Why Believe in Creation?

Why Believe in Creation?

By Jennifer Lee Bartlett

2005

(Links may be broken)

Scientists are discovering that the theory of evolution just doesn’t hold up to modern scientific discoveries.  Because of this, the theory of Intelligent Design is being considered more seriously in the scientific realm. This theory states that life did not evolve; but instead was created by an intelligent designer. Although many scientists will not call the designer “God,” more are being persuaded by the evidence that mere chance could not possibly account for the magnitude of finely tuned conditions required for life, or for the intricate complexity found in the design of even the most “simple” life forms.

What follows is a simple introduction to some of the evidence for creation.  Links to sources may be found at the bottom.

What about the Big Bang?

Where did all the stuff in the universe come from?

Evolutionists believe that all the matter in the universe was once compressed into a tiny dot, which then exploded, but they don’t know how it got there.  The first law of thermodynamics says that there is always the same amount of matter/energy in the universe.  Evolutionists interpret this law by assuming that matter has always existed.  Many evolutionists believe that matter is all that exists, so although they understand that everything needs a cause for existing, they don't want to trace the beginning of the universe to a Cause outside of matter itself, so they settle for the assumption that there never was a beginning.  

 Genesis 1:1-2 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.” John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” 

We believe that God is spirit. He doesn’t require a beginning because He is not “matter.” He doesn’t conform to physical laws because He exists outside of them. In fact, God is the source of all physical laws and He created everything in the universe.  He is the ultimate "Cause" for all that is, ever was, or ever will be.

How did everything spread out into the immeasurable universe we have today?

Evolutionists don’t know how or why the matter in the tiny dot exploded.  

In Genesis 1:2, we saw “darkness on the face of the deep” until in verse 3 God said, “‘Let there be light’; and there was light.” God spoke light into existence, and this was on the first day of creation, before the sun, moon and stars were created on day 4. Isaiah 42:5 says, “Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out...”

The material that the earth and space are made of was apparently created in Genesis 1:1. Although it doesn’t specifically say how God did it, everything was made simply by His speaking it into existence (except for man, whom God formed by hand). We know that sound makes waves. When God spoke, it caused waves to travel in all directions, and this may very well have been what caused the universe to begin to expand.

The conservation of angular momentum

Evolutionists believe that all the matter in that tiny dot was spinning really fast when it exploded, but the fact that many planets and galaxies spin in completely different directions defies the physical law of the conservation of angular momentum.

The best way to illustrate the conservation of angular momentum is to consider a merry-go-round that is spinning clockwise. If some kids are on the merry-go-round and it is spinning so fast that the kids fly off of it, they will fly off spinning clockwise. (Thanks to Kent Hovind for this illustration; his website is listed below.)

The simplest explanation for the fact that galaxies and planets don’t all spin in the same direction is that God set them all in motion that way for His purpose (which was probably so the big bang theory wouldn’t make any sense).

Evidence for a young earth

The earth is slowing down!

According to the second law of thermodynamics, everything is winding down.  Although the speed at which the earth spins is in constant flux due to the changes in the gravitational pulls from the moon and other planets as the earth moves along its orbit around the sun, the earth's rotation is slowing down.  (See http://www.creation-answers.com/slowing.htm for more detailed information.)  The logical inverse of this is that the earth used to be spinning faster.  Those who are inclined to try to fit the theory of evolution into the biblical account of creation often suggest that the length of the days in which the earth was created may have been different than it is now, allowing for the possibility of millions of years to elapse in the course of a few days.  However, in light of the fact that the rotation of the earth is slowing down, if there ever has been a significant difference in the length of a day, it has been shorter, not longer!  This flies in the face of the evolutionist's argument.  The theory of evolution cannot operate within the framework of the biblical account of creation.  According to Genesis, God created sea creatures and birds on day 5, and He created land animals and man on day 6.

Where is all the moon dust?

When scientists were building the first spacecraft that was to land on the moon, they assumed there would be a very thick layer of dust on the surface of the moon, due to erosion over eons of time, so they constructed the spacecraft with long legs to allow it to sink into the dust. They were very surprised when the spacecraft landed in only about an inch of dust.

There isn’t a lot of dust on the surface of the moon because the moon hasn’t been there for billions of years.

What about the Grand Canyon?

Evolutionists believe that it took millions of years for all the strata in the Grand Canyon to be laid down. Evidence contradicts this idea.

There are very straight horizontal lines present in the layers of the Grand Canyon. If millions of years had passed, these strata would have eroded, leaving very uneven layers.

If the Colorado River were responsible for carving out such an immense canyon, there would be a huge pile of dirt at the delta of the Colorado River, and it simply isn’t there!

Neither of these issues present a problem for us; we believe the worldwide flood mentioned in Genesis was responsible for carving the huge canyon in a fairly short amount of time, and that as the sediments settled, they formed the straight layers found in the walls of the canyon.

What about the population of the earth?

If the earth were really billions of years old, as evolutionists believe, many more people (not to mention animals) would be living on the earth right now, and there would be many more bones littering the earth’s surface than what we see today.

