Evolution and Christianity Compatible?

On Friday of this last week, The Church of England’s governing body “approved a motion that emphasizes the compatibility of belief in both God and science.” This certainly sounds benign because science is something we usually trust and we live with the benefits of it on a daily basis. However, the article goes on to state that “Dr. Peter Capon, a former computer science lecturer,… urged Christians to take scientific evidence seriously and avoid prejudging science for theological reasons.” That sounds like the discussion has drifted too far for me right there. How can one even say that their faith is their faith if it doesn’t influence how you think and behave? If it doesn’t do so, then it certainly doesn’t have the faith of the one who claims it.

The congregants of The Church of England are reportedly celebrating Evolution Weekend along with other liberal denominations. The weekend occurs in conjunction with Charles Darwin’s birthday and the anniversary of the publication of his book, On the Origin of Species. The author of the article from The Christian Post paints conservative Christians as narrow-minded people who refuse to accept the well-recognized, scientifically-based, facts of evolution, as he sees it. What the writer and those who accept evolution do not seem to understand is that their acceptance of evolution is based on more faith than fact. Actually, it takes more faith, based upon the evidence available, to believe in evolution than it does to believe in creationism as it is accounted in Genesis in the Bible. Further, acceptance of evolution undermines the entire foundation of the Bible and nullifies the rest of the Bible. The coexistence of the two is incompatible. For further study on the topic, check out Answers in Genesis.

The Church of England has one thing right here: science and faith are compatible. The fact of it is that science offers more to reject the hypothesis of evolution than to support it among those who are open-minded enough to consider everything that science has to offer and not just what backs up their desire to not have to acknowledge that there is a Creator. To have to acknowledge that there is a Creator means that one also has to accept that there is an authority higher than ourselves and that is too much for some to have to admit. The creation itself does teach us that there is a Creator (see Romans 1) who created as is written in Genesis.

Celebrating Sin

We recently heard from President Obama in the State of the Union address that he wants to allow homosexuals to serve openly in the military and eliminate “don’t ask, don’t tell” policies put in place by President Clinton and continued by President Bush. The Pentagon plans on making changes already in anticipation of the law being changed by Congress later this year. Just in May of last year, it was reported that the Pentagon had no plans on changing it’s policies. There was either resistance to Obama’s plans or just a facade of it at that time. Obviously, there is openness to complying with Obama’s desires now.

If that’s not enough to please the homosexual groups who helped Obama get elected, now it’s being reported that the Air Force Academy is officially recognizing a worship circle for Neo-Pagans which includes adherents to the Wiccan religion, or witches. The basic moral code for them is the “Wiccan Rede” which states, “If it harms none, do what you will.” Homosexuality is accepted and celebrated in nearly all traditions of this religion which is polytheistic. For other comparisons between Christianity and Wiccans, there is information available to help with understanding.

In these days of perilous trials for many and for our nation that is being threatened from all sides and from all levels, one would think that there would be a greater desire to please God, and not rebel against Him further. People today are not much different than they have ever been. The children of Israel had to learn many hard lessons that come from not following the one true God. Idolatry and promoting sin are not actions that will bring God’s blessings. People need to pray that our leaders will make better decisions and stop this free fall away from God, or we will look back with much regret one day over what our country and our families could have been with a continuance of God’s blessings upon us.

Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (NKJV) reads, “When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God. For these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you, the Lord your God has not appointed such for you.”

“Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10, NIV).

The great news is that God will bless any person, and any nation, that turns from its evil. To continue in 1 Corinthians 6, verse 11 reads, “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” We don’t have to continue down the path away from God: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV).