The Secret to Navigating the Evolution Debate

November 8, 2009 at 12:17 am · Filed under Children's Ministry, Evolution, Random Observations

As I was surfing the web tonight, I stumbled upon an article about how deep the Congo river is: Evolution in the Deepest River in the World. As often happens if the word “evolution” is used, an evolution debate broke out in the comments. I get both amused and frustrated reading such conversations. Both by ignorant or arrogant evolutionists as well as overly simplistic or dogmatic anti-evolutionist. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind disagreeing with evolutionists. I have a honorary evolutionist friend who reads my blog (and will most likely jump on this post) and is now a friend on facebook (you know who you are) who I’ve enjoyed sparing with because he wasn’t arrogant or condescending even as he sharply disagrees with my theology and science – in fact, I’d rather argue with him than many Christians who I find petty or too quick to quote a Bible verse rather than use their brain.

So for the sake of knowing someone will read it, I want to re-post here, my soap-box comment that I posted on the article linked above. Feel free to add your comments below: (I was limited to 2000 characters, hence the brevity)

I love reading these evolution debates… usually they appear on barely related articles, like this one.

I’m glad SOMEONE brought up Micro and Macro evolution, since most people miss that there are two COMPLETELY different types of evolution, and I have to read people arguing and they are usually talking about two completely different ones.

Macro – change from one species to another – never seen or proven. ever.

Micro – changes within a species – YES, a fact and proven. repeatedly.

Christians and non-Christians, no need to argue about this, whether you believe the Bible and love Jesus or think its an old dusty book and Jesus was just a nice guy. Micro evolution is what all evolutionists use for evidence of evolution. only problem is, they tend to argue micro evolution as their proof for macro evolution. This is unfair and wrong.

Christians also, goof up by denying micro evolution when they start quoting the Bible to deny micro evolution (usually because they won’t be quiet long enough to listen to facts about micro) But evolutionist don’t want to admit THERE IS NO PROOF OF MACRO EVOLUTION. NONE. ZIPPO. ZILCH. frankly, its non-sense. but they can’t see it, because they don’t like the alternative, they realllly dont want to end up on the side of those wacky Christians. and that’s where I’m stuck.

I accept both the FACTS of micro evolution and truth of science*, everything that can be DEMONSTRATED and SEEN today, but also have to accept what CANT BE PROVEN, macro, which puts me in agreement with the goofy Christians, who turns out, all the evidence is on their side if you really look in to it with their explanation for creation and the flood & fossil record. I just wish they weren’t so goofy with the micro evolution stuff, and maybe more non-Christians would take a look at their facts on macro side. but then, most people don’t know there are TWO EVOLUTIONS. maybe a few will read this post and learn there are 2.

1) Most non-Christians are right on Micro Evolution but
2) Most Christians are right on Macro Evolution two bad we can’t stop calling names and be objective and get to the truth!

So, there is my rant and contribution to the looooong heated debate on evolution in the public square.

By the way, the world “Science” is thrown around a LOT and I get irritated because it seems a lot of the people who use the word science have no idea what science is. When I say I believe in true science, I am mean as defined by what can be demonstrated, otherwise, it isn’t science, it is meta physics. Anytime someone refers to evolution as science, please correct them. Micro evolution IS science. Macro evolution is not. You can politely say, “Oh, you mean the science of micro evolution? Oh, yes, that is scientific. I have no issue with that, nor does the Bible. But please don’t mix macro evolution with micro evolution. They are two completely different arenas of study. One can be studied and proven, they other can only be speculated and hypothesized to a reasonable degree.”

Make no mistake, there is an intentional effort to mix and confuse the two in secular education and media. The blur is being made on purpose, and we must make sure our children understand the difference. When they do, it helps them not only defend their faith, but in their own mind, separate the confusing messages they see and hear in text books, educational films and in museums. They can constantly recognize, “Oh, that’s micro – I can accept that as true.” or “Nope, that’s macro – that’s just their theory.” They can still learn it, but know its probably contrary to what the Bible teaches and therefore false.