The current population on the earth can be traced back to approximately 4,000 years ago, when there were only 8 people left on the earth at the time of the Biblical flood.

What do fossils tell us?

Evolutionists use the “geologic column” to determine how old fossils are.The “geologic column” originated around 1830 in an attempt to support Darwin’s theory of evolution. It claims to date fossils by the layers of earth within which they are found; those in the lower layers are presumed to be the oldest. However, nowhere on earth is there known to be a representation of all the layers, nor can it be proven that it took millions of years for these layers to have been laid down. Furthermore, scientists today use the geologic column to date the layer of earth in which a fossil is found. This is not science! Dating the fossil by the rock and the rock by the fossil is circular reasoning. The geologic column itself is a figment of an evolutionist’s imagination, and the dates assigned to each layer in the column do not rely on scientific evidence.

Fossils have been found in multiple layers of rock.  This would suggest either that the parts of the animal found in the lower strata are significantly older than the parts found in the upper strata (NONSENSE!) or that the layers were formed simultaneously, which we might expect would occur as the sediments from the flood were laid down.

Rock layers can be laid down all at once, as when a jar of dirt and water are shaken and left to settle for a few minutes. The dirt settles in straight layers, based on the kind of material within it, and most of the larger organic matter settles toward the top.  Try it yourself and see!

Science supports the Bible

There is an incredible amount of evidence to support the assertion that the earth is young.

This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg!  Study it out for yourself and weigh all the evidence. You’ll see that it takes more faith to believe in evolution than in the biblical account of creation.

For more information on the wealth of evidence supporting the biblical account of creation, check out these links:

Catie Frates, Author, Biblical Scientific Creationist, Creation Science Speaker and High School Teacher www.catiefrates.com

Creation Expeditions, a ministry that specializes in providing opportunities for kids to experience creation science through hands-on fossil excavation www.creationexpeditions.org

Kent Hovind's ministry, Creation Science Evangelism, “showing how science actually gives glory to God by supporting the Biblical account of creation.” www.drdino.com

Six Day Creation, Charlie Liebert's Creation Science Resources www.sixdaycreation.com

Institute for Creation Research, “a Christ focused Creation ministry where science and the Bible are fully integrated;” be sure to check out the many articles accessible through the Back to Genesis, Impact Articles, and Publications links on their website's main menu www.icr.org

Center for Scientific Creation, the online edition of In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood (7^th Edition) by Dr. Walt Brown www.creationscience.com

The Creation Research Society, a professional organization of trained scientists and interested laypersons who are firmly committed to scientific special creation www.creationresearch.org

A Quest for Creation Answers, a site that focuses on the interrelatedness of the sun, moon and earth cycles www.creation-answers.com

Cookie's Miraculous Party

Cookie's Miraculous Party

by Jennifer Lee Bartlett

1994, Revised 2003

Once upon a time, there was a chocolate chip cookie who lived by herself in an enormous cookie jar made of thick glass. This gave Cookie an excellent view of the kitchen. To the right, she could see the distant skyscraping refrigerator and the yellow tile road that led to her house. To the left, there was a huge sink filled with crystal clear water. Through the back of her house she could see the floral garden of wallpaper with its rows upon rows of the loveliest pink and yellow roses; and standing at the front of the jar, she could look into the valley far below the cliff edge of the countertop. Cookie was surrounded by beauty. She even had a sunroof in her cookie jar; but she was not happy.

"I wish I had someone to share all this with," she mused. "I know I should probably be thankful for what I have, but I can’t help feeling lonely. What I need are some friends."  Cookie looked out toward the skyscraper and off in the distance, she saw a group of various fruits playing. "If I could just get them to notice me," she thought, "maybe they would come play with me."

Cookie began to dance. Slowly, at first, for her heart was heavy. But as she moved gracefully through the jar, she was overcome with joy at the thought that someone might actually see her and come to be her friend. She twirled and leaped and spun around and around, back and forth in her jar, occasionally glancing toward the fruit to see if she had caught their attention. The banana and the apple were playing a game of tag, but off to the side, sitting alone, away from the others, was an orange. She saw Cookie first.

"Hey, look!" she cried to her friends. "What’s that over there?" She pointed toward the distant cookie jar and the others stood still for a moment to see for themselves.

"Kinda looks like a cookie dancing," said Banana. "So what?"

"Tag! You’re it, Banana," said Apple, and they began their game again.

"Well, I’m going to get a closer look," said Orange, and so she rolled down the yellow tile road toward the cookie jar.

Cookie was becoming breathless from all the dancing, and had almost given up when she saw Orange rolling toward her. She was so excited that a new burst of energy overtook her and she began jumping and bouncing for joy. She quickly ran to the edge of the glass to greet Orange, who was now within shouting distance.

"Hey!" she called. "Would you like to come play with me?"

Orange didn’t have to think twice. She was a little bored with the same old games Banana and Apple liked to play. "I’d love to," she replied. "Where’s the door?"

