] have stressed that modern science was born out of the Christian world view.” [5]
Kaku criticizes the traditional “proofs” for God’s existence and even brings up the issue of who made God. [6] One wonders if Kaku has even read the Bible. His denial of the Moral Argument is shocking, “The moral proof is by far the weakest, because morality can be viewed in terms of evolving social customs.” [7] Was the Holocaust an “evolving social custom?” Is abortion an “evolving social custom?” Kaku seems to accept Einstein’s god, that is the impersonal god of Spinoza. Einstein admitted that, “… the doctrine of a personal God interfering with natural events could never be refuted, in any real sense, by science …” [8] Although an evolutionist, Kaku still uses personal language, “… being blessed [by whom, God?] with the intellect to divine the ultimate secrets of nature gives meaning enough to life.” [9]
Kaku is fascinated with the possibility of time travel. [10] If we could make a History Observation Device, then we could settle the issue of Atom-to-Adam evolution and Young Earth Science (YES).

Math describes the universe well. Kaku admits that this is hard to explain, “… the precise reason for the miraculous convergence [between physics and math] seems totally obscure. No one has even a reasonable theory to explain why the two disciplines should share concepts.” [11] Since the Creator is a God of Order, it makes sense that the cosmos displays mathematical patterns – the equations of creation. He refers to Eugene Wigner (Nobel prize in physics) on this topic, who endorsed one of the earliest works on Intelligent Design in 1986. [12] [13] Physicist turned theologian John Polkinghorne said [14],

If the deep-seated congruence of the rationality present in our minds with the rationality present in the world is to find a true explanation, it must surely lie in some more profound reason which is the ground of both. Such a reason would be provided by the Rationality of the Creator.

Kaku praises Bernhard Riemann for his work in higher dimensions and even mentions his work defending the accuracy of Genesis. [15] Kaku claims that “geologic time” trumps Ussher. One wonders if Kaku has considered the facts that favor YES.

Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble They will say, ‘Arise and save us.’ (Jer. 2:27)

Notes:
1) Hyperspace by Michio Kaku (Anchor Books, New York, 1994), pp. 6, 7.
2) Ibid., pp. 330, 331.
3) Head and Heart by Gary Wills (Penguin Press, New York, 2007), p. 126.
4) adapted from “How Should a Christian Relate to a Scientific Naturalist?” by J. P. Moreland in The Apologetics Study Bible ed. by Ted Cabal (Holman, Nashville, TN, 2007), pp. 946, 947.
5) How Should We Then Live? by Francis Schaeffer (Fleming H. Revell, Old Tappan, NJ, 1976), p. 132.
6) Kaku, p. 191-195.
7) Ibid., p. 192.
8) Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by Norman Geisler (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1999), p. 214.
9) Kaku, p. 334.
10) Ibid., pp. 232-251.
11) Ibid., p. 327.
12) Ibid., p. 328.
13) Origins and Destiny by Robert Gange (Word, Dallas, TX, 1986).
14) quoted in Creation by Alister McGrath (Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN, 2005), p. 66.
15) Kaku, p. 30, 31.

Does your Hymnbook Teach Creation?

2011-03-25T13:03:00.019-05:00

Does your fellowship sing songs glorifying the Lord as Creator of the Cosmos? Do your hymns mention Creation In Six Days (CISD)? Are there choruses that speak of the Fall and the Curse? What about the Flood or the Tower of Babel? Consider these selections that highlight creation and the early chapters of Genesis:

All creatures of our God and King

Lift up your voice and with us sing,

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thou burning sun with golden beam,

Thou silver moon with softer gleam!

- St. Francis of Assisi

I'll praise my Maker while I've breath,

and when my voice is lost in death,

praise shall employ my nobler powers;

my days of praise shall ne'er be past,

while life, and thought, and being last,

or immortality endures.

- Isaac Watts

A number of Psalms emphasize creation: For a more complete list see the references here. Nicole Mullen’s tune “My Redeemer Lives” provides a strong creation message. In one performance she recited Psalm 8 before she sang this song. Answers in Genesis offers a music CD, Creation – The Story of Life featuring such artists as Mark Harris, Billy Sprague, Cindy Morgan, Larnelle Harris, Greg Long, Bob Carlisle and Lisa Bevill. Possibly the most popular song at creation conferences is “How Great Thou Art.” Consider these selections from Gadsby’s Hymns:

The spacious earth and spreading flood

Proclaim the wise, the powerful God;

And thy rich glories from afar

Sparkle in every rolling star. (#18)

When Adam by transgression fell,

And conscious, fled his Maker’s face,

Linked in clandestine league with hell,

He ruined all his future race:

The seeds of evil once brought in,

Increased and filled the world with sin. (#89)

Father, how wide thy glory shines!

How high thy wonders rise!

Known through the earth by thousand signs,

By thousands through the skies!

Those mighty orbs proclaim thy power;

Their motion speaks thy skill;

And on the wings of every hour,

We read thy patience still. (#207)

All creatures to his bounty owe

Their being and their breath;

But greatest gratitude should flow

In men redeemed from death. (#834)

The rolling sun, the changing light,

And nights and days thy power confess:

And the blest volume thou hast writ

Reveals thy justice and thy grace. (#1147) Noyes Fludde (Noah's Flood) is a 15th century “mystery play” and in 1957 Benjamin Britten turned it into an opera.

The Thirde Pageante of Noyes Fludd

I, God, that all this world hath wrought,

heaven and yearth, and all of nought,

I see my people in deede and thought

are sett fowle in sinne. …

Man that I made will I distroye,

beast, worme, and fowle to flye;

for on yearth the doe mee noye,

the folke that are theron. …

Therfore Noe, my servante free,

that righteous man arte as I see,

a shippe sonne thou shalt make thee … Homeschooler Jodi Benson (the Little Mermaid) sang a song for children about the Tower of Babel.

Keep from me Thy loveliest creature, till I prove Jesus' love infinitely sweeter – Charles Wesley

O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! (Ps. 8:1)

The Iceman Cometh (Dembski version)

2011-03-24T21:04:00.009-05:00

Young Earth Science (YES) holds that scripture and science supports the view the this planet is thousands of years old (not billions). William Dembski, the prominent Intelligent Design (ID) advocate, is somewhat sympathetic to YES: “I myself would adopt it in a heartbeat except that nature seems to present such strong evidence against it.” [1] Is this really true? Dembski counsels, “Young-earth creationists do not merely want to show why the other side is wrong; they also want to show why their side is right.” [2] They have done so Dr. Dembski.

Dembski claims that the multiple layers in ice cores in Greenland pose a problem for the YES idea of one Ice Age after the Flood. However, the layers are not always annual – many layers can occur in one year. J. Southon writing in Quaternary Research freely admits, “… the GISP2 (Greenland Ice Sheet Project) ice contains many subannual structures which mimic annual bands …” R. B. Alley et al. stated in the Journal of Geophysical Research, “… it is almost certain that variability exists at the subseasonal or storm level, at the annual level… We certainly must entertain the possibility of misidentifying the deposit of a large storm or a snow dune as an entire year…” The Post-Flood Ice Age would have produced “hyper-canes” at the poles which would make multiple layers in the ice record each year. [3]
One wonders how much of the excellent research on the Ice Age by Michael Oard and Larry Vardiman that Dembski has read:
Dembski criticizes the “post-flood rapid ice age model,” but fails to see its power and success in predicting the reality on the ground. [4] Evolutionists cannot explain the Ice Age and over 60 theories have been proposed. J. K. Charlesworth explains that there are “… an absolute riot of theories ranging from the remotely possible to the mutually contradictory and the palpably inadequate.” [5] The Flood implies the Ice Age! Volcanic ash cooled the earth; tremendous eruptions in the seas (Ge 7:11) heated up the oceans. This combination of higher precipitation, caused by the hot seas, and cooler summers produced the Ice Age after the Flood. This is the only model that successfully predicts ice sheets where we know they existed and it only takes a few hundred years! [6] This model gives thinner ice sheets than the mainstream view, but this makes it easier to explain the no-ice regions we find in Wisconsin. Assuming the widely accepted huge glacier thickness, we would expect a significant “bounce-back” after the tremendous weight of the ice melted – this would take about 25,000 years. Ohio, Illinois and Indiana show virtually no rebound. [7] Andrew Snelling explains, “… ocean temperatures increased [based on fossil oxygen isotopes] during deposition of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata, and then decreased during Tertiary (post-Flood) deposition.” [8] This is exactly what the Post-Flood Ice Age model predicts.

Dembski has a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Chicago. Mathematicians are always Killing Lies* – that is they are challenging false assumptions. One example is the old claim that you can only fold a paper in half seven times. YES advocates are also challenging falsehoods promoted by mainstream science. Commenting on ice cores, Dembski claims that Orthodox Protestants who take Genesis as Historical Narrative (OPGHN, “opgane”) are interested in “… devising loopholes to support an otherwise untenable position.” [9] Not so, my brother; in fact, the Post-Flood Rapid Ice Age Model (PRIAM**) is the only explanation that works and fits the data in the real world.
Dembski should take a hint from former aeronautical engineer and award winning SciFi author, James Hogan who said, “A comparatively young word [Y6K] – in the sense of the surface we observe today – is compatible with unguided Catastrophist theories…” [10] Hogan states that conventional dating, “was more a product of materialism’s fight with religion than an empirical construct … [it was] manufactured to provide the long time scales that Lyell and Darwin needed.” [11] Hogan maintains that, “Mountain uplifts and other formations show indications of being younger than conventional geology maintains.” [12] One example that Hogan presents that challenges standard dating uses thermoluminescence of lunar material which was dated at less than 10,000 years. [13] If the Moon is thousands of years old, then maybe the Earth is too!

The Ice Age is apparently referenced in Job, “From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? The waters harden like stone, and the surface of the deep is frozen” (Job 38:29–30).

Evolution itself has a chilling effect and Darwinism demands depression.
Don’t mock the faith! Have you no respect for religion…
- Larry in The Iceman Cometh by Eugene O'Neill

If I have told you of things that happen right here on the earth and yet none of you believes Me, how can you believe (trust Me, adhere to Me, rely on Me) if I tell you of heavenly things? (Jn. 3:12, Amp)

Notes:
1) The End of Christianity by William Dembski (Broadman & Holman, Nashville, TN, 2009), p. 55.
2) Ibid., p. 56.
3) Earth’s Catastrophic Past by Andrew Snelling (Institute for Creation Research, Dallas, TX, 2009, Vol. 2), pp. 778.
4) Dembski, p. 61.
5) quoted in Snelling, p. 770.
6) Snelling, p. 774.
7) Snelling, p. 776.
8) Snelling, p. 773.
9) Dembski, p. 61.
10) Kicking the Sacred Cow by James Hogan (Baen, New York, NY, 2004), p. 47.
11) Ibid., p. 175, Note: Hogan is endorsing Velikovsky’s opinion.
12) Ibid., p. 174.
13) Ibid., p. 206.

*Wilhelm Killing and Sophus Lie were mathematicians
**can you say “Troy?”

Science in Scripture

2011-02-25T12:29:00.006-06:00

When we think of science in the Bible we often think of examples like the circuits of wind flow (Eccl. 1:6), the life is in the blood (Lev. 17:11) and the importance of hygiene (Lev. 15:13). Have you considered Isaiah 28:23-29 and 29:11-16 in this regard?

Is. 28:23-29 (NKJV)
23 Give ear and hear my voice, Listen and hear my speech.
24 Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow? Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods?
25 When he has leveled its surface, Does he not sow the black cummin And scatter the cummin, Plant the wheat in rows, The barley in the appointed place, And the spelt [rye?] in its place?
26 For He instructs him in right judgment, His God teaches him.
27 For the black cummin is not threshed with a threshing sledge, Nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cummin; But the black cummin is beaten out with a stick, And the cummin with a rod.
28 Bread flour must be ground; Therefore he does not thresh it forever, Break it with his cartwheel, Or crush it with his horsemen.
29 This also comes from the LORD of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.

Comments:
v. 24: Timing is important in farming and this gives a motivation to know astronomy which helps us track the seasons (Ge 1:14). Farming has existed from the beginning (Ge 3:23, 4:2) and experiment improves agricultural methods.
v. 25: The location of where various grains are planted is important. Planting is rows is an orderly arrangement. What should be planted on the border? Trees or potatoes?
v. 26: God made man in his image and gives him wisdom and understanding (Job 38:36). The all-wise God gave us reason and the ability to discern the structure on the world. The cosmos is not random, but ordered. The Lord may have communicated the basics of horticulture to Adam during the “cool of the day” (Ge 3:8). Language and technical skill have been transmitted from father to son, parent to child for thousands of years. Some isolated people groups do not farm at all – the skill has been lost.
v. 27: Through experiment and experience we learn that we must use the right tool for the right job. You don’t kill termites with sledgehammers.
v. 28: Various grains must be treated differently. Distinct methods fit corn versus cotton. Many things in creation remind of us wheels. Design in creation can inspire human inventions. Many things are cone shaped (carrots, pine cones) and a truncated cone makes a great millstone.
v. 29: Science is possible because God gives us a sense that the Maker of the universe is a God of order and purpose. The equations of creation are not random. Consider the simplicity of Snell’s Law that describes how light bends when it hits water or some other medium (n is the index of refraction):
Design in nature exhibits the fact that God is “wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.” Consider the photosynthetic sea slug:
Is. 29:11-16 (NKJV)
11 The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I cannot, for it is sealed."
12 Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, "Read this, please." And he says, "I am not literate."
13 Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14 Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, A marvelous work and a wonder; For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden."
15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the LORD, And their works are in the dark; They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?"
16 Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; For shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

Comments:
v. 11: Many evolutionists may say “I can’t read the Bible – that’s just myth.” But the Bible actually gives science its logical foundation. [1] The basis of science is biblical. God’s Word is revealed truth from the Creator of the Cosmos. If we want to know about the beginning we must go to the Bible. Scripture gives us True Truth, for God cannot lie (Num. 23:19). Jesus said that God’s truth is often sealed from the “wise and prudent” (Mt. 11:25).
v. 13: Evolutionary tradition, “commandments taught by men,” tells students to avoid research from creation organizations like CRS, ICR, AiG, CMI and others. Many are over-awed by scientific experts who pronounce the fact of evolution in the past, even though they were not witnesses to the events they describe.
v. 14: In the end, Darwinian “wisdom” will perish (2 Peter 3). The spurious speculations of the sages of science will ultimately fail.
v. 15: We can’t hide our sin from God (Num. 32:23). Could it be that the motivation for many who accept the molecules-to-man view of origins wish to explain God away to justify their ungodly lifestyle?
v. 16: Evolutionists deny their Creator – the Potter. You may have a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, but the Lord of heaven and earth knows infinitely more than you do. You can’t manipulate God. Yahweh is in control of the universe, not man.
Reflect on these quotes from G. K. Chesterton’s Father Brown (fictional detective) stories:

It's the first effect of not believing in God that you lose your common sense
(The Oracle of the Dog, 1923).
You hard-shelled materialists were all balanced on the very edge of belief - of belief in almost anything (The Miracle of Moon Crescent, 1924).

You may contact us through the email in our profile.

Note:
1) The Ultimate Proof of Creation by Jason Lisle (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2009), pp. 57-66.

The End of Christianity Revisited

2011-01-28T10:22:00.003-06:00

William Dembski blames the alleged millions of years of death and destruction before the time of Adam as a retroactive punishment for the Fall in his book The End of Christianity. Apologist Ken Ham strongly opposes this position.

Here is a short response to Dembski’s book and a longer critique is found in An Open Letter to Intelligent Designer. Thankfully, Dembski has moderated his view somewhat and now accepts a Global Flood.

Creation and the Bible

2011-01-28T09:33:00.006-06:00

Creation or Evolution?: Consider the Evidence Before Deciding (Vol. 1) by Norbert Smith (Ph.D. Zoology) has just recently been published. Central to the book are over 1,500 Bible verses related to God as Creator and Sustainer. Evidence for and against evolution are given and details of modern religious persecution with over 3,000 professors being denied tenure or fired for doubting evolution. Here are the chapters:
Another work which compiles all scriptures on Creation and Providential Care is Who is the Intelligent Designer?, described here and reviewed here.

Ark Encounter

2011-01-28T08:25:00.011-06:00

Answers in Genesis is building a theme park called the Ark Encounter with a full-scale reconstruction of the Ark as well as a Tower of Babel.

In 2010 Noah’s Ark Ministries International (NAMI) based in Hong Kong claimed that they have discovered Noah’s Ark on Mt. Ararat. Here is one response to many who have been skeptical of this exploration.

These videos highlight NAMI’s expedition:
ITN News

Exploring Inside the Ark

Description of Discoveries

Discovery of Noah's Ark supported by Ark InSight Foundation
Dutch Ark researcher Gerrit Aalten
A recently translated Babylonian text states that the Ark was circular (definitely not seaworthy). However, the NAMI team discovered a round compartment within the structure they investigated. This report of a circular Ark came from the Guardian which was at least kind enough to interview veteran Ark explorer John Morris.

Respected apologist John Warwick Montgomery reached the summit of Mt. Ararat and wrote a 384 page book containing eyewitness accounts of Ark sightings (The Quest for Noah’s Ark, Bethany Fellowship, 2e, 1974).