Understanding the difference between Micro and Macro evolution makes all the difference in the world in navigating the Creation / Evolution debate.

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Moments in Time

August 6, 2009 at 11:12 pm · Filed under Devotional, Life, Photography, Random Observations

There is just something amazing about these images of water captured with a high speed camera…

Every time I come across them, I star at them…

and study every detail…

every ripple and splash…

every color and reflection…

knowing that if not for the camera’s super fast shutter…

I could never enjoy this captured moment…

stolen out of time for me…

to hold in my hand… or in my mind…

a moment… forever…

how sweet it is!

an accident? hardly!

a planned disaster, actually!

a beautiful mess.

an explosion of motion and energy…

caught in the motion of the moment…

the camera catches what we miss every day.

MAKES ME WONDER… what do we miss? What could we capture with the camera of our eye, if we would just focus throughout the day? A sweet smile? A gorgeous cloud? A curious animal? An enlightened moment? An encouraged person?

What are the moments of our day that God creates that we miss? The splashes of his Grace? The colorful moments that He gives us? The green lights when we are in a hurry? The short line at the store? The empty parking spot near the door in a busy parking lot? The familiar face in a crowd that calls your name? An unsolicited “I love you” from your child? Whatever they are, don’t miss them today. Capture them in your in your minds’ eye, and cherish them.

(did you scrool too fast? look at the pictures again! did you drive too fast? walk too fast today? slow down already!)

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Daddy, What Are You Doing?

February 18, 2009 at 8:53 am · Filed under Devotional, Family, Life, Luke, Random Observations

DADDY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

This morning as I was getting ready for work, my little boy asked me about every thirty seconds, “What are you doing, daddy?” After answering him about twenty times in twenty different ways, I finally started just tossing a towel over his head and saying, “Covering you with a towel!” He would laugh, pull off the towel and say, “No, Daddy, you are putting your socks on!” No task was too small or too insignificant to matter to him. Choosing a shirt, finding my shoes, looking for my keys – every detail of my day matters to him. Especially when he knows that soon I’ll be leaving for work. I once read, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.” And that’s my little boy.

Now at the office, still smiling and remembering the morning, I realize I too am a little boy – my heavenly Father’s son – and I too should be asking throughout the day, “What are you doing, Daddy?” No detail of my day is too small or insignificant to God, my Abba Father, and my life ought to be revolving around the things MY Father is doing. He is about to go to work today too! And I don’t want to miss a detail of what He is doing, how He is doing it, or when He is going to do it. And if I keep asking, and listening, and learning, perhaps my heavenly Father will smile at me too.

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Art has no boundaries?

December 20, 2007 at 12:28 am · Filed under Christianity, Leadership, Random Observations

I happened to be in Fort Collins, CO earlier today (and yesterday) and I grabbed my camera when I saw this bumper sticker in front of me on a van… “ART has no boundaries” it said.

Is it just me, or does that sticker seem to contradict itself? It is trying to express the freedome available in ART to break the boundaries and be free from restraint and to express whatever in new and liberating ways… all while being crammed into standard bumper sticker dimensions.

I just thought it was kinda ironic. I would think “ART has no boundaries” would be splashed across the side of the car, or on an odd shaped sticker, at at least with a crazy fun colorful font… whereas that sticker was loaded with boundaries: the edges of the sticker were crammed, the dark area was tight, and it was placed where all stickers go, on the back of a car.

How many times do we try to express a message – in fact, THE Message, and our very form or method of communication contradicts the very thing we are trying to express? Are we ever guilty of reducing Christianity to a bumper sticker that claims to be so much more, but in the end is sadly disappointing?

What is the message you are trying to convey? How are you communicating it? Does your delivery contradict the message? Just some thoughts from a bumper sticker that failed…………. or did it? I’m blogging about it, aren’t I?

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