"Up there," said Cookie, pointing to the opening in her roof. Then as Cookie looked back at Orange, she realized there was a big problem. Cookie slumped against the side of her jar. "Oh no! How are you going to get in? Oh, I’ll never have anyone come play with me! My door is too high for anyone to reach." Cookie began to cry.

"Now, now. Don’t get upset," urged Orange. "I’m sure we can come up with something. Just let me think for a minute."

She studied the cookie jar carefully and looked all around until her gaze landed on her friends down the yellow tile road, who were still playing tag. "Maybe my friends can help. I’ll be right back."  Orange rolled away, and when she got to where her friends were playing she explained the situation to them.

"Oh, that’s so sad," said Apple. "I’d love to help, but what could we possibly do?"

"Well, I’m not sure, but I can’t just turn my back on Cookie now. I’ve got to find a way in," said Orange.

"Alright," said Banana. "Let’s go on over there. Maybe a closer look will give us some ideas." With that, the three of them headed for the cookie jar.

When they arrived at the jar, they saw Cookie lying on the floor. She had cried herself to sleep. "We probably shouldn’t wake her until we come up with a way to get in," said Orange, so they all sat down to think. Banana started to rock up and down on his back, since this was the position he could best think in. Orange and Apple studied the jar and its surroundings to see what they could use to climb to the top.

After a few minutes, Apple got bored, so she jumped on Banana, which completely distracted him, and they began their game of tag again. Orange was annoyed at first and mumbled to herself, "Apple jumping on Banana like that...how completely childish." Then the idea hit her like an apple from a tree.

"Of course!" She cried. Banana and Apple stopped their game to listen, and Cookie began to stir and perk up. Orange had everyone’s attention.

"Is there hope?" Cookie asked. She looked pleadingly at Orange.

"Yes," said Orange triumphantly. "Apple just jumped on Banana and I got this idea. If I were to sit on one end of Banana and Apple jumped on the other end of him, he could catapult me in through your sunroof!" Then she looked at Banana and Apple and said more quietly, "That is, if they wouldn’t mind."

"I wouldn’t mind," said Apple.

"I wouldn’t either," said Banana. "Of course, I do see a couple of problems with that plan. Orange, if you ever wanted to leave again, you’d be stuck inside, and if Apple and I wanted to join you, provided we were invited, of course, we would be stuck outside."

"You’re all welcome, of course," said Cookie, "but I believe it will take an act of God to bring us all together."

"I think you’re right," said Orange. "We should pray about it."

"That’s a good idea, Orange," said Apple.

"Count me in," said Banana.

"I don’t know why I never thought of it before," said Cookie.

So Orange led the prayer. "Dear God, I ask that you show us a way for Cookie to join us so she won’t be lonely anymore. In Jesus’ name, amen."

"Amen," said everyone, then they all just stood around, staring at each other, waiting for something to happen.

"Well, it was worth a try," Banana said after a few minutes. "Sorry it didn’t work out. I guess I’ll go home now."

With that, he started heading down the yellow tile road, back toward the skyscraper. But before he even seemed to move, a huge disc guided by a very large hand came out of the sky and landed right in front of him, blocking his way. Banana was struck with fear and awe. Just a moment later and it might have landed on him! Everyone watched as the giant hand glided back into the sky and disappeared. Then their gazes returned to the huge disc in the middle of the road.

"What is that?" asked a very puzzled Apple.

"I don’t know," said Orange. "Let’s go find out." Then she said to Cookie, "This may be our answer, although I don’t see how."

The three fruits gathered around the huge disc to get a closer look. It appeared to be a plate, and gathered near the edge were several strands of spaghetti who were spattered with some sort of red stuff, and they looked very weak and limp.

"This is supposed to be our answer to prayer?" scoffed Banana. "How can bums like this possibly help us?"

"Be nice, Banana!" Apple said sharply. "Even if they can’t help us, they still have feelings!"

"Yeah, and maybe they need our help," said Orange.

Banana looked toward the spaghetti strands and mumbled, "Sorry, guys. That wasn’t very nice of me, was it?"

The longest strand slowly shrugged. "We have been through worse," he said.

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" asked Orange. "Do you need anything?"

"Well, if I could just have a nice, cool bath, I’d feel a lot better," said Long Strand. Nods of agreement moved through the spaghetti. "Only problem is, none of us knows how to swim. We’d drown in the sink."

"I know how to swim," Apple said cheerfully. "I’d be glad to let you ride safely on my back while I do some laps. If you tie yourself to my stem, you could just float behind me and you wouldn’t even have to do any work!"

And so, one by one, Apple gave each strand of spaghetti a ride through the sink, so they all got clean and refreshed. As they were sitting near the jar, drying off, Orange explained Cookie’s dilemma to the spaghetti. "So you see," she said, "Banana and Apple could catapult me into the jar, but then I could never go home again, and everyone else would be stuck outside."

"Hmm," mumbled Long Strand, as he looked at Cookie and then up to her door. "I see your problem. You’ve been in there all alone for a long time, haven’t you, Cookie?"

