Note: Since the original text had no paragraph breaks, I inserted my own (BillT) My comments and links are in red italicized type. As you read this, it should become obvious that Creation Science is a sham and does not qualify as science. When a scientist runs an experiment or makes an observation and finds that the data do not fit a theory, the  theory is either modified or discarded. When a creationist finds data that do not follow their theory, the observations are ignored and there is no change to the theory. This is not science.

Don't waste our time trying to save or convert me and I won't waste your time trying to convert you. If you write and expect an answer, make sure to read the "Must-Read" files at the Talk.Origins.Archive so you don't make the mistake of trying to set forth an argument against evolution based on dated or contrived material. Finally, I am not trying to ridicule your belief system! I believe what you believe is your belief and no skin off my nose. If you're happy, fine. If you want a reasoned approach, read on.

Thank you for you time!

Dear Bellarmine students:

We had a really good time visiting your school today. I was a little disappointed that we only had 1 hour to do the debate thing. There was so much that we could not cover, thus the reason I want to send you all my email ministry information. You will be receiving about 13 articles or so on Genesis and Creation evolution etc. After this you will receive something every 2 weeks or so. I sincerely hope that this stuff will help you understand the world better and why things are the way they are. This information is all really easy to understand. Please feel free to let me know what you think and if you agree or disagree with what I have written. Also please send it on to others if you feel they could benefit from the information. If you have any questions I will be glad to answer them, if I do not know the answer I will find it out or point you to where you can find it. Thanks for having us there and if you want to have another debate or discussion let me know and I will be happy to set it up. Bye now

Reliability of the Bible and Christianity

Introduction Week.

Dear Friends:

Last week I sent out the 2nd week of my class the Genesis Solution. Since I sent out my introduction article to everyone I felt it was unecessary to do the introduction week of my class. But I have changed my mind. :) In the first week of my class I explain briefly the reliability of the Bible. I  also give out a test so people can understand how they think. Do we think Biblically or like the world. Have we been evolutionized and not even realized it? I will attach the test at the bottom and will give brief answers the following week.

Since one of the purposes of this study is to understand the Bible better and how to apply it to our lives I feel it is necessary to go over my introduction week briefly. How do we know the Bible is reliable? How do we know its the word of God? Who wrote the Bible? How do we know its infallible? Where did the Bible come from? These are basic questions that all Christians should be able to give an acceptable answer.To tell someone or our children its just by blind faith doesn't cut the mustard. We need to give reasons for what we believe. (I Pet. 3:15) But also understanding that without faith it is impossible to please God.

We cannot prove the Bible scientifically but we can logically defend it. The Bible claims to be the word of God over 3,000 times! It claims to be something special. Now it is either what it claims to be or we have nothing! The Bible was written over 1500 years, it contains 66 books, 40+ authors with diverse backgrounds, written in 3 different languages all proclaiming 1 message. The message of Jesus Christ our creator who became a perfect man, who died on the cross for our sin, and who will come again in glory and create a new heavens and earth where we will live forever with Him. This book contains no myths, contradictions or errors and there is no way it could have come together by chance under these circumstances. Therefore it has to be God inspired.

The Bible answers life's important questions such as where did we come from, why are we here, and where are we going? It tells us what happened in the past, how to live in the present, and whats going to happen in the future. When put into practice it works. Its the only book that explains the meaning of life. It has had a tremendous impact on society, it changes lives. It is the only book with prophecy. Predictions made hundreds of years before being fulfilled. Jesus Christ fulfilled over 300 messanic prophecies! The odds of any one man doing that are astronomical!

Actually, Michel Nostradamus had a pretty good hit rate too, depending on how you interpret his quatrains. Several sites on Nostradomis are here, here, and here.

The Bible is historically accurate with names and places etc. Archeology has validated many of the Biblical accounts. (Dead sea scrolls). Sodom and Gomorra etc.Jesus Christ claimed to be God. There were eye witness accounts to his death, burial, and ressurection! He proved he was God by performing many miracles and by rising from the dead. As Bobby Clampett so perfectly puts it....Glad the tomb is empty!!! There are no bones in Jesus Christs grave! Romans 1 :20 says that the evidence for the creator is so clearly seen that if you don't believe you are without excuse! (Paraphrase).

Where is the evidence? If God exists, then intelligence was there at the beginning, how do you recognise signs of intelligence? If you go to the Grand Canyon and pick up an arrowhead and pick up a stone you can tell right away the arrowhead was designed and the stone was formed randomly; Your house didn't get there by an explosion in a brick factory, your watch didn't form by metal having a party in a junkyard, wind and water erosion didn't form the presidents heads on Mt. Rushmore! You can recognise signs of intelligence!

Ooooooo! A balancing rock! Wonder who put that there?

Ahhhhh! A stone bridge! Obviously carved!

Supernatural art?

Another way to look at this argument is to consider examples of bad design in nature. All tetrapods (animals with four legs) scratch their heads with the hind legs; even when it would be more efficient to scratch with the forelegs. The evolutionary explanation is that the first tetrapods scratched in this way and the trait was passed down. Another example is the crossing between the respiratory system and digestive system in many air-breathing vertebrates (including humans). This is obviously bad design that causes many thousands of people annually to choke on their food. The evolutionary explanation is that the lungs originally formed as an outpocket of the digestive system. In both these cases, the theistic explanation is either that God doesn't plan very far ahead, doesn't know what he/she is doing, or has a fabulous sense of humor.

Now look at our human bodies. We are made up of trillions of cells with coded information (DNA) all arranged in a particular order that makes up us. How did that information get there? By chance? Nowhere in science do we observe order coming from disorder by chance. Information has to come from a greater amount of information! Thus, In the beginning God is the most scientific statement we can make because it fits with what we observe in science! Is Christianity a blind faith? I don't think so. Does it really make sense that matter came from nowhere for no reason by chance and arranged itself into information systems against everything we observe? Who has the blind faith belief? We can logically defend our faith. And believe me in times of adversity this stuff really helps, like Peter said to Jesus, To whom shall we go Lord? When times get tough it is nice to know that our faith is not a blind faith.

The Bible explains the world we live in, it correctly accesses man's condition of sin and provides a hope beyond the grave in Jesus Christ. The Bible is not just a story book for children, it is the history book of the universe that connects to reality. But the Bible is being attacked at its foundation, the book of Genesis. When the foundation is destroyed the structure collapses! Genesis is the foundational book of the Bible. Destroy Genesis and you destroy Christianity. So in this study, we will learn how to defend our faith, gain a better understanding of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and learn about the Creation/Evolution issue to some degree. Also we need to understand that the culture has changed and that Creation Evangelism can be a very effective tool to lead people to Jesus Christ. Take the test at the bottom to see if you have been evolutionized by the world. You don't have to believe in evolution to be affected by this issue. Answers to the test next week.

1. What came 1st the chicken or the egg? Shelby can answer this one!

2. Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons?

3. How old is the earth, approximately?

4. Did dinosaurs live and die out millions of years before man?

5. Tyrannosaurus Rex had teeth over 6 inches long, originally was he a plant eater, meat eater or probably both?

6. Do you believe kangaroos once lived in the Middle East?

7. When a scientist digs up a fossil is he digging up the present or past?

8. In society today, is it OK to marry your relations?

9. Do you believe life exists elsewhere on other planets in the universe?

10. Why do people die? 

11. Who was Cain's wife?

12. Has man gone through a stone age to bronze age to jet age?

13. Where did God come from?

14. Who wrote the Bible?

15. How do you know it's the word of God?

16. How do you know there is a God?

Answers to the Test

1. What came 1st the chicken or the egg? Shelby can answer this one! The Chicken of course. Gen. 1:21 God made the birds on day 5, and told them to be fruitful and increase in number. The Bible has the answer!

