Dennis L. Finnan Commentator
"The World, the Word & You! Broadcast"

EVOLUTION - A THEORY IN CRISIS

“THE DEBATE IS NOT OVER IN AMERICA AS SOME WOULD LIKE TO THINK. IN FACT, THE AGE-OLD THEORY OF EVOLUTION IS IN A TERRIBLE CRISIS FOR EVEN NON-CHRISTIANS ARE BEGINNING TO BELIEVE IN…’AN INTELLIGENT DESIGN’” 

 I’m Dennis Finnan , host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment, we’ll talk about the theories of life’s origins and what’s new on that scene in the world of science and education these days…

…In Tennessee more than 85 years ago it was put on trial like a common criminal. Just a year or so ago in the State of Kansas it was shunned like an aging starlet, and today in the State of Ohio in America, the long standing cherished theory of evolution is in a state of crisis! Why? What’s happened? Well a new theory of origins has arrived on the scene that has boldly confronted its aging proponent, the theory of Evolutionism. What is this new and daring contender for American education and thought? The answer is a new theory of Origins called “INTELLIGENT DESIGN.”

Now our U.S. Supreme Court has twice ruled that a “God” centered creationism theory of origins cannot be taught in public schools because it is a specific religious belief. However, this new theory of “Intelligent Design,” which does not speak of, nor steer the mind to the religious God of the Judeo-Christian faith may survive the almost-certain court challenge if instituted in the Ohio schools as being considered these days. So after we pause once again for another moment of music, I’ll share with you what this debate is all about and the implications it will have on your life and future…

…The major question these days, that just about everybody asks at one point in their lives is – “Where does life come from? Why am I here? This is the most important question anyone can ever ask. Now, there are essentially only two answers:  (1) Life and its diversity were designed or (2) Life and its diversity simply occur by natural law and chance and not by design.

For the past few centuries, Science standards used a little known “Rule” to censor the evidence of design. The Rule, which is usually unstated, is often referred to as “methodological naturalism.” It declares all “design” inferences invalid by definition and not by any objective evaluation of the evidence. This censorship, many believe, violates the rights of teachers, students and parents to have science education conducted without discrimination against various viewpoints relevant to the subject matter being taught. This is the consensus of many scientists and educators who today hold the theory of evolution in crisis. They simply cannot accept that all things including the complexity of life simply came into being by random chance with no intelligent cause for the effect. The solution proposed that has caused a major flap among evolutionists is the cry for Ohioans to be taught origins science, objectively rather than narrowly through the theory of Evolution alone. This would allow students to reach informed conclusions about the best scientific explanation of where they and all things came from, and improve the quality and credibility of origins science.

The concern of educators is that the “new” Ohio standards for life origins, as currently being prepared for the also “new” Ohio Graduation Test is that if a student fails to acknowledge evolution has the origin of life, they cannot graduate from any public or charted-private high school in the State of Ohio in America. Hence, the open and remarkable debate now raging among scientists and the newly proposed origins concept called “Intelligent Design.”

Now for my audience, this is a complex subject where many, may not be not aware of the different possibilities to consider. Permit me to catalog the concepts out there that propose theories of the origins of life, you may well consider.

1. THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION – In biological terms, this is the teaching idea that all living things shared a common ancestor but changed over time because of their surroundings and genes. These changes appear as differences in physical form and capabilities and at times have resulted in new species of life, or the disappearance of the same. Evolution is the “cause” of the effect of life and is driven only, by random chance and changes to an organism genes. The faith of Evolution and its ardent worshippers say there is overwhelming unquestionable proof and evidence in scientific analysis, that supports their theory as the only true source of life’s origins. As such, the idea of a super powerful Being who created all life as religionists contend is absurd and unscientific. Thus evolution has been the only approved teaching permitted in American public schools since the Scopes Monkey Trail 85 years ago, that won this right of anti-Christian, atheistic evolutionary scientists. However, there is basically one more theory and its new sister theory to consider these days.

2. THE THEORY OF CREATIONISM – Although there are varying concepts within this camp of teaching, the basic belief is that the first cause, of all living things is a dynamic, omnipotent Being called God, who is revealed to mankind through faith in the Judeo-Christian Bible. This “God,” created the Universe and all living beings, which included the unique fashioning of the human being in God’s very image. Among those who are Creationists are A) Young-earth Creationists also known as Seven-Day Creationists, which camp I am in. They believe the following: (1)God created and fashioned everything in the space-time-continuum in six literal 24-hour days, (2) that Scripture & geological evidence reveals the earth is less than 10,000 years old, (3)that all human beings are not descendents of any other species of life, rather they are a unique creation in the image of God, and have always held their current form, (4) that a great worldwide flood, during the days of a man named Noah, wiped out all the antediluvian life we find in what is called the Fossil Record, and (5) the accurate record of this Creation event and its Creator are found exclusively in the Christian Bible.

