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Question Evolution Day

and the proper approach to apologetics

darwin
Charles Darwin

by

Every year, religious groups around the world participate in a celebration of evolution in early February. It was originally called Darwin Sunday, and was held on the Sunday closest to Charles Darwin’s birthday (February 12), but political correctness and a desire to influence faiths other than mainline Christianity required that it be renamed Darwin Weekend.

Thus, February 12 would be good as a Question Evolution Day, an annual event in which almost anyone can participate. Regular readers know that a proper understanding of origins is important to the gospel message and biblical authority. Indeed, our Creator commands us to love God with “ … all your mind” (Matthew 22:37), so biblical creationists use logic, theology, and science. Some people think there is a message of hope in evolution, which is the opposite of the truth. As biblical creationists, we want to spread the truth — but there are some things to keep in mind.

Evolutionists are also Created in God’s Image

Many people reject the truth that all people are created in the image of God outright, but their opinions do not change reality. Unfortunately, some of these people appeal to ‘science’ to support this rejection. Many scientists (as well as much of the general population) believe in evolution because they are unaware that creation science even exists. The secular science textbooks give them a naturalistic view of origins and presuppose an evolutionary process in science, so when we present creation science, people may respond with dismissal or disdain. It is simply a foreign concept to them.

Most people operate as if God, or at least biblical creation, does not even exist. Those who tend to put burrs under our saddles1 are those who treat evolutionism more like a religion, sometimes even acting like they are on a secularist crusade to silence creationists. We see this in the form of intimidation or legislation, especially in schools, and it has been going on for a long time. We may respond with ‘righteous indignation’ and a desire to defend both the truth and our rights, but we must remember to respond in a God-honoring way because our opponents are also created in God’s image. True, some situations call for a less-than-gentle answer, and we see examples of this in the lives of Jesus and Paul, but the admonition from 1 Peter 3:15 should make us carefully consider out attitude:

“ … but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,”

There are times when an enthusiastic creation activist gleefully shares links in areas that atheists, evolutionists, apostates, and so forth will frequent. They are trying to stir up debate. I once saw a meme of a youngster wearing a shirt that read, “I am an atheist. Debate me”. Some Christians operate with a similar attitude. They ‘get on the prod’2 and want to provoke those who disbelieve creation. Brethren, this kind of thing ought not to be!

One goal of Question Evolution Day is to provide information to secular people who may have never considered creation science. It’s mighty difficult if we come at them with a smug attitude. After all, our ultimate goal is to spread the truth and reach people for Christ, not to score points and win arguments.

Harsh and sarcastic facts shouted in someone’s face do not generally point them to the kingdom of God. After all, the purpose of promoting creation is not to debunk evolution so much as it is to remove a stumbling block that is causing many people to reject the God of the Bible. So don’t be another stumbling block!

challenge-evolution-day

The Proper Approach to Apologetics

The “go-to” verse for many apologists is 1 Peter 3:15. Many people emphasize the middle section, “ … always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you … ”, to encourage Christians in their defense of Scripture. For biblical creationists, this does not mean that everyone must be an expert in all fields of science and theology. Instead, it is important to have a good working knowledge of the material and to utilize available resources—such as the one you’re reading right now that has thousands of articles on various subjects.

The last part of the verse is not emphasized as often, “ … yet do it with gentleness and respect … ”, which applies to what was discussed above about how we interact with people. However, what seems to be neglected the most is the first part, “ … in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy … ”. English versions have different renderings, including “set Christ apart”, “honor”, “sanctify”, and similar words. The Greek word is ἁγιάζω (hagiazō), which means to sanctify. Christians need to first be grounded in the word of God. Indeed, Paul exhorts us in Colossians 3:16 to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly … ”. This will help us keep a right perspective in our apologetics methods.

The issue of origins is not strictly about scientific evidence. Otherwise, Darwinism would have been dropped on the dusty ‘trail of time’ long ago and people would believe that God is the Creator. Instead, the god of this world has blinded unbelievers to the deeper truths of Scripture (see 2 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 2:14, 1 Corinthians 1:18, Romans 5:10). That is why we are exhorted by Peter to “be ready”. Further, we dismantle arguments against true knowledge (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Remember Your History

When reading some of the testimonies of creationists, we find that some became creationists before they became Christians, but others were opposed to creation until they became Christians (Psalm 119:130, Ephesians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 2:14). This is supported by the fact that many scientists of the past and present had proper thinking regarding the Bible and science. (See also the important overview article Faith and facts).

Christians need to remember how they felt and thought when they were unbelievers. Admittedly, many Christians have never been atheists, but we did not have the knowledge, wisdom, and epistemology that we (hopefully) have now; the Christian life is a growth process. Be patient because not everyone is as ‘enlightened’ as we are.

Applications for Question Evolution Day

The basics of Question Evolution Day are simple. People can share biblical creation science material in a myriad of ways. There are many opportunities to share material on social media, and a #questionevolutionday hashtag helps make a statement. In person, we can have conversations, provide tracts, give away a back issue of Creation magazine, and so on. It is not difficult.

We must sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts, be prepared to respond with wisdom and resources that are available, and keep in mind that those who do not know the truth of creation are also created by God.

Published: 13 February 2020

References and notes

  1. A source of irritation. A burr under the saddle of a horse might cause it to buck. Return to text.
  2. Cowboy slang for being irritable or looking for a fight. Return to text.

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