2. Did Adam and Eve have belly buttons? Probably not because Adam was made from the dust of the ground and Eve from his side. Belly buttons are scars from an umbilical cord. Neither was born of a woman Gen 2:7, 22.

3. How old is the earth, approximately? This is only a brief answer I will give a much more detailed answer later. According to the Bible if you start in the beginning with 6 days and add up the genealogies from Adam to Jesus Christ 2000 years ago you come up with an approximate age of 6-10,000 years. That is "OLD" Please understand when I explain later why the millions of years and the Bible are not compatable I am not saying that this is a salvation issue or that Christians who believe in millions of years are not sincere believers. To explain the problems and inconsistancies properly I will need alot more space. This issue has to do with the Authority of scripture and how we view the Bible, and how this effects how we "give an answer for the hope that we have." I Pet. 3:15.

4. Did dinosaurs live and die out millions of years before man? Again this will be a brief answer. A more detailed answer will come later. The Bible teaches that death is a result of sin. Gen. 3:14-23, Rom. 5:12, I Corn 15:21, Heb. 9:22. Therefore Dinosaurs could not have died out before Adam. There was no death before sin according to the Bible.

5. Tyrannosaurus Rex had teeth over 6 inches long, originally was he a plant eater, meat eater or probably both? Gen. 1:29-30 All the animals and man were vegetarian before the fall. In a perfect paradise animals were not killing and eating each other. T-Rex was created on day 6 with the other land animals and would have been a plant eater. It wasn't until after the flood that God said man could eat meat.Gen. 9:3.

6. Do you believe kangaroos once lived in the Middle East? Kangaroos live in Australia now, but God told Noah to take 2 of every kind of land animal including the kangaroos on the ark. The ark landed in the middle east. Also there are fossils of kangaroos found in the middle east. Answer is Yes.

7. When a scientist digs up a fossil is he digging up the present or past? This is an important question because it shows us how to think about things not just what to think. All fossils exist now, in the present.When it comes to the past, you don't have the past, you only have the present. So when they dig up a dead dinosaur bone and say its 65 million years old, how do they know that? They are not digging up a dinosaur age, they are digging up a dead dinosaur bone that exists today in the present. They then tell us their story of when it lived etc. But they weren't there to see it fossilize etc. We hear these interpretations of evidence and automatically believe them because surely scientists know what they are talking about. But Scientists have beliefs and biases just like anybody else and this effects what they do with the evidence when they find it. Their beliefs to start with determine what they do with the evidence, it is really important to understand this. Who are we going to trust first, the scientists or God's word? Anytime science seems to contradict the Bible we need to throw out the science not go back and reinterpret the Bible. The Bible and real science with always agree! I will explain this more in detail during the Scopes Trial lesson and when we talk about dating methods.

8. In society today, is it OK to marry your relations? If you don't marry your relations then you don't marry a human, we all go back to one man and one woman. Because of the curse we can't marry close relations, God told us this at the time of Moses. This question also deals with the race issue and we will discuss that later as well.

9. Do you believe life exists elsewhere on other planets in the universe? The concept of life on other planets comes from an evolutionary  view of the world. The Bible makes it clear that we are the focus in the universe. I will do an article later to totally explain why Christians should not believe in the existence of life elsewhere in the universe. The concept is not Biblical. This topic can be a great starting point to explain the gospel to others.

10. Why do people die? Because of sin. Why did Jesus die for us, because of sin. Why did God send a flood to wipe out mankind, because of sin. Why did God kill an animal in the garden to cloth Adam/Eve, because of sin. Why do we need a new heavens and earth, because of sin. Why is there death, bloodshed, disease, suffering in the world, its because of sin. This is very important to understand.

11. Who was Cain's wife? His sister. Gen. 5:4 Adam had other sons and daughters. No problems with brothers marrying sisters because there basically were no mistakes in their genes back then because Adam was created perfect. Law of intermarriage came later.

12. Has man gone through a stone age to bronze age to jet age? This is also an evolutionary view of man, that somehow we are smarter now because of technology etc. Adam could talk to God, he had a language. Gen 4, Cain built a city, his brothers made musical instruments, and tools of bronze. People still live in caves today along side of the jet age. We shouldn't have this idea that early man was unintelligent, learned to grunt, then talk etc. Evolution promotes that kind of thinking.

13. Where did God come from? He has always been there. He is eternal. Use the recognizing signs of intelligence argument above to logically explain there is a God.

14. Who wrote the Bible? God wrote the Bible. He used people to do it.

15. How do you know it's the word of God? It claims to be the word of God over 3,000 times. Unity-Prophecy-History argument again. It has to be God inspired.

16. How do you know there is a God? Romans 1:20 Recognize signs of intelligence again.

17. What makes Christianity better than other religions? All other Religions of the world are man working to earn God's favor. Christianity is God doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Religion says do, God says its already done, Jesus Christ died for our sin on the cross. Jesus claimed to be God, and He rose from the dead to prove it. The proof of Christianity is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The prophecies also provide strong testimony to the truth of Christianity.

The Genesis Solution

Dear Friends:

What I thought I would do is review what I cover in the Answers in Genesis class I teach in my home. I will try to send out an article every week for the next 7 weeks or so and that should cover most of what I teach in my class. The topics are: The Genesis Solution, The 7 C's, Dinosaurs and the Bible, The Evidence for Creation vs. Evolution, The Scopes Trial, Creation Evangelism, Family Answers in Genesis. You have already received my introduction article which covers the main problem in society. Most of the world views the Bible as a story book not a history book and thus it doesn't connect to reality.

The answer to that problem is to preach the gospel; and at the same time show the world that the Bible really does tell us what happened in the past, how to live in the present and whats going to happen in the future. The Bible does explain the world we live in. One of the ways to preach the gospel is through Creation Evangelism. This class is not just about creation/evolution but about the authority of the word of God. For me personally this ministry has really strengthened my faith and has been a tremendous asset in speaking to others about Jesus Christ; and in teaching my children the meaning to life by building a foundation on the Bible starting in Genesis.

Week #1 The Genesis Solution

There are basically 2 World views: Creation-God determines truth, or Evolution- where man determines truth for himself apart from God. There are only 2 ways to do things, God's way or man's way. Evolution is not just about molecules to man, its a whole philosophy of life where man determines truth. What you believe about where you come from effects your whole world view! There are only 2 possibilities of how we got here. We are either created by God or we are here by chance. As Christians the Bible needs to be the basis of our thinking in every area. How do we view the world? Do we see it through biblical glasses or are we letting the world influence us with secular philosophies?

The world bombards us with evolutionary indoctrination through movies, newspapers, magazines, TV shows such as the learning channel, Disney channel, animal planet and others. EPCOT center is a huge evolutionary propaganda machine. Children going to public schools are being taught that evolution is fact, science has proven it. Sadly most colleges, even many Christian colleges accept evolution as fact. Evolution is not science because it is not observed. Who was there millions of years ago to see chemicals turn into a living cell? No one! Who was there to see the big bang? No one; that's their belief. Evolution is a belief, it is not science. Real science involves observations in the present that can be tested and repeated.