Fossil Order - Exposed and Explained

2010-12-15T19:27:00.028-06:00

Why is there an apparent order in the fossil record from simple life to more complex? A philosophical answer to this question is in chapter 12 of Rock Solid Answers ed. by Mike Oard and John Reed, is “Fossil Distribution and the Flood” by John Reed (pp. 207-215). A good summary on fossil order is found here. John Woodmorappe has shown that much of the fossil record is random.

There are places on the earth where ALL the geologic periods overlay the Pre-Cambrian (Pre-Flood). In fact, 23.2% of the Ordovician is directly on top of the Pre-Cambrian and 18.6% of the Devonian is directly on top of the Pre-Cambrian. [1]
How do we explain the order where it does exist (e.g. Grand Canyon and correlated deposits)? Harold Clark proposed his ecological zonation theory back in 1946 in his book The New Diluvialism - animals in habitats at higher elevations would be buried later during the Deluge. [2] Andrew Snelling deals with fossil order in chapter 31 of The Answers Book 2 as well as chapter 91 of Earth’s Catastrophic Past and explains these mechanisms:

· Pre-Flood Biogeography (Ecological Zonation)
· Early Burial of Marine Creatures (95% of all fossils are shallow marine organisms)
· Hydrodynamic Sorting (diameter, sphericity and density)
· Behavior & Higher Mobility of Vertebrates (instinct and intelligence)

How do creationists predict the fossil sequence? Birds are found later in the record since they can escape a Flood more easily. Creation Geology Theory predicts the initial strata would show great diversity – that’s what the Cambrian Explosion is all about. Another important factor is that there are Pre-Flood, Deluge and Post-Flood deposits. Snelling places the start of the Post-Flood era around the KT boundary. [3]

In the evolutionary narrative, life started as a single cell so we should find the following in the fossil record:

In fact, we do not find 2-20 celled life in the fossil record.

The Cambrian Explosion, where a wide diversity of life appears suddenly, is consistent with Global Flood Theory, but is a great headache for anti-creationists – Darwin’s Dilemma. As Stephen Jay Gould (d. 2002) stated, “… if the true ancestors of Cambrian creatures lacked hard parts, why have we not found them in the abundant deposits that contain the soft-bodied Ediacara fauna?” [4]
Vertebrates have been found in the Lower Cambrian. [5] In 1969, it was thought that the first vertebrate appeared in the Middle Ordovician. [6] According to The Complete Encyclopedia of Fossils, jawless fish (Pteraspis) appear in the Cambrian. [7] Wikipedia still places them in the Devonian! In 1988, The Washington Post reported on jawless fish found in Bolivia and dated at 470M (Early Ordovician), 20 million years older than previously dated. The BBC reported on a jawless fish found in the Lower Cambrian in China! Apparent bird tracks have been found in Carboniferous strata, over 150M before Archaeopteryx! [8]

It is often claimed that primitive and complex life are not found together in the fossil record. What is meant by “primitive?” If we mean trilobites (not-primitive, e.g. their eyes), then they do coexist. The first mammal has been dated at 260M and the most recent trilobite existed 251M – so they overlap by nine million years by consensus dating. We would not expect them to be in the same rock layer since they live in different habitats.

Are there mammals in lower layers? Yes! In 1969 it was thought that the first mammals began about 170 million years ago. [9] Now it is accepted that the first mammal existed 260 million years ago – that’s a difference of 90M! Mammal footprints have been found in rocks at least 275M and, in similar fashion, horse hoofprints have been found in strata at least 350M (this would put horses at 300 million years older than previously thought). [10] Likewise, cuttlefish were found in the Lower Cambrian in 1974 thus extending their range back 400M! [11] In 1958 echinoids were thought to go back as far as the Middle Ordovician, but since then have been found in the Lower Cambrian – a change of tens of millions of years! Before 1963, it was generally accepted that Belemnoids first appeared in the Triassic. Actually, they were discovered in the Devonian in 1843. [12]
The chart above shows how fossil tracks of animals consistently appear before their body fossils. [13] During the Global Flood creatures fled the oncoming surge of destructive waters and left footprints. Later these same animals were buried during a later stage of the Deluge.
The Laetoli footprints that Mary Leakey found are clearly human. They are assumed to be an upright hominid because of the dating of the beds (3.75M).
There are many examples where the appearance or lack of fossils do not fit the evolutionary view of fossil order:

· Living Fossils (e.g. Coelacanth, Wollemi Pine)
· Lazarus species
· Stratigraphic Range Extension (both older & more recent)
· Out-of-Place Fossils

Empire Mountain exhibits a reversal in the accepted order where the Permian rests on the Cretaceous (out-of-order) with no evidence of a thrust plane, but actually having an unconformity which indicates erosion:
There is even a reversal at Heart Mountain (WY) where a period repeats:

If we consider this as an overthrust, then only catastrophism associated with the Flood can explain such massive rock movements. John Morris tells how 50 large carbonate blocks moved over 30 miles at an incline of less than two degrees. Catastrophic Plate Tectonics may help power this mass movement. [14]

There are fossil reversals where we find a change from type A to type B then back to type A. Marvin Lubenow, known for his work with alleged “ape-men,” has compiled a few examples [15]:

James Beerbower, the author of a mainstream paleontology text, freely admits that Dollo’s Law (evolution has no reversals) is not valid. [16] There are also “condensed” sequences where fossils from many ages are found in a thin layer. There are examples of this for ammonites in the Alps, Bosnia, Greece, the Himalayas, Hungary and Italy. [17] In one case, seven ammonite zones (7-10 million years) are found in a deposit that is only three feet thick! The standard explanation that sedimentation was slow is not reasonable. The better explanation is that the entire layer was deposited at the same time and that the various ammonites lived concurrently. Fossil order favors the Flood and contradicts Darwinism.

Notes:
1) “The Essential Nonexistence of the Evolutionary-Uniformitarian Geological Column: A Quantitative Assessment” by John Woodmorappe, Creation Research Society Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 1, June 1981, pp. 46-71, p. 67.
2) "ecological zonation" "global flood" gets 727 hits on Google, 12-14-10.
3) Earth’s Catastrophic Past by Andrew Snelling (Institute for Creation Research, Dallas, TX, 2009, Vol. 2), pp. 751-761.
4) Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould (W. W. Norton & Co., New York, 1989), p. 59.
5) Snelling, p. 352.
6) Historical Geology 3e by Carl Dunbar and Karl Waage, (John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 1969), p. 208.
7) The Complete Encyclopedia of Fossils by Martin Ivanov, Stanislava Hrdlickova, and Ruzena Gregorova (Rebo Intl., Netherlands, 2001, 2002 ed.), p. 244.
8) Snelling, p. 356.
9) Dunbar and Waage, p. 364.
10) “An Anthology of Matters Significant to Creationism and Diluviology: Report 1” by John Woodmorappe, Creation Research Society Quaterly, Vol. 16, No. 4, Mar. 1980, p. 211.
11) “Significant Fossil Discoveries Since 1958: Creationism Confirmed” by Marvin Lubenow, Creation Research Society Quaterly, Vol. 17, No. 3, Dec. 1980, pp. 155-157.
12) “The Cephalopods in the Creation and the Universal Deluge” by John Woodmorappe, Creation Research Society Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2, Sep. 1978, pp. 94-112, p. 101.
13) Snelling, p. 451.
14) “Catastrophic Superfaults and the Biblical Flood” by John Morris, Acts & Facts, April 2009, p. 23.
15) “Reversals in the Fossil Record” by Marvin Lubenow, Creation Research Society Quaterly, Vol. 13, No. 4, Mar. 1977, pp. 185-190, 230.
16) Ibid., p. 189.
17) “The Cephalopods in the Creation and the Universal Deluge” by John Woodmorappe, Creation Research Society Quaterly, Vol. 15, No. 2, Sep. 1978, p. 103.

Fall of the House of Ussher?

2010-11-13T05:46:00.014-06:00

Edgar Allan Poe (d. 1849) wrote a gloomy tale The Fall of the House of Usher. He describes the melancholy Usher mansion that is about to fall apart and the demise of the Usher family line. Evolution, if carried to its logical conclusion, is a very depressing philosophy. Darwinists claim that mind ultimately comes from matter. Poe tells us that Rod Usher held to the “sentience of all vegetable things” and that this attribute applied even to inanimate objects as well! Poe speaks of a “dragon of a scaly and prodigious demeanor,” reminding us of the coexistence of man and dinos in the past. Rod Usher and his sister lady Madeline both die and House of Usher falls apart. So the House of Usher is no more - both the building and the family.

James Ussher (d. 1656) wrote The Annals of the World setting the date of Creation Week in 4004 BC. The date of his death, 1656, is the same as the age of the Earth at the time of the Flood (1656). The number 4004 is also fascinating, 4004 = 2 x 2 x 7 x 11 x 13. Evolutionist Stephen Jay Gould gave a fair evaluation of Ussher’s work:

Ussher represented the best of scholarship in his time. He was part of a substantial research tradition, a large community of intellectuals working toward a common goal under an accepted methodology… [1]

There has also been a Fall of the House of Ussher. His date for the beginning is no longer in vogue. A number of scientists helped promote the idea of an old earth:
Benoit de Maillet (d. 1738) estimated the age of the earth at two billion years based on his study of sea level decline. [3]

According to historian R. F. Foster, Ussher’s dating led to the “… practice among Irish antiquarians of showing scant respect for time.” [4] Leonard Bruno, Senior Science Specialist at the Library of Congress, claims that Ussher’s Annals is based on an “unscientific method.” [5] Ussher made reference to Scripture as well as many non-biblical sources (Livy, Tacitus etc.).

Others have kind words for Ussher. Marcus Tanner called him, “… the greatest apologist the reformed Church in Ireland possessed.” [6] The Standard Dictionary of Facts, published in 1908 and edited by Henry Ruoff, still held a great respect for Ussher’s dating (p. 54):
Dorsey Hager, president of the Utah Geological Society, said in 1957, “Many millions still live in mental bondage controlled by ignorant ranters who accept the Bible as the last word in science, and accept Archbishop Ussher’s claim that the earth was created 4004 B.C.” [7]
If we deny the numbers in Scripture, when do we start denying the words between the numbers?
What of Ussher’s family line? One of his most famous descendents was Clarence Ussher, an American evangelical missionary doctor. He was an Episcopalian and went to Turkey to aid Armenians in Eastern Turkey when they were being exterminated. There are at least 100 Usshers in the United States.

It is not strange that the heathens who are totally ignorant of the Holy Bible, should despair of ever attaining the knowledge of the world's beginnings. Even among Christians, that most renowned chronographer Dionysius Petavius when asked his opinion concerning the creation of the world and the number of years from creation down to us, made this disclaimer: "That the number of years from the beginning of the world to our time, cannot be known nor in any way found out without Divine Revelation.'' (Petav. de Doctrina Temporum, l. 9. c. 2.) – James Ussher

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov. 1:7).

Here is a defense of the traditional biblical chronology.

Notes:
1) quoted in Refuting Compromise by Jonathan Sarfati (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2004), p. 129.
2) “St Hutton’s Hagiography” by John Reed, Journal of Creation 22(2), 2008, p. 122.
3) Great Feuds in Science by Hal Hellman (Barnes & Noble, New York, 2007 ed.), p. 108.
4) Modern Ireland by R. F. Foster (Penguin Press, London, 1988), p. 49.
5) The Tradition of Science by Leonard Bruno (Library of Congress, Wash., DC, 1987), p. 200.
6) Ireland’s Holy Wars by Marcus Tanner (Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, CT, 2001), p. 92.
7) quoted in The Genesis Flood by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris (Presbyterian and Reformed, Phil., PA, 1961), pp. 116, 117.

NOAH, Kinds & Preaching

2010-10-23T11:02:00.009-05:00

Noah was warned about the Flood when he was 480 years old (Ge 6:3, 7:11). The Flood came 120 years later. What was Noah doing during this time? Noah’s father Lamech prophesied that Noah would bring relief to the earth (Ge 5:28, 29), so the people at that time should have been open to Noah’s message.

Noah’s sons were not born until twenty years after he was told about the flood (Ge 5:32). How did he start building the Large Barge (Ark)? Cornelius Van Til held that he hired carpenters. After Job’s ordeal he was very very blessed:
Could it be that Noah was also wealthy? He could thus afford dozens or hundreds of carpenters.

Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5). Albert Barnes held that Noah, “…warned the world of the judgment that was preparing for it.” [2] According to A.T. Robertson, “… Noah preached to the men of his time during the long years.” [3] This view may also aid us in the interpretation of 1 Peter 3:19, 20. The same word in 2 Peter 2:5, “herald” or “preacher,” is also used in 1 Tim. 2:7 and 2 Tim. 1:11:
But what did Paul do? He went around the world preaching Christ – maybe Noah did likewise. Noah preached on the righteousness that comes by faith (Heb 11:7). Noah could easily travel the globe in 120 years.
Could it be that some repented and believed in the coming Savior (Ge 3:15) and died before the Flood started, such as Methuselah (Ge 5:26-28)?

Many object to the global flood because the ark could not hold all the species. [1] But this shows a serious confusion of kinds versus species. How many kinds are there? First, let’s look at the minimum number of kinds (17):
What about the maximum number of kinds? John Woodmorappe estimates the number of animals on the Ark as around 16K. [4] Thus there may be around 8K kinds. Suppose Woodmorappe is off by a factor of two, then we might give a provisional guess at the maximum number of air-breathing, land-based kinds at 16K. If there were many more kinds than that, the Ark would have been too crowded.

For more on biblical kinds, check out Variation and Fixity in Nature by Frank Marsh and The Natural Limits to Biological Change by Lane Lester and Ray Bohlin.
The work of the Baraminology Study Group and Art Battson is also helpful. Clearly, sponges, clams, starfish and lobsters are different kinds.

“Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” – Ge 6:8

Notes:
1) William Smith, Smith’s Bible Dictionary (Fleming H. Revell, Tappan, NJ, 1977 ed. [orig. pub. 1884]), p. 457, “Noah” entry.
2) Albert Barnes, Barnes New Testament Notes (Online Bible), 2 Pet. 2:5.
3) A.T. Robertson, Robertson’s New Testament Word Pictures (Online Bible), 2 Pet. 2:5.
4) John Wodmorappe, Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study (ICR, Santee, CA, 1996), pp. 10-13.

We’re Jamin, but are we certain? (AgeOfEarth)

2010-09-24T11:02:00.009-05:00

Jamin Hubner, author of The Portable Presuppositionalist, has a most excellent site on apologetics. He has recently written on the topic of the age of the earth. Stephen Boyd’s research on the verbs in Genesis 1:1 to 2:3 is referred to, but Thousands … Not Billions by Don DeYoung is not. Neither is the second volume produced by the RATE team which contains the details of Dr. Boyd’s work.

Hubner is ambiguous on Genesis and states that it’s narrative in a “general sense” and that the events recounted occurred “one way or another.” In contrast, Stephen Boyd’s results on preterite verbs is aptly summarized by Andrew Kulikovsky, “In the case of Genesis 1:1-2:3, it was statistically classified as narrative with a probability of 0.9999. This is an extraordinary level of confidence that amounts to virtual certainty.” [1]

Hubner states that, “No one denies that Genesis 1 fits with the rest of the book … ;” whereas, Bernhard Anderson, Emeritus Prof. of OT at Princeton, admits, “There is increasing agreement that the creation account belongs to the genre of story, not history. Even conservative ‘evangelical’ scholars are moving in this direction …” [2]

One also wonders how familiar Hubner is with the following creation periodicals:
Creation Research Society Quarterly
Acts & Facts
Answers Research Journal
Journal of Creation
Creation (CSM, UK)
A more complete list may be found here.

Hubner is under the false impression that the 10 toledoths (“generations,” “historical account”) in Genesis appear at the beginning of a section. They actually occur at the end. [3] Many of Hubner’s concerns are dealt with in the festschrift for John Whitcomb (co-author of The Genesis Flood, 1961) – Coming to Grips with Genesis, ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury. Also, Refuting Compromise by Jonathan Sarfati is a relevant resource.

Hubner claims that, “The only citation of Gen 1 in the NT is of man being made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27 in Matt 19 and Mark 10), a strongly theological point; there is no reference to chronology of Gen 1 in any of the NT …” Both Matthew and Luke contain a genealogy which implicitly yields a chronology. The NT uses the Seven-Day-Week which derives from the original Creation In Six Days (CISD) and the one day of rest. Time IS important in the NT, “… when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4, ESV). Jesus came to earth according to God’s timetable (Daniel’s 70 weeks) – time does matter. In 2 Cor 4:6 we read, “For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ …” citing Ge 1:3. According to Andrew Snelling, “There are at least 100 quotations or direct references to Genesis 1-11 in the New Testament.”

Hubner brings out the issue of forming and filling during Creation Week. When we make things, we do so in an orderly manner. Building a house involves days of forming and days of filling. We are God’s image-bearers and imitate the work of Creation Week. When we build a house we do so in an orderly manner – first the foundation (with electric and plumbing lines), then the framing, windows, skylights, insulation, drywall, roofing and siding. We put plants, pets, an aquarium, ceiling fans and maybe some reptiles on the inside of the house – a virtual jungle.

Regarding the 3 days of forming and 3 days of filling, Hubner comments, “This could just be irony and genius in the creative order and have no conflict with chronology, but it is central to the account and it must be given attention” (emphasis added). Actually Day 3 of Creation Week was a day of filling since plants and trees were created then. According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism what is central about creation?

