866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org
________________________
The outcome of a murder trial in a U.S. courtroom requires evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt,” because so much is at stake, and we should require no less on the issue of creation vs. evolution, which has grave consequences that are not only earthly but also eternal.
The Bible claims to be the revelation of God to man, and if the Bible is true, there is an Almighty Creator God and a heaven and a hell; man will live forever in one place or another; and salvation is only through personal faith in Jesus Christ.
This issue is too serious to be decided on the basis of anything other than solid proof that the Bible is not trustworthy, yet no such proof exists. In fact, the critics have been proven wrong time and time and time again.
Charles Darwin said, “The clearest evidence would be requisite to make any sane man believe in the miracles by which Christianity is supported” (The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, edited by Nora Barlow).
Like many others since then, Darwin FALSELY ASSUMED that the “clearest evidence” is lacking. They have falsely assumed that the Bible has been discredited by modern science and by the “higher criticism” of theological liberalism, but the fact is that the modernistic theories have been repeatedly disproven whereas the Bible has been repeatedly authenticated.
Those who have maintained faith in the Bible have never been disappointed.
Consider the situation that existed in 1859 when Darwin published On the Origin of Species. Theological skeptics such as F.C. Baur claimed that the New Testament was not written until a century and more after the events and that it was based on myths that had taken shape as they were handed down by word of mouth for generations. Skeptics claimed that the book of Acts was filled with historical errors. They claimed that writing was not sufficiently developed by Moses’ time for him to have written the early books of the Bible. This view originated with Andrew Wolf and first appeared in 1795 in his Prolegomena to Homer. H. Schultz is an example of the 19th-century skeptics who were promoting Wolf’s doctrine. In Old Testament Theology (Vol. 1, p. 25) Schultz wrote: “The time, of which the pre-Mosaic narrations treat, is a sufficient proof of their legendary character. It was a time prior to all knowledge of writing.”
But it was the critical views that turned out to be mythical, whereas the Bible was authenticated. Those who maintained their trust in the Bible were vindicated.
The critical views about the date when the New Testament was written and about the historical inaccuracies of the book of Acts were decidedly refuted by the renowned archaeologist William Ramsay, among others. As for writing, archaeologists now know that it was developed around 3150 B.C., at the latest, and we have personally seen the evidence for this at many famous libraries and museums. This was was more than 1,500 years before Moses and in fact carries us back to the lifetime of Adam by biblical chronology. Since the late 19th century, archaeologists have discovered that the ancient kingdoms in Egypt and Mesopotamia were literate societies full of schools and libraries. Ancient libraries have been unearthed at Ugarit, Mari, Ur, Ebla, Nippur, Nineveh, and elsewhere. (For documentation of these things see the section of this apologetics course on “Archaeological Treasures.”)
The skeptics were not only wrong about these things; they were terribly wrong.
In spite of this, multitudes have gone out into eternity believing that the Bible is untrustworthy and that evolution is true.
Consider the sad case of Arthur Keith. He was one of the greatest anatomists of the 20th century, but he was duped by the Piltdown hoax. His book The Antiquity of Man treated Piltdown as the preeminent missing link. In his autobiography Keith described attending evangelistic meetings and being on the verge of converting to Christ, but he rejected the gospel because he felt that the Genesis account of creation had been proven to be a myth (Melvin Lubenow, Bones of Contention, p. 59). In reality, the myths were on the side of evolution, and Keith gambled his eternal soul on them. In 1953, he was informed that the Piltdown fossils were a hoax, but by then he was an old man steeped in humanistic rationalism and a “pronounced opponent of the Christian faith.” As far as we know, he went to his grave in that condition. He should have looked at the evidence for the Bible much more carefully and prayerfully. He should not have been so ready to believe what Bible critics and evolutionists taught. The stake is far too high.
I, for one, refuse to stake my eternal destiny on unproven “theories” that are constantly changing. I don’t care if the entire scientific world believes that evolution is true (which is most definitely not the case); they must provide real evidence to support their doctrine, and they have never done this.
_____
About Way of Life - The name “Way of Life” is from Proverbs 6:23: “For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.” The biblical instruction that molds men to God’s will requires reproof. It is not strictly positive. It does not focus on man’s “self-esteem.” It does not avoid controversial or unpopular subjects. It warns as well as comforts. It deals with sin and false teaching in a plain manner. It is reproves, rebukes, exhorts with all longsuffering and doctrine (2 Tim. 4:2). This is what we seek to do through Way of Life Literature. The Way of Life preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. A mail stop is maintained in Port Huron, Michigan.
- Receive these reports by email
- www.wayoflife.org
______________________
Sharing Policy: Much of our material is available for free, such as the hundreds of articles at the Way of Life web site. Other items we sell to help fund our expensive literature and foreign church planting ministries. Way of Life's content falls into two categories: sharable and non-sharable. Things that we encourage you to share include the audio sermons, O Timothy magazine, FBIS articles, and the free eVideos and free eBooks. You are welcome to make copies of these at your own expense and share them with friends and family. You may also post parts of reports and/or entire reports to websites, blogs, etc as long as you give proper credit (citation). A link to the original report is very much appreciated as the reports are frequently updated and/or expanded. Things we do not want copied and distributed are "Store" items like the Fundamental Baptist Digital Library, print editions of our books, electronic editions of the books that we sell, the videos that we sell, etc. The items have taken years to produce at enormous expense in time and money, and we use the income from sales to help fund the ministry. We trust that your Christian honesty will preserve the integrity of this policy. "For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward" (1 Timothy 5:18). Questions? support@wayoflife.org
Goal:Distributed by Way of Life Literature Inc., the Fundamental Baptist Information Service is an e-mail posting for Bible-believing Christians. Established in 1974, Way of Life Literature is a fundamental Baptist preaching and publishing ministry based in Bethel Baptist Church, London, Ontario, of which Wilbert Unger is the founding Pastor. Brother Cloud lives in South Asia where he has been a church planting missionary since 1979. Our primary goal with the FBIS is to provide material to assist preachers in the edification and protection of the churches.
Offering: Offerings are welcome if you care to make one. If you have been helped and/or blessed by our material offerings can be mailed or made online with with Visa, Mastercard, Discover, or Paypal. For information see: www.wayoflife.org/about/makeanoffering.html.