Evolution is a direct attack on Genesis. Psalm 11:3 says when the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do? The world attacks Christianity through creation and we need to be able to defend Genesis because it is the foundation for the rest of the Bible. If you tear out the foundation the structure collapses. And that's what is happening in America, the Christian ethic is collapsing! Evolution is true, you can't believe the Bible, they have all this evidence etc., you don't really believe in Adam and Eve do you?original sin?, Noah and the flood? You have to be an idiot to believe that! As we will see in week 4 there is no evidence for evolution. You might be saying I don't believe in evolution and I don't know many people who do. Well, 10% of the people polled in America are atheists, 44% believe in theistic evolution (God used evolution etc.) and the other 46% said they believe that God created in some way. Most of these people do not accept the God of the Bible and do not know Jesus Christ as savior.

People are being led to think that science and the Bible do not match up and therefore they will not trust in Christ. Evolution in the name of science has poisoned peoples minds to believe it can't be the way the Bible teaches in Genesis etc. Even if they don't accept evolution fully, the indoctrination is enough to cast doubt on the Bible.This class will show you that what we read in God's word is what we see in Gods world. Science and the Bible fit together perfectly if you start your thinking with the Bible. Genesis is Literal history. Destroy Genesis and you destroy Christianity!

Jesus Christ quoted from Genesis many times. Matthew 19:4, 23:35, 24:38, John 8:44. All of our Christian doctrines directly or indirectly originate in Genesis. Marriage, sin, death, dominion, the gospel, why we need a new heavens and earth, why we have a 7 day week, why we wear clothes,what's the meaning to life, and how do we know right and wrong, all have their origin in Genesis. The meaning of anything is tied up in its origin. Why is marriage one man and one woman, why do two become one flesh? If we were not one flesh historically we are not one flesh now. Woman was taken out of man. Gen 2:24 The two become one flesh. I have witnessed to a person before by just talking about why we wear clothes, why does he believe in marriage etc.

Its a really neat way to show people that the way we live our lives today is based in the Bible. How do you explain death and suffering without going back to Genesis, you can't. Why do we have dominion over the animals? Would we have all these animal rights problems if they based their thinking in Genesis? Animals are different than us and were put on this earth for us. (I am not advocating cruelty to animals by the way) :) When you tell your children what's right and wrong do you tell them its because God is creator and He sets the rules, or do they see it as your opinion? Why do we have a 7 day week, its because God created the heavens and earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th. That's also the basis of the Sabbath day. Exodus 20:8-11 tells us this is so.

To sum up this first class we need to understand that the foundation in society has changed from a creation foundation to an evolutionary one where man determines truth. The Bible is being scoffed at , mocked at, and ridiculed. Moral relativism and tolerance of all views dominates the thinking in society. Man's opinion has been elevated above God's word. We live in an opinion oriented society! There is no absolute standard of right and wrong. Ultimately if the Bible is not true then one can set his own rules and live any way he pleases, but if the Bible is true then God sets the rules and we must obey Him. Therefore man is accountable to God. But Man doesn't want to be accountable to God and that is why evolution is accepted even though there is no evidence.

Evolution has become a scientific justification for man's sin. Romans 1 rings true: Romans 1: 20,21, since the creation of the world God has made things plain to them so they are without excuse (paraphrase), although they knew God they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened, 25- they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the creator who is forever praised amen. The result is moral collapse, and that's exactly what we do see in society. When we go back to Genesis, we can explain the world we live in and why things are the way they are today. Hopefully this class will help you build your thinking on the Bible and help you give reasons for what you believe. That is my prayer.Next week we will discuss the 7 C's, the Biblical world view. This timeline through history really has helped me understand the Bible from Genesis to

Dear Friends:

In this study it is very important to understand that as Christians we need to start all of our thinking with the Bible. Not take our ideas to the Bible. The Bible needs to be the basis for all of our thinking in every area of life. Because to come to the right conclusions about anything, we need to start with the one who knows everything; God! Revelation is the key to the past! Remember God has always been there. No scientist has. God has revealed to us in his word all we need to know about origins. This Biblical timeline through history that I am about to explain will provide the framework to understand origins and creation/evolution. This timeline through the Bible has helped me understand the Biblical world view; and has increased my faith probably more than anything else that I have learned from Answers in Genesis. This study will help us understand the world we live in and why things are the way they are, and enable us to answer the questions people have. This is kind of a what we believe class in origins. If we are to understand and defend our faith we need to know what the Bible says. This is what the Bible says: The 7 C's are as follows; Creation, Corruption, Curse, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Consummation. The entire gospel from Genesis to Revelation can be broken down into 3 aspects. The foundation of the gospel is in the book of Genesis, the power of the gospel is in the message of the cross, and the hope of the gospel is in the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. All 3 aspects are necessary if we are to understand our faith fully.

The Foundation:

Creation: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (GEN.1:1). Who is the creator? Jesus Christ! (COL. 1:16). God spoke and it was. There was no Big Bang! The BB Theory is a belief necessary for evolution. Some Christians have said "maybe God used the BB". The BB Theory says that the sun and stars were there before the earth. Genesis says that the sun and stars came after the earth on day 4, thus the BB Theory does not fit with the Bible. God says he made the sun, moon, and stars to mark the seasons, days, and years. Also to give light on the earth at night, and it was so (GEN.1:14-17). God made the plants and animals according to their own kinds, and created man in his own image. All animals and man were vegetarian. (GEN.1:29-30). God told man to rule over the animals. (Gen. 1:28) This is why we have Dominion over the animals today. On the 7th day God rested. So God created everything in 6 days and rested on the 7th. This is where our 7-day week and the Sabbath day comes from, Exodus 20:8-11 confirms this to be so. At the end of each day God saw that it was good and at the end of day 6 God said it was very good. It was a perfect world, there was no death before sin. Genesis 2:1 says that the heavens and earth were completed in their vast array. Genesis 1 tells us what God did, and Genesis 2 tells us how God did it. The evidence for creation is everywhere; you can recognize signs of intelligence. Romans 1:20.

Corruption:

Eve was made from Adam's rib, and for this reason man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and they will become one flesh. This is the origin of marriage. They were both naked and felt no shame. You know what happens next; the devil in the form of a serpent said to Eve come and be wise, be like God. They both ate the forbidden fruit that God told them if the ate they would surely die (GEN. 2:17). Sin has now entered the world and everything changes. Man is now separated from God. Romans 3:23 says all have sinned; the evidence for sin in the world is also overwhelming. Jer. 17:9, Mark 7:20, Gen. 6:5, 8:21.....man's heart is deceitfully wicked!

Curse:

The penalty for sin is death. God curses the animals, ground, and man with death (Gen. 3:14-19). Man is cut off from the tree of life (Gen. 3:24). God kills an animal to clothe Adam and Eve(Gen. 3:21); the first blood sacrifice because of sin; a picture of what was to come in Jesus Christ the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The origin of clothing. The evidence of the curse is overwhelming. Romans 8:20-22, the whole creation groans in pain. Psalm 102:26 says the heavens and earth will wear out like a garment. Everything eventually wears out and dies because of sin. Death is a result of sin! The curse was also a blessing because without death man could not be redeemed!

Catastrophe:

The great flood. Genesis 6-8 tells us that God wiped out all life on earth except for those in the ark, with a global flood. This was a judgment with water because of man's wickedness; again sin brings death (Gen. 6:5). II Peter 3:5-7 confirms the flood account. The flood covered the highest mountains to more than 20 feet. Everything on dry land that had breath in its nostrils died! The evidence for a global flood is everywhere. The fossil record is a memorial to us that God judged the world with a great flood. Fossils are found in the highest mountains today in sedimentary layers. Sedimentary layers are almost always laid down by water. Many mountain ranges have visible water lines at different levels suggesting these mountains were once covered with water. If there really was a world wide flood you would expect to find the massive burial ground of fossils that exists today. What's interesting is that the Bible says the ark landed in the mountains of Ararat.Mt. Ararat is located in the exact geographic center of all the earths land masses. A perfect place to start the new world, and for people to spread out as they have done. God was in control of where the ark landed! The flood account also provides us with a picture of salvation. Everyone on the ark was saved because they trusted God. In the same way, all who trust in Jesus Christ will be saved.

