Evolution, Science and Evidence

As you might suspect, I am a Bible-believing Christian and I will freely admit that I am influenced in my view of the origins of the world and universe by what I believe the Bible says.

On the other hand, I am also still pretty open to examining the physical world to see if that evidence agrees with what I believe. Among many scientist, especially biologists, evolution is taken as a given truth, not just one possible theory. There are many reasons for this including a progressive fossil record where the best evidence does seem to suggest a progression for less complicated beings to more complicated beings over time. Also, there do seem to be similarities among groupings of animals that suggest they are related and modern genetic evidence points to specific similarities in the genetic code. Now while these evidences are consistent with the evolutionary theory, I have always been troubled with the fact that the suggested mechanism for change in the evolutionary theory, namely natural selection acting upon random mutations, was not sufficient to explain all the changes and improvements necessary for evolution to be true.

The more I study the issue, the more I am convinced that natural processes are not only inadequate for the task, but could never be adequate to create new genetic information that would be necessary to create new features that differentiate species and families of plants and animals.

Douglas Axe, who co-wrote a book called Science and Human Origins with Ann Gauger, wrote this in response to a critique of his book,

"My challenge to McBride, and everyone else who believes the evolutionary story of human origins, is not to provide the list of mutations that did the trick, but rather a list of mutations that can do it. Otherwise they're in the position of insisting that something is a scientific fact without having the faintest idea how it even could be. That's just not what scientists should be doing." (emphasis mine)

Here are a couple of articles with this quote.

Christian Post article

Axe's response

This is exactly my problem. I am told by various professors (biology professors in college) and atheists that science demands that we not consider special creation and that evolution must be true, but then when challenged to present evidence for how evolution could happen using mutations they have no answer. Axe and Gauger suggest that mutations cannot create the necessary change and have experimental evidence to back up that claim.

Michael Behe's book Darwin's Black Box suggests that certain types of biological structures are so complex and interrelated that chance mutations could never account for them because it would require multiple mutations at the same time for the structures to work.

Also, Stephen Meyer's book Signature in the Cell makes it clear the DNA contains specified information like computer code, and the only other examples of this type of information are products of human minds, suggesting that DNA is also the product of intelligence.

Now as a Christian I have no problem with the fact that natural processes are not capable of producing everything or with the idea that science may in fact point us toward an intelligence outside the physical universe, because I do not have a worldview that demands that all explanations must come from within the physical universe. What happens though when someone is committed to only natural explanations? Do they even consider explanations outside their worldview? Generally they do not. They are not allowed to challenge their assumptions. Many scientists have a prior commitment to philosophical naturalism that demands that regardless of what the evidence may suggest they cannot possibly consider that evolution is false. They cannot consider it false because there is no other natural explanation given, and they must have a natural explanation.

As I see it the best testable scientific evidence we have leads to the conclusion that natural selection based on random mutation, which does in fact happen in limited cases, cannot create the types of changes necessary to explain the origins of new information that leads to new body structures. This means that the proposed mechanism for evolution does not work. Furthermore in examining the structure of DNA we see information that looks just like the type of information that we use in language, and we already know that type of information comes from human minds. Therefore, one explanation for what we see does not work, while another explanation, namely an intelligence, fits exactly what we see.

I have seen it written and heard it said by atheist, "there is no evidence for God," but that is only true if you start with a commitment to a philosophy that excludes the possibility of God. From my perspective, the physical world clearly points to God and the more I study, the more convinced I become.

Why is the fence there?

An old proverb says "Before you move a fence you should find out why it was put there in the first place." This is why I am convinced of the need to speak to the topic of marriage. Before we as a country and as a culture agree to change what we say marriage is we should probably find out why we ever valued it in the first place. I have a number of thoughts on this issue myself, but Alan Shlemon does a very good job of laying out the basic issues here.

In particular I agree with his statement at the end of his article, "Make no mistake about it. Redefining marriage will impact our culture. It won’t be today, next week, or next year. It will be in the long-term because ideas have consequences."

I have heard it said a number of time recently that people who believe in the traditional marriage are on the wrong side of history, and that the redefinition of marriage is inevitable because that is where our society is headed. Perhaps we are, but I am afraid that while we could be on the wrong side of history for a few years, we are not on the wrong side of history in the long run. Human nature has not changed, and if some believe that we can destroy basic societal units and rebuild them however we chose then they are fooling themselves.

Simply put, humans function best under specific conditions, and to deny that obvious truth is like denying gravity. You think you can fly right up until the time you hit the ground.

http://str.typepad.com/weblog/2012/05/should-homosexuals-be-allowed-to-marry-whom-they-love.html

The Law is Good.

