Christian Living Today

Douglas Wilson is an articulate, respected, well-studied Christian. Christopher Hitchens is a committed, outspoken, and verbose Atheist. What, therefore, could the two have in common?

At least three things, actually.

- Both enjoy PJ Woodhouse

- Both are committed to their beliefs

- Both belief systems have collided on several occasions

The new movie, Collision, directed by independent film maker, Darren Doane highlights the impact and distinctions of their differing belief systems while avoiding bias toward one or the other.

The movie is a collage of several independent interviews: three formal debates held by Wilson and Hitchens - one in New York, one in Pennsylvania, and one featured by CNN - and numerous more informal gatherings around meals or in small town-hall type settings in a local tavern.

The 90 minute movie is well laid and with the exception (in my opinion) of one section of rap music, is a compelling and enjoyable watch. Humorous, yet serious. Good natured, yet earnest. Well read and passionate. Both men are articulate thus it comes as no surprise both are prolific writers. Thus, as a side, I must admit I was amazed by one shot of Christopher Hitchens hunting and pecking across his computer keyboard.

My basic impressions:

Christianity is based on a reasonable premise but modern-day Christians prefer to throw out reason (doctrine).

Atheism says there is no reasonable premise and then tries to prove its point via a reasonable argument.

The primary questions the DVD focuses upon are two:

1 - Upon ‘what’ do you base your definition of right and wrong?

2 - What is your moral basis?

Hitchens says right and wrong are an innate quality within homosapians which we acquired by chance and natural selection. He believes there is no ultimate justice. On the other hand, he says this does not mean he cannot stand in awe of something as tremendous as a black hole even though its very existence is a product of chance.

Of course Wilson takes a diametrically opposed viewpoint. He contends our God-given conscience is our basis for right and wrong. He says the Bible gives us the standard by which we are to live our lives, and that there will be a day of final reckoning. He also concludes the very fact we stand in awe of something like the black hole is an argument for its Creator.

I would recommend this DVD to all Christians. While I do not believe every Christian (or even most Christians) should be actively engaged in debates with confirmed and committed atheists, I do believe this movie shows quite clearly the need for Christians to know what they believe and seek to articulate it clearly when given an opportunity.

“Gee, Mom, you’re so archaic! Believing in creation is so, so. . .old-fashioned!”

Christian parents around the globe are facing similar responses from their Junior High and High School (and, sometimes, even gradeschool) children. The theory of evolution has become so entrenched in our society and in our thinking, some churches have even adapted their ’teaching’ to provide room for it.

Contrary to what your neighbor, or your children’s teacher, or the guy at work may say, evolution is NOT a scientific fact. It has not and can not be proven.

Of course, in a culture heavily swayed by public opinion, we often assume something so readily accepted, embraced even, must be true - at least to a point. However, therein lies our fault.

Our first error is to define truth based upon culture. Our second error is to NOT define truth based on God’s word.  Our third error is to believe what we hear without bringing every thought captive to God’s Word.

If evolution is not a proven fact, why is it so prevelant in our thinking? In our society? In our children’s classrooms? Simply because, evolution is a religious philosophy.

People readily accept evolution because it offers them a “reality“ which does not include a Sovereign Creator Who can and does hold them accountable. Scripture proves this. (Rom 1:20-21)

“It was because Darwinian theory broke man’s link with God and set him adrift in a cosmos without purpose or end that its impact was so fundamental. No other intellectual revolution in modern times . . so profoundly affects the way men viewed themselves and their place in the universe.”—*Michael Denton [Australian molecular biologist], Evolution: A Theory in Crisis (1985), p. 67 

Thus, Christians today need to be prepared to defend the Gospel.  This is especially important if your children attend public school or even some private schools. They are being inundated with evolution - no longer taught as a ‘theory’ but as ‘fact’. What are you going to say when your child holds up evolution as ‘truth’, as ‘fact’, as ‘real’?

Here are four foundation errors in evolution that be explained even to younger children:

1) The Problem of the Protein Molecule - To get a perspective, it takes 1,000’s of protein molecules to form 1 cell. A protein molecule is incredibly small, and for one protein molecule to be formed, 20 amino acids must come together. The scientific probability of such a thing happening by accident or chance is ZERO.

