The Offense of Truth

Many in the church today believe that the only way to reach the world is to give the unchurched multitudes what they want. Hundreds of churches have followed precisely that theory, actually surveying unbelievers to learn what it would take to get them to attend.

Subtly the overriding goal is church attendance and worldly acceptability rather than a transformed life. Preaching the Word and boldly confronting sin are seen as archaic, ineffectual means of winning the world. After all, those things actually drive most people away. Why not entice people into the fold by offering what they want, creating a friendly, comfortable environment, and catering to the very desires that constitute their strongest urges? As if we might get them to accept Jesus by somehow making Him more likable or making His message less offensive.

That kind of thinking badly skews the mission of the church. The Great Commission is not a marketing manifesto. Evangelism does not require salesmen, but prophets. It is the Word of God, not any earthly enticement, that plants the seed for the new birth (1 Peter 1:23). We gain nothing but God’s displeasure if we seek to remove the offense of the cross.

Something is wrong with a philosophy that relegates God and His Word to a subordinate role in the church. It is clearly unbiblical to elevate entertainment over biblical preaching and worship in the church service. Sadly, some actually believe that their salesmanship can bring people into the kingdom more effectively than a sovereign God—a philosophy that has opened the door to worldliness in the church.

I don’t recall Jesus ever saying that truth wouldn’t be offensive. Strangely enough, it seems to be the “pew warmers” who are actually the most offended by the truth. Could this be what is meant by the words in Hebrews 4:12 which says “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart“. If our words, lives and actions aren’t offensive to anyone, we should check them to be certain that our swords have not become dull.

The concept of the church being a “marketing manifesto” seems to be dominant in many churches today. It’s not about the sights and sounds coming from the ceiling and the speakers folks, it’s the cry of hearts and lives being transformed by the Word of God. When we present the unchurched with our theories of who God is and what He wants, all that we produce is a muddy mess, not the tears of repentance that come from a broken and contrite heart.

When we as His body, get it right before Him and lift Him to the high and lofty position that He deserves, He draws people unto Himself. Isn’t it time to turn off all the lights and sounds that even go so far as to mask His call and divert our attention, and listen closely as the still small voice calls us out of the shadows of our sins, exposing them and allowing us to come to Him and seek His forgiveness.

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Science: What is True?

The Truth Project

Tour 5

In this, the fifth worldview tour, we our invited to enter the cavern of nature, gaze upon the jewels of creation, and establish yet another important pillar in the Temple of Truth: Science. In the process, we will discover that whereas “the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1) so that the Creator’s “invisible attributes are plainly seen” (Romans 1:20), mankind has nevertheless chosen to ignore the obvious truth, twisting scientific investigation into a vehicle for propagating a godless philosophy of human independence and self-determination.

Having completed a brief and cursory discussion of the nature and character of God, we turn now to consider a very different question: what does “the stuff in the box” really tell us when we honestly look at it? Dr. Tackett argues that scientific investigation – “the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment” – is also a valid way of ascertaining truth. For when we open the box, we find that it is filled with voices that speak to us loudly about the majesty and power of the One who has created the physical universe. Everywhere we look – whether up at the grandeur of the stars and galaxies or deep into the tiny and elegantly designed inner workings of a living cell – there is evidence that the cosmos is the handiwork of an intelligent, rational mind. In the contemplation of nature, we come face to face with the truth that God exists and that He has revealed Himself to us, not only through His written Word (special revelation) but also through the works of His hands (generalrevelation).

Our natural reaction to this experience should be like that of a child: wonder, marvel, and praise for the Creator. But because of the effects of the fall and the polarizing influence of the Cosmic Battle, man shows a tendency to deny what is plain to the senses and to “exchange the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1:25). Driven by this impulse, he transforms straightforward scientific inquiry, which properly concerns itself with particulars, into an all-embracing philosophy, which claims to establish universals on the basis of the “stuff in the box.” The result is the propagation of a worldview that “scientifically” excludes the Creator, thus “freeing” mankind from accountability to a higher authority.

Central to this philosophy are the assertions of Darwinian evolutionary theory. By keeping the details of creation’s story completely inside “the box,” evolution effectively rules out the existence of God. Herein lies the heart of the debate over “Intelligent Design.” Atheist C. Richard Bozarth actually goes so far as to claim that “evolution destroys utterly and finally the very reason Jesus’ earthly life was supposedly made necessary.” It is exactly this kind of philosophical assumption that inspires the visceral antagonism of evolutionists toward anyone who dares question the validity of their theory. This is why Darwinists so fervently assert that “evolution is no longer merely a theory, but an established fact.” But the truth of the matter is that the theory is not supported by the evidence. Many inside the scientific community are beginning to recognize this. But they dare not acknowledge it publicly because of the worldview issues at stake. As Dr. David Berlinski says, “The consequences are serious

Lesson 5 – Science: What is True?

 

 

1. Introduction

 

1. 1. Psalm 19:1-4 – “The heavens declare the Glory of God” – General Revelation

 

1. 1. Romans 1:18-20 – “God has made it plain to them …”

 

Only two possibilities: the cosmos has always existed or the cosmos had a beginning – either one posses a serious problem for those who deny a Creator

1. Design vs. Randomness

 

1. 1. Earliest scientists were convinced that the universe bore evidence of design

 

1. 1. Scrabble Example – Where does the organized information in the genetic code come from?

 

1. 1. Wald- “Time is the hero of the plot …the impossible becomes possible.”

 

 

 

1. Examining Darwin’s Theory

 

1. 1. Hypothesis, theory, law – data must confirm investigation of truth claims

 

1. 1. Darwinian Evolution taught as “Fact” – Does his theory match reality?

 

1. 1. Paley’s Argument – Anyone who looks at a pocket watch understands that is was designed with intelligent purpose
   2. Ignoring the obvious – Francis Crick: You’ve got to keep in mind that all of this was not designed

 

 

1. Testing Carl Sagan’s Statement – “Evolution is a fact amply demonstrated by the fossil record and contemporary molecular biology.”

 

1. 1. Contemporary Molecular Biology – testing Darwin’s statement that his theory would absolutely break down if it could be demonstrated that a complex organism could not come into existence without numerous, successive slight modifications

 

1. 1. 1. In the 19th century, the cell was viewed as a simple glob of plasma, a black box; today, micro technology reveals a cell filled with exquisite machinery

 

1. 1. 1. Irreducible complexity – The cell cannot exist if one component of the machinery is missing – Examples: mouse trap and the flagellum motor

 

1. 1. 1. It is in the realm of molecular genetics where we see the most compelling evidence of design on earth – evolution fails Darwin’s test
   2. The fossil record – testing Darwin’s statement that if one can’t find all of the fine, graduated evolutionary steps in the fossil record, then one can rightly reject the theory

 

1. 1. 1. If speciation requires many thousands of morphological changes, there should be some fossil evidence of those changes – Darwin agreed they weren’t there, but only because we hadn’t dug up enough fossils

 

1. 1. 1. 120 years after Darwin’s time we have a lot more fossil evidence than he did, but we have even less support for his evolutionary theories

 

1. 1. 1. Theory of punctuated equilibrium – offered by evolutionist Gould because of the lack of evidence in the fossil record; purports immediate speciation to account for the missing links

 

1. 1. 1. Icons of Evolution – used for years as “proof” of evolution – all are inaccurate and outdated

 

1. 1. 1. Theory of directed panspermia – purports that the first living cell was sent to earth from another planet – offered by Crick because evidence was overwhelmingly against spontaneous generation

 

1. 1. 1. Evolution again fails Darwin’s own test

 

 

1. Conclusion

 

1. 1. Lovtrup: “I believe that one day the Darwinian myth will be ranked the greatest deceit in the history of science”

 

1. 1. This is a worldview battle – a battle that is much deeper than a scientific theory – Evolution destroys any foundation for a standard of ethics or morality – man has exchanged the truth of God for a lie (evolution) so that he may be free to follow his inner desires

Scripture References

Psa 19:1-4 Rom 1: 21-23 Rom 1:25

Jer 33:22 Rom 1:18-20 Rom 1: 21-23 Psa 53:1

Key Terms

Darwinian Evolution/Darwinism: A specific area of evolutionary biology involving natural selection proposed by Charles Darwin.

 

Directed Panspermia: Theory that suggests that highly-evolved life forms sent microorganisms or biochemical compounds from outer space to earth. Francis Crick developed this hypothesis to explain life on earth.

 

Fossil Record: The fossilized remains of plants and animals that provide the evidential means to understand when those organisms were alive, where they lived, and what they looked like.

Great Cosmological Question: Where did the cosmos come from? The cosmos either had a beginning or has always existed.

 

Hypothesis: Very early assumption made on the basis of limited evidence used as a starting point for further investigation.

 

Intelligent Design: Scientific theory that nature and complex biological structures were intelligently designed and, as such, are not the result of chance. Proponents of intelligent design argue that there is empirical evidence that is subject to scientific investigation that complex biological systems and the information bearing properties of DNA could not have been created by natural selection.

 

Irreducible Complexity: A complex system that could not function if it were any simpler, and therefore could not possibly have been formed by successive additions to a precursor system with the same functionality. An analogy often given in support of irreducible complexity is the mousetrap.

Law: A statement of scientific fact that a particular natural or scientific phenomenon is invariable under given circumstances

Molecular Biology: The branch of biology that deals with the formation, structure, and function of macromolecules essential to life; in particular t he interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interrelationship of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis and learning how these interactions are regulated

 

Paley’s argument for design: Named after William Paley (1743-1805), this is sometimes referred to as the watchmaker analogy: it is plain to see that the parts in a watch are designed and placed in relationship with each other for a purpose and that the watch therefore must have a maker. In the same way, our universe bears evidence of design and purpose and, therefore, must have a maker.

 

Punctuated equilibrium: A theory in evolutionary biology that says the appearance of new species occurs suddenly and without continuous slow variations; species will show little or no evolutionary change throughout history

 

Science: The systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. Science and philosophy are both attempting to develop truth claims about reality; philosophy in the realm of universals, science in the realm of particulars.

Theory: Idea or belief about something formed by speculation, conjecture, or deduction from certain facts within certain parameters

Notable Figures

 

Charles Darwin (1809-1882): British naturalist who proposed the theory of evolution through natural selection in his book The Origin of Species (1859). This book, and Darwin’s theories, have had massive ideological and philosophical effects on our world and humanity.

Francis Crick (1916-2004): Co-discoverer of DNA who rejected the evidence of design. During the 1960s he became concerned with the origins of the genetic code and in the early 1970s proposed the theory of Directed Panspermia.

Jonathan Wells: Biologist, senior fellow of the Discovery Institute, and author of Icons of Evolution. A prominent spokesperson for the intelligent design movement, Wells’ book proves that many of the most commonly accepted arguments for evolution are invalid.

Michael Behe: American biochemist, senior fellow of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, and author of Darwin’s Black Box. Behe is a leading advocate and spokesperson for the intelligent design movement who is most well known for articulating the concept of irreducible complexity.

Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002): American paleontologist and evolutionary biologist who taught at Harvard University and worked at the American Museum of Natural History. He was an influential and widely read author that developed the theory of punctuated equilibrium (see glossary entry) due to the lack of evidence in the fossil record for gradual Darwinianism.