Q. 9. What is the work of creation?
A. The work of creation is, God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.

Hubner posits, “… if we have a question specifically about chronology, Gen. 2 would probably be the first place we should go …” Ge 1 shows that Adam was made on Day 6 of Creation Week – that is Adam is 6 days younger than the universe and Ex 20:11 makes it clear that these are regular days. Chronology is found in Ge 5&11.

Hubner makes this shocking admission, “… I am hesitant to say ‘I'm a literal 24-hr 6-day young earth creationist’ even though much of what I believe falls into that camp.” Even non-creationist scholars admit to the 144 hour framework. Gerhard von Rad said that, “The seven days are unquestionably to be understood as actual days and as a unique, unrepeatable lapse of time in the world.” [4] Hubner admits to gaps in the chronology of Ge 5&11 and holds that mankind may be as old as 15,000 years. There are no gaps.

Hubner confesses, “I really doubt if there is adequate information in Scripture to plainly tell us how old our expanding and mind-boggling universe is.” Possibly he is unaware of the proposed solutions of the distant starlight problem provided by Russell Humphreys, John Hartnett and Jason Lisle.

Orthodox Protestants who take Genesis as Historical Narrative (OPGHN, “opgane”) should take Genesis as teaching creation in six standard days about six thousand years ago (Y6K). Francis Turretin proclaimed, “Nor does the sacred history written by Moses cover any more than six thousand years …” [5]

Notes:
1) “Higher Critical Hogwash” by Andrew Kulikovsky, Journal of Creation, Vol. 22, No. 3, 2008, p. 33, emphasis added.
2) quoted in Kulikovsky, emphasis added.
3) Coming to Grips with Genesis ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), pp. 152, 295.
4) quoted in “Can Deep Time Be Embedded in Genesis?” by Trevor Craigen in Coming to Grips with Genesis ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), p. 203.
5) quoted in “A Brief Overview of the Exegesis of Genesis 1-11: Luther to Lyell” by David Hall in Coming to Grips with Genesis ed. by Terry Mortenson and Thane Ury (Master Books, Green Forest, AR, 2008), p. 71.

Adam’s Blog [stardate 18,677.789] - Lost in Space

2010-08-27T11:05:00.014-05:00

If Eva and I have twenty daughters and thirty sons and my children have twenty daughters and thirty sons and this pattern continues, then this luscious world God has given us will soon fill up. Could this planet possibly hold 15 billion [1] or maybe even 60 billion?

Before the Bad Time [Ge 3] we were pure. Could there be other worlds with pure people? Once we multiply and fill up the earth, where will we go? Could we live on the Moon? Terry, my pet pterodactyl, takes me up very high, but hardly any closer to the moon. Muh-Quamxcq has built amazing steam powered rockets. One day one of my children may build a contraption that can reach Mars based on the energy that powers the sun. Maybe future space travelers will go beyond the planets to other worlds to encounter pure ones.
Will there someday be the Lost in Space? If the Lost meet the pure ones, how will they react to each other? Could my fallen children cause the pure ones to lose their Edenic state? In the town of Goor-Gar they have built a high wall around the city to keep out ferocious dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs. In like manner, could there be a barrier around a pure planet to keep the Fallen Ones out?

Would the reverse quarantine of pure planets be maintained by angels [Ge 3:24]? Or could a protective barrier be the creation of the pure ones themselves? Time will tell.

**** **** ****

… the interplanetary problem must be left on one side for the moment. The second problem is our rivals on this planet. I don’t mean only insects and bacteria. There’s far too much life of every kind about, animal and vegetable. We haven’t really cleared the place yet. First we couldn’t; and then we had aesthetic and humanitarian scruples; and we still haven’t short-circuited the question of the balance of nature. All that is to be gone into. The third problem is Man himself. --- Feverstone in That Hideous Strength (scifi) by C. S. Lewis

There is presumably an upper limit to the carrying capacity of humans on earth - of the numbers that agriculture can support - and that number is usually estimated at between 13-15 billion, though some people think the ultimate numbers might be much higher --- Niles Eldredge (of Punctuated Equilibrium fame) [2]

Writing in the Spiritual Counterfeits Project Journal, David Fetcho comments:

…we can only speculate about what the destiny of an unfallen humanity might have been . . . If sin had not entered, and with it death, then obedience to the command to multiply would very quickly have filled the planet earth with an exponentially exploding population of immortals. Was humankind's benevolent subjection of the planet Earth but the first intended step in a plan that would eventually encompass galaxies? [3]

Notes:
1) “Science Will Solve the Population Problem” by Nicholas Eberstadt in Population ed. by Karen Balkin, (Thomson Gale, Detroit, MI, 2005), p. 35.
2) “Overpopulation Could Lead to Humanity’s Extinction” by Niles Eldredge in Population ed. by Karen Balkin, (Thomson Gale, Detroit, MI, 2005), p. 76.

3) quoted in “Defense of Copernicus” by Jay Hall (letter), Creation Research Society Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 1, p. 80.

Ecology, Environment and Creation Care

2010-07-24T19:55:00.021-05:00

“… Gather up now the fragments (the broken pieces that are left over), so that nothing may be lost and wasted” (Jn 6:12, Amp).

In 1970 Francis Schaeffer wrote Pollution and the Death of Man and said, “… Christians who believe the Bible are not simply called to say that ‘one day’ there will be healing [for the pollution dilemma], but that by God’s grace, upon the basis of the work of Christ, substantial healing can be a reality here and now” [1]

In 1987 the large garbage barge Mobro from Long Island traveled to six states and three countries trying to get rid of its load. The barge finally went back to New York and the trash was burned in a Brooklyn incinerator. [2]

Just about everything can be recycled; even orange peels can be used in animal feed. It only takes 5% as much energy to make aluminum from old cans compared to making it from scratch using bauxite. Some cities, such as Freeport, IL, charge more for an extra bag of trash. If creating trash cost us something would we be such litterbugs? [3]

Turning trash to energy is one way to reduce pollution. Yes Virginia, there is profit in garbage. One incineration plant in Florida made $15 million from its electricity generation. [4] An incinerator makes ash that takes up one tenth the volume as the original trash:

Triencon is on the cutting edge of the waste-to-energy industry. They use gasification-oxidation which is different from incineration and does not harm the environment. The Fischer–Tropsch process (F-T) can convert carbon monoxide and hydrogen into synthetic lubricants and fuel. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and other trash can be converted into many useful products:

What about the carbon dioxide produced by waste-to-energy plants? When combined with hydrogen (abundant in the ocean) it can make methane gas. Waste to energy works!

Consider these thoughts from Francis Schaeffer,

Beauty does not have to have pragmatic reasons to have value. … When we have learned this - the Christian view of nature – then there can be a real ecology; beauty will flow, psychological freedom will come, and the world will cease to be turned into a desert. [5]

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
and clouds and storms, and all the weather,
through which you give your creatures sustenance.
Be praised, My Lord, through Sister Water;
she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.
Francis of Assisi

"And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth" (Rev 11:18, NASB).

**** HERE IS A VIDEO VERSION OF THIS BLOG ****

Notes:

1) Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer by Francis Schaeffer, (Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, 1982), Vol. 5: p. 39, emphasis added.
2) “Talking Trash” by Virginia Postrel and Lynn Scarlett, Reason Aug/Sep 1991, p. 24.
3) Ibid., pp. 27, 28, 31.
4) “Cities Give Waste-to-Energy Plants a Second Look” by Ilan Brat, Wall Street Journal, Dec. 6-7, 2008, p. A3.
5) Schaeffer, p. 55.

** ** ** **
BK2C = Be Kind To Creation
NIMBY = Not In My Back Yard
Don’t Mess with Texas
Keep America Beautiful

The Meaning of Fossils

2010-06-20T18:57:00.011-05:00

Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly (2 Peter 3:3-7, ESV)

Would anyone have doubted the reality of the Flood fifty years after it happened? How about 500 years after the Flood? In Post-Babel times certain people groups lost the memory of the Global Flood, yet the rocks cry out and point to the Deluge. Neanderthals put fossils in their graves; could this be because they knew they were relics from the Deluge? [1]
Martin Rudwick wrote The Meaning of Fossils: Episodes in the History of Palaeontology which discusses the history of how fossils came to be understood as once living things. He also explains how fossils were interpreted to represent extinction and evolution.

Xanthos of Sardis (c. 500 BC) understood that fossils were the remains of once living organisms. [2] Xenophanes (d. ca. 490 BC) discovered fossil fishes and shells and thought that the land was underwater in the past. Herodotus (d. 425 BC), the historian, concluded that Egypt was once underwater because of the fossil shells there.
Lucretius (d. 45 BC), Roman poet and Epicurean, held the Young Earth view:

Why have no poets sung of feats before the Theban War and the tragedy of Troy[1200 BC?]. The answer, I believe, is that the world is newly made: its origin is a recent event, not one of remote antiquity. That is why even now some arts are being perfected… [3]

Human history only goes back a few thousand years, so the earth is young. If the earth was made recently, then the fossils must be due to the Global Flood.

Leonardo da Vinci (d. 1519) knew that fossils were once living things, but suffered under the misapprehension that the Flood would have left a blended deposit rather than multiple layers. He held that fossils on the tops of mountains were deposited before the mountains were raised which is perfectly consistent with the Flood.

Tertullian pointed to fossils found on mountains as evidence of the Flood. Augustine saw fossils as the remains of creatures living before the Flood. Martin Luther referred to fossils as being the result of the Deluge in his commentary on Genesis. Agostino Scilla published a work in 1670 on fossils which he illustrated himself which pointed to the Flood as their cause. [4]

Colin Stearn and Robert Carroll, authors of a mainstream paleontology text, freely admit that by the middle of the eighteenth century, “Most [naturalists] attributed them [the fossils] to animals destroyed in the Biblical flood…” [5]

Polystrate fossils, such as a trees passing through multiple strata, clearly indicate rapid deposition. One famous example Terry Mortenson highlights in his book The Great Turning Point (p. 205):
This tree discovered in 1826 is from a quarry in Craigleith, Scotland and is about 80 feet long and goes through about ten or twelve different strata (the angle is about 40 degrees). [6]

Even Darwin himself toyed with catastrophism:

What, then, has exterminated so many species and whole genera? The mind at first is irresistibly hurried into the belief of some great catastrophe; but thus to destroy animals, both large and small, in Southern Patagonia, in Brazil, on the Cordillera of Peru, in North America up to Behring's Straits, we must shake the entire framework of the globe. [7]

Terry Mortenson notes the sad paradigm shift away from Flood Geology:

Catastrophism did not die out immediately, although by the late 1830s few old-earth catastrophists in the United Kingdom, America, or Europe believed in a geologically significant Noachian deluge. [8]

Amazingly, as late as 1892 a Yale professor (Military Science) defended the Deluge. Charles Totten wrote The Flood: the Fact of History defending the feasibility of the Ark. [5]

In addition to the geological indicators of the Flood, there are hundreds of Flood traditions from all around the world.

Notes:
1) Paleontology: The Record of Life by Colin Stearn and Robert Carroll (John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, 1989), p. 5.
2) Ibid.
3) “Time and Ancient Records” by David Watson, Creation Research Society Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 1, June 1981, p. 34, emphasis added.
4) The Deluge Story in Stone by Byron Nelson (Bethany Fellowship, Minneapolis, MN, 1968), pp. 9, 10, 18.
5) Stearn and Carroll, p. 6.
6) Nelson, p. 111.
7) The Voyage of the Beagle By Charles Darwin, p. 110 (emphasis added).
8) The Great Turning Point by Terry Mortenson (Master Books, Green Forest, AR 2004), p. 33.
9) Nelson, pp. 154-156.

The Fall - it Leaves…

2010-06-19T18:21:00.005-05:00

In a perfect little town, we got lost and feared the sound
The Fall – it leaves, the Fall – it leaves us on the ground
I tried to hide and had no clothes
And I feared the One who’s Most

Searching for something beyond Eden home
Expelled from paradise to face grime
How could I have done this awful crime!

Run away before you drown ‘cause the Flood will beat you down
The Fall – it leaves, the Fall – it leaves us on the ground
It gets dark in East of Eden Park
Voice in my head will soon be dread
By the Curse my doom is death

Now my shame has now been caught
Staring at thorns, fig leaves were naught
Run away before you drown ‘cause the Flood will beat you down
The Fall – it leaves, the Fall – it leaves us on the ground

Francis Collins, William Dembski and ID the Future

2010-06-05T07:46:00.013-05:00

Opponents of creationism often ignore its vast literature rather than strive to truly understand the other side. Francis Collins, founder of BioLogos and Director of the Human Genome Project, quotes Henry Morris with regard to the cultural impact of evolution, but fails to fully interact with his more recent scientific work defying Darwinism. [1] He should have dealt with The Modern Creation Trilogy by Henry Morris and John Morris (1996). In The Language of God, Collins has one reference for his chapter on Creationism (not even a creationist reference), but there are eight references for his chapter on Intelligent Design (ID).

Francis Collins (on the right) thinks that creationists hold that species are static. [2] The kinds God made during Creation Week display only limited variation – this may in general be at the family level (elephants, armadillos, anteaters etc.). Collins exhibits another point of confusion regarding the creationist stance, “… the geologic strata and the fossils within the various layers were created in a few weeks by the worldwide flood.” [3] There are Pre-Flood, Deluge and Post-Flood deposits and the Global Flood lasted about a year. Collins denies the possibility of accelerated nuclear decay, but ignores the results of the RATE team. [4] Even mainstream scientists admit that some isotope decay rates vary. [5] Francis Schaeffer accepted that the radioactive decay rates may not be constant. [6]

Collins runs to Saint Augustine to support his old-earth views. [7] Actually, Augustine held that the earth was about six thousand years old. Collins is also under the impression that creationists insist, “… that every word of the Bible must be taken literally…” which is quite false. [8] He leans toward taking Genesis 2 as poetry and allegory, but the statistical analysis of preterite verbs has shown that Genesis 1:1-2:3 is historical narrative, not poetry. Collins quotes C. S. Lewis in defense of his views, but Lewis showed creationist leanings in his latter years. C. S. Lewis said in 1951, “The point that the whole economy of nature demands simultaneity of at least a v[ery] great many species is a v[ery] sticky one.” That is all basic types of life existed at the beginning, such as insects and the flowers they pollinate. Accepted dating claims that certain insects appeared millions of years before the flowers they pollinate. Collins even denies that Job and Jonah are historical. [9] He is also completely oblivious to the creationist responses to the distant starlight problem. [10] According to Collins, “Young Earth Creationism has reached a point of intellectual bankruptcy” and that biblical creationists are “… effectively committing intellectual suicide.” [11] Collins is a member of the American Scientific Affiliation (open to theistic evolution) and I would refer him to an article in their Journal defending Global Catastrophe by Loren Steinhauer of MIT.
Francis Collins calls William Dembski “the leading mathematical modeler of the ID movement.” [12] Dembski claims that Scripture contains examples of Intelligent Design, “Predictive prophecies in Scripture are instances of specified complexity…” which is the criteria to determine ID. [13] Scripture teaches that God created the world in six regular days (24 hours) about six thousand years ago and the planet was destroyed by a global cataclysm during Noah’s day (kataklusmon, 2 Peter 2:5). Dembski now admits that the Flood was global:

…not only Genesis 6–9 but also Jesus in Matthew 24 and Peter in Second Peter seem clearly to teach that the Flood was universal. As a biblical inerrantist, I believe that what the Bible teaches is true and bow to the text, including its teaching about the Flood and its universality.

When will Dembski accept the young earth view? Soon, I hope and pray. Dembski spoke at this years meeting of the International Society of Christian Apologetics in Fort Worth (see pic above) where a number of creation scientists spoke (S. Austin, J. Morris and N. Jeanson). [14] Dembski did not treat the young earth defenders as “intellectually bankrupt” and attended lectures supporting the Global Flood. If only Francis Collins had such a generous attitude.

William Dembski seems to favor the fixity of kinds, “Actual scientific evidence, both experimental and paleontological, supports only limited variation within fixed boundaries…” [15] He also references The Natural Limits to Biological Change by Lane Lester and Raymond Bohlin. Art Battson may be the most ardent advocate of the conservation and stability of kinds (limited common ancestry [16]) within the ID community. Even ID super-star Michael Behe concedes that the data favors limited variation:

… data available in just the past decade from studies of microbes which occur in nature in truly astronomical numbers, such as the malarial parasite and HIV, demonstrate random mutation to be incoherent, and Darwinian processes capable of only trivial changes to pre-existing systems. … Extrapolating from such data allows relatively precise, firm limits to be placed on what is reasonable to expect of unintelligent processes…

Nancy Pearcey, Senior Fellow with the Discovery Institute, provides similar sentiments, “Is change limited or unlimited? – that simple question is the heart of the creation and evolution controversy … For centuries both laymen and specialists have known that biological change is in fact limited.” [17] Even evolutionist Francis Hitching agrees, “Genes are a powerful stabilizing mechanism and they minimize the chances that new forms will evolve.” [18] Once the fixity of kinds is assumed the only sensible interpretation of the geologic record is via Noah’s Flood. Acceptance of the Global Flood leads to a young earth interpretation.
“ID the Future” is an excellent ID podcast, but what about the real future of ID and its stance on the young earth? Francis Collins predicts the “ultimate demise” of ID and that is has already been refuted and that it is headed “to the bottom of the ocean.” [19] In contrast, Phillip Johnson, the father of ID, has become sympathetic to creationism:

l have met many young-earth creationists and respect their position, whatever the world may think of it. They are dismissively called “Genesis literalists,” but this is a caricature. … Creationists read Genesis not with a wooden literalism but by an interpretive principle that was standard everywhere before the rise of postmodernist innovations such as deconstruction and reader response theory: a text should be read as the author meant it to be read. [20]

He is even willing to consider that certain “constants” may have changed:

All that is necessary to research the lifespans in Genesis 5 is to put aside the philosophical dogma of uniformitarianism and proceed instead on the assumptionthat the basic “constants” of physics may have changed over time. [21]

Is Phillip Johnson ready to accept accelerated nuclear decay and the evidence for a young earth provided by the RATE team? If William Dembski doubts the results of the RATE team he can go to a local coal mine in Texas where he lives and have a sample dated by radiocarbon. I predict that the sample will be dated in the 40K-60K range and not millions of years old; “come, Dembski, come – the game is afoot!” How does Dembski explain bivalves, supposedly millions of years old, with their original ligaments intact! Geologist Andrew Snelling, who’s young earth research was referenced in the July 2004 issue of Sedimentary Geology, has a perfectly reasonable explanation:

The pristine fossils disgorged by these mud springs, still with either their original external iridescence or their original organic ligaments, can’t be 165 million years old! Both the fossils and the strata that entombed them must only be recent. They are best explained as testimony to the global watery cataclysm in Noah’s day about 4,500 years ago.

Will ID evolve into Intelligent Design Creationism (IDC)? Time will tell.

“It is written” appears 78 times in Scripture – we must base our thinking in all areas, both academic and practical, on the Bible. Evolution only leads to despair, but God’s Word brings wisdom:

Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons - Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High (Ps. 107:10, 11).

Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the LORD my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” (Deut. 4:5, 6).

Notes:
1) The Language of God by Francis Collins, (Free Press, New York, NY, 2006), p. 5.
2) Ibid., p. 172.
3) Ibid.
4) Ibid., p. 173.
5) “Half-life (more or less)” by Davide Castelvecchi, Science News, November 22, 2008, Vol. 174, No. 11, pp. 21-23.
6) The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer by Francis Schaeffer, (Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, 1982), Vol. 2: p. 134.
7) Collins, pp. 174, 175, 199, 200.
8) Collins, p. 175.
9) Ibid., p. 209.
10) Ibid., pp. 176-177.
11) Ibid., p. 177, 178, emphasis added.
12) Collins, p. 194.
13) Intelligent Design by William Dembski, (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1999), p. 233.
14) “Taking God Seriously” by Lawrence Ford, Acts & Facts, June 2010, p. 3, we attended this conference.
15) Dembski, p. 250.
16) “Common Ancestry and the Bible – Discerning Where to Draw the Line” by Nathaniel Jeanson, Acts & Facts, June 2010, p. 6.
17) “Everybody Can Know: The Most Powerful Evidence Against Evolution” by Nancy Pearcey, Bible-Science Newsletter, June 1987, p. 7.
18) “Where Darwin Went Wrong” by Francis Hitching, Reader’s Digest, 1982, Vol. 121, No. 725, p. 14.

19) Collins, pp. 194, 195.
20) The Right Questions: Truth, Meaning & Public Debate by Phillip Johnson, (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 2004), p. 57, emphasis added.
21) Ibid., p. 147.

What the Turtle Taught Us (Tortoise)

2010-05-13T07:59:00.011-05:00

A phylogenetic (alleged family tree) study published in the Royal Society Biological Proceedings in 2002 used a technique called “gene tree parsimony” that assumes a certain rate of gene duplication and loss. These Darwinists concluded that turtles are the closest relatives of birds (Chickens and Turtles Are Sisters 07/30/2002)! Here is a map showing differences in the intensity of the Earth’s magnetic field. The dip angle of the lines of magnetic force also gives location clues. Turtles have a map sense apparently based on variations in the earth’s magnetic field at different locations. So, turtles are great navigators. Loggerhead sea turtles hatch on the Florida coast and migrate thousands of miles to the Mediterranean Sea. As adults they migrate back to Florida, often back to the same beach! Kenneth Lohmann has experimentally verified that turtles use light and magnetic fields for navigation. [1]
The painted turtle is very colorful. Many turtles stay near water, but the desert tortoise can survive for over a year without water! Amazingly, the red-eared slider turtle can remain underwater for up to two weeks using lactate fermentation to supply cells with oxygen. [2]
Hindu mythology has the Earth on the backs of four elephants which stand on the shell of a turtle.

Clearly turtles have been intelligently designed (ID), but ID is not enough and will not save your soul. As Georgia Purdom observes, “God’s role as Creator becomes foundational to His role as Redeemer. Recognizing a designer is not enough to be saved; submitting to the Redeemer is also necessary.” [3] Creation and Redemption are intimately connected:

For by him [Christ] all things were made, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, authorities, lords, rulers, and powers; all things were made by him and for him; He is before all things, and in him all things have being. … Through him uniting all things with himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, uniting all things which are on earth or in heaven (Col. 1:16, 17, 20, BBE).

Here is a turtle pic from Dr. Norbert Smith (Ph.D. Zoology):

Notes:
1) Biology 6e by Eldra Solomon, Linda Berg and Diana Martin, (2002, Brooks/Cole), p. 1118.
2) Ibid., p. 171.
3) “Is the Intelligent Design Movement Christian?” by Georgia Purdom in The New Answers Book 2 ed. by Ken Ham, (2008, Master Books, Green Forest, AR), p. 93.

Genius, Harvard and Darwin Doubters

2010-04-01T05:17:00.009-05:00

Chris Langan has an IQ of 195, so he’s a genius. He made a perfect score on the SAT exam. Chris competed on the game show “One Versus One Hundred” hosted by Bob Saget and won $250,000. [1]
Chris gets ideas from his dreams, “I found if I go to bed with a question on my mind, all I have to do is concentrate on the question before I go to sleep and I virtually always have the answer in the morning. Sometimes I realize what the answer is because I dreamt the answer and I can remember it.” [2] Imagine what wonderfully creative ideas Adam, the initial human, gained from his dreams!
Chris Langan claims that, “Harvard is basically a glorified corporation, operating with a profit incentive. That’s what makes it tick. It has an endowment in the billions of dollars. The people running it are not necessarily searching for truth and knowledge. … When you’re there, they got a thumb right on you. They are out to make sure you don’t step out of line.” [3] Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and Blink, disagrees: “… university life gives them [professors] the freedom to do what they want to do and what they feel is right.” unless, of course, you are showing the weaknesses of evolution. [4] Apparently, Gladwell has not seen Ben Stein’s film “EXPELLED.” Jerry Bergman has written a 477 page book, Slaughter of the Dissidents, documenting the academic persecution of Darwin Doubters. For example, Norbert Smith has a Ph.D. in zoology from Texas Tech University. After Francis Rose, a biology prof at Tech, learned of Smith’s rejection of Darwinism, he formed a committee to annul Smith’s doctorate! This was not successful. [5] One creationist with a Ph.D. in biology from Harvard has been fired several times from teaching positions because of his views on origins. [6]

Dr. Philip Bishop, a physiology professor at the University of Alabama, was persecuted for offering an optional lecture on the evidence for God seen in human physiology. [7] Nancy Bryson (Ph.D. chemistry) was the Science Department Head at Mississippi University for Women (MUW). After she gave a talk critical of Darwinism, she was demoted and was eventually forced to leave MUW. [8] Dr. Caroline Crocker taught biology at George Mason University for several years. After a student complained, she was told not to present the evidence for Intelligent Design and ultimately lost her job. She was also let go from a community college because of her doubts about Darwinism. [9]
Intolerance towards questioning amoeba-to-Adam evolution is pervasive. Just consider the case of Raymond Damadian, inventor of the MRI. The probable reason why he did not receive the 2003 Nobel Prize in Medicine was because he is a creationist. [10]
In 2004, Guillermo Gonzalez, astronomer at Iowa State University (ISU), wrote The Privileged Planet: How Our Place in the Cosmos is Designed for Discovery. Gonzalez also appeared in the film by the same name. For taking such a strong stand for design, he was denied tenure and was fired from ISU in 2007 despite the fact that he had published almost 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers! [11]

Maybe the genius was right after all.

“For dreams result from much work and a fool's voice from many words” (Eccl. 5:3, Holman)

Notes:
1) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, (Little, Brown & Co., 2008, New York, NY), pp. 69-73.
2) Ibid., p. 113.
3) Ibid., p. 96.
4) Ibid., p. 97.
5) Slaughter of the Dissidents by Jerry Bergman, (Leafcutter Press, 2008, Southworth, WA), pp. 120-122.
6) Ibid., p. 372.
7) Ibid., pp. 201-209.
8) Ibid., pp. 232-241.
9) Ibid., pp. 242-249.
10) Ibid., pp. 274-295.
11) Ibid., pp. 296-329.

Walter Lang (1913 - 2004) - Creationist Warrior

2010-03-09T09:42:00.013-06:00

Walter H. J. Lang was born in Omaha, Nebraska on November 3, 1913. [1] In 1937 he graduated from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. Valeria Ruth Lang and Walter were married in 1940. In 1942 Lang started a mission church among African-Americans in Houston. In 1959 he was serving at a church in Denver that was about half African-American.

In 1963 Walter became the executive director of the Bible-Science Association (BSA). In the following year the organization became officially non-profit. Early issues of the Bible-Science Newsletter (BSN) can be found here. Valeria did most of the editing. The first Bible-Science Newsletter was published in September 1963. BSN was Dedicated to:
BSN included such authors as Nancy Pearcey and D. James Kennedy.

BSA sponsored many creation conventions, the first of which was in Milwaukee in 1972. The theme of the 1978 convention in Wichita was “The Challenge of Design” and the featured speakers included Clifford Wilson, Duane Gish and Henry Morris. The next year’s convention was in Anaheim across from Disneyland and included John Baumgardner and Ethel Nelson as presenters. Other BSA conventions heard Jack Cuozzo, Nancy Pearcey and Walter Remine.

Walter Lang was a tireless promoter of creation. In one year he traveled 66,000 miles by car! He also hiked to the bottom of Grand Canyon 19 times. Lang went to every state in the U.S. and 26 other countries sharing the creation message. When Lang wanted to audit a course in Geology, the College of Idaho refused, claiming he might be disruptive! [2] Some of Lang’s books and mp3 talks can be found here.

Henry Morris spoke of Lang’s “remarkable energy and originality” and described him as “indefatigable” and “living sacrificially.” [3] Although Walter Lang held to some controversial views, he said on balance, “One should know that science is never absolute and there can always be a drastic new model that can explain the data better than our current model. Too many people admit that science cannot be absolute and still they act with science as if they have absolutes.” [4] Consider these wise words from Lang: “God demands a total dedication to Him, and when something in nature is substituted, that something replaces God and is regarded by God as idolatry. When science is claimed to be neutral, at that very point it becomes a pagan religion.” [5]

Lang wrote a number of tracts illustrated by cartoonist Vic Lockman including:
Was God an Astronaut?
Need We Fear Another Ice Age?
Is the Present the Key to the Past?
Here is an example of Vic Lockman’s more recent work:

The popular radio show Creation Moments, hosted by Ian Taylor traces its origins to the Bible-Science Association.

Lang died on July 10, 2004. Here are some thoughts from his son Philip Lang:

It was amazing to watch my Dad talk to total strangers. I remember seeing him off at an airport. While we were waiting he engaged a stranger in conversation about travel. Within five minutes he wove the conversation step by step into a discussion of creation and the Bible. … Dad amazed all those who really knew him that he could persistently be on the go for twenty hours a day. He didn't seem to need sleep. He would arrive at 6 a.m., say hi to the grand kids, sleep a couple of hours, and be off on the road again. … He tried to never spend money for a motel. He usually stayed at some generous person's home. That meant staying up late to share the Bible and Creation story and getting up early to travel on to the next location. … Dad was usually so busy crusading and preaching that family didn't see him much. Still, I wouldn't trade my Dad for any other dad. I have been richly and eternally blessed by his spiritual example and guidance. My closing prayer is that you also have been touched in positive ways by his life.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10, Prov. 9:10, cf. Job 28:28, Prov. 1:7).

Notes:
1) Two Decades of Creationism by Walter and Valeria Lang (Bible-Science Assoc., Minn., MN, 1984). Available online.
2) ibid., p. 67.
3) History of Modern Creationism by Henry Morris (Master Book Pub., San Diego, CA, 1984), p. 216.
4) personal correspondence, May 16, 1981.
5) Lang, p. 61.

picture credit: Robert Lang (first two)

Adam’s Blog [stardate 155,123.557] - Location by the Numbers

2010-02-12T13:45:00.008-06:00

Before the Curse, I had an innate sense of distance and direction. Now many of my kids have a great propensity for getting Lost. Since Eve is the sunshine of my life, I think I will name the direction of the sunrise “East” in her honor. I will name the direction of the sunset “West” since many of my foolish children do Wicked things at night [cf. 1 Thes. 5:7]. I will call the direction towards the star Polaris “North” and the opposite way “South.”

Ants are very wise creatures. They can travel in a zigzag path searching for food, yet take the straightest path home [1]:

Ants also go around trees and come back to the same place:

When I walked and sailed around the world back when I was 400, always travelling in the same direction, I came back to the same spot on earth. When I made my raft I told Seth to go for wood [gopher wood]. When Eve begged me to stay home I adamantly refused. Eve was upset till evening. Nor-Wiszh traveled the globe from pole to pole, thus proving that the earth is a sphere. Eve and I now live in NEH (No Eden Here). Here is a map of a nearby town:

All the streets run East/West and North/South. I used this same concept to map the entire globe. I think I will call it “latlong.”

Smell the beauty! Teach the wonder! Join me next time for more ruminations from the first human mind.
--- --- ---

“The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course” (Eccl. 1:6, NIV).
“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” (Job 12:12, NIV).

** After the Fall, did Adam see stars? **
** Never put Descartes before De Horst **

Note:
1) The Math Instinct by Keith Devlin, (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2005, New York, NY), pp. 39-42.

A&E - Notes from Edenville

2010-01-18T18:59:00.003-06:00

Who crushed the bones
and whence?
Eden’s Mr. Mud
without good sense.
Why talk @ snakes
and hear evil?
Lord willing, I resist
yet surely Eve’ll.
When did the
first pair streak?
The Y6K bug
made all life bleak.
What high prize
was worth bad fruit?
godkin Edenites
He did uproot!

The Oprah Factor – a review of Three Views on Creation and Evolution (Moreland, Reynolds)

2010-01-16T18:08:00.009-06:00

Three Views of Creation and Evolution by J. P. Moreland and John Mark Reynolds et al (Zondervan, 1999) is a vast disappointment. The page numbers below refer to this book. The Genesis Debate, edited by Ron Youngblood, is a much better work along the same lines (Thomas Nelson, 1986). Beware of the word “integration” – this usually implies the view that “science” trumps scripture (p. 9). On the positive side, Moreland amazingly admits, “… I cannot shake the idea that the young earth people may be correct” (p. 85).

A term that is better than Young Earth Creationism (p. 41) is Orthodox Protestants who take Genesis as Historical Narrative (OPGHN, “opgane”). “Orthodox Protestants” was a term proposed by Harold Lindsell who wrote The Battle for the Bible. [1] If Genesis is historical narrative, then creation in six days and a Global Flood follow directly. The RATE team concluded that Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 is historical narrative based on a statistical analysis of preterite verbs. [2] Howard Van Till (theistic evolutionist) denies that Genesis is historical narrative (pp. 209, 210). The International Council of Biblical Inerrancy (p. 78) produced the “Chicago Statement.” Article 12 states, “… We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood.” R. C. Sproul’s commentary makes it plain that a local flood is consistent with this. [3] Ironically, Sproul is now an OPGHN.

Henry Morris is mentioned on just four pages (see index, p. 288). And Ken Ham is only named on one page (p. 43)! The introduction provides various ways to look at this topic (pp. 9-11), but overlooks the primary issue, “what does the Scripture say?” (Rom. 4:3). Moreland disagrees, “The debate about creation and evolution is not primarily one about how to interpret certain passages in Genesis…” (p. 89).

There is talk of dialog (p. 14) yet very little of that actually takes place. Ken Ham and Jason Lisle debated Walter Kaiser and Hugh Ross in 2006, but this type of interaction is rare. The terms “macroevolution” and “microevolution” should be dropped (pp. 15, 135). Common ancestry, unlimited variation and like phrases, should replace the term “macroevolution.” So called “microevolution” should be described by variation, adaptation, natural selection and speciation. The distinction between origins science and operational science is overlooked (pp. 15, 182, 183).

Fixity of essential types of life is of key importance. If frogs only reproduce frogs and velociraptors only make velociraptors, then molecules to man evolution is impossible. Shockingly, “kinds” and “baramin” are not in the index! However, Phillip Johnson does discuss kinds in a footnote (p. 276). Reynolds and Paul Nelson rightly speak of the “… the natural limits of biological variation” (p. 45). Robert Newman claims that the phrase “after their kind” does not imply “… that one kind could never evolve into another” (p. 114). At least three kinds were created on Day Six of Creation Week and there is no hint that creeping things evolved into cattle which further evolved into beasts (Gen. 1:24). Though the RATE team first met in 1997, their project is not mentioned in this book. [4]

Old Earthers claim that there are “large gaps in the genealogical records” (p. 21, cf. p. 91), yet there are no gaps in the chronological record which indicates that the earth is about six thousand years old. At the end of Day Six of Creation Week the universe was declared “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Thus, the geological record, full of death and disease, must be Post-Creation Week. Many of the contributors to this volume ignore this fact.

J. P. Moreland and Reynolds claim that “… almost all responsible thinkers agree that certain chemical elements now decay at known rates” (p. 24). The RATE results show this to be false. [5] Francis Schaeffer held that the constancy of radiometric decay was questionable. [6] Edward Blyth, a creationist, published on natural selection decades before Darwin (p. 31). There is no mention of the “scriptural geologists” of the early 1800’s highlighted in Terry Mortenson’s book The Great Divide. The Creation Research Society in not “young earth” (p. 33), but rather it holds that the Flood was global in extent and effect.

Nelson and Reynolds (young earthers), give away the store: “Recent creationists should humbly agree that their view is , at the moment, implausible on purely scientific grounds” (p. 51). Their advice is “… to leave the issues of biblical chronology and history to a saner period” (p. 100). While emphasizing Intelligent Design, Nelson and Reynolds suggest that we, “Feel free to put off the question of the age of the earth and the Flood for now” (p. 75). They mention Russell Humphreys work on distant starlight (p. 52), but fail to refer to his book Starlight and Time (1994).

Walter Bradley’s (progressive creation) anti-Flood arguments have been refuted. He claims that thick deposits pose a problem for the Flood (p. 77). Consider Mt. St. Helens’ eruption of 1980 and its aftermath. There are 600 feet of layered deposits that formed in just a couple of years! [7] Furthermore, some deposits were formed before and after the Flood. Bradley is confused on the meaning of “nephesh” (air-breathing) death when he speaks of bacteria (p. 77). He claims that it is “problematic” that the Adam and Eve might have lived forever (p. 77). The first couple’s descendents may have populated the stars. Bradley denies the global distribution of humanity at the time of the Flood (p. 78). This is quite unreasonable given the long antediluvian life-spans. The Tower of Babel, with its concentration of population, was after the Flood, not prior.

Contributor John Jefferson Davis challenges the Global Flood by asking, “… did kangaroos and platypuses that live in Australia come to the Middle East to board Noah’s ark?” (p. 84). The continents may have been together before the Deluge. Catastrophic Plate Tectonics (CPT) is one of the leading models of the Flood. The animals would have dispersed from Ararat and floated on debris to get to various islands. In the Ice Age the lower ocean would have revealed some land bridges as well. God’s rainbow promise shows that the Flood must have been worldwide – we have had many local floods since Noah’s death.

Vern Poythress (old earth) claims that, “The Bible simply does not say whether the Flood covered the entire globe” (p. 92). Poythress, who teaches at Westminster Seminary (PA), denies creation is six normal days (pp. 92, 93), yet the Westminster Shorter Catechism clearly teaches (Q9), “The work of creation is, God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good” [emphasis added]. He is oblivious to the fact that in 1994 six creationist Ph.D.’s defended CPT at the International Conference on Creationism in Pittsburgh not far from where he teaches! (p. 94).

Here are some possibilities for defenders of OPGHN that Zondervan should have selected:

John Morris, author of The Young Earth
Russell Humphreys, author of Starlight and Time (1994)
John Baumgardner, plate tectonics researcher, pub. in Nature
Jonathan Sarfati, author of Refuting Compromise (contra Ross)
Terry Mortenson, author of The Great Turning Point
Andrew Snelling, author of Earth's Catastrophic Past

In general, the contributors seem to be generally uninformed in the field of creationism. Some helpful pro-creation websites include:
ICR
CRS
Creation Moments
AiG
CMI

What is missing from this book is the Oprah factor – brutal honesty and open confession. “I don’t want to be persecuted or lose my job, so I need to compromise on the clearly stated meaning of Genesis.” It’s hard to say but it is a first step. “Hello, my name is Richard, and I’m Against the Creationists of Tradition (ACT).” There now, doesn’t that feel better? Indeed, it is tough to fight the academic majority. Just say “NO” to the scientific elite and tell your Maker, “Lord I believe, please help my unbelief.” The Creation Research Society has a list of local creationist groups where you may find comfort and answers to your questions.

Notes:
1) The Bible in the Balance by Harold Lindsell, (Zondervan, 1979, Grand Rapids, MI), p. 321.
2) RATE = Radioisotopes and The Age of the Earth, Thousands … Not Billions ed. by Don DeYoung, (Master Books, 2005, Green Forest, AR), pp. 157-170.
3) Explaining Inerrancy by R. C. Sproul, (Ligonier Ministries, 1996, Orlando, FL), pp. 36, 38.4) “Fair and Balanced?” by Steven McConaughy,
4) DeYoung, p. 17.
5) DeYoung, especially chs. 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9.
6) The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer by Francis Schaeffer, (Crossway Books, 1982, Wheaton, IL), p. 134.
7) Footprints in the Ash by John Morris and Steven Austin, (Master Books, 2003, Green Forest, AR), p. 52, 53.

To Dembski with Love

2009-12-02T13:41:00.005-06:00

William Dembski, the well known ID advocate, has written a book promoting the view that the death, destruction and disease seen in the fossil record are the retroactive punishment of the Fall. The book is called The End of Christianity and Terry Mortenson (of Answers in Genesis) has provided an excellent response to Dembski’s thesis. Dembski accepts the standard geochronology where man appeared on the planet many millions of years after the lower animals. Such scripture twisting is not kosher.

The beginning of creation and the advent of man are not separated by millions or billions of years, “But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female’” (Mk. 10:6). God asked Job, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? … while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4,7). That is the angels were around when the earth was created, but why are the angels around anyway? “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14). That is man and angels are contemporaries and not separated by millions of years. So man has been around since the creation of the earth (Day Six of Creation Week).

Satan was a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). Cain slew Abel and did not resist demonic influences (Ge. 4:6,7). Murder implies man was around – angels don’t die.

Scripture’s first verse tells us that the earth existed at the beginning and not billions of years after the alleged Big Bang. “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands” (Ps. 102:25).

Prophets have existed since the world began: “As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Lk. 1:70, KJV). Was not Adam speaking prophetically in Genesis 2:23 when he called Eve “bone of my bones.” Did not Adam make a prediction when he indicated that Eve would be the mother of all living (Ge. 3:20)? Enoch was definitely a prophet (Jude 14). So, human prophets and the beginning of the earth are not separated by billions of years, “… which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began (Acts 3:21, KJV). Isaiah concurs:

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in (Is. 40:21,22).

Consider the witness of general revelation: “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19,20). Bert Thompson rightly comments,

Who observed and perceived these things that were made from the beginning of the world? If no man was there for billions of years, because man “is a relatively new comer to the Earth,” who was observing - with rational, human intelligence - these phenomena? An amoeba? A dinosaur? Without question Paul is contending that man has existed since the creation of the world… [1]

“I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?” (Jn. 3:12).

All quotes are from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

Note:
1) Creation Compromises by Bert Thompson, (Apologetics Press, 1995, Montgomery, AL), p. 180, emphasis in original.

- - - +++
Just say “YES” (Young Earth Science)!

QED

MOL = Math Out Loud

Darwin Worship

2009-12-01T21:14:00.021-06:00

Some atheists treat Darwin as an infallible god. To adapt (evolve?) a phrase from Chris Mooney, “Today, some evolutionists regard Darwin as little short of deity.” [1] Was Darwin there at the beginning (cf. Job 38:4)? Did he witness the six days of Creation Week? Was Darwin a time traveler like Dr. Who (TARDIS). Time cannot go backwards. We have not yet invented a history viewer (similar to the film “Paycheck”).

Are you willing to bleed for the Evolution Creed? Evo Creed: “Evolution is a fact, but we don’t exactly know how it happened and the evidential links are still missing.” If Darwinists don’t worship Darwin, then who do they idolize? Mathematician David Berlinski (who appeared in the film Expelled, http://expelledthemovie.com/) provides the answer, “… evolutionary dogmatists [Dawkins, Dennett, Hitchens] …have conjured up a kind of god. Unlike the God of old, who ruled over everything, this god rules over lapses in argument or evidence. … He may be called the god of the gaps [emphasis added].” [2]

Don’t bow down to the Darwin Idol. Consider again the words of Berlinski:

In talking of the mathematician’s skepticism, I mentioned Von Neumann [a Darwin skeptic and leader in the early development of computers] because his name was widely known. I might have mentioned Gian-Carlo Rota. He despised the enveloping air of worship associated with Darwin; he thought biology primitive and dishonest [emphasis added]. [3]

Here is an enlightening video on Darwin worship: http://www.youtube.com/CreationStation23

NOTES:
1) Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney, (2005, Basic Books, New York), p. 35.
2) “The God of the Gaps” by David Berlinski, Commentary, Vol. 125, No. 4 (April 2008), p. 37.

3) http://www.evolutionnews.org/2009/11/darwin_and_the_mathematicians.html

Bible Astronomy for Brainiacs

2009-10-27T05:41:00.010-05:00

Jeremiah indicates that the cosmos is expanding: “He has stretched out the heavens” (Jer. 10:12). There are a number of verses that indicate that the universe is expanding. [1]

Psalm 89:37 speaks of the moon as “a faithful witness in heaven.” That is, the moon is a witness to the sun’s light. The moon reflects light; it is not a lightsource itself.

"Just as you can’t number the stars in the sky nor measure the sand on the seashore, neither will you be able to account for the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who serve me" (Jer. 33:22, Message). The total number of stars is about 10^22 to 10^24 stars. This fits in well with the number of sand grains on earth (cf. Ge 22:17). [2]

Job apparently refers to the rotation of the earth: "Hast thou commanded morning since thy days? Causest thou the dawn to know its place? To take hold on the skirts of the earth, and the wicked are shaken out of it. It turneth itself as clay of a seal and they station themselves as clothed" (Job 38:12-14, YLT).

Jude 13 speaks of planets as “wandering stars.”

Job 38:31 asks, “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the belt of Orion?” thus indicating that the Pleiades are gravitationally bound which is scientifically accurate. The Pleiades are also mentioned in Job 9:9 and Amos 5:8.

Ezekiel 1:16 speaks of a “wheel inside a wheel.” This reminds us of a gyroscope which provides stability. So, it makes sense that the planets travel around the sun. If the Milky Way did not rotate, it would collapse due to gravitational attraction of the center.

Psalm 84:11 tells us that the Lord is a sun and shield. The sun gives light and heat and helps plants grow. It makes sense that the sun is the center of the solar system. James 1:17 is also consistent with a relatively fixed sun.

Aristarchus (c. 310-230 BC) proposed the heliocentric view and calculated that the moon was 1/3 the size of the earth (actual = ¼) and that the sun was seven times the size of the earth (actual = 109). Objects fall to the earth due to gravity. So, the sun must have more attractive power since it is bigger. The planets revolving around the sun is a very reasonable theory. [3]

Calvin and Luther both rejected heliocentrism. [4] However, Kepler, a firm Bible believer, accepted the Copernican theory. The middle graphic above by Lucas Cranach illustrates the geocentric model. It appeared in the “Luther Bible” of 1534.

Francis Schaeffer points out that the opposition to the Copernican theory was not based on scripture but on Aristotle’s views:

When the Roman Church attacked Copernicus and Galileo (1564-1642), it was not because their teaching actually contained anything contrary to the Bible. The church authorities thought it did, but that was because Aristotelian elements had become part of church orthodoxy, and Galileo’s notion clearly conflicted with them. In fact, Galileo defended the compatibility of Copernicus and the Bible, and this was one of the factors which brought about his trial. [5]

A good synopsis of the Galileo affair may be found in chapter ten of Dinesh D’Souza’s What’s so Great about Christianity?

Compare these amazing affirmations of the Bible’s accuracy with the following statements from the Qur’an:
“…when he reached the setting–place of the sun, he found it setting in a muddy spring…” (sura 18:86, Pickthal).
“The hour drew nigh and the moon was rent in twain” (sura 54:1).

Is there evidence within the solar system that supports Young Earth Science (YES)? YES, there is. Huge dust rings go around the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. According to Frank Low (Univ. of Arizona), “Particles this small can only survive in stable orbits for a few ten-thousands of year before they are pulled apart by the sun.” [6]

Consider the words of Nobel laureate in physics, Arthur Compton, who said,

For myself, faith begins with the realization that supreme intelligence brought the universe into being and created man. It is not difficult for me to have faith, for it is incontrovertible that where there is a plan there is intelligence – and orderly, unfolding universe testifies to the truth of themost majestic statement ever uttered – “In the beginning God.” [7]

You agree, don’t you, that God is in charge? He runs the universe—just look at the stars! (Job 22:12, Message)

Notes:
1) Starlight and Time by Russell Humphreys, 1994, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, p. 66.
2) Astronomy and the Bible by Don DeYoung, 1989, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, pp. 120, 121.
3) Universe by Design by Danny Faulkner, 2004, Master Books, Green Forest, AR, p. 11.
4) “Some Misconceptions of the Impact of the ‘Enlightenment’ on the Doctrine of Scripture” by John Woodbridge in Hermeneutics, Authority and Canon ed. by D.A. Carson and John Woodbridge, 1986, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, pp. 259, 260.
5) Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer by Francis Schaeffer, 1982, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, Vol. 5: p. 156.
6) quoted in It’s a Young World After All by Paul Ackerman, 1986, Baker, Grand Rapids, MI, 46.
7) DeYoung, pp. 114, 115.

Of Squids and CAT Planets

2009-09-05T07:59:00.008-05:00

In an interview with Astrobiology Magazine, David Grinspoon of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado said this concerning catastrophism (CAT) on Venus:

If you use the word catastrophic it rubs some people the wrong way, but something dramatic happened on Venus which wiped out almost all signs of an older surface. The planet got re-paved, basically, 600 or 700 million years ago. … the planet seems to have been flooded with basaltic lavas in a geologically short period of time, simultaneously around the planet. … If Venus has episodic plate tectonics, where nothing happens for a while, the heat builds up in the interior. Eventually it can't stand it any more, and you have this rapid overturning. …what we're seeing on Venus is the evidence of the last of those great episodes of global resurfacing. …

Venus and Earth both show evidence of rapid geologic activity. Mars has also experienced geological catastrophes. Why not consider Global Catastrophic Plate Tectonics (GCPT) as an explanation the for the Flood of Noah’s day?

Writing in the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Victor Baker with the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Arizona, Tucson states:

In the 1920s, J Harlen Bretz demonstrated that the Channeled Scabland [of Washington state] formed by cataclysmic erosion and deposition from Pleistocene megaflooding derived from the margins of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, particularly glacial Lake Missoula in western Montana and northern Idaho. Studies of this region and the high-energy flood processes that generated it are stimulating discoveries of similar megaflood-related landscapes around the world and on Mars…

There is a resurgence of catastrophism in the geologic community. Should we not at least explore the option that most of the rock structures were produced by one great cataclysm? Venus, Mars and Earth are all CAT planets!

If the Flood really happened, then traditional geological dating must be in error. Squid ink has been found in a fossil dated at 150 million years in Brittain. Dr. Phil Wilby of the British Geological Survey said:

It is difficult to imagine how you can have something as soft and sloppy as an ink sac fossilised in three dimension, still black, and inside a rock that is 150 million years old.

The illustration above was drawn with the same ink. An independent study has confirmed that protein fragments, including collagen and hemoglobin, have been found in the T. rex made famous in 2007. Surely this protein is not 65 million years old! So dinos and squid show that the rock record is not old and this is consistent with the view that the Flood was the event the produced most of the fossils.

Some argue that since different creatures are found in distinct layers of the rocks, then this supports evolution. This conclusion is unwarranted. Consider the tiny shelled creatures called foraminifera (forams) that live on the ocean bottom (benthic) and also on the surface (pelagic). Evolutionists consider the surface forms to have evolved from the benthic types since the fossils are found in different strata. The discovery of a surface foram that is the same species as a benthic type calls this into question. Just because different forms of life are found in different sections of the geologic record this does not mean that they existed in periods separated by millions of years. This example with forams shows us that some organisms have a wide ecological range and that their fossil remains are consistent with the Global Flood. That is, Noah’s Flood deposited many ecological zones and not ancestor-descendent sequences as Darwin supposed.

And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name. (Jn. 20:30, 31)

A Response to Don’t Know Much About the Bible by Kenneth C. Davis (Part 2)

2009-07-02T06:01:00.014-05:00

Don’t Know Much About the Bible by Kenneth C. Davis (part of the “Don’t Know Much” series) is a thoughtful work, but takes a negative attitude toward Scripture. One reviewer claims "Davis writes like Isaac Asimov." According to Davis, “The vivid biblical description of the cruel treatment of the Canaanites in Ai and other cities comes wrapped in the cloak of divine approval, pointing up one of the great ethical contradictions of the Bible. When a supposedly ‘evil’ people is eradicated at God’s direction, does that justify it” [1]? The Israelites did not initiate these conquests on their own accord. When they fought the Amalekites on their own they were defeated (Num. 14:39-45)! God sent the global Flood, Yahweh destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the New Testament predicts a future judgment where the heavens and the earth will be destroyed by fire (2 Peter 3:7,10). The Lord is a God of justice as well as love. The conquest of Canaan is a supreme example of God’s patience in judgment! The Canaanites were polytheistic, practiced child sacrifice, temple prostitution and divination. Yet God waited 400 years before the punishment came - thus fulfilling his promise to Abraham (Gen. 15:16).

