Worldviews and Apologetics

Gen. David Petraeus Presentation At Heritage

2008-12-07T03:39:00.001-08:00

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Gen. David Petraeus Presentation At Heritage

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2008-09-25T03:08:00.000-07:00

Your Worldview Reader Contents page and

2008-09-23T03:56:00.000-07:00

The Worldview & Apologetics Reader that you will receive this week is missing several entries and some of the copies that Kinkos made did not turn out well. Also, they are missing the table of contents. To solve this problem I will be posting the entries, the poor copies and Table of Contents on this site. Below is the Table of contents. The other materials will be posted in the next couple of days under the titles "replacing poor copies in Reader," and "articles to add to your reader" and print out to put in reader. Close to 1,000 pages it is my prayer that it will serve as a wonderful reference source throughout your college years and beyond.

APOLOGETICS

Worldview Scriptures Understanding the Times

Twenty Arguments for the Existence of God
The Problem of Evil
From the Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft

The Resurrection of Jesus
From the book De Christo by William Lane Craig

Introduction - Evidence for Christianity
The Uniqueness of the Bible
How We Got the Bible
In the New Testament Historically Reliable?
In the Old Testament Historically Reliable?
Old Testament Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
Excerpts from the book Evidence for Christianity by Josh McDowell

How Can We Know the Bible is the Word of God? by Norman L. Geisler

Alleged Error in Bible
Excerpt from the Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics Edited by Norman L. Geisler
Charts on Approaches to Reconciling Discrepancies in Scripture
Charts of Christian Theology edited and published by H. Wayne House

Is Jesus the Only Way to God? By Rick Rood
From the Compact Guide to World Religions Edited by Dean Halverson

Christ and Civilization
Thinking God’s Thoughts After Him
Healing the Sick
Inspiring the World’s Greatest Art
The Sins of the Church
A Cruel World
Excerpts from the book What if Jesus had Never Been Born? by D. James Kennedy

God is not Dead Yet by William Lane Craig
From Christianity Today, July 2008

The God of Gaps by David Berlinski
Critical Essay originally published in Commentary April 2008

Survival of the Fakest by Jonathan Wells
Article originally appeared in The American Spectator – December 2000 / January 2001

APOLOGETICS (Continued)

Remembering the Secular Age by Michael Novak
Critical Essay originally published in First Things July 2007

The Scientific Controversy Over the Cambrian Explosion
Article from Center for Science and Culture, Discovery Institute

Evolution vs. Naturalism by Alvin Plantinga
The Dawkins Confusion by Alvin Plantiga
New Athiests Are Not Great by Tony Snow
The Great Debate by Douglas Groothuis
Answering the Athiests by Stan Guthrie
Darwin’s Graveyards by Edward T. Oakes
What’s New? by Jonathan Wells
The Dick Staub Interview: William Dembski’s Revolution
The Dick Staub Interview: Ravi Zacharias’s Wonderful World
Article from www.christianitytoday.com

ISLAM and TERRORISM

Islam and the Crusades– Introduction
Why the Crusades Were Called
The Crusades: Myth and Reality
What the Crusades Accomplished, And What they Didn’t
What if the Crusades Had Never Happened?
The Jihad Continues
The Crusade We Must Fight Today
From The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer

Terrorists in Their Own Words by James Phillips and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D
Article from the Backgrounder, published by the Heritage Foundation

Why Iraq was Inevitable by Arther Herman

Hezbollah’s Terrorist Threat to the European Union by James Phillips
Iran’s Evil Game: Arms Iraqi Shiites and Sunnis by Peter Brooks
Iran Emboldened: Tehran Seeks to Dominate Middle East Politics by Peter Brooks
Iraq Five Years On: The Coalition is Winning the War Against Al-Qaeda by Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
War is Expensive, But Defeat Costs More, by Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D.
Articles from the Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org

The Holy War that Isn’t, Preface & Introduction
Selection from Jihad in the West by Paul Fregosi

A Biblical Perspective on War by John MacArthur, Jr.
Position Paper from www.biblebb.com

Are We Winning the War on Terror by Max Boot
Article from www.galegroup.com, originally published in Commentary July 2008

