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Grace Church
257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105

(262) 763-3021

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Pastor Scott Carson

Secretary Patti Hall

PASTOR'S PENS 2003

Grace Church of Burlington September 14, 2003  “What are your kids learning about origins?”             One of the foundational spiritual conflicts of our day is two opposing worldviews:  theism and naturalism. Theism is the belief that there is a transcendent God Who created the universe. Naturalism is the belief that natural causes alone are sufficient to explain everything that exists. The essential questions reflect these two opposing worldviews: Is ultimate reality God and eternity, or is it just nature and this present world? Is there a supernatural realm or is nature all that really exists? Has God spoken and revealed His truth to us, or is truth something that we must discover or even invent for ourselves? Is there a purpose for our lives, or are we just cosmic accidents who have emerged from some primordial slime and drifting through space until we are extinguished?             Sadly, most believers are very naive and believe that they only need to be on the alert in science class. Yet naturalism is taught everywhere. Anyone who has visited Disneyworld has been spoon-fed naturalism in a beautifully animated package. Disney does these wonderful 3-D presentations of how the world began “billions and billions of years ago.” Every museum teaches naturalism in their dinosaur and fossil displays. The time line given as fact is naturalism. Even seemingly benign cartoons or films like Land Before Time and X-Men teach naturalism. One talks about “billions of years ago,” the other about our mutation into a new species. All of this is continually being stated as scientific fact, when it is really science fiction. It’s not science; it’s philosophy and religion. True science deals only with provable and repeatable facts. This is all theory...and not even good theory at that.              Too many assume that the debate is the Bible versus science. That’s incorrect. The debate is really religion versus religion, worldview against worldview. On one side is the naturalistic worldview, claiming that the universe is the product of blind, purposeless forces. On the other side stands the Biblical worldview, telling us that we were created by a transcendent God Who loves us and has a purpose for us. Nature itself is covered with His “fingerprints.” In fact, Creation and the ordered world of nature is one of the most observable arguments for the existence of God. Design always demands a “designer.”             Right now I’m typing this column on a laptop, which is about one foot by eighteen inches. My computer contains phenomenal intelligence (and when it acts up, it even seems to have a will of its own). No one with any degree of sanity would stumble upon a laptop and ask, “Isn’t that neat how that evolved by time and chance?” The guys in the white coats would be called out.                Yet, our world and universe are infinitely more complex and demonstrate design beyond man’s wildest imagination, but foolish folk suggest that it somehow evolved over time plus chance.  The anthropic principle demands a Divine Creator.  The anthropic principle is simply that the physical structure of the universe is exactly what it must be in order to support life. Our world is not a product of chance but intelligent design.             The greatest problem is that our children are continually being taught this myth but it’s packaged as scientific fact. The ultimate one-upmanship is purportedly when someone states, “Well, science says...” Naturalism is not science. It’s religion and it requires tremendous faith. One has to deny the evidence to believe it.             As parents, if we’re not continually engaging our children in dialogue and encouraging them to challenge the false assumptions surrounding them, and to objectively study the facts for themselves, they may become naturalists...even while growing up in the church. They may look at what they are taught on Sunday as myth and fable, much like the tooth fairy or Santa Claus. They may be so overwhelmed by the multitude of loud voices preaching the lie that they miss the still small voice of God and the Truth.             It’s imperative then as parents that we help our children have a reason for their faith. We need to make sure that they know what we believe and why.    Saying, “the Bible says...” is a starting point, we need to have a basis for our faith. As Peter wrote, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15).             Friend, are you a student of the Word? Do you know what you really believe and WHY? Are you helping your children challenge the false philosophies that bombard them? Francis Bacon said, “A little science estranges a man from God. A lot of science brings him back.” Help your children distinguish between scientific fact, which supports the Creation account, and science fiction. A generation is at risk. We must know and share why we believe what we believe!