Recently I was reading through Psalm 119 which is all about how good the law of God is and I realized that as modern Christians we don't often emphasis the goodness of the law. In fact, we frequently talk about grace and mercy, and we often avoid talking about the law because it might make us sound judgmental.

In fact, this is exactly what happens whenever we talk about biblical morals in public conversation. We get push back from people that we should not judge others and that we cannot push our morals on other people. But this is not what we should be doing when we try to encourage others to see the truth of the biblical law.

The law is good, because in following it we get the best outcomes. If you care about someone or something, you want the best for them, and we should promote the law because in following it people end up living in the best way possible for themselves and for other people. In other words, biblical morality is not just some arbitrary opinion of some people or the random whim of some god, but rather expresses the timeless truths about how the world works and how people work.

People who consistently follow the law are consistently better, freer, happier, and more content people, and the world is better because of them.

As an example marriage is not some random rule, but is a relationship for which we were created and in which people function best. Therefore, we should not apologize for promoting biblical morals in our culture around us, but we should explain that what we desire is the best for ourselves and others.

Who needs to give mercy?

As I was reading through James this morning, I came across this passage.

For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:13 ESV)

 It struck me that showing mercy is not optional for the Christian. In Matthew 18:21-35, we see a parable where the necessity of mercy is shown. What we see here is a king who forgives a great debt, but the person who has the great debt forgiven refuses to forgive a small debt owed to him. This is a parallel to our situation.

If we claim to be a Christian, but hold unforgiveness in our hearts then we are misunderstanding the gospel. What we are primarily misunderstanding is the size of our own debt and the greatness of the mercy of God toward us. God is not minimizing the sin done to us (Jesus had to die for that too), but He does want us to minimize our own sin. If we do, we minimize the greatness of God and His mercy toward us.

The practical outworking of this is seen in the lack of true joy in our lives and ultimately leads to sin against other people because we are not able to love others like we should. So my encouragement to you if you find yourself having a hard time forgiving someone is to first spend time with God and find out how great He is (Read Matthew 18:21-35). Then examine your own heart for ways that you have failed to trust Him and ways that you have sinned against others. Repent and humble yourself before God and allow yourself to know His mercy. Then ask God for His help in showing mercy and forgiveness to others. You cannot give away what you do not have, and so forgiveness of others starts with receiving it from Him.

If you do these things, you can be free, both from the guilt of your own sin and the ongoing pain of the sin that was done against you. We are commanded to rejoice and promised that we can have peace (Philippians 4:4-8), and God never commands us to do something or have something that He does not also provide the way to accomplish it.

Alone with my thoughts at 3 AM

I am writing this blog at 3 am while sitting next to my son in the hospital. I can't sleep, so I am writing instead.

I can't sleep not because the bed I have is terribly uncomfortable, but because my mind is racing about all the various unknowns in the days ahead. I find that the middle of the night can tend to do this, but in the past the unknowns have often been about rather mundane things in life or ministry. Now we are facing real uncertainty regarding our son's health and our schedule.

So I am facing these questions: Can/will I trust God even when my day to day is thrown into a loop? Can/will I be able to face the temptations to drowned my sorrows in self-pity and/or self-indulgence?

The truth is I want to have pity party, I want to be mad at God, I want indulge my way into oblivion, but I know that none of those things will make a difference or change the situation. Frankly they won't even make me feel good.

So what can I do? Well I find myself drawn to prayer. I find myself drawn to the Word of God. I find myself crying, but crying out to God.

I just read this passage from Psalm 119:9-11 How can a young man (or a middle aged one!) keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.

I sometimes feel that when God teaches me some new spiritual truth that I have found some new key that no one else has discovered, but I know that in reality God has not changed and he has been sharing these same truths with people for as long as there have been people.

I pray that you may seek God daily. I pray that I may seek Him with my whole heart.

Sermons online

Here are some links to all where all the sermons are stored for Harvest Community Church.

Harvest Sermons

Sermons 2013

Sermons 2014

My will be there, which are the majority, but guest speakers will be there as well.

In Christ,

Mike

New video on Morality

I have just made a new video on morality. I listen to this clip from Greg Koukl this morning on morality and decided to make a little post about it.

Koukl on Morality

If you have ever been questioned by an atheist about how good God could allow evil, you might respond with the question, "What is good?" Now this does not necessarily get a Christian out of answering the dilemma, but it does point out that everyone has to answer the question as well.

I hope you enjoy.

Pastor Mike

How to identify bad teaching / teachers?

Here are a couple of articles recommended by John Piper that deal with a couple of well known pastors who both frequently come under attack (especially on the internet) for their teachings. How can we determine whether a teacher is godly and trustworthy or not?