Now, other creationists exist in this camp, known as “PROGRESSIVE CREATIONISTS,” who believe in a Creator God but not a seven-day Creation. Since the 1800s, when Evolutionism became popular, various Christians have tried to harmonize it with Biblical teachings. Although most Christians reject atheistic Evolutionism, many now accept various important aspects of the theory, including the belief that the Earth is billions of years old. Therefore, what most have done to accommodate this belief, by adding God's supernatural power to a supposed evolutionary process.

The three most common ways in which Christians have incorporated billions-of-years into the Bible is by Theistic Evolutionism, the Gap Theory, or Progressive Creationism (also called "Process Creation"). The later being the most modern, which teaches that God started the evolutionary process billions of years ago, and since then occasionally intervened to create new species, including humans, whom He gave souls.

Now let me say this -- all of these alternate creation theories go to great lengths to accommodate the evolutionist’s viewpoint, but fail to be acceptable because they pose a great being called “GOD” was the first cause of all things, and as such we are the creature and thus obligated to acknowledge Him and even serve Him if He chooses. Evolution is a theory accepted by many, not so much because of any scientific proofs, rather an excuse to reject God’s right to rule their lives.

Now these two concepts of philosophy and religion that have defined the origin of life, now have a third postulation. It is called,

3. THE THEORY OF “INTELLIGENT DESIGN” – This is the new belief argued in the Ohio School systems today. It is the belief that life is too complex to have begun and evolved by chance. Therefore, the only and best explanation is the involvement of some pre-existing, though unspecified, designer. This architect of life is by their definition capable of acts beyond the current abilities and understanding of human beings. However, those in this camp of thought, strongly argue they are not advocates of this intelligent Designer being the God of Christianity as revealed in the Christian Bible, nor do they claim to support any particular religious explanation of the process as Creationism c lea rly does.

Those who are now in this camp of life origins, are respected previous evolutionists with advanced degrees in such fields as physics and biochemistry. The scientists have come to the conclusion, that the evolutionary origin of life they were taught, cannot possibly be explained by what exists. Their main conclusion is in their studies of DNA, whose coded components carry unbelievable and meaningful information which could not possibly under any circumstances resulted from the random forces of nature.

Now there you have it,  the three major theories of life’s origins out there today. You my friend will have to place yourself in one of them. The question is which one truly fits what science and observable life and its environs reveals to us? Now permit me to give you some thoughts to consider concerning life’s origins, and why many evolutionists are abandoning their theory in crisis. Whether or not you believe in the Christian God of creation, you must face the following facts [1] that cannot be disputed.

FACT ONE - During all recorded human history, there has never been a substantiated case of a living thing being produced from anything other than another living thing. This is incontrovertible!

FACT TWO - As yet, Evolutionism has not produced a scientifically credible explanation for the origin of such immense complexities as DNA, the human brain, and many elements of the cosmos.

FACT THREE - It is highly premature for EVOLUTIONISTS to claim that all living things evolved into existence, when science has yet to discover how even one protein molecule could actually have come into existence by natural processes.

FACT FOUR - There is no scientific proof that life did (or ever could) evolve into existence from non-living matter. Further, there is substantial evidence that spontaneous generation is impossible. Only DNA is known to produce DNA. No chemical interaction of molecules has even come close to producing this ultra-complex code which is ABSOLUTELY essential to all known life.

The point of all this, friend, is you must personally consider the question “WHERE DO I COME FROM?” If you intelligently examine all three of these theories of life’s origins, I believe the most logical and scientific of all fits the second one, the THEORY OF CREATIONISM.

You see “if” there was an Intelligent Designer, as even previously materialistic godless evolutionary scientists are coming to conclude – it only seems reasonable He would not only “create” us and all things, but make every effort to contact us since we are obviously the recipients of much of His intelligence. Indeed, He surely would want to make contact with us and share our existence. This is why God gave us the Bible. The intelligent Designer, God, has spoken by divine revelation and told us many things about His Creation, our life origins and more, why we were made and where we are all going. Here in simple form is what the Bible teaches,

