Sermon for Dick Conner’s Correctional Center July 24th 2016

I stand before you today by the blessing and grace of God, to speak to you about the necessity of teaching Christian apologetics as a part of evangelism to all people, especially to our children.

As you all know I focus mostly on Christian Apologetics, and but for the last few months the Lord has led me in different directions, but tonight I feel led back to apologetics so we are going to “re-look” at the necessity of apologetics as part of our evangelistic efforts.

I would like to state, and hopefully you will keep this in mind as we go through this lesson; our faith is well grounded in historical documentation, scientific facts, and mathematical probability.

The scripture is absolutely provable. Yes, we can prove there is a creator by His creation. We can prove the New Testament is the exact same New Testament they had 1900 years ago, the Old Testament is the same as it was thousands of year ago.

We can prove through the cosmos that Earth could not have just hit it lucky. We can prove that evolution is impossible through just luck with certain chemicals that happened to run into each other. We can prove that independent life forms that depend on each other disprove evolution.

And when we look at these facts it’s fun, it feels good to see absolute undeniable facts that support our faith.

I can stand here and talk to you for a fairly long period of time about how we can prove there is only one possible explanation for our existence, and that is through creation by a higher power, which we call God.

But that’s not my purpose here tonight; the purpose here tonight is to show you the need for you, and every other Christian to learn these facts and how to defend their faith, and to teach it to others.

I am here with one purpose and that is for all of you to become Christian apologists, and well trained ones at that.

According to the Pew Research Center, among people born from 1928 – 1945 the percentage of Claimed Christians is 85% however, among those born from 1990 to 1996 dropped to 56%.

Folks, we are losing our youth! And our Nation!

We have a great commission in Scripture,   Matthew 28: 18 – 20 ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

And we have a command to accompany that commission:  1 Peter 3:15   But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

There you have it; it is our commission to take the word to the world, and we are commanded to be ready defend the word.

And I want to share another verse with you to reinforce what I am telling you about the command of 1 Peter 3:15 and that is

2 Timothy 4:14 -16   Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works: 15: Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words. 16:  At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge..

This indicates that if you do not defend the word as stated in 1 Peter 3:15 you could stand in judgment.  Let’s take a minute and examine that verse, Alexander did Paul much evil; how? By greatly withstanding their words, much like people will do today, who very aggressively argue in favor of the fallacy of evolution, and as you know they teach it as a science, and reject all teaching of creation.

So he, Alexander,  was powerful in his resistance of the truth of Christ, as are many today, and Paul simply says, may God deal with him accordingly, which of course means condemnation to a hell without reprieve. But he goes further, those men who were supposed to stand with him ran from the battle, and Paul prays God will not hold them accountable. We must be able to stand just as powerfully as those who attack us, only politely, with respect.

It’s time to define the words answer and defend used in 1 Peter 3:15 and 2 Timothy 4:14 -16; you will find the word “defend/ or answer” is apology in Greek, and means “to give a logical or legal defense of your position”.

So in short we must be able to stand strong, meekly, and with respect and resist all who declare the scripture to be false teaching, and we must be able to do it in an accurate and logical manner, but there is more to it, than just the defense part, we must become aggressive on the offensive side as well… teaching people scripture, and the defense of it as a normal part of education.

As it stands, most people will not listen to us, they will not pay heed to our evangelist efforts.

So why won’t they listen to us?  And why are our evangelistic efforts failing?

As with everything else the scripture gives us the answer.

1 Corinthians 1: 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,

When speaking to the Jews, they found it as a stumbling block to their beliefs, the Jews understood what they were talking about, they had a background in the Old Testament, they knew what sin was, they knew how the world began, they knew Adam and Eve had fallen in the Garden of Eden and sin overtook the world. They knew they were sinners. And they knew a messiah was to come and deliver them.

However, the Greeks who were into wisdom, we’ve all heard of the great Greek philosophers such as Socrates, found it foolishness, why? Because they didn’t have a background in the Old Testament, they knew nothing about sin, fallen man, the garden, and the creation of the world, let alone a promised Messiah. They had to be educated, given background information, before they could accept the scripture, and understand it was the true wisdom.

In Acts 17:23 this is exactly what Paul did:  Acts 17: 22 Then Paul stood up before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with the inscription: To an unknown God. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.…

You see they were polytheist, believing in many gods, which is the same thing as atheism.