“. . We know virtually nothing about the genetic changes that occur in species formation.”—*R. Lewontin, The Genetic Basis of Evolutionary Change (1974), p. 159.

2) The Problem of the Black Box. Even Darwin, in his book, “Origin of the Species” said that if even one complex organ existed which could not be formed by numerous slight modifications over a very long period of time, his theory did not work.

Consider the most foundation organ of all - a living cell. A single living cell is a mass of systems, each of which had to be in place and functioning for any part of it to work.

Compare this to a mouse trap. You cannot catch a mouse with a little piece of wood. You cannot catch a mouse with a spring. You cannot catch a mouse with a piece of metal. You cannot catch a mouse with a hinge. ALL pieces of the mouse trap must be formed and in place for the mouse trap to work. In other words - a single cell in your body could not have evolved over time because no one part of the cell could have functioned (and thus survived to evolve) alone.

 ”These assumptions by their nature are not capable of experimental verification . . It is therefore a matter of faith on the part of the biologist that biogenesis (spontaneous generation) did occur, and he can choose whatever method of biogenesis happens to suit him personally . . From our limited experience it is clear that the biochemical systems within protoplasm are not uniform, i.e. there is no established biochemical unity.”—*G. Kerkut, Implications of Evolution (1960).

3) The Problem of Design. If you are walking down the road and you pick up a rock chip, it is possible to speculate it may have ‘evolved’ over time. However, if you pick up an intricately designed pocket watch, only a fool would think it somehow evolved over a long period of time.

Consider one of your DNA molecules. The DNA present at your conception contained 500,000 pages of information. However that original cell divided into 30 trillion cells with at least 12 billion brain cells. How many pages would that be?

” . . The distinctions of specific forms and their not being blended together by innumerable transitional links is a very obvious difficulty.”—*Charles Darwin, The Origin of Species, (6th ed., 1927), p. 322.

4) The Problem of the Fossil Record. Regardless of what you may have heard, the fossil record shows no evidence of macro (many-small changes over time) evolution. Consider that in face of the hundreds of thousands of changes which would have had to occur for us to have our world as we know it.

It think the most honest and yet most damning statement was made by H.J. Lipson, an agnostic evolutionist. He said, “I think however that we must go further than this and admit that the only acceptable explanation is Creation. I know that this is anathema to physicists, as indeed it is to me, but we must not reject a theory that we do not like if the experimental evidence supports it.”

Next time you are faced with someone who holds evolution to be a proven fact, ask them to explain these points. You might be surprised at their answers (or lack of answers).

We looked at the prevelence of pride a couple days ago. However, although it is sometimes easy to see pride in another person, we often overlook it in ourselves. Even we are honest and really ‘want’ to see ourselves as we really are, our nature reaction is to see ourselves more as we’d like to be than as we really are.

 We are similar to the queen in the fairy tales. “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” (it better be me!)

 A few areas I find myself tripping up in regularly are:

Accomplishments. When I do something well (or even not that well, in my opinion) and I receive praise, I all too often find myself ‘pleased’ with myself. While I certainly do not think it would be better to brush off a compliment (that is unkind to the giver) or to deny the compliment (that is false humility), the right response is to give the glory to God - at least in my own reaction if not in verbal response to the complimentor.

After all, if I really had a grasp on where my skills and abilities and talents originate, I would automatically attribute the ability to do something praiseworthy to the Him.

Rights. How many times have I gotten myself all wrapped up in a tizz over something someone did or said which stepped on my ‘rights’. Of course, I define my rights. Therefore, in reality, I am not even responding to what my ‘real’ rights are - what are they? That is the question. If I am to be a servant, do I have the ‘right’ to not make dinner or not clean up or not wait on someone?

Personal Value. Scripture says no one ever hated their own body. I would go so far as to put this in the positive - we love ourselves. While there are those who would say they hate themselves, usually those who take the most drastic steps of ’self-hatred’ (suicide) are really, in the end, responding in self love. Thus, how much do I love myself? In comparison, how much do I love my Lord? My family? My brothers and sisters in Christ?

Wisdom. Ah, here’s a tricky one. How easy it is to think myself wise. To think I have this or that all figured out. Oh, I don’t say I have it all figured out - after all , that would be pride. Foolish me! To think I have anything completely figured out is to have fallen to pride.

 Lord, help me overcome this tricky sin which changes like a chameleon - showing me what I want to see instead of what You see. Give me the grace to fight against the pride which I don’t even want to see.

“I’m sorry, Adrian, I just don’t see how you can swallow this Christian stuff. Trust in Someone you can’t see who allows things to happen you don’t understand? I’m not interested!”

“What makes you think your ‘faith’ is any less unknown than mine, Evan?”

“Faith! What faith? I don’t believe is some God I can’t see!”

“You put faith in hundreds of things all the time.”

“Yeah, like what?”

“Like that chair. You are trusting it to hold you up right now.”

“That isn’t faith. I know this chair works.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because it’s held me up every day for a long time. Seems a no-brainer to me.”

“That’s right. It’s a no-brainer. Faith really depends on taking something at face value or someone at their word. Would you sit in one of Jake’s chairs?”

“Of course. So what?”

“So, how do you know his chair will hold you?”

“Chairs are made to hold people. That’s what they do.”

“Just like God saves His people and takes care of them, that is what He does. What you are really saying is you can’t believe in something you cannot see. But. . .”

“Yeah! Your God is just a product of your imagination. This chair is real.“

“Wrong again. Take gravity. You don’t think about it, but without it life as we know it would cease to function. Or oxygen. . . .”

While it is impossible to ‘convince’ someone to believe, faith (or lack of it) has proven a stumbling block for many people, not just Evan’s friend, Adrian. Faith. How often we lack it. How often they mock it. Yet everyone places faith in the unknown - every minute of our lives we are trusting in something or someone.

The Bible offers numerous example of faith, but the children’s song, “O, Elijah” brings one to mind which seems almost beyond absurd.

“Oh, Elijah,

Run and hide

The wicked king is coming

Run and hide.”

First God directs Elijah to tell one of Israel’s most wicked kings, Ahab, there will be no rain until he (Elijah) says so. While the adrenalin of battle may have boosted Elijah’s faith when he first spoke to Ahab, it is certainly the adrenalin of fear which is boosting his speed as he runs from the king’s fierce anger.

If I had been Elijah, I think I would have been wondering about God’s plan at this point (to put it mildly). After all, God told him to deliver the dire news, then told him to run and hide. That sounds a lot like God has suddenly lost control of the king!

“Oh, Elijah,

God is near

He sends the birds to feed you

Do not fear.”

God moves Elijah from the scary to the impossible. Not only does He not rescue Elijah, He sends him into the wilderness to hide by a brook. While water is necessary for life, so is food. So where is Elijah supposed to find food? He’s not. He is supposed to wait for ravens to bring him food.

Consider the carrier. Ravens are scavenger birds. They are fiercely competitive even amongst one another. So, not only are these birds going to have to go against their nature, they are going to have to bring Elijah edible food. And, they do!

“Oh, Elijah

Eat some bread

The jars will never run out

As God said.”

God now leads Elijah from the impossible to the absurd. After all, while God may be able to control a ‘dumb beast’, this involves another person. Not just another person, one of the most helpless. Not only one of the most helpless, a mother with a son in her care.

At this point, if I were Elijah, I’d probably be thinking God was a bit over-optimistic. After all, when Elijah shows up asking this widow to feed him she’s probably going to have several responses, none of them welcoming.

1. You! How dare you come to my door asking for the last of my food. It is your fault we are suffering this famine and drought!

2. Me! What have I to offer you? Go find someone who has a little extra. I’m a poor widow. My life is hard enough before you showed up.

3. My son! You want me to give you the last of my food? Forget it! If you think I’m going to take the last bite of food out of my poor son’s mouth to feed you, think again.

And, the final incredible leap of faith - God did not promise to fill the jars. He just promised they would never be empty.

How many times has God put us into positions where we needed to make a completely illogical and even frightening move? A leap of faith. Total trust required. Thank God He not only gives us the directive, He strengthens our faith to obey.

Next time you are faced with a challenge - witnessing to a friend, giving sacrificially, or stepping out of your comfort zone in any direction - remember Elijah. God put Elijah into some frightening, impossible, even absurd situations, but He never left him alone to face the outcome. Neither will He desert us.

“Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done…”

~CS Lewis -from a letter “To Mrs. L.”