"Yes," she tearfully replied. My brothers and sisters were taken away a long time ago and I have been here all alone ever since." She sighed. "You know, Long Strand, you and the rest of the spaghetti would be more than welcome to join us if we can ever find a way to get you all in here."

"Or you out," said Orange. "But hey, I believe the spaghetti WAS the answer to our prayer!"

"Huh?" Long Strand hadn’t even known they had prayed, much less that he and his fellow spaghetti might be an answer to prayer.

"Yeah, Orange," said Banana. "What are you talking about?"

"Well," she said, "Long Strand was able to hold on to Apple while she swam around, right?"

"Right," everyone agreed.

"And Apple could be catapulted into the jar just as easily as I could, right?"

"Right."

"So, what if we tie all the spaghetti together and tie Long Strand to Apple’s stem, then I jump on Banana and we’ll catapult Apple into the jar. Cookie can wrap herself in the spaghetti, and since some of the spaghetti will be left hanging out of the jar, Banana and I can pull them until both Apple and Cookie are free!"

"Wow, Orange!" cried Cookie. "What a great idea!"

"Yeah!" said Apple. "Then we can have a party!"

"Hooray!" shouted Cookie. "I can go outside! And I have lots of new friends!"

"Yay!" shouted everyone. "Hooray!"

The spaghetti began to tie itself together and Long Strand took hold of Apple’s stem once again. Apple rested on Banana and Orange jumped on his other end, sending Apple and the spaghetti into the cookie jar. Cookie wrapped herself in the spaghetti, and Banana and Orange pulled them out of the jar, and they tumbled unharmed to the countertop below.

Suddenly, the giant hand came back out of the sky and took the plate where the spaghetti had been. Everyone watched as it glided to the sink, where the plate sank into the water, and the hand disappeared back into the sky.

"It looks like you guys saved our lives," said Long Strand. "How can we ever repay you?"

"You already have," said Cookie.

"Definitely," Orange agreed. "Now let’s party!"

The fruit, the cookie and the spaghetti danced and played together for hours, and remained friends for a long time.

And so, the prayer was answered. God used everyone to bring about His will, and everyone was better off than they had even imagined possible, because God "...is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us." (Eph. 3:20, NKJV)

THE END

Disclaimer: Any resemblance of the characters in this story to those found in a certain vegetable-related series is purely coincidental, as I had no knowledge of said vegetables or their yellow tile countertop at the time of this writing, but was in fact inspired by my own yellow tile countertop and kitchen layout.

Elements of the Christian Worldview

The Christian Worldview

Essay for Midterm Exam

by Jennifer Lee Bartlett

March 12, 2005

The Christian worldview is shaped by (and affects) the following:

1. Theology, which has the strongest influence on a person’s worldview, as compared to the other elements. This view entails being theistic, as opposed to atheistic or agnostic. Christianity is one of the “3 great religions,” (the other two are Judaism and Islam), and it implies the belief that God is a personal being (self-aware and capable of relationship), omni-benevolent (the highest degree of all that is good), omniscient (knowing all that is or could be), omnipotent (capable of doing anything logically possible), and omnipresent (if by this one means that He is spiritually involved in everything that is, rather than that He is physically located everywhere). God, as viewed by Christians, is also triune; He is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who are three distinct persons yet are inseparable in one Godhead.

2. Cosmology, which defines where we came from and the nature of the universe. Christians believe that God is Spirit (mind), and that He is the Creator of all that exists (or ever did), creating out of nothing (ex nihilo). God did not require a cause, as did everything that has been created (matter); He simply IS, as His name, I AM, implies. He providentially cares for His creation (with a particular interest in mankind) and sustains the conditions that make life possible. He is both the external Being and the imminent, involved Provider in the universe. In short, this view states that God (mind) gave rise to matter.

3. Ethics, which include one’s criteria for determining right and wrong. Christians define their ethics in terms of God’s standards, primarily. Although other factors can influence a Christian’s sense of right and wrong (such as man’s laws, parental teaching and example, and other constraints of society), the Word of God is the source and guidebook for making moral decisions. The glory of God is the highest good.

4. Anthropology, which is the view of what man consists of (mind, matter or a combination of these), the belief regarding his moral potential, and his end. As previously stated, Christians believe that God (mind) caused matter, which includes man, but man is more than the “stuff” of which he is made. He is or possesses a soul and/or spirit - his personality, ability to reason and his will - which is eternal in nature and therefore will exist beyond the death of the body. Christianity sees man as depraved, inherently evil due to the sin nature he inherited from Adam, and has no hope apart from God’s divine grace and mercy, which He offers through faith in Christ, leading to everlasting life in heaven. Rejection of Christ leads to man’s eternal separation from God (the epitome of good), in hell.