Europe’s Stark Options by Daniel Pipes
Article from www.danielpipes.org, originally published in National Interest March 2007

Why Victory in Iraq Matters by Pete Hegseth
Article from Vets for Freedom, Friday, August 15, 2008

COMMUNISM

Witness by Whittaker Chambers
Foreward in the Form of a Letter to my Children (What it means to be a Communist)

The Crimes of Communism by Stephane Courtois

Quote from Lenin, “With the clarity and brilliance of genius…”
V.I. Lenin, Selected Works Vol. II, Part 2, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Moscow 1952
Page 542 and Page 544

Selections from the Manifesto of the Communist Party
Pages 20, 21, 66, 67, 96

Inside the Chinese Communist Mind
From Beating the Unbeatable Foe, by Dr. Fred Schwarz, pages 407-465
Prof. Bowers discussions with Mikhail Gorbachev and Prof. Bowers debate in China
With Mo Xiusong’s Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Congress

Cold Friday by Whittaker Chambers
The Direct Glance, pg. 67-88 (Danger of Materialism to us)

Professor’s notes regarding various statistics and quotations

POSTMODERNISM

From the Modern to the Postmodern
Excerpt from the book Postmodern Thought by Gene Edward Veith, Jr.

Some Instructive quotes by Postmodernists
Comprehensive Problems with Postmodernism
Problems with Postmodernism
Selections & Collection of Quotations by Prof. Clark Bowers

CULTURE AND GOVERNMENT

Quotes on the Importance of Truth and Values to the Maintenance of Civilizations
Compiled by Clark Bowers

Why Religion Matters Even More: Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability by Patrick Fagan
Faith and the American Founding: Illustrating Religion’s Influence by Michael Novak
What’s Great About America by Dinesh D’Souza
Independence Forever: Why America Celebrates the Fourth of July by Matthew Spalding, Ph.D.
Myths About American Religion by Robert Wuthnow, Ph.D.
Why America Is Such a Hard Sell: Beyond Pride and Prejudice by Juliana G. Pilon, Ph.D.
A Moral Case Against Big Government: How Government Shapes the Character, Vision, and Virtue of Citizens by Ryan Messmore
The Mythical “Wall of Separation”: by Daniel L. Dreisbach
A Moral Case Against Big Government by Ryan Messmore
Articles from the Heritage Foundation, www.heritage.org

The Decline of a Nation by Kerby Anderson
Article from Probe Ministries, 1991

Chomsky’s Universe by Arch Puddington
Article from Commentary, October 2004

(Understanding Slavery)
Conquests and Cultures - Excerpts from the book by Thomas Sowell
Race and Culture – Excerpts from the book by Thomas Sowell

Criteria for Christian Appreciation of the Arts by Lance Box
Article from www.leaderu.com from April 22, 2000

Art and the Christian by Jerry Solomon and Jimmy Williams

The End of Art by Roger Kimball
Article from First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life

Assessment: Music, Man and Society
Selections from the book, The Secret Power of Music

LITERATURE

Paradise Lost Excerpts from Book One by Milton
Dante’s Inferno – Selected excerpts
Soliloquy from “Hamlet” Poem by William Shakespeare
If Poem by Rudyard Kipling
The Spell of the Yukon Poem by Robert Service
Men that Don’t Fit In Poem by Robert Service
Crossing the Bar Poem by Alfred Tennyson
Stranger at the Gates - Book 17 of Homer: The Odyssey

Nineteen Eighty-Four
Selected pages from the book 1984 by George Orwell

The Theban Plays – Sophocles
Selected passages from King Oedipus, Oedipus at Colonus & Antigone

The Trial and Death of Socrates - Excerpts from the Four Dialogues by Plato

The Memorial from the Pascal’s Testimony
Man’s Natural Condition
Reason Can Begin Again by Recognizing What It Can Never Know
The Wager
The Corruption of Human Nature
Excerpts from the book Penses [which means thoughts} by Blaise Pascal