Confusion:

At the Tower of Babel God confused the languages of the people and scattered them all over the earth. This is important because it explains the origin of the races. Many people believe that the Bible cannot explain the different races we see today, but actually its just a matter of understanding simple genetics and natural selection. At the tower of Babel people scattered and different groups survived in different areas because the characteristics that didn't thrive in certain areas were naturally selected out. Thus you have different concentrations of skin color, cultures etc. We all go back to one man and one woman. We are all related. If people understood why we have different races from the Biblical world view we wouldn't have all the racism problems we have today. The Bible doesn't mention the word race but speaks of tribes and nations. There is really only one race, the human race. Many people think that the different races are evidence for evolution, but its really evidence for creation and that what God says happened in the Bible is true.

Christ:

Jesus Christ is the creator! (John 1:1-4). The Word became flesh, Jesus is God! (John 1:14). This is the power of the gospel. The death-burial-ressurection of Jesus Christ. John 3:3...you must be born again. Revelation 20:14 and 21:8 refer to the 2nd death. If you are born only once (physically) you are going to die twice! But if you are born twice(physically and spiritually) you will only die once. We will all die physically, but we don't have to experience the 2nd death in hell. Believe in Jesus Christ to pay for your sin and you will live with God forever. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. (Heb. 9:22) Jesus Christ shed his blood for the world's sin. Acts 4:12..Salvation is found in no one else! The evidence for Jesus Christ claims of being God are overwhelming. The miracles he did and the eyewitnesses to the death-burial-ressurection cannot be dismissed. The most convincing evidence to me as that He changes lives. He changed mine.

Consummation:

The hope of the gospel. Everything will be consumed with fire and God will create a new heaven and earth where everything will be restored back to what God originally intended before sin (II Peter 3:10-13, Acts 3:21, Ezek.36:35). The lion will lay with the lamb and there will be no more death, no more crying or pain (Rev. 21:4)(Isa.11:6-9). No more Curse!(Rev.22:3) Why do we need a new heavens and earth? Because we live in a sin cursed world this world isn't all there is. How do you explain the world without the Bible? You cannot! How do you explain death and suffering in the world without going back to Genesis? You cannot.God created the world perfectly, but man rebelled. God cursed the world with death. We die because of sin. Death is an intrusion in this world, its not the way its always been. Death is also a blessing, for without out it we would not be able to be with a perfect God. God has judged the world with water and he will also judge with fire. Jesus Christ is the only answer for man's problem of sin. Someday we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever! That is our Hope.

Last week we looked at the 7 C's, the Biblical Worldview. This week we are going to define evolution and show that all the evidence we find today fits with what God says in his word. This is all easy to understand stuff. Here are a few quotes from our paper from people here in Louisville. "Given the fossil record and the recent discoveries in biology evolution looks even more solid than it did in Darwin's day." "That evolution has occurred is abundantly confirmed by the evidence." "Evolution is supported by scientific evidence and creation is not." "Creation is myth." "Species do indeed change over time, and since the earth is billions of years old there is plenty of time for even the slowest breeding organisms including primates to evolve."

We always hear that evolution is fact, the scientists have proven it. We hear that evolution is supported by the evidence but creation is not. We are told that evolution is science and creation is religion. The scientists say evolution is the underlying principle in biology, geology, and other sciences etc. We are told that ignoring evolution is the same as believing in a flat earth. How is it that so many scientists are so convinced that evolution is fact, yet the evidence against it is so overwhelming? I must say that this blows my mind! But when you look at this issue from a spiritual aspect, you start to see what this issue is really all about. The real issue has to do with if God is creator He owns us and He sets the rules to live by. But if I come from an ape then I set the rules, I can do what ever I want with no accountability to God. Evolution is a philosophy of life that man independent of God determines truth.

The most common definition for evolution is that millions of years ago there was this Big Bang. Out of this BB somehow the earth was formed and on earth chemicals formed into living cells, and through natural processes one thing changed into another from the sea to land to monkeys to man. We all share a common ancestor and it all happened by chance random processes. Some will add in God at the beginning and say that God used evolution to create the world. Theistic evolution is another subject I will deal with later. Actually a better definition for evolution is "man determines truth by himself." This is precisely why evolution is accepted even though the evidence doesn't support it. Let's take a look at the evidence we have available to us and see where it fits.

Science:

Science involves observations in the present that can be tested and repeated. Can evolution or creation be tested and repeated? No. Since we don't have the past and we only have the present, all we can do is look at the evidence that exists in the present. Since creation and evolution are both beliefs, the question is which one of them fits with the evidence. The scientists say that evolution is the underlying principle for much of science. In reality the Christian faith has provided the foundation for the structure of modern science. This foundation is the concept of an orderly, rational, reproducible universe purposefully designed, created, and sustained by God. People are led to believe that science is tied to evolution and this is simply not the case. Without the laws and order in the universe we couldn't test and repeat anything. The whole concept of science in general contradicts evolution. There are many scientists past and present who believe in Creation.

Historical Records:

If mankind has been living on earth for millions of years as evolution suggests, then how is it that we only have records that go back to about 3500 BC? These records reveal the existence of highly developed civilizations. It is interesting that the earliest records come from Mesopotamia, a little southeast of the Ararat mountains. The ark landed in the mountains of Ararat. Prior to a certain point several thousand years ago there is no evidence of man having existed. Then all of a sudden an explosion of civilization, language, writing, etc., shows up in the records. Man had a language from the beginning. Adam could talk to God. Evidence from the historical records point to the Bible, not some onward upward evolutionary progress where man learned to grunt, talk, etc.

Geology:

The fossil record is used to prove evolution. They say you can trace life all the way back to the beginning by the order of the fossils in various layers. Is the fossil record a result of billions of years of long slow processes? Or is it the result of catastrophes? In the fossil record is found at the very bottom layer very complex organisms and fossils, the order of fossils is not from simple to complex as they would have you believe. Also on the bottom, there is an abrupt appearance of fossils, so what animals did these fossils evolve from? Fish are found buried eating other fish, obviously this happened rather quick!

Living fossils are found today. Animals or plants that look exactly like they supposedly did millions of years ago. They forgot to evolve! Trees are found in upright positions going through several layers that are supposedly millions of years apart. This is an impossibility for a tree to live for millions of years and slowly get covered up. Large boulders are found in several layers in the Grand Canyon. Many layers are bent layers and not broken, suggesting that they were pushed up when they were soft. If those layers were laid down over millions of years they would not be bent they would be broken. Mammoths are found with undigested food in their stomachs, they obviously were covered quickly and preserved.

Meteorites hit the earth everyday yet there is no sign of any meteorites hitting the earth in the bottom layers of the fossil record only in the top layers. There are no transitional forms in the fossil record, not one has been found. If evolution were true you would expect to find an abundance of these in-between forms. Gary Parker a biologist and paleontologist says that the fossil record is a great embarrassment to evolutionary theory and offers strong support to creation. It doesn't take millions of years for a fossil to form, just the right conditions. I've seen a fossilized hat, a clock, and a spark plug! These obviously didn't take millions of years. Many fossils are formed by being covered quickly and preserved. The fossil record is tremendous evidence for the global flood described in the Bible. I have an article coming out on the Mt. St. Helen's volcano that shows us evidence that the flood most likely, was responsible for a large percentage of the fossil record we see today. Creationists believe that the flood is responsible for most but not all of the fossil record. There were many smaller catastrophes after the flood that account for a number of fossils.