In these 2 cases of Rick Warren and T.D. Jakes, we can see an interesting case study. For me the critical elements are whether or not the person affirms plain biblical and essential Christian doctrine. If so and if their ministry shows fruit, I count them as a brother or sister in the Lord, and hope that their ministries are blessed because I assume God is using them to further his Kingdom. If they do not affirm solid biblical doctrine then I do no recommend using their material and I am unsure of them. Sometimes people proclaim outright false and dangerous doctrine, and those teachers I warn against.

Here is a link to a Rick Warren interview about a recent controversy brought about by an article in a local LA paper.

Warren interview by Ed Stetzer


Here you can see that Warren strongly affirms the historical doctrines of the Trinity and that Christ is the only way. Having personal met Warren, and heard him speak, I can strongly commend him to you. Also, other strong Bible teachers (like John Piper) have good fellowship with Warren.

On the other hand, I have also been following the controversy surrounding T.D. Jakes who recently appeared at "The Elephant Room," which is a roundtable discussion put on by James MacDonald and Mark Driscoll. Having read what he said in the discussion, and then having read this post by 2 scholars that I really trust, I have some questions. He is not clear about what he believes. Is he preaching the same gospel? Does he believe in the same God? Maybe, but maybe not. While I cannot completely condemn him, I would certainly recommend being careful, and not taking Jakes as a primary trusted source of teaching.

DA Carson and Tim Keller comment on TD Jakes at the Elephant Room

Any thoughts on these matters?

Dating Links

Hello all,

Here are some of the links for my latest sermon on dating. Sorry the links are not working directly so you have to copy and paste the links into the address bar.

Dating Ideas

Date night questions:

50 Date night questions

First Date Questions


If you have some other good sites please put them in the comments section:

If you would rather I will put the list here below:

Date night questions

If you could store up only one hour’s worth of memory in your mind, which hour of our marriage would you want to remember?
If you could have witnessed any biblical event, which one would you choose?
When do you feel most loved?
Which strengths in your life bring you the greatest satisfaction?
What is the best way for me to encourage you?
What time of day is best for us to talk?
If we could just drop what we’re doing and go do something fun, what would it be?
What is one of the most adventurous things you’ve ever done?
In your opinion, what makes a great parent?
What are five essential values we want our children to embrace above all others?
What can we do as a couple to change the world in which we live?
What goals would you like us to accomplish in our marriage in the next year? … five years? … ten years?
Below are several questions from the book, 201 Great Questions (Preview or buy this book now), by Jerry Jones, published by NavPress. (To obtain more questions you’ll need to obtain the book —which we recommend! And/or you may want to obtain the book 201 Great Questions for Married Couples) Preview or buy this book now. To begin your time together, ask the following questions:
What is your earliest memory?
If you could live in any other time period, past or future, what period would you choose? Why?
What movie or television program have you seen in the last year that you wish all your friends could see?
If someone gave you enough money to start a business of your own, what kind of business would you start?
If you didn’t have to worry about making a living, what would you most like to do for the rest of your life?
When making decisions, do you put more trust in facts or in feelings? Are you pleased with most of your decisions?
What do you consider to be your greatest strengths? Your greatest weaknesses?
What is usually the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about God?
What would you most like people to remember you for after you die?
What are the five things you are most thankful for in your life right now? What are some of the things you do to show this thankfulness?
Whose marriage do you most consider to be a model marriage? What is it about their marriage that you most admire?
Has there been a time in the past year or two when God seemed especially real or close to you? If so, explain.
If it’s possible, you may try (because it’s no longer being published) to find the book, Now We’re Talking, by Robert and Pamela Crosby, published by Focus on the Family. Below are a few sample questions you can ask each other (which will hopefully inspire you to obtain the book, if you can find it, to continue building your intimacy):
What’s the best book you’ve read recently? Tell me about it. What did you like about it?
Which holiday do you enjoy the most? Why that one?
If you could possess any extraordinary talent in one of the arts, what would you choose?
If you could bring any former leader from the past back to run our country today, who would it be?
What makes a married relationship distinctively Christian? How is a Christian couple different from a non-Christian one?
In what ways do you think the marriages of our parents affect the marriage you and I share today? Be honest with me.
Are there some times when a disagreement needs to be postponed? if so, when? How can we discern those kinds of times?
When have you felt the most loved by me?
What fears do you wrestle with the most? How do you manage them?
What practical steps can we take as a couple to “affair-proof” our marriage?
With so many marriages falling apart around us today, what steps can you and I take to ensure that we stay close as a couple, emotionally and spiritually?
For additional questions you can use as conversation starters as a married couple, please click onto the web site links provided below