Plato, The Parable of the Caves
Viktor Frankl, Experiences in a Concentration Camp
Blaise Pascal, Diversion
Goethe, Faust
C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
Bertrand Russell, A Free Man’s Worship
Albert Camus, The Plague
C.S. Lewis, Some Thoughts
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Friedrich Nietzsche, The Parable of the Madman
Charles Darwin, The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin
G.K. Chesterton, The Hag of the World
C.S. Lewis, What Are We to Make of Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Mark, A Man Through the Roof
Blaise Pascal, The Wager
The Apostle Paul, Saul Becomes Paul
Aldous L. Huxley, Ends and Means
Helmuth James von Moltke, Letters to Freya
Excerpts from the book, The Journey, A Time for Questions edited by Oz Guinness

The Encheiridion of Epictetus (a crippled slave in Rome)

The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan - Excerpts from Parts the First

Excerpt from the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Excerpt from the play Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets

LITERATURE (continued)

Costly Grace – From The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Excerpt from the book Night by Elie Wiesel

Detachment from Gravity of Grace, by Simone Weil

Quotations by Edmund Burke

“Why has God created souls knowing they would sin…?” Alfred, Lord Tennyson
On the question of sin & suffering. Extract from a Letter, 1839 On In Memorium

The Sincere Convert - Sample page by Thomas Shepard, Founder of Harvard University

CHARTS, GRAPHS, and PUZZLES

Understanding the Times Worldview Chart
Prof. Bowers’ expanded Worldview Chart – 1995-2008
Timeline of Apologists and Notable Works – Twentieth Century
Timeline of Apologists and Notable Works – Nineteenth Century
Timeline of Apologists and Notable Works – Reformation/Renaissance/Enlightenment
Timeline of Apologists and Notable Works – Early Church / Patristic Era & Middle Ages

Guide to Interpretation of the Biblical Texts
Definitions of the Attributes of God
The Dimensions of the Imago Dei
Classic Arguments for the Existence of God
Evaluation of the Classic Arguments for the Existence of God
Charts of Christian Theology edited and published by H. Wayne House

Naturalism vs. Theism: Which Context Best Explains the Phenomena We Observe?

Which Resurrection Theory Best Fits the Facts?
The Problem of Miracles
Intelligent Design Theory
Tools of Philosophy
Laws of Logic and Objections
How Can Truth Be Known?
Two Models of Origins: Fiat Creation and Naturalistic Evolution
The Relationship between Creation Ex Nihilo and Evangelical Theology
Charts of Christian Evidences edited and published by H. Wayne House

Comparisons of World Religions
Seven Major Worldviews
Comparison of Foundational Religious Worldviews
Major World Religions in Order of Founding
Comparison of Beliefs Among Religions
Why We Think and Act the Way We Do in the World
The Postmodern Analytical Framework
World Religions
Worldview Chart
The Spectrum of Religions and Religious Beliefs
An Overview Comparison of Ethical Theism, Modernism, and Postmodernism
Imperial & Fuedal System – figure & explanation
Discussed Types of Adaptation
Types of Culture
Systems of Culture
The Problem of Defining Conservatism

The Four Great Truths
The Trilemma – Lord, Liar or Lunatic

Selected Important Old Testament Archaeological Finds
Selected Important New Testament Archaeological Finds

CHARTS, GRAPHS, and PUZZLES (continued)

The Person of Christ
Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ
Theories of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
Charts of Christian Theology edited and published by H. Wayne House

Comparison of Foundational Religious Worldviews
Major World Religions in Order of Founding
Comparison of Beliefs Among Religions
Timeline of Christianity
Evil
Christianity
Comparison of Beliefs within Christianity
Christian Scriptures
Timeline of Islam
Islam
Comparison of Beliefs within Islam
Sunni Islam
Shi’ite Islam
Charts of Christian Evidences edited and published by H. Wayne House

Generations – Four Types of Generational Cycles

Answers to Supposed Discrepancies in Scripture

Puzzles
Woman in Vanity? Or Skull?
How many legs does this elephant have?
Horizontal Lines
Black Dot
Native American or Eskimo
Duck or Rabbit

All Future Home Work Will Be Handed Out in Class

2008-09-23T03:54:00.000-07:00

All future homework will be handed out in class and not posted on this site.