Davis claims that the conquest of Canaan by the Jews was a long process of “settlement.” But what do the facts indicate? The Amarna tablets discovered in Egypt in 1887 include letters form Palestine and Syria. These writings complain about the attacking “Habiru” and mention that Gezer, Ashkelon, Lachish and other cities were conquered. This matches up with Joshua’s conquest of Canaan in 1400-1380 BC. Abdi-Hiba, governor of Jerusalem, wrote to Pharaoh Akhnaton (1387-1366 BC) with great urgency, “The Habiru plunder all lands of the king ... if the archers [from Egypt] are not here, then the lands of the king, my lord, are lost” [2]. This level of desperation makes no sense unless the conquest of Canaan lead by Joshua really happened.

Davis asks “Is mocking a bald man any reason to kill children” [3]? This is in reference to when Elisha called down a curse on a crowd of youths who called him “baldy” and were killed by bears (2 Kings 2:23,24). Disrespecting a prophet was a serious offense and was part of the reason why the Jews were exiled to Babylon (2 Chron. 36:16,20). Remember Samson? Lots of hair is symbolic of strength, so reference to baldness is almost like saying, “your God has no power.” If 42 youths were actually killed, how big was the original mob? Would this qualify as a riot? Was Elisha in danger of his life? The fact that it was a miracle proves that it was God’s decision not an angry whim of Elisha!

Regarding the discovery of the Book of the Law during Josiah’s reign, Davis maintains his tirade, “There is a discrepancy between the Kings account and a later account in Chronicles, which states that King Josiah began his reforms before the ‘Book of the Law’ was found. This is typical of the contradictions between the versions of the ’history’ of Israel and Judah presented in Kings and Chronicles...” [4]. Josiah was devoted to the Lord before the discovery of the Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:1,2). In the twelfth year of his reign he began to destroy Judah’s idols (2 Chr. 34:3). This work continued more vigorously after the discovery of the Book of the Law as Chronicles so states: “Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites...” (2 Chr. 34:33).

Davis critiques the promise of the virgin born Messiah in Isaiah 7:14, “Isaiah’s original words clearly refer to a ‘young women’ or ‘maiden’ and not a virgin” [5]. The first gospel in Genesis 3:15 states that the Messiah will be the “offspring of the woman,” uses “he” and says nothing of Adam and so intimating a virgin birth of a male child. In the unusual case where a woman gives birth without intercourse the child is always a girl. If Is. 7:14 is not a virgin birth, how could it be a “sign” (miracle)? Every singular use of “almah” (young woman in Is. 7:14) in the Old Testament refers to a virgin! In Gen. 24:43 “betulah” (virgin) and “almah” are both applied to Rebekah!

Davis next attack is on poor old Jonah, “the tale of Jonah is another familiar legend... Historical records from ancient Assyria contain no reference to the event described in Jonah” [6]. Jesus took Jonah literally, so should we (Matt. 12:40). Jonah 4:11 mentions a very specific historical fact: more than 120,000 people inhabited Nineveh. Do you find such details in legends? An inscription of King Ashur-nasir-pal II mentions a banquet at Nimrud, 20 miles from Nineveh, attended by 70,000 people [7]. During the reign of Adad-nirari III (811-783 BC) there was a movement toward monotheism; there were plagues in 759 and 756 BC also a solar eclipse in 763 BC [8]. Could these events have been providential preparations for Jonah? James Bartley in 1891 was swallowed by a sperm whale - his skin was bleached and looked like parchment and never turned back to its former color [9]. If someone like that showed up today we would probably call them an “alien!” The Assyrians had a god that was part man and part fish. Berosus, a Babylonian historian of the fourth century BC called the fish-god “Oannes.” This is exactly the same name for Jonah in the Septuagint and the New Testament (with “I” at the beginning) [10]!

Davis claims that the Song of Solomon is, “not overly concerned with marriage” and wonders how this book could “make it into the Bible in the first place” [11]? First of all, this love song involves one man and one woman which is the basis of marriage. God created sex for pleasure and procreation. Deut. 17:17 warns kings not to multiply wives. Solomon’s work gives no attention to his harem. In fact, Solomon’s polygamy turned his heart away toward other gods (1 Kings 11:1-4). Therefore, the Song of Solomon supports marriage in every way!

Davis doubts that Daniel wrote the prophecy by that name [12]. Jesus accepted that Daniel was the author (Mt. 24:15) - if Christ lied, he’s not God! Daniel himself claims to be the author in 7:1-2, 15, 28; 8:1,15,27; 9:2,21,22; 10:1,2; 12:5. The lack of Greek loan words indicates that Daniel was written before the time of Alexander the Great. Daniel usually places the verb later in the clause in contrast to what was practiced centuries later as in the Qumran manuscripts [13].

Davis places doubt on the traditional authorship of the Gospels [14]. The second century writer Papias (c. 130-140 AD) said, “Matthew compiled the Logia [oracles]...” [15]. Matthew was a tax collector and so was good with numbers. Isn’t it interesting the he gives Christ’s genealogy in three groups of 14 in the first chapter?

Regarding Mark, Papias wrote: “Mark having been the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately all that he mentioned, whether sayings or doings of Christ; not, however, in order” [16]. Mark mentions the healing of Peter’s Mother-in-law in the first chapter! Why this emphasis?! Luke waits till ch. 4 and Matthew ch. 8. Peter refers to “my son Mark” (1 Peter 5:13). The inner circle consisted of Peter, James and John - the most detailed account of the healing of Jairus’ daughter is in Mark and was attended by only the inner three (Mk 5:22, 23, 37-43). So, Peter is the most likely candidate for the ultimate source of Mark. The streaker in Mk. 14:51,52 is probably Mark and thus he may have been an eyewitness of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Luke was a doctor (Col. 4:14). Luke mentions technical medical terms in Acts 3:7,9,18; 12:23; 13:11; 28:8 etc. [17]. Only Luke mentions Malchus’ ear (Lk 22:51) and Christ sweating drops of blood (Lk 22:44). There are many “we” sections in Acts: 16:10-17, 27:1 - 28:16 etc. Silas and Timothy are mentioned so they could not be the author (Acts 15:22, 17:14). Titus was with Paul before the “we” sections began (Gal 2:3). Luke appears as a companion of Paul in the later epistles (Col 4:14, Philemon 24, 2 Tim 4:11). Luke was with Paul in Rome (cf. Acts 28:16, Col 4:10,14,18). Acts speaks of a former book - both addressed to Theophilus (Lk 1:3, Acts 1:1). Who else but a doctor would take the scientific analytical approach of a research historian (Lk 1:1-4)?

The fourth gospel was clearly written by the Apostle John. The upper room discourse in John chapters 13-17 was clearly written by one of the inner circle (Peter, James and John). John 12:16 states, “at first his disciples didn’t understand all this...” which indicates the narration of one of the inner circle. The core of the inner circle was Peter and John, who made preparations for the Last Supper (Lk 22:8). If Peter was the source of Mark, it makes perfect sense that John is indeed the author of the fourth evangelist. John 21:20, 24 eliminates Peter as the author. James was martyred in 44 A.D. (Acts 12:2). John is specifically named as the author of Revelation (Rev 1:1,4,9; 22:8). Note the reference to Jesus as “the Word” in John 1:1,14; 1 John 1:1 and Rev. 19:13. The word “true” (alethinos) occurs eight times in John, four times in 1 John and ten times in Revelation! The word meaning “to overcome” (nikao) is found in John 16:33, seven times in 1 John and seventeen times in Revelation [18]. John’s mother was a witness to the crucifixion (Mt. 27:56). Note carefully, Christ spoke to Mary first - not his beloved disciple (Jn. 19:26, 27). If Jesus spoke to John first then his intended meaning would have been lost, since his own mother was present as well! According to Dorothy Sayers, “... St. John’s [gospel] is the only one that claims to be the direct report of an eyewitness. And to one accustomed to the imaginative handling of documents, the internal evidence bears out this claim” [19].

Davis makes the assertion that, “the authorship of the New Testament books remains clouded in mystery... as the first generation of ’apostles’ who were spreading the ’good news’ started to die off... it seemed like a good idea to set these words down” and claims that Paul’s letters were first collected around 90 A.D. [20]. On what basis can this be backed up? John Robinson, leader of the ’death of God’ movement, dates ALL of the New Testament between 40 and 70 A.D. William Albright, the famous archaeologist, dated the writing of the New Testament between 50 and 75 A.D. [21]. The last book written, Revelation, clearly describes the temple still standing in Jerusalem (Rev 11:1, 8). The scriptures of the new covenant community were written by eyewitnesses, not decades later (Heb 2:3, Lk 1:2, 1 Cor 15:6, Jn 21:24). Paul quotes Luke as scripture (1 Tim 5:18). 2 Peter 3:15, 16 refers to Paul’s letters as scripture! According to Eusebius, Peter and Paul were both martyred during the reign of Nero around 67/68 A.D. [22]. Jude cites 2 Peter: compare Jude 4-12 with 2 Peter 2:1,4,9,10,12,13,15 and 17. Now Jude 5-7 mentions several divine acts of judgment against the Canaanites, fallen angels and Sodom and Gomorrah. If this was written after the destruction of Jerusalem, this event would have fit perfectly in this context! So Peter was before Jude and Jude is prior to 70 A.D. John 5:2 states that there is a pool near the Sheep Gate which indicates that the author wrote before 70 A.D.

The general paradigm in redemptive history is that prophecy and inscripturation are contemporary phenomena (Jer 36:27,28). Paul himself wrote the closing of his letters (Gal 6:11, 1 Cor 16:21, Col 4:18, Philemon 19). “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters... (2 Thes 3:17). Paul claimed that his writing had authority (2 Thes 2:15). Paul said, “... what I am writing to you is the Lord’s command” (1 Cor 14:37).

Carsten Peter Thiede has studied the Magdalen Papyrus (Greek 17 and p64) which contains 24 lines from Matthew 26:7-33. He concluded that the paper, ink, style of letters and line length demonstrate that the fragments were written around 60 A.D. [23]. Josephus tells us that James, the half-brother of Jesus, was stoned to death in 62 A.D. [24]. Thus, the book of James must have been written before 62 A.D.! Jose O’Callahan, a paleographer, announced in 1972 that he discovered a fragment of the Gospel of Mark from Qumran [25]. Several fragments from Mark are dated around 50 A.D.! A fragment from Acts is dated c. 60 A.D. Fragments from Romans, 1 Timothy, 2 Peter and James are dated c. 70 A.D.!

Remember that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life and he is our only source of true truth and salvation from sin, both now and forevermore!

NOTES:
1) Davis, Kenneth C., Don’t Know Much About the Bible, William Morrow
& Co., 1998, p.152.
2) McDowell, Josh, Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Vol. 2), Here’s Life Publ., 1981, p. 336.
3) Davis, p. 199.
4) ibid. p.205.
5) ibid. p. 226.
6) ibid., p. 258.
7) “Digging up Nineveh” found here
8) “Jonah” by Al Maxey found here
9) “Swallowed by a Whale” found here
10) “Christian Evidences” found here
11) Davis, p. 303.
12) ibid. p. 314.
13) Archer, Gleason, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, Zondervan, 1982, p. 283.
14) Davis, p. 332.
15) Bruce, F. F., The New Testament Documents: Are they Reliable? (6th ed.), Inter-Varsity Press, 1981, p. 38.
16) ibid., p.35.
17) Dummelow, J. R. (ed.), A Commentary on the Holy Bible, Macmillan, 1908 (1955 reprint), p. 815.
18) Hailey, Homer, Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary, Baker, 1979, pp. 24, 25.
19) Bruce, p. 49.
20) Davis, p.336.
21) Geisler, Norman & William Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (rev.), Moody Press, 1986, p. 213.
22) Bruce, F. F., New Testament History, Doubleday-Galilee, 1980, p. 367.
23) Book Review of Eyewitness to Jesus by Carsten Peter Thiede and Matthew d’Ancona , rev. by Bob Passantino,found here
24) “History, Archaeology and Jesus” by Paul Maier found here
25) Geisler, Norman, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker
Books, 1999, p. 530.

Don't Know Much About the Bible - Review (Part 1)

2009-06-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Don’t Know Much About the Bible by Kenneth C. Davis (part of the “Don’t Know Much” series) is a very fascinating volume; however, it is often flawed in its general approach to Holy Writ. Davis has some clever chapter titles: Hebrew 1 - Lions 0 (Daniel) and Jesus is Coming - Look Busy (Acts of the Apostles). He also rightly points out that Noah’s Ark was a box and that The Bible Code is bogus. Davis also presents many provocative quotes such as this from Mark Twain: “The Bible has noble poetry in it; and some clever fables; and some blood-drenched history; and a wealth of obscenity; and upwards of a thousand lies” [1]. But is this really the case? Davis’ sub-evangelical view of scriptural authority is unrelenting: “for centuries, scholars and thinkers... have been raising legitimate doubts about the Bible” [2]. Davis asks, “How strong is a faith that can’t stand up to a few honest questions” [3]? Do we have the chutzpah to be skeptical about doubt and fight the future of despair by realizing that the truth is out there? TORAH TORAH TORAH! In a trial the accused is innocent until proven guilty. Are we at least open to the evidence for the Bible’s accuracy?

Davis claims that “the Bible is a book of faith, not history, biology, biography, science, or even philosophy” [4]. Says who? Is not faith founded on fact? And isn’t the Resurrection the greatest event of history? Until archaeological verification in the 1800’s, many scholars doubted the very existence of the Hittites mentioned in the Old Testament. The Bible predicts history! Daniel foretold that Rome would rule the world, but they did not capture Jerusalem until 63 B.C. (Dan. 2:40, 41). No scholar dates Daniel this late. Luke was a great historian (Lk. 1:1-4). Leviticus 17:11 tells us that “the life is in the blood” yet for many years people practiced “bloodletting.” The life stories of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Peter show both their glory and their shame. This demonstrates the brute honesty of scripture. Job said, “speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you” (Job 12:8). The Word tells us that the earth is spherical and that it hangs in space (Is. 40:22, Job 26:7). The number of stars are “countless,” yet Ptolemy in the second century said there were 1056 luminaries (Heb. 11:12). Solomon said, “Go to the ant, your sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” (Pr. 6:6).

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite-wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom (1 Kings 4:29-34 NIV).

Solomon was a scientist and also wrote a work of philosophy called “Ecclesiastes” (qoheleth means “teacher“).

Davis believes that the present versions of the Bible “are only recent links near the end of a long chain of troubled, sometimes badly garbled, and often conflicting translations” [5]. The Isaiah A scroll from the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS) is complete and is dated around 100 B.C. The earliest previous text of Isaiah was around 900 A.D. which is a gap of a millennium! The differences are insignificant and are listed in the margins of the NIV. The Isaiah B scroll from the Dead Sea (illustrated above) is incomplete, but is more in agreement with the Masoretic text.

Davis doubts the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch [6]. Davis claims that the kings of Edom listed in Gen. 36:31-39 lived after Moses died [7]. The passage does not give the years of each reign, so how can they be dated? Moses stated that these kings ruled Edom before an Israelite king ruled over them. This may seem like an odd expression, yet Moses anticipates the Jews’ desire for a king in Deut. 17:140-20. The Hebrews were in Egypt for 430 years; maybe this was the period during which these kings reigned.

What evidence is there that Moses wrote the Torah? “So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord , and to all the elders of Israel” (Deut. 31:9 NIV). “At the Lord’s command Moses recorded the stages in their journey...” (Num. 33:2 NIV). Every seven years the Law was to be read (Deut. 31:10,11). Those who knew Moses wrote the Law would still be alive. Moses was the prince of Egypt, so obviously he knew how to write. “These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me [Moses] to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess” (Deut. 6:1 NIV). The Israelites were commanded to write the scriptures on their door (Deut. 6a,9). They knew what Moses said and could write it down. Joshua copied the law of Moses on stones (Joshua 8:32). Jesus accepted the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch (Lk. 24:27). Trees and plants are mentioned in the Pentateuch that are common to Egypt but not Palestine [8].

While Abraham was in Canaan, why does Gen. 13:10 refer to a place in Egypt unless it was composed by an Egyptian resident to those who had lived in Egypt, possibly Moses? Numbers 13:22 tells us that Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt. Doesn’t this imply knowledge of Egypt by the author and audience? The emphasis on the tabernacle, a mobile tent for the worship Yahweh, in Exodus 25-40, is exactly what we’d expect if the Jews were in a transition period from leaving Egypt and entering into the Promised Land. Gleason Archer states that, “a far greater number of Egyptian names and loan words are found in the Pentateuch than in any other section of Scripture” [9]. If the Pentateuch was composed at a late date, why is Jerusalem, the future capital, not mentioned by name? Genesis 14 speaks of the “king of Salem” but there is no hint given that this town would one day be an important city. “The Lord of Hosts” is mentioned 67 times in Isaiah, 83 times in Jeremiah yet not once in the books of Moses! The extreme optimism about the complete conquest of the Promised Land indicates its pre-conquest date (Deut. 7:5, 12:2,3). The law demands stoning for idol worshipers (Deut. 13:6-11), yet later in Israel’s history this was tolerated. If this law were enforced long after Moses a large portion of Israel would have been wiped out. Such idealism belongs to the early stages of the Jewish nation.