1.  What are your 5 favorite foods, with the most favorite first?
2.  What are your 5 favorite kinds of meals, with the most favorite first?
3.  What are your 5 favorite desserts, with the most favorite first?
4.  What are your 5 favorite restaurants, with the most favorite first?
5.  What is your favorite color?
6.  What are your 5 favorite hobbies, with the most favorite  first?
7.  What are your 5 favorite recreations, with the most favorite  first?
8.  What are your 5 favorite sources of reading, with the most favorite  first?
9.  What gifts do you like?
10.  What is your favorite books(s) of the Bible? Why?
11.  What is your favorite verse(s) of the Bible?  Why?
12.  What is your favorite song?
13.  What makes you the most fulfilled or happiest as a woman/man?
14.  What makes you the most fulfilled or happiest as a wife/husband?
15.  What makes you the most fulfilled or happiest as a mother/father?
16.  What makes you saddest as a woman/man?
17.  What makes you saddest as a wife/husband?
18.  What makes you saddest as a mother/father?
19.  What do you fear the most?
20.  What other fears do you have?
21.  What do you look forward to the most?
22.  How much sleep do you need?
23.  What do you consider to be your skills?
24.  What do you believe to be your spiritual gifts?
25.  What are your weaknesses?
26.  To ask wife:  What things (personal, home, car, etc.) need repairing?
       To ask husband:  What things around the home need to be cleaned?
27.  To ask wife:  With what chores and responsibilities do you like my help?
       To ask husband:  How can I make it easier for you to lead our family?
28.  What caresses do you enjoy the most?
29.  What caresses do you enjoy the least?
30.  What action of mine provides you the greatest sexual pleasure?
31.  What other things stimulate you sexually?
32.  At what times do you need assurance of my love the most?
33.  How can that love be shown?
34.  What can I do that will make it easier to discuss and work on areas or problems that are uncomfortable to you?
35.  What concerns do you have that I do not seem interested in?
36.  What things do I do that irritate you?
37.  What desires do you have that we haven’t discussed?
38.  What do you enjoy doing with me, with the most enjoyable  first?
39.  What things can I do that show my appreciation of you?
40.  What varying desires (spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, social, worth, 
            appreciations, recreational, security, etc.) would you like me to provide? 
41.  To ask wife:  In what ways would you like me to protect you (physically, spiritually, socially, emotionally)?
       To ask husband:  In what ways would you like me to respect and reverence you?
42.  In what ways would you like me to sacrifice for you?
43.  What things do you see by my actions that I place first in my life?
44.  What implied or unspoken desires and wishes of yours would you like for me to
            fulfill?
45.  What concerns and interests of yours would you like me to support?
46.  How much time would be good for us to spend together each day?
47.  In helping family members to use their skills and develop their abilities, what
            motivating factors would be helpful for me to use?
48.  What can I do that provides the greatest comfort and encouragement for you when   
            you are hurt, fearful, anxious or worried?
49.  What personal habits do I have that you would like changed?
50.  What ways demonstrate to you that you are a very important person who is as important or more important than I am?

What is Faith?

Here is a link to a recent video I did on What is Faith?

Video

What is faith? Why do you believe what you believe?

Here I give a response to a wrong definition of faith that I have heard from both Christians and non-Christians. In particular, I am challenging the idea that faith is a leap in the dark or believing something without evidence. The Biblical concept of faith in God is not a leap in the dark, but rather trusting in a God who you know, who has proved Himself faithful in the past, and who based on the evidence of His past faithfulness will continue to prove Himself faithful in the future.

I also examine what types of evidence Christians can and should examine to come to their beliefs.

1. General revelation -- the evidence from nature and from logical arguments which is available to everyone.

2. Special revelation -- God's more specific evidence a. Jesus Christ -- His life, works, and teachings reveal to us the very nature of God. b. The Bible -- A record of God's work in the world from creation to completion. c. Testimonies of other people -- We often see God's work and believe in Him because the lives of others have been changed. d. Personal experience of God -- Necessary if you truly know God, but it should confirm and be in agreement with other evidence. You should also not trust experience alone or you will end up weak in your faith.

I welcome comments on the video, but please keep the discussion civil as I may have a number of different people including kids coming to watch the video.

Who builds the house?

Today I was reading in 1 Chronicles 25-29 and I read about David preparing the materials for the building of the temple. It reminded me of the account in 2 Samuel 7 when David want to build the temple himself. Instead he is told that God will build him a house and that house will be eternal. We know that what he meant was that the Messiah, who is Jesus, would come from the line of David.

Now what is interesting to me is that we often times want to do something for God, but we must first let God build our house. In fact, we need to let God give us everything before we can do anything for Him. Once we recognize our need for God, not just at the moment of salvation, but at all moments then we are ready to be used by God, because then we will not go out in our own strength but in His.