Prof. Clark's First Worldview Test

2008-09-16T05:00:00.001-07:00

Introduction Test

“Introduction to Worldviews” video questions
Fill in the blanks: (3 points possible per answer)

1. In Colossians 2:8, Paul warns the Colossians not to be taken captive by vain or deceptive philosophies.

2. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Paul informs the Corinthians that Christians should demolish strongholds [or arguments or pretensions] set up against the knowledge of God.

3. In 2 Timothy 2:22-26, Paul instructs Timothy to teach the truth to others that have been taken captive. The hope is that they will be set free.

Short answer: (9 points possible per answer)
4. What is a worldview?

‘Introduction’ textbook questions
Short answer: (9 points possible per answer)

5. What are some fundamental questions a worldview answers?

6. How is a worldview like a pair of eyeglasses? How is a worldview like a tree?

Matching: (1 point possible per answer)
*some options may be used more than once or not at all; some questions may have multiple answers
a. Theology
b. Philosophy
c. Ethics
d. Biology
e. Psychology
f. Sociology
g. Law
h. Politics
i. Economics
j. History

7. “God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

8. “after their kind” (Genesis 1:21)

9. “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28)

10. “it shall be for food” (Genesis 1:29)

11. “man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7)

12. “knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9)

13. “enmity between you and the woman” (Genesis 3:15)

14. “I commanded you” (Genesis 3:11)

15. “Whoever sheds man's blood” (Genesis 9:6)

16. “Christ is lawgiver” (Genesis 49:10)
Playing with Fire Questions essay questions
True or False: (3 points possible per answer)
*if an answer is false, restate it to make it true

17. “What does a text mean to me?” is the key question when reading and interpreting the Bible.

18. The classical view of meaning is that a text is a mirror by which readers generate meaning.

19. Meanings are communicated through genres.

20. If God had not placed the words of Scripture within genres, we wouldn’t understand Scripture.

21. Biblical proverbs are instances of promises from God.

22. Bible verses were meant to be freestanding units of thought.

23. A Bible verse is simply a part of a paragraph and develops some aspect of the paragraph’s big idea.

24. Within its context, 1 Thessalonians 5:22 means to abstain from all appearances of evil.

25. We must know what biblical passages mean before we can apply their meaning to our lives.

26. We must know the Bible’s information before we can experience the Bible’s transformation.

“Ambassadors for Christ” video questions
Short answer: (9 points possible per answer)

27. What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ?

Total Truth essay questions
True or false: (3 points possible per answer)
*if an answer is false, restate it to make it true

28. Politics tend to change culture.

29. The heart is for religion and the mind is used for science.

30. In modern society, the concept of truth is often divided into fact and value.

31. “Mohammad was God’s final prophet” is an example of a fact claim.

32. A worldview is like a mental map that tells us how to navigate the world effectively.

Home Work Sept. 9-16

2008-09-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

Worldview Home Work for September 9-16

1. Read Total Truth Essay (SM pp. 26-32) and answer questions on a separate page to hand in

2. Read UTT textbook Theology 1.1-1.5 (UTT pp. 43-75)

3. Answer questions for 1.1-1.2 and 1.3-1.4 (SM 37-38) to hand in.

4. Watch Theology DVD.

Thanks again for being such a great class. I hope that by now everyone is catching up and that we are on the same page, so to speak. Remember you can always email me if you are having any difficulties. I usually reply no later than the next day.
profclarkbowers@gmail.com

4 New Riddles!!!

2008-09-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

6 More Riddles

There is an Island whose only inhabitants are Knights, Knaves, and Normals. The Knights always tell the truth, The Knaves always lie, and The Normals can either lie or tell the truth. Also, on this Island Knaves are considered the lowest rank, Normals are middle rank and Knights are of highest rank.

Riddle 1: Given two inhabitants of this Island A,B, that make the following statements:
A: I am of lower rank than B.
B: That’s not true!

Q1:What are the ranks of A and B?
Q2: Are their statements true?

Riddle 2: Given three inhabitants of this Island A,B,C, one of whom is a knight, one a knave and one normal. A,B, make the following statements:
A: B is of higher rank than C.
B: C is of higher rank than A.
Q: When C is asked, “Who has a higher rank, A or B?” What does C answer?

Riddle 3: A man was looking at a portrait . Someone asked him, “Whose picture are you looking at?” He replied, “ Brothers and sisters have I none, but this man’s father is my father’s son.” Whose picture is the man looking at?