We have all been hearing how those in Washington will not use the term Islamic Terrorists, now most of us do not know why, but that’s the way it is at this time.

The opponents to this rightfully state, to fight an enemy you must identify them, and to take it a step further, you better know where the battle field is; for instance if we were invaded by a foreign power and they were attacking New York, and we sent our troops to Boston, it certainly wouldn’t do those folks in New York much good would it?

We now have several generations of men and women who are “Greeks” in America. We as a country put a lot of value on Education and “Wisdom”, and yet so many people have not had bible training as early America did, so when seeking wisdom, they see the bible and Christians as foolish and consider it intellectual suicide to believe in something they think of as foolishness.

By the way I refer to anyone without basic biblical knowledge as a Greek, and not in a derogatory way, but simply as a means of identification.

So when they now say they do not want us to speak about salvation, nor teach it to their children it is not that they are mean, or evil, in fact most are very nice compassionate people, they are concerned with what their children are being taught, and in their minds we are attempting to poison their young minds with legends and fairy tells.

So when we start speaking of the grace of the cross to Greeks it is the same as sending our troops to Boston to fight the invasion occurring in New York.

So we must identify the battle and the enemy, the enemy is the ignorance of both basic bible instruction and it’s defense. This didn’t occur when our country was young, all education of children was based upon scripture through the text book all children were taught from, the McGuffy reader, which was all based upon scripture. For instance, when teaching the alphabet it went something like this A is for Adam the first Man, B is for the blood of Christ, and C is for Christ who shed is blood for thee, and D is for the deity of Christ and so on.

So I think we have identified the battle ground, and that is in education of all Americans, Christian and non Christian alike.

And the enemy is ignorance of the truth.

So the enemy is ignorance and we must defeat this enemy through education.

The answer is learning the truth and how to defend it and then teaching it.

Let’s look at two more verses: 2 Thessalonians 2:10  and with every wicked deception directed against those who are perishing, because they refused the love of the truth that would have saved them. 11 For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie, 12 in order that judgment will come upon all who have disbelieved the truth and delighted in wickedness

Matthew 24:24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

So there will be a powerful delusion which will come upon the world, and false teaching and teachers will rise up that even deceive the elect if possible.

Has there been any greater delusion that has come upon the entire world than evolution? Has any other delusion even been worldwide? Has there been any other delusion brought upon the world that caused a general decay in morals as evolution has?

I would think most of you would want to know how to help stop this great disease of the mind, this great delusion.

So let’s make a quick point here:

Let’s get back to evangelism; for that is what our entire goal is to honor the great commission isn’t it.

If  all you teach is Christ was crucified for your sins you will lose your Greek listener almost immediately, now don’t get me wrong, we have to get there, it just can’t be the first thing out of your mouths for they have no background knowledge to understand what you are talking about.

We must attempt to reach out to all people; we still have the great commission, and the command to obey. We must reach the Christian community and convince them to learn Christian defenses; it is our obligation as competent evangelists.

So the question becomes, how do we enter the battle, with any expectation of winning the battle when we come across so much resistance?

When you go onto the battlefield empty handed you will be defeated, you must be well equipped for the battle.

Knowledge of truth is the weapon we must use to confront the Greek mind.

How do we use this tool?

Again, where do we find the answer? Yep, in the bible.

Let’s look at a few more verses:

Matthew 13:1  That day Jesus left the house and sat down beside the sea. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, while the entire crowd stood on the shore. 3 Then he began to tell them many things in parables. He said, “Listen! A farmer went out to sow. 4 As he was sowing, some seeds fell along the path, and birds came and ate them up. 5 Other seeds fell on stony ground, where they did not have a lot of soil. They sprouted at once because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched. Since they did not have any roots, they dried up. 7 Other seeds fell among thorn bushes, and the thorn bushes grew higher and choked them out. 8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced a crop, some 100, some 60, and some 30 times what was sown. 9 Let the person who has ears listen!”

Go Back, hear that:   Let the person who has ears listen….   Listen…

It would be a pretty poor farmer who just threw his valuable precious seeds just anywhere, no, the wise farmer prepares the ground… first.