5. Epistemology, which is the definition of knowledge and the belief regarding how it is obtained. Christians have the most solid basis for obtaining knowledge because of the belief that we have been designed to know and that God is capable of communicating truth to us (revelation). He has done this by coming to earth in the flesh (Jesus reveals the Father) and by imparting to us the holy scriptures, which communicate God’s nature, His will and His wisdom, which we may then apply to our lives. Knowledge then, is that which we believe based on evidence and on the reasoning ability God has given us. It is worth noting that sin has affected our ability to reason, so we must take into account that we are capable of error and therefore must rely on God’s Word and His grace to compensate for this.

Review of "Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament"

Old Testament Chart Book Review

by Jennifer Lee Bartlett

December 5, 2004

Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament by John H. Walton. Zondervan, 1994, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This book of charts is very helpful as one studies the Old Testament. The book is divided into four units: Sections of the Canon, the Ancient Near East, Bible Study and Miscellaneous.

The first unit, Sections of the Canon, begins with a chart comparing the English arrangement and classification of the books of the Old Testament with the Hebrew canon. What follows is a series of charts relating the genealogies and attributes of Israel’s patriarchs, judges and kings; the events, religious occasions and laws established; and military victories and defeats. Also included are the classifications of the Psalms and prophetic oracles.

In the second unit, entitled “The Ancient Near East, we are given a timeline that begins with the Mesolithic period (which supposedly corresponds to 10,000 B.C.), including no historical details from this period (as this would pre-date creation), and continues throughout the history of Israel to the end of the era of Persian control in 332 B.C. What follows is a breakdown of this timeline into sections corresponding to their geographical locations. Included in these charts are lists of kings and the highlights of the major kingdoms featured in the Old Testament. These include: Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia and Israel’s smaller enemy neighbors. Next is a series of charts which include a chronology of Intertestamental rulers; major inscriptions and tablets of Old Testament significance; archeological periods (overlapping the information provided in the previously mentioned timeline) and the weapons used throughout each age. Ancient literature containing creation and flood accounts, as well as other documents, are compared to the Old Testament; then a description of pagan deities is given, with a comparison to Israel’s theology. To conclude this unit, a chart presents the format of Hittite treaties, and it relates how biblical covenants are given using this format. This is followed by a list of known legal Sumerian, Akkadian and Hittite texts.

The third unit, entitled “Bible Study,” begins with an overview for interpreting scripture in general. First, there is a chart presenting a tree of the Semitic language family. The unit continues with a chronology of manuscripts and various versions of the Old Testament, a list of errors thought to be cause for the criticism of biblical texts, and a chart explaining how the texts developed. Next, we see a chart containing the principles for word studies, and another chart listing the forms of critical analogies. Here, the focus shifts to the more specific issues of theories on creation and speculation regarding the identity of the “sons of God” mentioned in Genesis 6:1-2. As there are varying theories regarding the dating of the early events of the Old Testament as well, the next chart and two more later in this unit, contain models for dating the patriarchs, the migration to Egypt and the events which follow in the Old Testament. There is a chart relating evidence for and against a universal flood, one concerning the fate of Jephthah’s daughter, and several conveying the varying views of elements of the visions of Daniel and other prophets. There are also charts in which references are made in the Old Testament to: the Messiah, “the Angel of the Lord,” Satan, the Ark of the Covenant, and the “Spirit of the Lord,” (as God empowered men for leadership or prophecy). This unit concludes with a chart that shows with whom and how God made His covenants.

The final unit of this book, entitled “Miscellaneous,” contains charts which convey distances and measurements. The final chart in this section contains information on the rabbinical writings.


Overall, this collection of charts is very complementary to the study of the Old Testament. Seeing the information in chart format makes the comparison of points clearer than trying to extrapolate them from the text itself. It will continue to serve as a valuable resource throughout my lifelong study of the Old Testament.

Why Study History from the Bible?

Written 2005; revised 2014

History is a puzzle. No one alive today witnessed the happenings of 150 years ago and beyond, so we must rely on the fragments of evidence left by people throughout history to piece together the true picture of the past.

Let me pause here to say that there are those who say that there is no absolute truth, and to these individuals I would offer that there is no room for doubt about certain facts. Wood comes from trees; rocks are inorganic; proteins are made up of strings of amino acids; 1 + 1 = 2 and so on. To suggest otherwise is a semantics game. There is such a thing as truth. It is that which is real, not fictional, past or present.  It may even be possible to discern how and by or with whom it transpired, with probabilities filling in the gaps when empirical evidence is silent.

My personal goal of studying history is to discover the truth about our common heritage: to discover how people of past ages lived, thought and created, and to do this alongside my children, in the hope of beginning to grasp God’s purpose for it all.

As we go through the Bible, I approach the study of history from a Christian worldview. I take the Bible at face value and therefore interpret historical data through the lens of scripture. Those in opposition to the biblical account (particularly the six-day creation) tend to interpret history through the lens of evolutionary theory, which has presented its case for the necessity of billions of years to have gone by in order to reach our current state of evolution.  Rocket science aside, time is actually the enemy of evolution. This is due to the tendency for things to wear out over time, or to go from a state of order to disorder, as stated in the second law of thermodynamics. As a result of this and other wrenches in the monkey theory, previously militant evolutionists are coming to the rational conclusion that life is the product of Intelligent Design. I choose to call the Designer "God," and there is a wealth of evidence to indicate that the Holy Bible is His inspired and inerrant Word.

I didn‘t always believe the Bible was true. In fact, I was a rather proud and foolish atheist. I wore a little button pin that said, “God is dead and I want his job.” Never mind the paradox! I enjoyed engaging “weak-minded Christians” in debate, using all the classic questions, such as, “If God is good, why did he create evil?” and “If the earth is only a few thousand years old, why can we see starlight from billions of light years away?” (Russell Humphreys has a very well-thought-out answer for this phenomenon in Starlight and Time.) Somehow, those I asked never seemed to have satisfactory answers to my questions; it was always the “take it by faith” argument, which hardly satisfied the rational curiosity in me. Maybe that’s why I have such a passion to find the answers to difficult questions like these. Granted, I’ll never know a fraction of all there is to know, but I long to be able to answer the skeptics with something solid, not mere speculation, and not just for the sake of debate. There is a place for faith; we cannot please God without it! But at some point before the light comes on, the switch must be flipped, and the mind has to embrace truth.  It strengthens my own faith to see concrete evidence for what I believe, and I can't help but desire to lead others into a more complete understanding of the truth.

So it is with confidence and excitement that I approach history through the Bible. Day 1: God created the heavens and the earth and said, “Let there be light.” I believe that. I buy the whole thing about Critters on the ark; Israelites delivered from slavery in Egypt; David and Goliath; Jonah in the belly of the big fish; Jesus walking on water, His death, resurrection and His promised return to earth to reign as King for 1000 years. I buy the whole thing because it all fits together perfectly. It’s never been proven wrong, it stands up to reason, and it dramatically changed my entire life. I buy into the historical facts, the doctrinal teachings and the sometimes rather painful implications for my own life, from the mundane “Wives, submit to your husbands,“ (about those dishes in the sink…) to the profound possibility that I may one day die for my faith.


I continue to study the scriptures and other historical documents, imparting to my children what I have learned, and I continue to learn right alongside them. We keep all our notes, drawings and discoveries in a history notebook, which we love to look at together, and look forward to adding to for years to come.

A Right Relationship with Authority

Originally written 11-11-2004

The Bible says in Romans 13:1-5, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.” (NKJV) So we should submit to authority both for our own well-being, and simply because it is the RIGHT thing to do.

As we saw in Romans 13, those in authority are God’s ministers to bring about good for those who do good and to bring God’s wrath on those who do evil. We as Christians, are expected to submit or to “be subject” to authority, because all authority is appointed and ordained by God Himself. The authority spoken of in this passage is that of the state; those responsible for establishing and enforcing the laws of the land. There may come a time when it is necessary to break man’s law in order to fulfill God‘s will, such as when Daniel and his friends disobeyed the laws of their government in order to fulfill the laws of God, but there really is no other justification for disobeying the governing authorities. Probably not even to get to church on time.

So let’s talk for a moment about what it means to be subject, or to submit. The American Heritage Dictionary says that to submit is “to yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.”(1)

Rick Warren, in his widely circulated book, The Purpose Driven Life, captures the response we often have to the idea of surrender. He says, “Surrender evokes the unpleasant images of admitting defeat in battle, forfeiting a game, or yielding to a stronger opponent.” He continues, “We would rather talk about winning, succeeding, overcoming, and conquering than yielding, submitting, obeying, and surrendering.” (p. 77) Our will is at stake here; we are by nature self-serving and self-preserving. Why would we want to give up our autonomy, the control over our own lives? Because surrender is the key that opens the door to God’s favor, and without it, His blessings of protection and provision are limited or withheld completely. Since God ordained all other authority, when we submit to that authority out of obedience to God, it is really God to whom we are surrendering, and as Rick Warren states, “Surrendering to God is the heart of worship.”

Implicit in the concept of surrender and submission is obedience. Without obedience, there is no real submission. In fact, disobedience is rebellion. It seems elementary, but I wanted to develop this idea thoroughly before we move on, because we’re going to build on it later.

I want to say briefly here also, so that God receives the glory even for our surrender, that it is God Himself who enables us to surrender to Him. Ephesians 1:3-5 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons [or daughters, as the case may be] by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved” (my emphasis).

So now that we have stated that God is our ultimate authority and that our submission to the authorities He established is essential and beneficial, and we’ve covered the fact that our government exists to protect us and to execute God’s justice, let’s look now at some of the other authority figures God has set into place in our lives.

We’ll start with parents, and specifically fathers. It has been said that our relationship with our earthly father determines how we perceive our heavenly Father. (3) I can’t give you chapter and verse on that, but it does seem to hold true. Those who have had a strong, loving father figure present in their lives tend to view God as a benevolent, loving and forgiving God, whereas those who have had a distant or dysfunctional relationship with their fathers tend to see God as harsh, distant or unloving. It can be difficult to overcome these preconceived ideas we have about God, but we must learn to trust the Bible to give us an accurate picture of His character, and let ourselves be transformed by the renewing of our minds as we meditate on His word.