Riddle 4: A man is 100 yards due south of a bear. He walks 100 yards due east, then faces due north, fires his gun due north and hits the bear. What color is the bear? How many different places besides the North pole on earth would these instructions result in hitting the bear? Explain?

Riddle 5:
To help with last weeks riddles try this similar one:
A girl was looking at a photo and she said, "Brothers and sisters? I have one and this man's father is my fathers son." Who was in the photo?

6. SUPER ADVANCED BONUS RIDDLE (YOU MAY GET HELP FOM PARENTS OR TEACHERS WITH THIS ONE. IT CAN BE PERFECTLY SOLVED WITH ONLY THE EXACT INFO THAT I PROVIDE):
"A Cylindrical hole six inches long has been drilled straight through the center of a solid sphere. What is the volume remaining in the sphere."
This may be soved with calculus, with the forlmulas for solid spheres and cylidrical holes, or just by insightful deductive reasoning. All the information you need to sove it is included, feel free to ask your math teachers ;-)

Home Work Sept 2-9

2008-09-02T03:21:00.000-07:00

Worldviews and Apologetics Home work for the week of 9-02-08

1. Answer the questions on page 21 of SM (Student Manuel) regarding last week’s DVD and turn it in next week.

2. Please read Playing with Fire Essay in SM.
Then on a separate page to be turned in answer the Essay Questions.

3. Write your first “Dear Doug” letter and turn it in next class.

4. Watch this weeks DVD “Ambassadors for Christ” and answer the questions in SM (pp.22-25) to be turned in next week.

As always, if you have any question you would like me to address in the next class or you have any suggestions at all, please feel free to email me ProfClarkBowers@Gmail.com Your emails will, of course, be kept confidentially.

Thanks for being such an engaging and interested class!

Leading Scientists who reject Darwinianism!