Apologetics is much like the farmer. He begins by preparing his field. Often he may have to prepare a field by removing all the barriers of planting seed, such as removing rocks, or tree stumps, or even trees. And he does that one tree stump or rock at a time, doesn’t he; using the proper equipment.

Once he has the field cleared, then he plows the field so he can plant the seed. Once this is accomplished he proceeds to plant the seeds.

That is the purpose of apologetics… preparing the field of the mind to receive the seed of evangelism.

Now, right here I want to add again that the source of all these obstacles is hidden in modern education.  Teaching things like evolution and calling it science, and in addition to that teaching postmodernism ideas as “keeping an open mind” when in fact it is closing their minds to the absolute truth to life.  Some of these educators hide their true agenda which comes from their father the devil, masked by educating them in mathematics, sciences, and other skills needed to compete in a very competitive world, but most are just Greeks, untrained in the reality of creationism, and Christianity, both do equal harm, but only the Greek member of this group can be changed.

Just think about it, a baby is born with a clear mind, and the only way obstacles can get in there is through what it is taught as a child, by a misinformed parent who him/ herself was misinformed as a child, or simply do not know how to teach scripture and the defenses of it, and then the evil of public schools.

Think how much more valuable land is that has no obstacles to planting compared to a field full of stumps and rocks. Yet, even that rocky field has value, it’s worth the work of clearing to plant the seed for a good crop.

Before we can plant the seeds in the good ground of a prepared mind, we must clear that mind of the obstacles Satan has placed there, such as belief in today’s greatest lie; evolution. We must prepare the listeners mind by preparing his mental field for the planting of the seed that will lead to eternal life in a place too wonderful for the human mind to perceive.

WHAT ARE THE OBSTACLES THAT MUST BE REMOVED

1. Evolution
2. Post modernism philosophy
3. False religions
4. False Christian doctrines

I am going to wrap this up this evening with a story, I know we are out of time, but just bare with me a few more minutes.

I want to share with you again, many of you have heard me tell it before, an article titled “Buckethead and Bubba, which appeared in the Christian magazine “The Rock”  and was written  by Russell L. Ford who was a frequent contributor to “The Rock”. Russell has been an inmate for many years, and spent many of those years as an apologetics Evangelist

He wrote about his apologetics experiences in prison, and his articles appeared in the magazine between 1994 and 1998. This article was the cover story for the November 1992 issue of This Rock.

And to summarize the story he tells how his original idea of apologetics was physical, being a big man over 6 feet tall and 225 lbs, when someone criticized the scripture he would simply tell them to “shut yer face while you still got one” and that would put an end to the discussion. However, he didn’t convert many people like that, so he learned a better way.

He learned how to present the truth in a logical / provable way that didn’t offend, and he made the following accurate observation:

He stated: I finally realized I had to become a competent apologist or we would never see Christ’s most forsaken children come to the warm embrace of his Church.

We must return to Evangelism, and do it correctly. That means we must become Christian Apologists.

Teach Christian doctrine supported by strong apologetic arguments to the educators in both public, and private Christian schools, to Sunday school teachers, to our children, our grandchildren, our neighbors, and to anyone who will listen.

When you take time to learn how to defend the word of God to all who question our faith you embark upon an amazing journey, a journey that will leave you with a faith that is unshakeable, the kind of faith we are told we must have to be heard by God, the kind of faith that empowered the apostles to go to horrible deaths, praising and singing on their way to their execution.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6  But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7  That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.…

And I would like to add, unless we become competent apologists we will never see most of our children come to the warm embrace of the Church, nor will we turn America from its present evil until we take the education of all children from the people who are propagating this evil, and return it to the church where it began, and still belongs. Thank you for your time.

According to Carl Sagan, the universe (cosmos) “is all that is or ever was or ever will be.” However, the idea that the universe is all is not a scientific fact, but an assumption based upon materialistic naturalism. Since Carl Sagan’s death in 1996, new discoveries in physics and cosmology bring into questions Sagan’s assumption about the universe. Evidence shows that the constants of physics have been finely tuned to a degree not possible through human engineering. Five of the more finely tuned numbers are included in the table below.