Davis claims that Genesis 1 and 2 contain two different versions of Creation Week [10]. Read both chapters carefully - there are no contradictions. The entire book of Genesis starts with the general and moves to the specific. Genesis starts out the cosmic origins, then presents Abraham, the twelve tribes of Israel and finally concentrates on Joseph. This is the same literary device in the first two chapters of the Bible. Genesis 2 does not mention the number of days, but this does not mean that it’s unimportant since the six days are even part of the Ten Commandments (Ex20:11)!

Davis points out that the Hebrews may have drawn on earlier accounts of creation [11]. God may have directed Moses to use what was true from previous records. Using source material does not imply error (Lk. 1:1-4). The descendants of Adam and Eve spoke to Noah, and the descendants of Noah spoke to Abraham etc. This is one source of true truth (cf. Francis Schaeffer). In contrast to ancient myths, the Bible gives predictive prophecy and historical details that have been verified by archaeology.

According to Davis, “in eating from the tree, Adam and Eve acquire the capacity for rational and ethical judgments...” [12]. Man was made in the image of God. God is rational, so is humanity. “God made mankind upright” (Eccl. 7:29). Eve knew ethics. Adam and Eve were rational and ethical before they ate the fruit. Davis claims that Paradise was boring and devoid of science and art [13]. The first couple was given charge of taking care of the garden (Gen. 2:15). Science is not a sin. Adam the taxonomist named the animals, as Bob Dylan points out in “Slow Train Coming” (Gen. 2:20). Technology is not evil. Elisha performed a techno-miracle when he made the ax-head float (2 Kings 6:5,6).

Davis says, “the Scriptures contain no explanation for Cain’s wife” [14]. However, Genesis 5:4 plainly states that Adam had “other sons and daughters.” Clearly, Cain married his sister.

Davis rightly points out that, “almost every ancient culture has some sort of flood, or deluge, myth that shares much with the biblical Flood” [15]. Nevertheless, the Bible’s account has many important details: Noah’s Ark is seaworthy, but the Babylonian cube of the Gilgamesh epic is not. The date of the Flood is given and number of people in ark is specified in Genesis which shows its account to be superior to the mythical versions.

These global accounts are evidence for a universal flood, not a local one as Davis supports. “...All the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered” (Gen. 7:19). According to Davis, “...no one has discovered evidence of a flood that could have covered the whole earth” [16]. Oh, really? The majority of the geological column was deposited during a singular epoch of rapid geologic activity, i.e. the Flood! In his book The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record, Derek Ager concluded that, “Sedimentation in the past has often been very rapid indeed and very spasmodic. This may be called the phenomenon of the catastrophic nature of much of the stratigraphical record” [17]. Ager illustrates: “in the late Carboniferous Coal Measures of Lancashire, a fossil tree has been found, 38 feet high and still standing in its living position. Sedimentation must therefore have been fast enough to bury the tree and solidify before the tree had time to rot” [18]. In the following edition of Ager’s book he takes pains to point out that he rejects the Deluge theory, despite the facts he presents. If each formation was made episodically (catastrophically) and there is no global unconformity (time gap), then most of the deposits of the world must have been formed during one great deluge of planet earth - Noah’s Flood! Studies of isotopes by Robert Gentry in coalified wood indicate that the geologic periods may be 10,000 times shorter than the orthodox estimates [19]. Certain geologic formations interpreted as deposited in a gradual manner by wind may now be considered to have formed under water due to new evidence [20]. Radioactive dating methods often pose problems: the volcanic explosion of Mount St. Helens in 1986 deposited rocks that have been dated from 200,000 to 400,000 years old using the potassium-argon method [21].

Kenneth Davis claims that eyewitness reports of sightings of Noah’s Ark are false [22]. Ed Davis, a sergeant in the U.S. Army, was stationed in Hamadan, Iran and saw Noah’s Ark in the summer of 1943 while escorted there by a group of Kurds. Ed Davis was the friend of George, the Shah’s brother. The book The Painful Mountain contains a photo of Ed Davis with Ayatollah Khomeni’s cousin and a notation in his Bible from 1943: “Went to Ararat with Abas we saw a big ship up on a ledge ...” [23]. Many reliable witnesses have claimed to have seen Noah’s Ark [24]. It is interesting to note that the center of the earth is near the capital of Turkey - Ankara, not all that far from Ararat [25]. How convenient for Noah and his family to repopulate the planet!

NOTES:
1) Davis, Kenneth C., Don’t Know Much About the Bible, William Morrow
& Co., 1998, p.1.
2) ibid., p.xxiii.
3) ibid.
4) ibid.
5) Davis, p.15.
6) Davis, p.17.
7) ibid.
8) Archer, Gleason, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, Zondervan, 1982, p.46.
9) ibid. p.48.
10) Davis, pp. 42, 43.
11) ibid., p.45.
12) ibid., p.54.
13) ibid.
14) ibid., p.58.
15) ibid., p.62.
16) ibid., p.63.
17) Ager, Derek, The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record, Halsted Press,
1973, p.42 (all caps and italics removed).
18) ibid. p.41.
19) Kazmann, Raphael, “It’s about time: 4.5 billion years,” Geotimes, Sep.
1978, vol. 23 no. 9, p. 19.
20) Brand, Leonard, “Field and Laboratory Studies on the Coconino sandstone (Permian) vertebrate footprints and their paleoecological implications,“ Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 1979, vol. 28, p.25.
21) Austin, Steven, “Excess Argon within Mineral Concentrates from the New Dacite Lava Dome at Mount St. Helens Volcano,” found here.
22) Davis, p. 63.
23) Shockey, Don, The Painful Mountain, Pioneer Publ., 1986, pp. 51, 56.
24) ibid., pp. 109, 110.
25) Morris, Henry et al eds., Creation: Acts Facts Impacts, Creation-Life Publ., 1974, p. 121.

True Truth for NOW!

2009-05-04T06:48:00.000-05:00

All we see is color, right? How do we know that our sorrows, fears, joys and passions are nothing but a dream (as in "Row Row Row Your Boat") or someone else's memory? The King of the Jews, the Messiah said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me... If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (Jn. 14:6, 7:17). We can know - to say otherwise or leave it to the philosophers or new-agers is a copout. For a fantastic audio apologetic listen here.

Why do we yearn for Utopia? Where does our hunt for ET and UFO’s come from? Are we annihilated when our heart stops? Is there a land called Heaven? As C. S. Lewis, of Shadowlands fame, points out, "Surely a man's hunger does prove that he comes of a race which repairs its body by eating and inhabits a world where eatable substances exist. In the same way, though I do not believe (I wish I did) that my desire for Paradise proves that I shall enjoy it, I think it a pretty good indication that such a thing exists and that some men will. A man may love a woman and not win her; but it would be very odd if the phenomenon called 'falling in love' occurred in a sexless world."

If life is void, hopeless, and pointless what keeps us from offing ourselves? Consider Leo Tolstoy's wisdom: "I can now see that if I did not kill myself it was because of some vague awareness that my ideas were mistaken. No matter how convincing and irrefutable I felt my train of thoughts to be, as well as that of the wise ideas that had led us all to the conclusion that life is meaningless I still had some obscure doubts..." Maybe, just maybe, there is a reason for the season.

Did I create Time? Am I the Author of History? Am I a little or big "god?" Is a stone my savior? Think about what Augustine said: "And what is this? I asked the earth, and it answered me, 'I am not He'; and whatsoever are in it confessed the same... I asked the heavens, sun, moon, stars, 'Nor (say they) are we the God whom you seek.' ... And I turned myself unto myself, and said to myself, 'Who are you?' And I answered, 'A man.' ... I asked the whole frame of the world about my God; and it answered me, 'I am not He, but He made me.'"

The reliability of scripture can be seen in the book of Isaiah. A complete copy of Isaiah from the Dead Sea Scrolls is dated to about 100 B.C. The second oldest complete manuscripts of Isaiah are from around 900 A.D. The differences between them are few and minor. If you look at an NIV version of Isaiah you can see these for yourself in the footnotes. This is hard evidence that God has protected the transmission of his word for a thousand years!

Evolution is not true truth. Every supposed "ape-man" has fallen and been debunked when investigated with closer scrutiny. This is precisely the case with Donald Johanson's "Lucy." Other primate fossils found in the same area as "Lucy" in Ethiopia have long and curved hands and feet - a characteristic of tree climbers. The pelvis of "Lucy" is more similar to chimps than humans. The angle at the knee between the upper and lower leg is high for "Lucy." But this is also true of orangutans and spider monkeys.

Through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit you can have forgiveness of your sins, friendship with God and be empowered to do the righteous thing. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord... He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness...For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (Rom. 6:23, 1 Peter 2:24, 3:18). Read the gospel of John and ask Jesus to forgive your sins and change your life through his blood shed on the cross!

Any Questions? Write to us at the email in our profile.

References:
C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (Eerdmans) p. 6
Leo Tolstoy, A Confession (Penguin) p. 47
The Confessions of St. Augustine (Collier) pp. 156&7
Duane Gish, Evolution: The Challenge of the Fossil Record (Creation-Life) pp. 158-62

SciAm Jan 2009 (PC podcast)

2009-04-09T14:22:00.001-05:00

The January 2009 issue of Scientific American (SciAm) was dedicated to evolution.
Bacteria-to-Brainiac evolution and atheism are highly correlated (see prior post).
You can hear our response to this issue of SciAm in our latest Perfectly Clear podcast here.

Scientific American - Jan 2009

2009-03-12T09:27:00.001-05:00

The January 2009 issue of Scientific American (SciAm) was dedicated to evolution (page references are from this issue). One article rightly attacks the errors of evolutionary psychology (p. 74). Supposed “talking with the dead” is also debunked (p. 36). Eugenie Scott and Glenn Branch, both from the National Center for Science Education, write an attack piece on creationism (pp. 92-99).

Throughout this issue, good and evil, morality and ethics are mentioned. Yet, without a Moral Lawgiver and an ultimate Judgment Day (not the NOVA episode) morality makes no sense. Even Immanuel Kant (d. 1804) held that we must accept the existence of God for morality to have meaning. [1]

Atoms-to- Adam evolution and atheism are strongly linked. Darwin doubted the reality of God, “This very old argument from the existence of suffering against the existence of an intelligent first cause seems to me a strong one…” (Autobiography p. 90). Darwin no longer doubts the reality of God (see prior post).

How is it that most of the world accepts God’s existence if evolution is so obvious? Consider these statistics of global adherents:
Christians 33.3%
Muslims 21.0%
Jews 0.2%
Total who believe in a Creator 54.5%
Atheists 2.3% [2]
Darwin was not fazed by these facts, “This argument would be a valid one if all men of all races had the same inward conviction of the existence of one God…” (Autobiography p. 91). How many people believe that the Apollo landings on the moon were a fraud? Or consider prisoners who rationalize their crimes. Truth is not determined by universal assent.

A number of articles in this issue focus on natural selection. Edward Blyth, a creationist, published a paper on natural selection in 1835 long before Darwin’s The Origin of Species. Natural selection is a conservative process. What is needed for Bacteria-to-Brainiac evolution to take place is new information in the genetic code and Darwinists cannot explain this. New info is needed to make eyes, wings and other complex organs.

John Rennie, the editor in chief of SciAm, mentioned Stephen Jay Gould’s Wonderful Life on the Burgess Shale which contains the remains of many strange and unique creatures (p. 6). However, this issue has little of the provocative thought that Gould shares. Gould states that, “The history of life is… not the conventional tale of steadily increasing excellence, complexity, and diversity.” [3] Gould points out that the organisms represented in the Burgess Shale in British Columbia belong in 15 to 20 phyla (basic body plans) most of which are now extinct. Some estimates of life in the modern world reach up to 32 phyla. [4] Most of these phyla exist in the Cambrian and yet there is little in the Pre-Cambrian showing intermediate transitional forms from single-celled organisms. This Cambrian Explosion is a major problem for evolution. Both Gould and Darwin admitted that this is a major difficulty. [5] [6]

In an ad on page 11, Paul Davies is mentioned. Davies wrote Cosmic Jackpot that describes the fine-tuning of the universe. If certain physical constants were just slightly different, life itself would be impossible. Davies appeared in the pro-Intelligent Design film Privileged Planet, even though he is not an ID advocate. SciAm overlooks the evidence that the cosmos was made for life and scientific investigation.

SciAm should take Darwin’s advice and allow a creationist response. Darwin states in his intro to The Origin of Species that, “A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question…” [7]

Here are some great sites from the “other side”:
Creation Moments
Creation Research Society (creationresearch dot org)
Institute for Creation Research (icr dot org)
Answers in Genesis (answersingenesis dot org)
Creation Ministries International (creation dot com)

SciAm may be contacted by email or snail mail:
editors@SciAm.com
Letters to the Editor
Scientific American
415 Madison Ave
NYC NY 10017

Notes:
1) Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics by Norman Geisler (Baker, Grand Rapids, 1999), p. 498.
2) Time Almanac 2008 (Encyclopædia Britannica , Chicago, 2008), pp. 600, 601.
3) Wonderful Life by Stephen Jay Gould (W.W. Norton, New York, 1989), p. 25.
4) Ibid., p. 99.
5) Ibid., pp. 56, 57.
6) On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (Mentor, New York, 1958 ed.), pp. 308-312, ch. 10.
7) On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (Mentor, New York, 1958 ed.), p. 28.

In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind. With Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding. (Job 12:10, 13)

Adam’s Blog [stardate 256,527.128] - Hell Never Dies

2009-02-21T06:07:00.000-06:00

When will Cain receive his punishment? It must be after this life. That is, there must be a bad place after death. The other day Mal-Lor tripped and cracked his skull. As he lay there dying, he cried “Oh the darkness, the fire, save me father Adam!” I have heard of similar experiences.

I am a soul man and a soul lasts forever [cf. Deut. 6:5]. We have all sinned against our Creator who is Almighty and infinite. This treason deserves an infinite punishment [cf. Ps. 51:4]. So, the bad place after death must last forever. If one of my children steals one apple and another steals ten apples, the penalty must fit the crime. Thus, the afterlife’s domain of darkness must have degrees of punishment [Gen. 4:11-16, Mt. 11:22, Rev. 20:12-14]. Annihilation has no degrees of punishment.

A hull is a cover and a cover separates. The bad place after death is disconnection from our glorious Creator that never ends. This destiny is E-ternal, so I think I will call it “hell.” Hell never dies. Hell is separation from all the blessings of creation and is the ultimate quarantine. God separated Eve and I from Paradise and Cain went out from the presence of the Lord [Gen. 4:16]. In hell there is no playtime – joy has been subtracted. Hell is a loveless place without exits.

Last week my pet ceratosaurus, “Punky,” wandered near Lava Hill. She was being chased by a T-Rex and fell off the cliff and into the boiling lava. The roars and the screams were so frightening that I had nightmares for three days straight! Could this be anything like the torments of hell? When Eve (aka “Eva”) makes beautiful clothes she takes the scraps of material and puts them in the fire. Are there not many of my children who have scrapped their lives by rejecting the Almighty? Will most of my children reach this final doom? As a rough estimate, 66.6% may reach this dreaded destination [cf. Mt. 13:18-23, Lk. 13:23-28, Mt. 7:13,14].

The Creator has promised that the coming seed of Eve will crush the serpent’s head and provide salvation [Gen. 3:15, cf. John 3:16, Gen. 3:21].

******
Do I have any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?" says the Lord GOD, "and not that he should turn from his ways and live? (Ez. 18:23).

Is Evolution Weak during Evolution Week?

2009-01-26T14:14:00.000-06:00

The 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin is Feb. 12th, 2009, so the week of Feb. 8-14 may be dubbed “Darwin Week” (I’m sure St. Valentine is rolling in his grave).

Recently the Texas State Board of Education has tentatively voted (the final decision is expected in March) to reject the requirement for public school teachers to present the weaknesses of evolution.

Many media outlets have made a great error by making a primary connection between doubting Darwin and Intelligent Design (or Creationism). Many evolutionists and atheists are also willing to admit that Darwinism has numerous weaknesses (missing links anyone?).

Pierre Grasse (d. 1985), considered the “most distinguished of French zoologists” by Theodosius Dobzhansky (a leading evolutionist), wrote the following in 1977 [1]:

Today, our duty is to destroy the myth of evolution, considered as a simple, understood, and explained phenomenon which keeps rapidly unfolding before us. Biologists must be encouraged to think about the weaknesses of the interpretations and extrapolations that theoreticians put forward or lay down as established truths. The deceit is sometimes unconscious, but not always, since some people, owing to their sectarianism, purposely overlook reality and refuse to acknowledge the inadequacies and the falsity of their beliefs (emphasis added).

Grasse was Chair of Evolution at Sorbonne University for thirty years and was ex-president of the French Academy of Sciences. Grasse’s book Evolution of Living Organisms is available from Amazon and was published by Academic Press (not an ID or creationist company).