Biology:

Life can only come from life. (Louis Pasteur) Vestigial organs were once used to prove evolution. Organs in the human body that had no known function and were left over from evolution. There were once 200, now there is less than 10. Ken Ham says since they have no function, how would you like to have them all removed! :) The appendix was an example of one of these. We now know the appendix has important functions. Embryonic recapitulation was also used to prove evolution. The idea that all animals and humans alike go through a fish stage in their mothers womb. This was proven to be a fraud. The man who proposed this idea doctored his diagrams. Sadly this evidence still exists in the textbooks in public schools. DNA: Information can only come from a greater amount of information. The information in our genes could not have got there by chance.

Physics:

The 1st law of Thermodynamics states that matter and energy cannot create itself. It can only be redirected. The universe could not have created itself.The 2nd law of thermodynamics states that everything we observe tends to move from order to disorder. Everything is winding down and wearing out. A direct contradiction to evolution that states everything is getting better and evolving in an onward upward state. This fits with a cursed world.

Astronomy:

The universe works in perfect order and design. The earth is the only known planet with liquid water and life. All other planets are too hot or too cold to sustain life. The complex and order in the cosmos could not have happened by chance.

Archeology:

Archeologists are finding evidence all the time to verify the Biblical accounts such as the walls of Jericho, and Sodom and Gomorrah. The dead sea scrolls validated many prophecies in the old testament. There is no archeological evidence that supports evolution.

Anthropology:

All the ape-man evidence used in the past has been discarded and thrown out by the evolutionists themselves. Nebraska man was concocted from a pigs tooth, Piltdown man was a fraud, faked fossils placed in a pit. Neanderthal man was simply a man with diseased features, he had arthritis and rickets. Lucy the ape was just an ape that they had found only 40% of the skeleton. All these so-called missing links between apes and humans are still missing. What do they find, nothing, what do they call them, missing! That is really bad science. Evolutionary theory is based on gaps, and missing evidence. There are no ape men!

Logic:

There was no Big Bang! Explosions cause disorder not order. In the beginning there was nothing and then it exploded! That makes a lot of sense; never have we observed order coming from disorder by chance. If evolution were true you would see new species evolving, but you don't, you see extinction of species. This fits with the curse. Evolution is not observed! It is not science. It is a belief, a blind faith belief. What is observed is variation within a kind of animal or human. This fits with creation, changes within kinds. You see great variation in dogs, cats, horses, etc. But you don't see anything turning into something else. The belief aspect of evolution is observing the little changes within a kind and assuming the big changes from one kind to another. Everything we observe in real science points to a creator. The most scientific statement you can make is "In the beginning God," because it fits with everything we observe. Does it really make sense that matter came from nowhere for no reason by chance and arranged itself into all the complex information systems we see today?

Biblical Considerations and contradictions:

• No theistic evolution! No Evolution at all!
• Creation: Intelligent designed is observed, evolution: random chance is not.
• Creation: World created in 6 days, evolution: world evolved over millions of years.
• Creation: Creation process is completed, evolution: processes are continuing.
• Creation: Life started on land, evolution: life began in the oceans.
• Creation: Death is a result of sin, evolution: death brought man into existence.
• Creation: Man's body is from the dust of the ground, evolution: man evolved from primitive life.
• Creation: Brings love, joy, peace, eternal life and a hope for the future. Evolution: Promotes atheism, humanism, Nazism, Marxism, Communism, libertinism, moral relativism, tolerance of sin. Death wins and there is no hope for the future.
• Creation Model: Intelligent design, Distinct kinds of plants and animals, Extinction of species, Tendency towards decay.Evolution Model: Random chance, In-between forms, Things are getting better and better. New species evolving and popping up.

Conclusion: When we look at the world today we see overwhelming evidence that the Bible is trustworthy. Remember, this issue is not about the evidence but about man not wanting to be accountable for his sin. Evolution is the scientific justification for man's sin. Understanding these few simple things about creation can be very helpful when trying to give reasons for what we believe.

What happened to the dinosaurs, are they a mystery, and why does it matter? How do dinosaurs fit in with the history of the earth? People all over the world are fascinated with dinosaurs. Especially children, my children love dinosaurs. I just watched the Rose Bowl parade and they had a T-Rex dinosaur depicting a time in history. There have been several movies and kid videos about dinosaurs. Every time a new dinosaur fossil is found it is really big news! Newspapers, magazines, television, and the media almost always connect dinosaurs with evolution and millions of years. The movie Jurassic Park heavily promotes evolution, Disney World uses dinosaurs to promote evolution, and all the Land before time movies promote evolution. Dinosaurs and evolution go hand and hand. As a society we have been indoctrinated into believing that dinosaurs roamed the earth millions of years ago and died out before the existence of man. Sadly, there are many Christians that believe this to be true. Why is it we just believe whatever we are told in the newspapers and on the TV without even questioning how they know these things to be true or not? When scientists dig up a dinosaur bone, they don't dig up a dinosaur age, they dig up a fossil that exist right now. It doesn't have a little label on it saying "Hi, I am 65 million years old!" All they have dug up is a dead dinosaur bone that exists in the present. All dating methods have fallible assumptions about the past; and are not absolute by any means. (There are big problems in the dating methods; there is no proof whatsoever that the earth is millions of years old, I will address this issue in another article.) These scientists start with a belief in evolution and this effects what they do with the evidence when they find it!

Creationists and evolutionists have the same world, the same facts, the same fossils, and the same evidence. The difference is how they view the world. When I see a dinosaur bone I think of sin, death, the curse, and the flood.The evolutionist looks at the same bone and sees millions of years of evolution. Why is it we have such a different view of the world? It's because we only have the present to deal with. Since we don't have the past our conclusions have everything to do with our presuppositions to start with. One view starts with the words of men who weren't there, who make mistakes, whose theories change all the time. The other view starts with the Word of God who was there, who knows everything, and whose Word never changes. The next time you go in to a museum and see some dinosaur bones in the glass case and the picture above telling a story about the dinosaurs, remember they didn't dig up the picture, they dug up the bones! They are telling you their story about what they believe about dinosaurs.

If we start our thinking with the Bible, we come to a very different conclusion about dinosaurs. Most Christians cannot give a Biblical answer to dinosaurs, and the world views this as yet another reason not to trust the Bible. Dinosaurs are used to promote evolution; and this is why it matters. So let's take a look at what the Bible has to say about dinosaurs. In Genesis chapter 1 we read that God created the land animals on day six. Dinosaurs were land animals; thus they were created on day six alongside man. Man and the animals were vegetarian before the fall (Gen.1:29-30) so there was no problem with T-Rex wanting Adam for dinner! Dinosaurs could not have died out millions of years before man because the Bible clearly teaches that death is a result of sin (Gen. 3, Romans 5:12). Because of the curse death entered the world; man will return to the dust of the ground from which he was formed (Gen. 3:19). This is really important to understand because if there was death before sin then you have destroyed the whole message of the cross. If death has always been there before the curse then why would God use death as an atonement for sin? Why would he shed blood in the garden as the first blood sacrifice? Why would Jesus have to die for our sin if death was nothing special? God said at the end of day six that everything He made was very good, how can everything be very good if there was all this death before sin. It does not fit with the rest of the Bible, nor does it fit with what we know about God's character. What is the restoration all about; the new heavens and earth; is God going to restore things back to death and struggle that existed before sin? No, the Bible clearly teaches that there will be no more death, no more curse, no more crying or pain, the lion will lie down will the lamb etc. Death has not always been there; death is an intrusion and will be put to an end someday.