Degree of fine tuning

Recent Studies have confirmed the fine tuning of the cosmological constant (also known as “dark energy”). This cosmological constant is a force that increases with the increasing size of the universe. First hypothesized by Albert Einstein, the cosmological constant was rejected by him, because of lack of real world data. However, recent supernova 1A data demonstrated the existence of a cosmological constant that probably made up for the lack of light and dark matter in the universe.2 However, the data was tentative, since there was some variability among observations. Recent cosmic microwave background (CMB) measurement not only demonstrate the existence of the cosmological constant, but the value of the constant. It turns out that the value of the cosmological constant exactly makes up for the lack of matter in the universe.3

The degree of fine-tuning is difficult to imagine. Dr. Hugh Ross gives an example of the least fine-tuned of the above four examples in his book, The Creator and the Cosmos, which is reproduced here:

One part in 1037 is such an incredibly sensitive balance that it is hard to visualize. The following analogy might help: Cover the entire North American continent in dimes all the way up to the moon, a height of about 239,000 miles (In comparison, the money to pay for the U.S. federal government debt would cover one square mile less than two feet deep with dimes.). Next, pile dimes from here to the moon on a billion other continents the same size as North America. Paint one dime red and mix it into the billions of piles of dimes. Blindfold a friend and ask him to pick out one dime. The odds that he will pick the red dime are one in 1037. (p. 115)

Journey Toward Creation DVDThe ripples in the universe from the original Big Bang event are detectable at one part in 100,000. If this factor were slightly smaller, the universe would exist only as a collection of gas – no planets, no life. If this factor were slightly larger, the universe would consist only of large black holes. Obviously, no life would be possible in such a universe.

Another finely tuned constant is the strong nuclear force (the force that holds atoms together). The Sun “burns” by fusing hydrogen (and higher elements) together. When the two hydrogen atoms fuse, 0.7% of the mass of the hydrogen is converted into energy. If the amount of matter converted were slightly smaller—0.6% instead of 0.7%— a proton could not bond to a neutron, and the universe would consist only of hydrogen. With no heavy elements, there would be no rocky planets and no life. If the amount of matter converted were slightly larger—0.8%, fusion would happen so readily and rapidly that no hydrogen would have survived from the Big Bang. Again, there would be no solar systems and no life. The number must lie exactly between 0.6% and 0.8% (Martin Rees, Just Six Numbers).