It is very likely that at least some of us may not have had ideal relationships with our parents, and so submission to these authority figures may not have been or be an easy thing to do. In fact, submission isn’t easy, even when our authorities are benevolent, simply because we often want to govern ourselves. However, as we look at God’s commands to honor our parents, we see a blessing that accompanies our obedience: long life, or preservation. Earlier I mentioned that we are by nature self-preserving. It would seem logical then, to submit to our parents’ authority for the sake of preserving our lives, but when we’re young, we don’t often consider the long-term consequences of our actions. Yet if we can trust that God really does have our best interests in mind, we can more easily obey Him, even when His commands don’t seem to make sense to us. We can build our faith in His love for us by staying grounded in the Word, reading the Bible every day and asking God to help us to apply His word to our lives. “For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God,” according to Romans 10:17.

Now, granted, some of us are no longer living under our parents’ roof; in fact, some may have parents who have passed away. We can still apply the principle of honoring our parents by showing respect for them, even if we are no longer living with them. For example, we can speak kindly to them even when we disagree and are no longer under obligation to obey them. We can and I believe the Bible teaches that we should, care for them when they are older and unable to care for themselves. Some would dispute just how obligated we are; whether or not nursing homes are a good idea and so on…that’s open for the leading of the Holy Spirit in my limited understanding, but at the very least, we are to make a provision for their care, according to I Tim. 5:8, which says, “ But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Another way to honor our parents is to speak well of them to others, even if they‘re not around anymore. Even deeper than this is to actually have a good attitude about them, despite their frailties. As Prov. 10:12 says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins.” Parents are not perfect people; we can probably all think of something about ourselves we’d like to blame our parents for, and while it is true that our environment does play a role in shaping who we are, we are not bound to our past, especially if we are living in the forgiveness of Christ. 

According to II Cor. 5:17, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Harboring resentment toward our parents robs us of the blessings of forgiveness, both because of the bitterness we continue to feel and more importantly, because our unforgiveness toward others seals off God’s forgiveness toward us. As it says in the Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” What a dreadful thing it would be for us to be denied God’s forgiveness because of our bitterness and resentment toward another, whether it‘s our parents, another relative, a friend or an enemy. Rom. 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

Well, let’s look now at another authority figure God would have us submit to. This is a very unpopular topic, and it may seem at first not to apply to some here, but as we find it in God’s word, it is worthy of study. In both Eph. 5:22 and in Col. 3:18, we are told, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:23 continues, “For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.” If you’re like me, your initial reaction is, “Ugh!“ But before I ever met my husband, the Lord made this principle very clear to me. I didn’t like it; it didn’t sound fun to me; I have never appreciated being told what to do; I have a mind of my own, thank you…however, by grace, I trusted that if God wanted me to submit to my husband, He would bless me with a VERRRRRRY special man. He’d have to be spectacular for me to be able to set aside my own will, amen? But that is God’s design for marriage. We need to come to terms with the fact that God made Adam first, and then he made Eve for Adam. She was his helper, not the other way around, although there are definitely some benefits to be gained through our obedience. Peace, above all. So young ladies, don’t ever settle on a man you don’t trust enough to obey. If you do, you might just regret it for the rest of your life. As for those who are married, we are all probably at varying degrees of struggling with this issue, although some simply refuse to accept the idea of submission at all. If you’ve got it down and it’s a piece of cake for you, we need to talk!

Since I began preparing this message, I have seen God do some very interesting things in this area in our home. I discovered recently that I am so belligerent I will argue for a good, solid 30 minutes about whether or not the dish soap should be put under the sink when we’re done with it. But you know what? I think God wants me to see that sometimes it’s okay to be wrong, even if I’m right. You know, for the sake of peace, just go ahead and swallow that last word I always want to get out there. My husband and I could have gone to absolute war over the color he wanted to paint our house a couple of years ago. I told him I didn’t like the color he picked; in fact, I think I said “anything but that” but he went ahead and painted the house with it anyway. I bit my tongue really hard, so to speak. I figured peace was more important than paint, and do you know, he decided he didn’t like it either? He repainted the whole house a different color; one that didn’t make me cringe. Then I had to fight the temptation to say, “I told you so.” I’m not so sure I did too well with that. I know I’ve brought it up at least once. But I remember that I didn’t let the color of the paint interfere with our relationship, and I would do really well to keep remembering that.