One of the clearest weaknesses of evolution is the origin of life itself. The unexpected accident of life arising by chance has been compared to the creation of a jumbo jet due to a tornado plowing through a junk yard. Hubert Yockey, writing in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, said, “…contrary to the established and current wisdom, a scenario describing the genesis of life on earth by chance and natural causes which can be accepted on the basis of fact and not faith has not yet been written.” [2]

Well-known geologist Derek Ager (former president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science) concluded that “…nearly all the evolutionary stories I learned as a student … have now been debunked.” [3]

David Kitts was my History of Science professor at the University of Oklahoma and admitted that the gaps in the fossil record are real. Kitts had been a professor of Geology and had debated Duane Gish and Henry Morris (creationists). Kitts admitted that Aristotle’s biological essentialism (fixity of basic types of life) was a legitimate scientific stance. Hear my interview with Dr. Kitts at the top of this blog.

Consider the gap between dinos and birds. John Wilford, in an article in the New York Times, made the following striking confession: “Ornithologists… have long disputed the dinosaur-bird link, contending that dinosaurs and birds probably shared an ancestor among pre-dinosaur reptiles.” [4]

Physicist H.S. Lipson (fellow of the Royal Society), writing in Physics Bulletin, admits that, “I have always been slightly suspicious of the theory of evolution because of its [lack of] ability to account for any property of living beings (the long neck of the giraffe, for example). I have therefore tried to see whether biological discoveries over the last thirty years or so fit in with Darwin’s Theory. I do not think that they do … To my mind, the theory does not stand up at all.” [5]

Even atheists deny evolution and hold to stability of essential types of life. G. H. Harper is an example of this view and he was published in the UK’s School Science Review.

God tells us to speak to the earth, “But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you; let the birds tell you what’s going on. Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics. Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree that GOD is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand — Every living soul, yes, every breathing creature?” (Job 12:7-10, The Message). This is a mandate for scientific investigation.

Notes:
1) Pierre Grasse, Evolution of Living Organisms (Academic Press, 1977), p. 8.
2) Hubert Yockey, “A Calculation of the Probability of Spontaneous Biogenesis by Information Theory,” Journal of Theoretical Biology, vol. 67 (1977): p. 396.
3) Derek Ager, “The Nature of the Fossil Record,” Proceedings of the British Geological Association, vol. 87, no.2 (1976): p. 133.
4) Nicholas Wade (ed.), The Science Times Book of Fossils and Evolution (The Lyons Press, 1998), pp. 66, 67.
5) H.S. Lipson, “A Physicist Looks at Evolution,” Physics Bulletin, vol.31 (1980): p. 138.

Notes 2, 3 and 5 were taken from Creative Defense by Nicholas Comninellis M.D. (Master Books, 2001), pp. 68, 217, 220.

You! MC O-Rigins (Wesley the Creationist)

2008-12-19T07:52:00.001-06:00

In 2006 Abingdon Press (Methodist publisher) put out Can You Believe in God and Evolution: A Guide for the Perplexed by Ted Peters and Martinez Hewlett. They discuss creationism, intelligent design and evolutionary theism. If they follow the example of John Wesley (d. 1791) they will join the ranks of Orthodox Protestants who take Genesis as Historical Narrative (OPGHN, “opgane”) who believe that creation took place in six regular days and that the Global Flood of Noah’s time was a significant geologic event.

Regarding the Fourth Day of Creation Week, John Wesley comments, “This is the history of the fourth day's work, the creating the sun, moon and stars.” Note that we have the creating of stars and not just their appearance (as progressive creationists claim). Often it is stated that Genesis tells us the “Who” of creation but not the “How.” In contrast, we read in Wesley’s commentary on Genesis, “The work of creation not only proceeded gradually from one thing to another, but advanced gradually from that which was less excellent, to that which was more so.” The six days of Creation Week go from less complex to more complex. Even the most basic atom is complex if we go down to the quark level.

Wesley comments on the sixth day and the how of creation:

The evening and the morning were the sixth day - So that in six days God made the world. We are not to think but that God could have made the world in an instant: but he did it in six days, that he might shew himself a free agent, doing his own work, both in his own way, and in his own time; that his wisdom, power and goodness, might appear to us, and be meditated upon by us, the more distinctly; and that he might set us an example of working six days, and resting the seventh. And now as God reviewed his work, let us review our meditations upon it; let us stir up ourselves, and all that is within us, to worship him that made the, heaven, earth, and sea, and the fountains of waters. All his works in all places of his dominion bless him, and therefore bless thou the Lord, O my soul [emphasis added].

Wesley said that numerous geologic formations were “doubtless formed by the general Deluge.” [1] Wesley held that the original “very good” creation held no death, disease or destruction. [2] Wesley tells us that at the perfect beginning, “there were no agitations within the bowels of the globe, no violent convulsions, no concussions of the earth, no earthquakes…” [3] Thus, the evidence of death and devastation in the fossil record must be post-Fall. Originally, man and beast were vegetarian (Ge 1:29-30). Wesley comments, “there were no birds or beasts of prey; none that destroyed or molested another; but all the creatures breathed, in their several kinds, the benevolence of their great Creator.” [4] There are fish eating fish in the fossil record, so it must be post-Fall. Regarding the Lord’s promise not to send another worldwide flood, Wesley said, “God had drowned the world once, and still it is as provoking as ever; yet he will never drown it any more, for he deals not with us according to our sins.”

The topic of creation was so important to Wesley that he wrote the two volume work Survey of the Wisdom of God in the Creation (1763). [5] Wesley was a creationist and held that creation occurred about 4000 years before Christ. [6]

If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God? (Jn 3:12, Message)

May your heart also be "strangely warmed."

Notes:
1) Refuting Compromise by Jonathan Sarfati (Master Books, 2004), p. 130.
2) ibid.
3) ibid., p. 199.
4) ibid., p. 206.
5) The Great Turning Point by Terry Mortenson (Master Books, 2004), p. 42.
6) ibid.

Adam to Abraham (A2A): The Dating Game

2008-11-22T19:06:00.000-06:00

Orthodox Protestants who take Genesis as Historical Narrative (OPGHN, “opgane”) believe the Genesis record gives us a clear chronology from Adam to Abraham. There is no evidence of gaps. [1] Seth named Enosh (Ge 4:26) so he was his direct descendant and not a distant relative. In Jude 14 we are told that Enoch was the seventh from Adam, so no gaps are possible there. Lamech named Noah (Ge 5:29) so he was his biological father and not his great great grandfather. Arphaxad must be the son of Shem and not his grandson since he was born just two years after the flood. Methuselah’s name means “when he dies it shall be sent” and the year of his death is when the Global Flood started. This shows how accurate and tight the historical chronology from Genesis is - Methuselah could not have died after the Flood!

Adam and Eve lived at the beginning of creation not millions of years later (Mk 10:6). Since the beginning of creation man has been able to see God’s eternal power and divine nature through observing creation (Rom 1:20) – man has existed since the beginning and is not a latecomer in cosmic history. If millions of years really existed before the Flood, scripture could have made that plain. Second Chronicles 14:9 refers to a million man fighting force.

Jacob told Pharaoh that his life so far was short (130 years) compared to his forefathers (Ge 47:9), thus confirming the long ages of the antediluvians (900’s). The Sumerian King List also documents long ages before the Global Flood and a drastic reduction in life spans afterward. The Sumerian King List shows eight kings before the flood and if we don’t include Adam and Noah, this matches the historical chronology from Genesis. The Sumerian system of math was based on 60 instead of the decimal system (base 10). If we convert the life spans of the line of Seth from decimal to base 60 we can see that the Sumerian King List is somewhat close to the actual values from Genesis. For Mahalalel we have 8*3600=28,800 and 9*60=540. The totals for all eight differ by only 5%.

To many, long life spans seem incredible. Just think of the number of dreams Adam had in 930 years. One way to live longer is to avoid disease. A group of dwarfs in southern Ecuador get neither cancer nor diabetes due to their unique genetic makeup.

We can see from this chart by Walt Brown (click to see larger image) that Adam lived at the same time as Methuselah, Methuselah lived at the same time as Shem and Shem lived at the same time as Isaac! So Isaac could have verified Shem’s first hand knowledge of the genealogy, Shem could have done the same with Methuselah and Methuselah could have checked his facts from Adam himself! A chronology you can trust from the man made from dust. Adam and Eve had plenty of practice with number theory when they counted the thousands of stars at night. Bookkeeping the “begats” would be no problem for the first Edenite.

From Adam to the Flood is 1656 years. For hundreds of years people could chat with the perfect couple (initially) who once lived in a utopia named Paradise. Both Genesis and Josephus agree that Abraham was born 290 years after the Flood. [2] Abraham could have compared his genealogy with Shem, who was still alive in his time. Abraham is generally considered to be living around 2000 BC. Therefore, the traditional date of creation of around 4000 BC seems correct. The Mayan calendar places creation at 3114 BC which is not that far from the date of 4004 BC given by Ussher.

Some reply that radiometric dating forces a lengthening of the Genesis chronology. The book and DVD “Thousands not Billions” provide decisive evidence that radioactive dating actually supports the Young Earth Science (YES) position. This book, which summarizes the findings of the RATE project includes both scientific and biblical evidence.

All the men named in these genealogies were sinners: “Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof—Public Sinner Number One” (1 Tim. 1:15, Message).

NOTES:
1) Refuting Compromise by Jonathan Sarfati (Master Books, 2004), pp. 289-297.
2) ibid., p. 291.

Dear Geico

2008-10-19T19:57:00.000-05:00

I love your funny “caveman” ads, but disrespect for our ancestors is looked down upon by many cultures of the world. Your underlying message seems to be, “It not only takes a village, it takes a village idiot named Caveman to sell insurance.” During the Ice Age it made sense to live in caves!

The most famous cavemen were the Neanderthals. New Man, that is what Neanderthal means, is my brother. The Choctaw, of which I am a member, have a tradition that all people spoke the same language (Choctaw) and that after building a tall mound to reach the sky the languages were confused. This is a variant rendition of the historical account of the Tower of Babel found in Genesis (Adam’s favorite book). That is, all peoples, including Neanders, have a common origin. An update from the journal Archaeology provides evidence that Neanderthals and moderns interbred.

Some Neanderthals had red hair! Neanders made wood structures covered with hide. They made javelins, a flute, body ornaments and used fire and spices for cooking. They even made a deep underground structure without natural light.

A fascinating piece, "Neanderthals are Still Human” shows that the hyoid bone, which is important in speech, is the same as the hyoid bone in moderns. Also their brains were bigger. There were also ritualistic burials with goat bones. Jack Cuozzo had the opportunity to x-ray some of the original Neander skulls in Europe and found that they must have lived to the great old age of around 200 years!

The mitochondrial evidence that some claim puts the Neandertals into a separate group actually falls within the range of modern genetic dispersion.

I would encourage your fine organization to concentrate on advertising customer value and fair pricing rather that putting down our brilliant relatives from a few thousand years ago. Stress the actuarial basis for honest pricing rather than picking on the noble caveman!

Yo Schmookie!*

2008-09-27T18:53:00.000-05:00

Here’s hoping that you’re having a swell day, but that you’re not swelling!
Are you bent on self-destruction? Have you seen GoodFellas more than three times? Is your goal to blow up tall buildings? There is a bold contrast between the big bad dude and the Real Messiah: “A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (Jn. 10:10, Message). Knowing your Creator (the Intelligent Designer) brings joy; thieving brings prison.
Would you rather have plastic furniture or plastic explosives? Have you ever stuffed a space monkey in your trunk? Seeking vitality through pain is not the answer; childlike humility is:
"Truly I say to you, Except you are converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 18:3,4).
Violence addiction can result in loss of life. Consider this caution from The Ultimate Guidebook, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27).
There is more to life than support groups and insomnia. Would you rather join the Fight Club or the Righteous Revolution (Mt. 10:34-42)? Is your best friend’s cousin named Parker Morris? Do you love others? Does anyone care about you? Is your twin twin brother named Tyler?
Make soap, not war. You are made in the image of God and have tremendous worth. You should care for your body (take a bath occasionally) and be a good steward of the talents God has given you (cf. Eph. 5:29, Ex. 31:1-5). Getting beaten up is not fun, but self-torture is completely pointless. The Real Book About The Meaning Of Life states, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love” (1 Jn. 4:18). Focusing on the needs of others will overcome your feelings of danger regarding yourself. Scrap Project Mayhem and join Project May-all-the-glory-go-to-Him.
Your father may not have been the best role model, but the true Messiah from Nazareth will not disappoint. If we believe in Jesus we can experience the lavish love of God and reach perfection when he returns (1 Jn. 3:1-3). The Prophet (Acts 3:18-23) suffered real pain inflicted by others. Christ bled and died and took the punishment we deserve for our wrong actions and thoughts. If we trust in him we will have eternal life (Jn. 3:13-18).

DON’T FIGHT CLUB RULES:
1) Talk about Jesus (Lk. 12:8).
2) Talk about Jesus more (Jn. 1:40,41).
3) When someone beats you up and says “Stop!” - talk about Jesus (Acts 5:40-42).
4) 2 or 3 should speak at a time (1 Cor. 14:26-33).
5) One day at a time (Lam. 3:19-23).
6) Wear clothes (Gen. 3:21).
7) Meetings continue as needed (Acts 20:9).
8) Each member (even new ones) must perform their function in the body (Rom. 12:3-8).

God made man perfect (Eccl. 7:29), but we now have a messy world since Adam made a wrong choice and ate from the forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil which lead to the great rebellion (Gen. 3). Job suffered for some special reasons and even the weather was against him (Job 1:18,19). Suffering hits us all because we live the a creation twisted by the Fall and awaiting rescue (Gen. 3:17,18; Rom. 8:18-22). Christian apologist Francis Schaeffer points out that even though we all Fall down, man is still noble:

Another question in the dilemma of man is man’s nobility. Perhaps you do not like the word nobility, but whatever word you choose, there is something great about man. I want to add here that evangelicals have often made a serious mistake by equating the fact that man is lost and under God’s judgment with the idea that man is nothing – zero. This is not what the Bible says. There is something great about man, and we have lost perhaps our greatest opportunity of evangelism in our generation by not insisting that it is the Bible which explains why man is
great. [1]

Is cruelty intrinsic to humanity? Schaeffer gives some vital insight here:

We can explain that man is cruel [because of the Fall], without God being a bad God. There is a hope of a solution for this moral problem which is not intrinsic to the “mannishness” of man. If this cruelty is intrinsic to the “mannishness” of man – if that is what man always has been – then there is no hope of a solution. But if it is an abnormality, there is a hope of a solution. It is in this setting that the substitutionary, propitiatory death of Christ ceases to be an incomprehensible concept. … God did not make man cruel, and He did not make the results of man’s cruelty. These are abnormal, contrary to what God made, and so we can fight the evil without fighting God. [2]

Notes:
1) The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Vol. 1, p. 278.
2) The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, Vol. 1, p. 301.

True Stories:
Psalm 19:1
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Proverbs 19:1
Better is the poor man whose ways are upright, than the man of wealth whose ways are twisted (BBE).

“enough with the Schmookie” (rev.)

*If your name is Shmookie (sub “p” for “k” in the Seinfeld episode) or if the content applies, let the shoe fit.

-- Answer to Puzzle for July 2008 post --

The following months have 31 days: Jan, Mar, May, Jul, Aug, Oct, Dec

Adam's Blog [stardate 032,172.781]

2008-08-17T15:12:00.000-05:00

“Palmettos and Recurrence Dreams”

Do you enjoy braiding you daughters’ hair? I was pondering the trunk of a palmetto tree and admired the braided pattern the Intelligent Designer gave this plant. I could imitate this design to make rope! I invented a small version of the palmetto trunk and if you put your fingers in each end it’s difficult to escape. My children love this toy! I named it an HTU for Holistic Tube of Unity.

I had a strange dream the other strange day. In the dream I was sleeping, as I woke up I said, “MADAM, IN EDEN I’M ADAM.” Next, I went to the garden and noticed that three fourths of my tulips were missing. A funny thing about ¾ is that it’s NEVER ODD OR EVEN. A while later Dennis and Edna were caught fighting, so I gave my verdict: DENNIS AND EDNA SINNED. This series of events repeated itself over and over and over. By the way, aren’t groundhogs cute?

The Intelligent Designer made the world during the first six days of history. Unlike my adorable offspring, I never said “goo-goo gah-gah.” I had no mom or dad to hug or kiss me. Some call me “Dusty” for that is what the Creator made me from and where my destiny lies [~ Ge 2:7, 3:19]. Since Eve was taken from my rib, some have nicknamed her “Reeba.” Before the day I ate the bad fruit, my dreams had no animal deaths and none of my children had fatal accidents. Our sinless, deathless paradise is gone, but our loving Creator has promised a coming Savior [~ Ge 3:15, 1 Jn 3:8, Rev 22:3]. I love to eat radishes and squash. I am the first Adam. Deep time? What’s that? I have been stuck by thorns, but I have never Ben Stein…

[note: palindromes are in ALL CAPS SPACL LA]

Puzzle FUN!!

2008-07-25T20:40:00.001-05:00

Attention planetosis victims! Here is a super fun, non-math, puzzle. The two names below have a special meaning.

And now without further time-warps here are the two enigmatic names:

1) Janmar Mayjul
2) Augoc T. Dec

Hints:

not a character in Sagan's "Contact" (book or movie)
Not related to Nellie Narrow-Way
not a hologram or a quark
EvoEmo is a good guess, but wrong

This puzzle may be answered by the following:

residents of the Privileged Planet may apply
Aliens between the ages of 900-1500 are excluded
Earthlings within the interval [-.75, 1005] may guess
All relatives and friends of Ben Stein are eligible
Answer appears in the Sep 2008 post