Fine Tuning Parameters for the Universe

1. strong nuclear force constant
   if larger: no hydrogen would form; atomic nuclei for most life-essential elements would be unstable; thus, no life chemistry
   if smaller: no elements heavier than hydrogen would form: again, no life chemistry
2. weak nuclear force constant
   if larger: too much hydrogen would convert to helium in big bang; hence, stars would convert too much matter into heavy elements making life chemistry impossible
   if smaller: too little helium would be produced from big bang; hence, stars would convert too little matter into heavy elements making life chemistry impossible
3. gravitational force constant
   if larger: stars would be too hot and would burn too rapidly and too unevenly for life chemistry
   if smaller: stars would be too cool to ignite nuclear fusion; thus, many of the elements needed for life chemistry would never form
4. electromagnetic force constant
   if greater: chemical bonding would be disrupted; elements more massive than boron would be unstable to fission
   if lesser: chemical bonding would be insufficient for life chemistry
5. ratio of electromagnetic force constant to gravitational force constant
   if larger: all stars would be at least 40% more massive than the sun; hence, stellar burning would be too brief and too uneven for life support
   if smaller: all stars would be at least 20% less massive than the sun, thus incapable of producing heavy elements
6. ratio of electron to proton mass
   if larger: chemical bonding would be insufficient for life chemistry
   if smaller: same as above
7. ratio of number of protons to number of electrons
   if larger: electromagnetism would dominate gravity, preventing galaxy, star, and planet formation
   if smaller: same as above
8. expansion rate of the universe
   if larger: no galaxies would form
   if smaller: universe would collapse, even before stars formed
9. entropy level of the universe
   if larger: stars would not form within proto-galaxies
   if smaller: no proto-galaxies would form
10. mass density of the universe
    if larger: overabundance of deuterium from big bang would cause stars to burn rapidly, too rapidly for life to form
    if smaller: insufficient helium from big bang would result in a shortage of heavy elements
11. velocity of light
    if faster: stars would be too luminous for life support if slower: stars would be insufficiently luminous for life support
12. age of the universe
    if older: no solar-type stars in a stable burning phase would exist in the right (for life) part of the galaxy
    if younger: solar-type stars in a stable burning phase would not yet have formed
13. initial uniformity of radiation
    if more uniform: stars, star clusters, and galaxies would not have formed
    if less uniform: universe by now would be mostly black holes and empty space
14. average distance between galaxies
    if larger: star formation late enough in the history of the universe would be hampered by lack of material
    if smaller: gravitational tug-of-wars would destabilize the sun’s orbit
15. density of galaxy cluster
    if denser: galaxy collisions and mergers would disrupt the sun’s orbit
    if less dense: star formation late enough in the history of the universe would be hampered by lack of material
16. average distance between stars
    if larger: heavy element density would be too sparse for rocky planets to form
    if smaller: planetary orbits would be too unstable for life
17. fine structure constant (describing the fine-structure splitting of spectral lines) if larger: all stars would be at least 30% less massive than the sun
    if larger than 0.06: matter would be unstable in large magnetic fields
    if smaller: all stars would be at least 80% more massive than the sun
18. decay rate of protons
    if greater: life would be exterminated by the release of radiation
    if smaller: universe would contain insufficient matter for life
19. 12C to 16O nuclear energy level ratio
    if larger: universe would contain insufficient oxygen for life
    if smaller: universe would contain insufficient carbon for life
20. ground state energy level for 4He
    if larger: universe would contain insufficient carbon and oxygen for life
    if smaller: same as above
21. decay rate of 8Be
    if slower: heavy element fusion would generate catastrophic explosions in all the stars
    if faster: no element heavier than beryllium would form; thus, no life chemistry
22. ratio of neutron mass to proton mass
    if higher: neutron decay would yield too few neutrons for the formation of many life-essential elements
    if lower: neutron decay would produce so many neutrons as to collapse all stars into neutron stars or black holes
23. initial excess of nucleons over anti-nucleons
    if greater: radiation would prohibit planet formation
    if lesser: matter would be insufficient for galaxy or star formation
24. polarity of the water molecule
    if greater: heat of fusion and vaporization would be too high for life
    if smaller: heat of fusion and vaporization would be too low for life; liquid water would not work as a solvent for life chemistry; ice would not float, and a runaway freeze-up would result
25. supernovae eruptions
    if too close, too frequent, or too late: radiation would exterminate life on the planet
    if too distant, too infrequent, or too soon: heavy elements would be too sparse for rocky planets to form
26. white dwarf binaries
    if too few: insufficient fluorine would exist for life chemistry
    if too many: planetary orbits would be too unstable for life
    if formed too soon: insufficient fluorine production
    if formed too late: fluorine would arrive too late for life chemistry
27. ratio of exotic matter mass to ordinary matter mass
    if larger: universe would collapse before solar-type stars could form
    if smaller: no galaxies would form
28. number of effective dimensions in the early universe
    if larger: quantum mechanics, gravity, and relativity could not coexist; thus, life would be impossible
    if smaller: same result
29. number of effective dimensions in the present universe
    if smaller: electron, planet, and star orbits would become unstable
    if larger: same result
30. mass of the neutrino
    if smaller: galaxy clusters, galaxies, and stars would not form
    if larger: galaxy clusters and galaxies would be too dense
31. big bang ripples
    if smaller: galaxies would not form; universe would expand too rapidly
    if larger: galaxies/galaxy clusters would be too dense for life; black holes would dominate; universe would collapse before life-site could form
32. size of the relativistic dilation factor
    if smaller: certain life-essential chemical reactions will not function properly
    if larger: same result
33. uncertainty magnitude in the Heisenberg uncertainty principle
    if smaller: oxygen transport to body cells would be too small and certain life-essential elements would be unstable
    if larger: oxygen transport to body cells would be too great and certain life-essential elements would be unstable
34. cosmological constant
    if larger: universe would expand too quickly to form solar-type stars

https://youtu.be/nuMvRExazAw

greenslug.com

http://www.greenslugg.com/

http://www.icr.org/article/374/

by T. V. Varughese, Ph.D

Evidence for Creation › Evidence for God › Design and Purpose › God Caused Wisdom

Without question, “technology” has now become the new magic word in place of the word “science.” Since technology represents the practical applications of science, it is clearly consumer-oriented. Herein is bright economic promise to all who can provide technology.