The world's answer for dinosaurs does not fit with the Bible nor does it fit with the evidence. In Genesis six we read that Noah took two of every kind of land animal on the ark, thus dinosaurs went on the ark. The ones that didn't go on the ark drowned and we find some of their fossils today. The ark was plenty big enough to house the various kinds of dinosaurs(Gen. 6:15). What's really interesting is that the evidence from the fossil record shows that almost all the dinosaurs died out at the same time except for some that went on living into the following period. This is strong evidence for the flood account in the Bible. Most people think that dinosaurs are indeed extinct today, but there is no way to know for sure. There have been recent reports in the Congo of people there describing a dinosaur. In 1977 a Japanese fishing boat pulled up what is believed to be a dead Plesiosaur. Tyrannasaursus bones have been found in Alaska with unfossilized red blood cells, they could not have been dead for millions of years. It really is no mystery to figure out what happened to the dinosaurs when you start with the Bible. Because of the curse many animals have become extinct for various reasons. (Famine, disease, people hunting them etc.) Dinosaurs have seemed to have died out like many other animals, but if one were to pop up today we would not be surprised. The world sure would be though, it would be another in a long list of living fossils!

The Bible does not mention the word dinosaur because the word dinosaur wasn't invented until 1841. The first King James Bible was translated in 1611. The Bible does speak of dragons, and sea monsters. Also in the book of Job it speaks of the Behemoth and the Leviathan, many creationists believe the Behemoth was a dinosaur and the Leviathan was a sea monster or sea dragon (Job 40-41). There is much evidence that dinosaurs lived with man. Pictures of them are found in caves. Indian carvings of dinosaurs have been discovered. Also pictures of flying serpents are found on walls and in the same general area they found Pteradon bones. The Indians saw these huge birds and called them thunderbirds. Isaiah 30:6 speaks of a flying serpent.

Answers in Genesis calls dinosaurs "Missionary Lizards" because they can be a real starting point to share the gospel, especially with children. I have gone into my son's school and talked to the kids about dinosaurs. All the kids know the names of the dinosaurs and all of them have heard of evolution and millions of years, I haven't seen a kid yet that wasn't interested in dinosaurs. You can start with a dinosaur and talk about sin, death, the flood, why we die, and why we need Jesus Christ. Its not just the kids, many adults also believe the evolutionary view of dinosaurs. Its because as a society its all we have been taught. Well, it's about time somebody started telling the truth about dinosaurs and the meaning of life!

Answers in Genesis is building a creation museum near Cincinnati. They will use dinosaurs and many other facts of science to explain to the world the message of Christianity. The evolutionist story about dinosaurs cannot be defended by the evidence, that's why its a mystery to them. They have no answers because they have the wrong foundation. The Biblical account in Genesis makes perfect sense of the evidence we find today; thus we can give answers.

Ted

We as Christians can learn a tremendous amount from the past mistakes of our forefathers. Anytime we let science or any other outside influence dictate how we are to view the Word of God we are going to have problems and inconsistencies. There is a lesson from the Scopes Trial that should be learned by all Christians today so that we don't make the same mistakes all over again. But unfortunately, many of us in the church have not learned the lesson.

In Dayton Tennessee 1925, one of the most famous court trials in America took place, The "Scopes Monkey Trial." John Scopes, a public school teacher was accused of teaching evolution. At that time "The Butler Act" stated that creation and not evolution was to be taught in public schools in Tennessee. Sadly, just the opposite is true today, not only is evolution taught in high schools and universities across this nation, it is presented as a fact of science. The Bible, Ten commandments, and prayer have been banned from the schools. What has happened in America? When referring to the killings in Littleton, Colorado, Dave Reagan said "We kicked God out of the schools in the 1960s and now we are reaping what we have sowed."

The Scopes Trial has said to have been a turning point in Christendom in America. The defense lawyer for Scopes, Clarence Darrow, managed to get William J. Bryan, the lawyer for the prosecution to testify on the stand. Bryan, a man who stood for the Christian faith, could not answer various questions about Genesis such as where did Cain get his wife and how long are the days of creation? Here was a man who didn't believe in evolution but had been evolutionized and didn't even know it. The world saw Christianity as a blind faith with no answers. Throughout the trial many leading scientists of the day testified that evolution has been proven as a fact of science. The religious leaders of the day also testified, but instead of standing up for the Word of God they agreed with the scientists! Dr. Herbert E. Murkett, pastor of the first Methodist church in Chattanooga, "To science and not to the Bible must man look for the answer to the question as to the process of man's creation." Dr. Maynard Metcalf, John's Hopkins University, "There is no conflict between the Bible and the fact of evolution." Rabbi Dr. Herman Rosenwasser, "Genesis itself teaches that man is descended from a lower order of animals." These leaders insisted that we must reinterpret Genesis to fit evolutionary theories because Genesis is wrong and evolution is fact.

Today in the year 2000, we now know that almost all the evidence presented by the scientists for evolution at the Scopes Trial has been discarded and thrown out by the evolutionists themselves. The scientists were wrong about evolution, but how many millions of people have been led and are still being led down this road to destruction? What's really sad is that the church helped pave the way!!! Why didn't the church leaders of that day take a stand for the Bible? Because they placed too much trust in the experts and not enough trust in the Word of God! That's the lesson of the Scopes Trial!

Now here is what's really amazing; it's still going on today; Christians are still trying to accommodate evolutionary ideas and the scientific community. Many Christians reinterpret the Bible with ideas such as the day age theory, progressive creation, theistic evolution and the gap theory. Answers in Genesis reports that most Christian colleges do not support a literal view of Genesis. Why? It all has to do with this age of the earth issue. Also many ministries have said they do not support a literal view of Genesis because of the apparent antiquity of the earth. They believe that the scientists of today have proved the earth to be billions of years old. I have heard of Christian kids going to liberal Christian colleges and seminaries and coming out not even believing in the Bible any more! Can you imagine sending your child to a Christian college or seminary and having their faith destroyed? Why has there been so much compromise in the church? I believe its because of our pride, and putting too much trust in academia. Who are these experts?

Fallible human beings! How are we going to preach the gospel with authority when we undermine the foundation of the Bible? If Genesis is not literal history we have no foundation for our faith! Understanding Genesis as literal history is critical to understanding our doctrines. If the Bible doesn't mean what it says, how can we know what it means? If we can't believe what Genesis says haven't we just said that the Bible is fallible? Why would we trust what any of the rest of it says if God couldn't get it right in Genesis? These compromises only weaken our position! If we compromise the Word of God because of what we think we have discovered in science we remove God's Word as the ultimate authority. If what the experts say doesn't fit with the Bible; we need to throw out what they are saying, not go back and reinterpret the Bible. What happens when we find out years down the road that these scientists were wrong and maybe the earth isn't all that old afterall? Then you have to go back and reinterpret your reinterpretation of Genesis! Let us not compromise God's Word with "godless chatter and opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge which some have professed and doing so have wandered from the faith." (I Tim 6:20-21) Let us not put our faith and trust in the scientists who boldly assert what they cannot prove, but put our hope and trust in the Word of God. It's not just about this age of the earth issue; compromise effects every area of our lives. My whole point in writing this article is that the Bible needs to be the authority in every area of our lives. I believe this young earth/old earth issue shows us how high of a regard we have for the scriptures. This is why it matters. How we view the Bible effects every area of our life!

What's going to happen to the next generation if we compromise the Word? They will have no foundation, they will lose respect for the scriptures, and they will doubt the Bible, and doubt leads to unbelief! If there is any lesson from the Scopes Trial it is that science is always changing. Scientists make mistakes! We should never elevate man's opinion above God's Word. We see this being done over and over again in the church. For example, how many churches do we see caving in to the homosexual movement and other very liberal ideas. What about what God's word says? America has become a secular nation; humanism is taking over, man's opinion is elevated above God's Word. The absolute standard for right and wrong has been replaced by moral relativism, and a tolerance of all views. The church needs to take a stand for the Word of God! How do we do this if we are not convinced ourselves that we can believe everything it says? This is a problem.

This age of the earth issue is a huge stumbling block for many non-Christians being receptive to the gospel. Because of the billions of years people believe that science has shown us that the Bible could not be true etc. We as Christians need to show the world that the Bible is true; and nothing has been shown to contradict it! Let us take a stand for the entire Word of God from Genesis to Revelation, because it is the power of God and the salvation to everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16.) I don't believe we do this by modifying Genesis.

Next weeks article will deal with this age of the earth issue. This is not a salvation issue, but it is important in how we are to view the Bible. I believe this issue effects how we explain the gospel to others. This issue can also effect the next generation; which very well could be a salvation issue for them. Is the Bible our ultimate authority or are we relying too much on man's opinion?

I don't believe we need to go in to this age of the earth issue unless it is a problem or stumbling block for the person we are speaking with. But on the other hand, we absolutely should not dodge the issue or say it doesn't matter because when questions are asked we need to be able to explain our position and give reasons for what we believe. I believe we need to show people that what the Bible says explains the world we live in. How are we to do that if we modify and change what the Bible clearly says? I am of the young earth position because I believe this it what the Bible teaches. When you start your thinking with the Bible, there is no way you get the idea that the earth is millions of years old. The Bible does not allow for the millions of years; I will explain this in detail next week. This is an issue that needs to be addressed because many nonbelievers see this as yet another reason not to trust the Bible. Also, it has caused confusion in the church.

I have seen this first hand.

Ted

On May 18th, 1980 a very significant geological event took place at Mt. St. Helen's in the state of Washington. At 8:32am, the volcano erupted, and as a result of this very small volcano, major geological changes took place.This small to average size volcano in proportion to others documented, wiped out 150 square miles of forest, totally rearranging the topography in the region and devastated Spirit lake at the bottom of the mountain.

Just prior to the eruption itself a steam blast with 200 mph. hurricane force winds blew out the top of the volcano. This was followed by 9 hours of the eruption which was equal to 400 million tons of TNT power or 30,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. The steam blast alone reamed out a huge pit 5 days after the eruption that was 125 feet deep and 2,300 feet wide! Volcanic ash covered several states; and from a satellite view over the area it looked like a huge cloud covering the area.

Several months before the eruption scientists knew something major was about to take place. Three months before the blast, the north ridge of the mountain was swelling 5 feet per day. Three days before the volcano erupted the ground was swelling at 50 feet per day! Warnings were given and people were evacuated but 57 people still died as a result of catastrophe.

Geologist Steve Austin Ph.D.., said this was the most extraordinary geologic event of the twentieth century. He called the area after the blast a geologist wonderland. The ground was 500 degrees and special shoes were required just to explore what the volcano did. This event has provided us with some insight into what might have happened during the worldwide flood of Noah's day documented in the Bible.

This evidence challenges evolutionary teaching that the earth is millions of years old and provides tremendous support that the fossil record is a result of catastrophes, not long slow processes over millions of years. By looking at the rapidly formed geologic structures such as strata, canyons, log deposits etc., we can now understand how the evidence we find today fits with the Biblical flood.

The mountain was leveled 1300 feet as a result of the volcano. The landslide of ½ cubic mile of debris devastated Spirit lake below ; it looked like a million toothpicks floating on top of the lake. In some places 600 feet of strata was deposited in micro fine layers that were laid down in just hours. Some of the layers were 25 feet thick consisting of thousands of layers that according to Dr. Austin; geologists previously believed that these types of layers should have taken a much longer period of time to be formed. Canyons were gauged out 100 ft deep as a result of the huge mud slides that came after the blast. Mud flows ¼ mile wide and 30 feet deep, did a tremendous amount of damage to the surrounding areas.

Two years after the volcano on March 19th, 1982, a mud flow that had been dammed up broke loose and carved out a incredibility complex pattern of canyons. It was 1/40 scale model of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. It took only one day for this mud flow to carve through solid rock to form this mini grand canyon. If you go to the grand canyon today the layers in the canyon are described as the record of life over millions of years due to evolution.

This evidence from the volcano shows us that the Grand Canyon, most likely was formed in a short period of time due to some major catastrophe. Twenty thousand trees were found buried in the bottom of Spirit lake, redeposited in a upright position with layers of sediments covering them. Similar trees in Yellowstone park have been said to be millions of years old, but this evidence now shows that these types of trees are buried rapidly. They are not a result of millions of years of long slow processes. Now if a very small volcano can do all this restructuring of the earth, just imagine what a global flood described in Genesis 6-8 would do to the earth. I believe we would expect to find a massive burial ground of fossils that exists today all over the earth, even in the highest mountains; and that's exactly what we do find.

This evidence strongly supports that the Biblical account of Noah's flood and could very well be the explanation for the geologic evidence we find today. This evidence puts a serious dent in the theory of evolution. We can now understand more clearly, how the Grand Canyon was formed, how the fossil forests in Yellowstone got there, and the reason for the existence of the huge pits we find in the Badlands in South Dakota. If you visit these sites today and view the natural wonders they exhibit, the explanation you will get to describe everything will be millions of years due to evolutionary processes. This evidence at Mt. St. Helen's, which has been very well documented and photographed definitely challenges that way of thinking.

As Christians we don't have to accept their explanation of what they think happened in the past. We can teach our children about the gospel by explaining to them about the flood as a judgment for sin and that the fossils we find today are a memorial to us that God judged the world with a global flood. We can then explain to them why we need Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sin. We can also show them that what we read in God's word fits with what we see in God's world.

The value of this evidence from Mt. St. Helen's is priceless. We can now answer Biblical and scientific questions concerning the flood; show the skeptics that the Bible can be trusted; and teach our children by laying the foundation for their faith in Genesis. The evolutionary view of millions of years attacks the foundation of our faith; but when we can give answers for the hope that we have; we prepare the ground for people being receptive to the message of the cross. For more information on the creation/evolution

Ted

In this article I will briefly explain how the dating methods work and why we should not put our trust in them, especially when they are giving dates that contradict the Bible. Carbon dating is the dating method people seem to have heard about the most. Many people think that C-14 dates things to millions of years, when actually it only dates things to thousands of years. The radiometric dating methods such as potassium-argon, rubidium-strontium, and uranium-lead, date things to millions of years. Ordinary carbon (C-12) is found in carbon dioxide in the air which is taken up by plants and animals. C-14 is also taken in by plants and animals through the atmosphere. When a plant or animal dies it stops taking in C-12 and C-14, then after death, the decay rate is measured to give the age of the plant or animal. Because of the decay rates, anything over 50,000 years old should not have any carbon left; this is why C-14 will not date things to millions of years.

Now, there are assumptions that go into the decay rate, such as: a constant decay rate and also the amount of C-14 that is taken in from the atmosphere. Other things to consider are: since the earth's magnetic field has been decreasing, more C-14 is being produced than in the past, thus making things look older than they really are. The flood also would have drastically upset the carbon balance by burying huge amounts of carbon. Carbon 14 dating can be useful when all these things are taken into consideration. Now, as far as the evidence for an old earth. All the dating methods used have fallible unprovable assumptions about the past. The results the scientists come up with are very inconsistent.

