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This article is from
Creation 6(2):2, November 1983

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Warning: Steep Descent Ahead

Editorial

In the years preceding 600 BC, God instructed the prophet Jeremiah to warn the Israelites about teachers and priests who were not proclaiming the truth of God. ‘Woe to the shepherds who lead the sheep astray’ was his message. Nearly 700 years later Jesus openly rebuked many religious leaders, calling them snakes and vipers. This same Jesus warned his future followers to beware of false teachers. These warnings and rebukes still apply to many of ‘today’s’ teachers of the Word who in reality are trendies, false teachers whose man-centred thoughts espouse the self-sufficiency of evolved man, and the doubting of the reality of the Creator God. From such people, Creation Science organizations world-wide receive much of their opposition.

Proclaiming tolerance of beliefs about evolution, they urge, ‘Consider all the alternatives and do not be dogmatic about any one view.’ This request merely disguises their dogmatic belief that Genesis cannot be taken literally. Many theological colleges insist students consider all views of Genesis (e.g.: theistic evolution, progressive creation, day-age theory, gap theory, six-day literal creation, etc.), but dogmatically assert that no one can say which view is right!

People fed a diet of toleration lose certainty about Genesis. ‘Perhaps the evolutionists are right after all,’ becomes their nagging doubt. We live in an age of respect for man-centred academia research which promotes evolution. Many Christians confused by lack of authoritative leadership but unwilling to become completely agnostic, attempt to solve their dilemma by adding evolution to the Bible, and God to evolution. The sad success of their false logic results only in an insecure co-operation.

When evolution becomes tolerated in the Church, evolution gains respect, not the Church. Those in the Church who believe in evolution no longer feel threatened and claim new harmony for all sides to co-operate. Their ideal becomes ‘Believe God created—it doesn’t matter how!’ As is true for evolution such a philosophy is unstable, committed to change, and produces only contamination.

Those intimately involved with the errors of evolutionary philosophy slowly become those who directly or indirectly accept and teach evolution through Church, Sunday School, etc. The issue of God as Creator eventually ceases to bother people. The result is capitulation.

Evolution becomes accepted fact. Those who dare disagree are labeled heretics. The acceptance of evolution makes it necessary to relegate Genesis to myth, allegory, or meaningless symbolism and logically leaves all biblical doctrine without foundation. Sin, salvation, coming judgment and indeed all Christian doctrines removed from their Genesis foundations ultimately cease to be believable. Those who refuse to face their own logic by consistently rejecting the contents of the Bible can only cling wistfully to what they now blindly believe, hoping against hope that something, somewhere is right. Their faith at best is stunted, hemmed in by practical unbelief; at worst faith is discarded.

There are indeed many false shepherds who willingly lead the sheep astray, but often the sheep are willingly led. God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah saying, ‘The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority and my people love it this way.’ There is only one Shepherd who is the truth, Jesus Christ the Creator, Redeemer, Saviour, Lord and Judge. Those who truly follow this Shepherd will not stumble down the steep descent of man into the abyss of evolutionary confusion.