In terms of technology, our present world can be divided into at least three groups: countries that are strong providers of technology, both original and improved; countries that are mass producers because of cheaper labor; and countries that are mostly consumers. Without a doubt, being in the position of “originating” superior technology should be a goal for any major country. The difficult question, however, is “how.”

An obvious place to start suggests itself. Why not begin with the countries that have established themselves as strong originators of technology and see if there is a common thread between them? The western nations, after the Renaissance and the Reformation of the 16th century, offer a ready example. Any book on the history of inventions, such as the Guinness Book of Answers, will reveal that the vast majority of scientific inventions have originated in Europe (including Britain) and the USA since the dawn of the 17th century. What led to the fast technological advances in the European countries and North America around that time?

The answer is that something happened which set the stage for science and technology to emerge with full force. Strange as it may seem, that event was the return to Biblical Christianity in these countries.

The Epistemological Foundation of Technology

According to Alfred North Whitehead and J. Robert Oppenheimer, both renowned philosophers and scientists of our era (but not Christians themselves), modern science was born out of the Christian world view. Whitehead said that Christianity is the “mother of science” because of the insistence on the rationality of God.[1] Entomologist Stanley Beck,though not a Christian himself, acknowledged the corner-stone premises of science which the Judeo-Christian world view offers: “The first of the unprovable premises on which science has been based is the belief that the world is real and the human mind is capable of knowing its real nature. The second and best-known postulate underlying the structure of scientific knowledge is that of cause and effect. The third basic scientific premise is that nature is unified.”[2] In other words, the epistemological foundation of technology has been the Judeo-Christian world view presented in the Bible.

This may sound incredible to some because of the popular feeling that science and religion don’t mix. Didn’t Christianity vehemently oppose Galileo and Copernicus when they proposed the modern models for the solar system?

The truth, however, is that the real conflict was not between Christianity, as presented in the Bible, and science. In fact, the true conflict was not between science and religion at all, but between the existing scientific view and a new scientific view. The geocentric world view held at that time was not based on the Bible but on the Ptolemaic system which was rooted in the views of Plato and Aristotle.

Historians have observed that the foundations for modern science were laid as early as the thirteenth century when scholars like Roger Bacon showed that Aristotle made certain mistakes about natural phenomena. Medieval science was based on authority — primarily of Aristotle — rather than observation. It developed through logic, rather than experimentation.[3] Both Copernicus and Galileo challenged Aristotle’s authority, using experimentation in the spirit of modern science. The Biblical emphasis of the Reformation, just prior to this, had already paved the way for dropping Aristotle’s authority; it also encouraged the rational investigation of our world.

Perhaps the most obvious affirmation that Biblical Christianity and science are friends and not foes comes from the fact that most of the early scientists after the Renaissance were also strong believers in the Bible as the authoritative source of knowledge concerning the origin of the universe and man’s place in it.[4] The book of Genesis, the opening book of the Bible, presents the distinctly Judeo-Christian world view of a personal Creator God behind the origin and sustenance of the universe (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:17; etc.).

Among the early scientists of note who held the Biblical creationist world view are Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), and Samuel Morse (1791-1872) – what motivated them was a confidence in the “rationality” behind the universe and the “goodness” of the material world. The creation account in Genesis presents an intelligent, purposeful Creator, who, after completing the creation work, declared it to be very good (Genesis 1:31). That assures us that the physical universe operates under reliable laws which may be discovered by the intelligent mind and used in practical applications. The confidence in the divinely pronounced goodness of the material world removed any reluctance concerning the development of material things for the betterment of life in this world. The spiritual world and the material world can work together in harmony.

Genesis also gives another important motivation for the investigation of the laws of nature and application of it to technology. That is the divine mandate given to man to subdue the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). Obviously, the discovery of the laws of nature is the key to harnessing the powers of nature for man’s use and control. Herein is the key to the motivation for developing technology. Genesis 4 records the earliest technological developments by man (4:21-22).

