Psalm 19:1 states: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” And 1 Corinthians 2:5 says, “our faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God (1 Cor. 2:5).” And Genesis 2:4:
This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens;
The universe reveals a complexity, design, and magnificence that staggers the imagination, and logic shows us that life could not have appeared by some random, spontaneous process. Evidence seems to point to a master plan and an intelligent being; such intricate, organized design must have come from a Designer.
The theory of evolution however, has been generally accepted by the scientific community and academia, and taught as fact in most public schools across America.
TODAY’S GUEST is Jay Seegert of the Starting Point Project.
Jay is a Keynote Speaker and Managing Director for The Starting Point Project, an International speaker and author, he holds degrees in both Physics and Engineering Technology, and serves on Board of Directors for Logos Research Associates. Jay also speaks for Ratio Christi, is a former adjunct speaker for Creation Ministries International, and a former President of the Creation Science Society of Milwaukee. Jay Seegert has been speaking on the Authority of Scripture for over 33 years.
People often find themselves in a conversation regarding creation vs evolution and it quickly loses focus and heads off in all sorts of directions. Here are a few things to consider in order to maximize the effectiveness of your conversations.
- Define terms & beliefs
- It’s extremely important to know what the other person means about what they are claiming. [I’ll talk about how this relates to the creation/evolution debate]
- Machine gun effect
- This technique is used very often, not just by skeptics, but by people in general. It can be intentional but is often done subconsciously. [I’ll explain what this is during the show]
- Elephant hurling
- Determine exactly why the other person believes what they believe and ask them to be as specific as possible
- Unknown answers
- Don’t feel bad about not knowing answers to their some (or maybe even most) of their questions. [I’ll share advice regarding questions you don’t know the answer to]
Talking Points: When Interacting with a Skeptic
- Keep all the above in mind
- Where did everything come from? (i.e., All the matter and energy in the universe?)
- Where did the laws of physics come from?
- How did chemicals combine to become a living cell capable of reproducing itself?
- Tell me about the transition from cells copying themselves to having a male and a female?
- Where did all the information in livings things come from? How is information created?
- How did chemicals combine to become aware of themselves (i.e. consciousness)?
- Is there anything such a “right” and “wrong”? Where did that come from?
Talking Points: When Interacting with a Christian
- Keep all the above (Intro comments) in mind
- Do you believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God?
- Can you show me the Scriptural support for evolution being true?
- Was there an actual “Adam & Eve”?
- How do you handle the existence of death in the world millions of years before the appearance of Adam?
- Do you believe in the Genesis flood? If so, was it a global event?
- How were Christians able to truly understand the Bible before the advent of modern science?
- How are Christians today able to truly understand the Bible if they are not exposed to, or cannot understand modern science?
A surprising number of Americans do believe in a Creator, even nonreligious people. About 70% think there is a creator.
If God exists, how can anyone think He is not powerful enough to create all things when confirmations, manifestations, and declarations of His workmanship are all around us?
Creation testifies there is a Creator!
…because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20
Sir Isaac Newton believed the Bible to be literal, and throughout his life he tested biblical truth against the scientific methods common at the time, never finding a contradiction. Isaac Newton was correct in his order of study: He began with the Bible and worked outward from there. Regarding creation, Newton stated:
God is one and the same God always and everywhere … He endures always and is present everywhere, and by existing always and everywhere he constitutes duration and space; … Tis inconceivable that inanimate brute matter should (without the mediation of something else which is not material) operate upon & affect other matter without mutual contact.
…This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being.
Believers better decide whether Genesis is true or not because our salvation depends on the integrity of Scripture. If Jesus is “the Word” and He was “with God in the beginning;” if “the Word was God,” and if the overwhelming evidence for His death and resurrection is in fact true, then it must be actual history! This means Jesus truly is eternal and God created the heavens and the earth.
Jesus Christ is both Creator and God. Colossians 1:16 tells us by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth. And John 1:3 affirms this truth:
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Christianity is faith securely founded on fact. We can trust in the God of truth!
ARTICLES
Too ‘dangerous’ to study Genesis? – Jay Seegert
Worldview War: Creation, Evolution, Nothing?
Defending the Biblical Account of Creation
Eric Metaxas Interviews Stephen Meyer on Science and Faith