Creation Weekend- Days 1 and 2

Friday evening began with a presentation by Dr. Terry Mortenson on "Creation or Evolution: Does It Matter?" Terry is a very able and interesting speaker and, along with a very helpful PowerPoint presentation, he led us through the consequences of differing interpretations of the Bible, the incompatibility of evolution with Scripture, and the importance of viewing the world through the Bible (rather than visa versa).

Dr. Mortenson walked through numerous passages of Scripture and masterfully pointed to the inconsitancy of trying to marry the theory of evolution with God's Word. We looked, for instance, at Exodus 20:11:

For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

We observed that, in the Old Testament, the context always dictates the use of the word "day" in the Bible, and that as God gives the 4th of the Ten Commandments He here also reiterates the fact that He, in six literal days, created 'the earth, the sea, and all that in them is." This eliminates the "gap theory," as God clearly says he created everything during the six days of creation (nothing, even the earth, existed previously).

It also puts to rest the "day-age" interpretation of Scripture, because it plainly bases our seven-day, sabbath-based week on the literal seven days with which the earth began.

I especially appreciated the reminder that, every time theologians, Bible teachers, or preachers try to "harmonize" the theory of evolution with the Bible, it is always the Bible which gets manipulated and altered in the process -- while the theory of evolution remains as the touchstone of reality. This is opposite to the worldview which Christians should maintain and contend for.

After Dr. Terry Mortenson, Lasserre Bradley, Jr. spoke on "God That Made the World", from Acts 17:24, in which he contended that viewing God as the Creator changes the way we see 1) God, 2) ourselves, and 3) the world around us. Therefore, the subject of Creationism is not a small or insignificant one; it involves the three most important issues imaginable.

Where did we come from? What kind of power did it take to bring us all into existence? When we see God as Creator, we stand properly in awe of his majesty and glory, as the psalmist reminds us:

"By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth... Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him" Psalm 33:6,8.

When we see God as the Creator and sustainer of the universe, then it also puts us, and our own significance, in perspective. We see that God is not bound by duty to even notice us. And we see that we are duty-bound to worship and praise Him:

"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" Revelation 4:11.

Finally, when we clearly perceive the place of God and ourselves in creation, then we also come to correctly view the world around us. Joy, pleasure, and satisfaction are not to be found, ultimately, in a sin-cursed earth, but in an all-sufficient God. The world continues, and is governed by, God's good pleasure and wisdom.

This truth is very comforting to Christians and very disconcerting to unbelievers. This reveals, then, the underlying bias against the accountability and humility that is induced by a recognition of God and his claims upon his creation.

The evening was a perfect compliment of messages that were enlightening and inspiring.

Today Creation Weekend guests toured the new Creation Museum on their own schedule, but we all gathered at noon for a sack lunch and fellowship together on the beautiful grounds of the museum.

Chik-fil-A sponsored the event in part by providing sandwiches for the lunch, which made for a fun and filling meal in the middle of the day!

I was thankful, especially in talking to some of the young people afterward, to see the great impact the Friday evening session and the Creation Museum had on them. One young lady, who recently graduated from a public high school, said, "I feel like I'm just now equipped to face all the evolutionary ideas I was confronted with in high school; I wish I could go back now with all this information!"

Young and old, veteran and new Christians reported what a blessed and informative weekend it has been. Which makes us look with great expectation to tomorrow's climax and conclusion, as Lasserre Bradley, Jr. will be speaking to us on "Tracing Creation Through the Bible."