The world view held in many cultures, however, is different from the Biblical creationist view. Religions influenced by dualistic philosophies view the material world with suspicion and hostility. The material world is considered evil, while the spiritual world is considered good and noble. Renouncing this world became the mark of holiness. Equally detrimental to the development of science were world views that did not have a concept of a supreme personal Creator God. Some of the ancient civilizations, for example, which did develop some mathematics and technologies, did not develop general scientific theories, because of the absence of a creationist perspective that gives confidence in the existence of rational laws in nature. This clearly explains the lack of interest on the part of these cultures in scientific research and technology. It also shows how the Reformation, with its return to Biblical Christianity, spurred a phenomenal interest in fundamental research and technology. The great scientific advances and the industrial revolution that followed bear this out.

The Ethical Foundation of Technology

The rise of North America to dominance in technology is related to the Judeo-Christian foundation with which it started. The founding fathers of the United States of America were theists who believed in a Creator who gave moral rules by which to live. The work ethic they practiced also contributed to the rapid progress of the country. In this ethic, all honest work was regarded as dignified, not just the “white collar” jobs. This also has Christian roots. Jesus, the founder of Christianity, Himself chose the profession of a carpenter prior to His ministry. Along with this work ethic, there was also the right climate for initiating research. The free-enterprise system allowed individuals and private groups to carry on research and to develop technology.

There is no question that technology has given us untold blessings. But technology has also been used for monstrous destruction and human misery. This should alert us to the fact that technology, by itself, is not the means of salvation. Releasing the technology genie has caused our world to go out of control. The apocalyptic vision of some superdictator controlling humanity, using the incredible power of the computer or the atom, is no longer a laughing matter. The potential for deception through technology, coupled with the illegal use of technology, has also become a serious concern.

How can we hold in check the wrong use of technology? Here again, Christianity offers its powerful contribution. Jesus summed up the right law to live by in human relationships thus: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” a powerful principle, indeed. It allows no justification for using technology to bring harm to others. On the positive side, this law encourages us to develop that which serves humanity. The ethical standards of Biblical Christianity also include the practice of honesty and integrity. The need for these in the handling of technology is being increasingly recognized.

The rise of evolutionist philosophy in the 19th century has led to the erosion of the epistemological and ethical foundations of sound technological advance. The collapse of moral absolutes resulting from it sets the stage for selfish and harmful use of technology. This poses a threat to the economic welfare of countries where easy credit is available and the appetite for more and more technological gadgets is insatiable.

There are hopeful signs, however. Evolution theory itself has now collapsed under scientific scrutiny. Further, the foundations have not been totally abandoned by scientists. They have been carrying on their research as usual, as if they believe in the design and orderly laws of the universe — a belief that has its roots in the Judeo-Christian world view. The gospel of Christ cannot only hold in check the destructive use of technology by its emphasis on loving others as ourselves, but also provides the antidote for selfish greed, which is behind our runaway buying habits. Jesus emphasized that the abundance of things does not produce happiness.

Back in 1832, Darwin, during his famous trip on the “Beagle,” visited Tierra del Fuego, the southern coastal region of South America inhabited by savage barbarians and observed man at his worst. Their depravity was shocking to him. Darwin swore that the Fuegian savages were untamable. Within a few years, however, the Fuegian savages were converted, through the efforts of a missionary sent by the South American Missionary Society who brought the gospel to these people. They were radically transformed into a rational and civilized people. Darwin was very impressed by the success of the Missionary Society. Keen to spread the blessings of civilization, Darwin sent donations to the mission for several years. Thirty-five years after his visit to Tierra del Fuego, he proudly accepted the invitation from the South American Missionary Society to become its honorary member.[5]

That power to transform individuals and nations is still available. The “Good News” Jesus brought is that the power to love others as ourselves is available to all, from the Creator. When we have that love, technology will be a blessing to all.

— References —
1. Francis A. Schaeffer: How Should We Then Live (Revell, 1976), p. 132.
2. Henry M. Morris, Biblical Basis for Modern Science (Baker, 1991), p. 30.
3. Schaeffer, p. 131.
4. Henry M. Morris, Men of Science, Men of God (Master Books, CA, 1988), 107 pp.
5. Adrian Desmond & James Moore, Darwin (Warner Books, 1991), pp. 574,575.

* At time of publication, Dr. Varughese was Associate Professor of Computer Science in the School of Management and Technology, National University, Irvine, California, and adjunct professor of Physics at ICR.

Cite this article: Varughese, T. V. 1993. Christianity and Technological Advance – The Astonishing Connection. Acts & Facts. 22 (11).

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