1. GOD CREATED ALL THINGS (Gen. 1-2; Psalm 19)
2. HE CREATED MAN AS HIS HIGHEST CREATIVE ACT FOR THE PURPOSE OF HIS PLEASURE AND TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH US ( Psalm 8:5-8; Rev. 4:11)
3. HE GAVE US ALL A MEASURE OF HIS VERY BEING IN THAT WE HAVE FREE WILL TO DETERMINE OUR OWN DESTINY (Gen. 1:26; Acts 28:24)
4. THE BIBLE REVEALS WE CHOSE THE DESTINY OF DEATH, WHEN WE AS THE HUMAN RACE, WALKED AWAY FROM GOD IN REBELLION TO HIS PLAN FOR OUR ETERNAL EXISTENCE (Ezek. 33:11).
5. THIS IS CALLED SIN, AND CARRIES WITH IT A PENALTY THAT BRINGS THE DEMISE OF ALL HUMAN LIFE ( Ezek 18:4; Rom 3:23 ; 6:23 ).
6. HOWEVER, GOD LOVED US ENOUGH TO PLAN A RESCUE, AND THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, HE HAS SAVED THE WORLD OF AMNKIND FROM ITS PERILOUS ETERNAL STATE OF DEATH ( John 3:16 -17).
7. THE PLAN IS REVEALED ALONE IN THE CHRISTIAN GOSPEL THAT CALLS US ALL TO HEAR AND ACCEPT IT ( John 1:12 ).
8. THOSE WHO DO, ARE SAVED FROM THE COMING DEATH, AND ARE REUNITED WITH OUR CREATOR GOD NOW AND FOR ETERNITY ( Rom 10:9-10; Acts 16:31 ).

Listen now to what God says through His divine revelation the Bible,

Gen 1:1 (NASB)  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Gen 2:7 (NIV)  the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Gen 1:26 (NASB)  Then God said, … let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Gen 2:15-17 (NIV)  Now The LORD God took the man [He created] and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

1 Cor 15:22 (NASB)  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.

Rom 3:23 (NIV)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Rom 6:23 (NIV)  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

John 3:16-17 (NIV)  YET… “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Rom 5:8 (NIV)  YES… God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Acts 17:31 (NIV)  BUT NOW… He[God] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him [Jesus Christ] from the dead.”

1 John 5:12 (NIV)  SO… He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

John 1:12 (NIV)  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—

John 10:25-30 (NIV)  Jesus answered… I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Now I’ve read all directly from the Bible, to show you, God’s Word and plan and the love of God, for you, who created all things. You can of course choose not to believe in Him or these truths. You can choose to believe everything around you came into existence by the act of no intelligent design or Creator. You can say to yourself as a multitude of evolutionists today say, “I choose to believe in nothing and that all things came from nothing, and that life itself has no meaning and is of no preplanned value or purpose.” Yet in your heart you know that to believe such foolish things, brings one to the depths of inner despair and hopelessness. 

This is why you and everyone else are searching for real meaning to life. Without it, there is no hope. But thanks be to God, there is hope and more there is joy to know there “is” a Creator God, and He is found and revealed to us in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. If you’ll come to lea rn more about Him and know Him personally, God will save your soul, and give you a glimpse of His great glory and future He holds out to you. But, if you go on choosing to ignore the truth about Him and yourself, you’ll end up on the scrap heap of the Universe and eternity, the Bible calls Hell. Friend, you and I, we have a choice, and only while we have life is that choice available to us. The question now is, will you take Christ as your Lord God and Creator, and Savior from your sin penalty? All who do enter life eternal, with the full and forever forgiveness of all their sin, and more, they receive the indwelling presence of God Himself in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Oh friends, I say to you it is a joy-filled life! Take it now, call upon Jesus Christ to save you and enter into the joy for which you were originally created. Remember, the Savior is waiting…

…What difference does it make whether one believes the world was created or evolved? Can't one embrace Christianity and Evolution? The answer is no! To reject all the evidence of a “created” world and existence, the Bible says lea ves us without excuse.

Rom 1:20 (NLT)  From the time the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky and all that God made. They can c lea rly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing God.

Therefore, to fail to seek the Creator God, and to fail to acknowledge His right to rule our lives in His universe, is the greatest sin against Him and carries with it an eternal judgment. May God give light to your soul and faith to your heart to seek Him, Jesus Christ, who can be found by all who turn to God’s wonderful Words of life.

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[1] P lea se visit the following Internet website, CREATION SUPER LIBRARY. COM where these facts and further proofs can be found, to substantiate the theory of evolution is not science but a religious faith in and of itself, and Creationism has much more to offer scientifically and eternally.

·         Radio talk #1502

·         Broadcast date: April 14, 2002

·         Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator

·         Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast

·         Address: P.O. Box 40133 Grand Junction, CO 81504

The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 22 years, and serves as General Director.

These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.