For example: Rock layers on top of the Grand Canyon have been dated to millions of years older than rock layers on the bottom; so the canyon either formed upside down or the dates are wrong! Lava flows in Hawaii that come out of the ground at zero age have been dated to millions of years by the potassium argon method. Scientists have found wood incased in rock where the rock dated to millions of years and the wood inside dated to only thousands! They have also found fossil wood that supposedly dated to 250 million years that contained carbon (remember nothing over 50,000 years old should have any carbon left to measure). These are clear indications that something is wrong with the dating methods.

Most people in general hear dates of millions of years and except them as fact without even questioning how the scientists arrived at their conclusions. The rocks they dig up do not have labels on them saying how old they are. Also the scientists dating the rocks have evolutionary beliefs to start with before they even examine the evidence. The whole dating process is done within an old-earth scenario. I am not saying they are intentionally trying to deceive anyone; they just start with the wrong presuppositions.

They have dated rocks that they know are only 200 years old and they still come up with dates to millions of years, which means they have dated rocks of known age and the methods do not work. If these dating methods were reliable they should work with rocks of known age, but they don't. Also the different dating techniques should agree with each other but they do not! They can date one rock using 3 different dating methods and come up with 3 different ages for the rock that can vary ten's of millions of years! How then can they date rocks of unknown age and assume the methods are accurate? I believe its because they assume an old earth to start with. This bias towards an old earth determines which dates they will and will not accept as accurate.The radiometric dating methods involve parent and daughter materials and decay rates. Basically the dating process is as follows: They observe the rock in the present, then they measure the rate of process presently operating within the system, or a decay rate. They assume a constant decay rate over time. Then they also assume certain things about the past history of the rock, such as how much argon, or lead was present when the rock was formed. This is called the daughter material. The daughter material is whatever is produced over time from the parent material. Potassium (the parent material) decays into argon (the daughter material); uranium decays into lead; and rubidium decays into strontium over time.So they assume a constant decay rate, assume no loss or gain of parent or daughter, and assume the known amounts of the daughter material to start. The one lava flow in Hawaii I mentioned above that came out of the ground at zero age already contained argon, thus the argon (daughter) was present at zero age thus giving an appearance of age to the rock. There is no way to know for sure how much daughter material is present at the time of formation unless you are there to see it. Also there is a possibility of contamination. These dating methods are not absolute by any means.

Under the old earth scenario remember that the millions of years has to come before Adam otherwise you destroy the genealogies. There are hundreds of human skeletons that date to millions of years old. If we accept these dates; how do we explain this? Are we going to say Adam wasn't the first man afterall? Did human beings live and die before Adam? I don't think so. A much more reasonable explanation is that the skeletons came after Adam, and the dates to millions of years are wrong! Also found in the fossil record are thorns that supposedly date to millions of years. How can the thorns date to millions of years when they came after Adam? The Bible teaches that thorns are a result of sin, part of the curse (Gen. 3 :17-18).

To sum this all up what we have underlying the whole dating process is a secular world view. The methods assume uniformatarianism which is that no major changes took place over time and no catastrophism is accounted for. These assumptions deny a world wide flood. These methods also assume an old earth, and assume evolution. Why, as Christians would we want to accept any of this evidence, especially when it contradicts the Word of God? These scientists have a presupposition of evolution which is wrong to start with, therefore all their calculations are going to be wrong. We should not put any trust in their calculations in the age of the earth. The only way to get to the truth about the past is to start with the truth, God's Word. Only then with the Biblical world view as our presupposition can we expect to come to the right conclusions about our observations.

I believe it is easy to dismiss the geological evidence for an old earth. There are too many assumptions and inaccuracies that determine their conclusions. Also their findings contradict the Bible. But, the distant starlight problem is not so easy to dismiss. But I do believe there are reasonable answers to the starlight questions and I will attempt to address this issue next week. :)

As Christians we are to share our faith with the world (Matt.28:19). One of the ways to share our faith is through Creation Evangelism. Creation Evangelism basically is preaching the gospel by laying the foundation in Genesis before preaching the message of the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ. New Tribes Missions reports that when they go into a pagan culture they always start with creation, the fall, the curse and then go to the message of the cross. They found that when they would start with Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John they were not getting sincere commitments. People really didn't understand the gospel, they didn't really understand what sin was, why they needed to repent, or why Jesus died for their sins. You can tell people they are sinners but unless they understand what sin is they will not understand the message. One lady here in America told Answers in Genesis that she had been a Christian for years; and it wasn't until she understood the foundational knowledge in Genesis that she really understood her faith. She said it was like reading a novel from the beginning instead of starting in the middle of the book; she said "now I understand the plot."

To fully understand the good news of the gospel, we need to first understand the bad news in Genesis. There are 3 aspects of the gospel: the foundation in Genesis, the message of the cross, and the hope in the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. If you explain the gospel without Genesis you preach it without a foundation, without the cross, you preach it without power, and without the 2nd coming, you preach it without hope. All 3 aspects are necessary if we are to understand our faith. The 7 C's timeline through history is very helpful when trying to understand the Bible and explain it to others. I have found that this timeline has helped many understand the Bible better. I Corinthians 1:23: "but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Greeks." Why was the cross a stumbling block to the Jews? They did not believe Jesus was the messiah. But to the Greeks the cross was foolishness because they had no foundational knowledge.

So to preach to the Jews it was sufficient to start with the resurrection because they had the foundational knowledge, they believed in God the creator, they knew what sin was, they knew why there was death, they had made many animal sacrifices etc. In Acts chapter 3 Peter preaches to the Jews using the message of the cross. In Acts chapter 17:16-34, Paul used Creation evangelism. Here he was preaching the message of the cross and resurrection to the Greek philosophers. They responded by saying what is this babbler saying? What foolishness is this? This was foolishness to them because they believed in many gods, they had no foundational knowledge of a creator God.

They were basically evolutionists. They believed all the gods were a part of the world which created itself. Darwin did not invent the idea of evolution , he just popularized a version of it. Paul noticed that the Greeks were very religious and had many idols. He noticed that they had an unknown god. Even the Greeks recognized that there has to be something more, deep down they knew something was missing. (Romans 1:18-22 says the creator is evident to all men, so much so that we are without excuse; but men supress the truth.) Paul goes back to Genesis and explains the creator, the providence of God, he condemns their idols, tells them to repent, tells them God will judge the world, then he gets back to the resurrection. Some mocked, some said they want to hear more, and some believed.

America was founded on Christianity; years ago society had a creation foundation, but unfortunately it has become a secular nation today. We have abandoned God as creator, taken prayer out of the schools, taken the Bible and the ten commandments out. It used to be that only creation was taught in the public schools, now only evolution is allowed. Many universities that were once Christian are no longer Christian, such as the Ivy league schools like Princeton, Harvard, and Yale. The foundation in America has changed with many having no church background at all. The culture has changed from the Bible as absolute truth to man determines truth. Everybody has a right to his own opinion etc. America is a pagan culture! Dave Krueger of our PGA Tour Bible study once told me that one of our primary reasons for being here is to seek and save the lost. And to do that we need to understand our culture, build relationships, and communicate our message with clarity and power. We need to understand that the culture today is basically void of any foundational knowledge of the gospel.

The parable of the sower tells us to throw the seeds on prepared ground. Jeremiah 4:3 tells us to break up the unplowed gr