Young ladies, that special man God may have lined up for you is human, and no matter how wonderful you may think he is before you marry him, once you’re hitched, you will see all his faults. Be prepared for that rude awakening by understanding now that love is a choice, not a feeling. That soupy, syrupy, giddy feeling is a lot of fun but it’s an emotion, and emotions CHANGE. If you base your relationship on your feelings, you’ll be divorced in a heartbeat. My first year of marriage was not marital bliss; it was marital blisters. Even though I had a solid understanding that I was to submit to my husband, I resisted his will constantly…ok, I still do, I just come around faster now. My way is always better…until I give in and then, what do you know, the man has sense! (At least, sometimes.) And even when he doesn’t, at least there is peace between us. The biggest consolation the Bible offers us in regard to submission to our husbands is that in the same passage in Ephesians 5:25-33, husbands have a command from the Lord as well. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." (My emphasis) This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” So, see…he has to love me at least as much as he loves himself, and he’s supposed to nourish and cherish me, so I don’t have it so bad. And God can sort it all out if he’s not doing what he should.

Another very important factor which applies to friendship as well as marriage can be found in II Cor. 6:14, which says, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?” For the unmarried, this is the most important thing to remember when you’re interested in a guy. No matter what other good qualities he may have, if you’re a Christian and he’s not, your relationship will never bring the satisfaction and fulfillment the Lord would have you experience, unless by His grace and mercy, he comes to know the Lord too. If Jesus is central in your life, He should be central in your husband’s life so that you can build your marriage on that firm foundation. If you‘re already married to an unbeliever, you are under no condemnation; your marriage vow is binding, but you probably see the wisdom of this admonition firsthand. Even friendships with unbelievers can do more damage to your faith than you can do good for theirs. Jesus called us to be separate from the world. To live in the world but not to be of the world. There is nothing like the wrong friends to sabotage a Christian’s walk with God. I Cor. 15:33 says, “Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits.” Share your faith with others, but don’t become like them just to gain the opportunity to share the gospel, and don’t compromise your principles so that people will like you more. You’re accountable to God for what you do, and you will answer to Him for how you deal with people. The central verse in the whole Bible is Prov. 118:8, which says, “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.”

Another very important principle which applies to friendship, marriage and also family relationships is found in Eph. 4:26 & 27. “"Be angry, and do not sin": do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.” Now there are a couple of things in this verse to look at. The first is “be angry and do not sin.” The implication here is that you can be angry without sinning. Jesus was angry when he drove the moneychangers out of the temple. They were robbing God’s people and making them dread going to worship the Lord. This was righteous indignation, not selfish, prideful rage. In the same way, we may be righteously indignant toward an offense that flies in the face of God. It’s okay for parents to be irked when their children disobey, but how they handle their anger is the issue here. To discipline a child, even with what the Bible calls the “rod,” can be a good thing if the motivation for it is love, but many times, parents find it difficult to separate their emotions from their disciplinary actions, and this can produce a fearful child, but not necessarily a wise one. If discipline is administered without violence, with a calm explanation of the logical consequences for disobedience, and followed by a reassurance of the parent’s love for the child, the very need for discipline becomes much less frequent because the child is more likely to respond favorably to it. Let me say here that there was a time when I didn’t know this, and that made it difficult to live by it. Now, knowing and understanding this principle has helped me to be a better parent, but I’ll be the first to admit that I have not arrived. My biggest struggle is to keep my emotions out of the way of rational discipline. Prov. 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” It doesn’t say, “Yell at a child,” or even “nag a child;” it says, “train up a child,” and this implies consistent redirection and predictable consequences for behavior.

The second part of the verse about anger, which we can apply to all of our relationships is “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” If you go to bed angry, you’ll either wake up angry or you’ll have stored away some resentment to pull out later, and if you go to bed angry often, you probably have a lot of bitterness choking out the word of God and making it unfruitful in your life. Remember, love is a choice, and forgiveness is a byproduct of love. We must resolve to see people through God’s eyes; seeing through their tough exteriors and discerning the pain they may be experiencing which might be behind their hurting words and actions toward us. As we remember what a great debt we ourselves have been forgiven of by our Lord, it becomes much more difficult to harbor resentment toward others.

Well, we’ve looked now at surrendering to God by submitting to the governing authorities, to our parents, and to our husbands, and how we should handle the role of authority ourselves. Let’s look at one final verse about submission in the Word of God. I Peter 5:5-7 says, “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (my emphasis) Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” Here we see that younger people are to respect those with more life experience; in fact, they are encouraged to follow their advice. But the next part, “all of you be submissive to one another” has an even more thought-provoking message. We are to interact with one another as though we are each other’s servants. We should constantly be attentive to the needs of those around us, looking for ways to help and show God’s love, to encourage one another in our faith, and to pray for one another. Our Christian friends are such a blessing from God; they are our very brothers and sisters in Christ, and we can be a blessing in God’s hands to them, as well. We simply need to be available for His use, as a tool or an instrument in His hand, remembering that it is He who receives the glory for anything good that comes out of our lives.

Finally, let’s look at Mark 12:30-31. Jesus said, “"The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." As we submit to Jesus in obedience to these two great commands, we will experience a renewal of our relationship with Him, and with those around us. Let us surrender all to Jesus, and heed the words of Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” I pray that each of you will be inspired to walk in His perfect will, that He might be glorified in your lives.


End Notes
1. The American Heritage Dictionary http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/
2. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. Copyright 2002, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI.
3. Source unknown

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.