2008-08-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM
"We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged." It is highly doubtful that Dawinianism accounts for life and species.
This was last publicly updated April 2008. Scientists listed by doctoral degree or current position.
Philip Skell Emeritus, Evan Pugh Prof. of Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University Member of the National Academy of Sciences
Lyle H. Jensen Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Biological Structure & Dept. of Biochemistry University of Washington, Fellow AAAS
Maciej Giertych Full Professor, Institute of Dendrology Polish Academy of Sciences
Lev Beloussov Prof. of Embryology, Honorary Prof., Moscow State University Member, Russian Academy of Natural Sciences
Eugene Buff Ph.D. Genetics Institute of Developmental Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences
Emil Palecek Prof. of Molecular Biology, Masaryk University; Leading Scientist Inst. of Biophysics, Academy of Sci., Czech Republic
K. Mosto Onuoha Shell Professor of Geology & Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Univ. of Nigeria Fellow, Nigerian Academy of Science
Ferenc Jeszenszky Former Head of the Center of Research Groups Hungarian Academy of Sciences
M.M. Ninan Former President Hindustan Academy of Science, Bangalore University (India)
Denis Fesenko Junior Research Fellow, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology Russian Academy of Sciences (Russia)
Sergey I. Vdovenko Senior Research Assistant, Department of Fine Organic Synthesis Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry and Petrochemistry
Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences (Ukraine)
Henry Schaefer Director, Center for Computational Quantum Chemistry University of Georgia
Paul Ashby Ph.D. Chemistry Harvard University
Israel Hanukoglu Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Chairman The College of Judea and Samaria (Israel)
Alan Linton Emeritus Professor of Bacteriology University of Bristol (UK)
Dean Kenyon Emeritus Professor of Biology San Francisco State University
David W. Forslund Ph.D. Astrophysics, Princeton University Fellow of American Physical Society
Robert W. Bass Ph.D. Mathematics (also: Rhodes Scholar; Post-Doc at Princeton) Johns Hopkins University
John Hey Associate Clinical Prof. (also: Fellow, American Geriatrics Society) Dept. of Family Medicine, Univ. of Mississippi
Daniel W. Heinze Ph.D. Geophysics (also: Post-Doc Fellow, Carnegie Inst. of Washington) Texas A&M University
Richard Anderson Assistant Professor of Environmental Science and Policy Duke University
David Chapman* Senior Scientist Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Giuseppe Sermonti Professor of Genetics, Ret. (Editor, Rivista di Biologia/Biology Forum) University of Perugia (Italy)
Stanley Salthe Emeritus Professor Biological Sciences Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Marcos N. Eberlin Professor, The State University of Campinas (Brazil) Member, Brazilian Academy of Science
A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—1 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Bernard d'Abrera Visiting Scholar, Department of Entomology British Museum (Natural History)
Mae-Wan Ho Ph.D. Biochemistry The University of Hong Kong
Donald Ewert Ph.D. Microbiology University of Georgia
Russell Carlson Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology University of Georgia
Scott Minnich Professor, Dept of Microbiology, Molecular Biology & Biochemistry University of Idaho
Jeffrey Schwartz Assoc. Res. Psychiatrist, Dept. of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences University of California, Los Angeles
Alexander F. Pugach Ph.D. Astrophysics Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (Ukraine)
Ralph Seelke Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology University of Wisconsin, Superior
Annika Parantainen Ph.D. Biology University of Turku (Finland)
Fred Schroeder Ph.D. Marine Geology Columbia University
David Snoke Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy University of Pittsburgh
Frank Tipler Prof. of Mathematical Physics Tulane University
John A. Davison Emeritus Associate Professor of Biology University of Vermont
James Tour Chao Professor of Chemistry Rice University
Pablo Yepes Research Associate Professor of Physics & Astronomy Rice University
David Bolender Assoc. Prof., Dept. of Cell Biology, Neurobiology & Anatomy Medical College of Wisconsin
Leo Zacharski Professor of Medicine Dartmouth Medical School
Michael Behe Professor of Biological Science Lehigh University
Michael Atchison Professor of Biochemistry University of Pennsylvania, Vet School
Thomas G. Guilliams Ph.D. Molecular Biology The Medical College of Wisconsin
Arthur B. Robinson Professor of Chemistry Oregon Institute of Science & Medicine
Joel Adams Professor of Computer Science Calvin College
Abraham S. Feigenbaum Ph.D. Nutritional Biochemistry Rutgers University
Kevin Farmer Adjunct Assistant Professor (Ph.D. Scientific Methodology) University of Oklahoma
Neal Adrian Ph.D. Microbiology University of Oklahoma
Ge Wang Professor of Radiology & Biomedical Engineering University of Iowa
Moorad Alexanian Professor of Physics University of North Carolina, Wilmington
Richard Spencer Professor (Ph.D. Stanford) University of California, Davis, Solid-State Circuits Research Laboratory
Braxton Alfred Emeritus Professor, Anthropology University of British Columbia (Canada)
R. Craig Henderson Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering Tennessee Tech University
Wesley Allen Professor of Computational Quantum Chemistry University of Georgia
James Pierre Hauck Professor of Physics & Astronomy University of San Diego
Mark Apkarian Ph.D. Exercise Physiology University of New Mexico
Eshan Dias Ph.D. Chemical Engineering King’s College, Cambridge University (UK)
Joseph Atkinson Ph.D. Organic Chemistry MIT
Dennis Dean Rathman Staff Scientist MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Richard Austin Assoc. Prof. & Chair, Biology & Natural Sciences Piedmont College
Raymond C. Mjolsness Ph.D. Physics Princeton University
John Baumgardner Ph.D. Geophysics & Space Physics University of California, Los Angeles
Glenn R. Johnson Adjunct Professor of Medicine University of North Dakota School of Medicine
George Bennett Associate Professor of Chemistry Millikin University
Robert L. Waters Lecturer, College of Computing Georgia Institute of Technology
David Berlinski Ph.D. Philosophy Princeton University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—2 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
James Robert Dickens Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering Texas A&M University
Phillip Bishop Professor of Kinesiology University of Alabama
Jeffrey M. Jones Professor Emeritus in Medicine (Ph.D. Microbiology and M.D.) University of Wisconsin-Madison
Donald R. Mull Ph.D. Physiology University of Pittsburgh
John Bloom Ph.D. Physics Cornell University
William Dembski Ph.D. Mathematics University of Chicago
Ben J. Stuart Ph.D. Chemical & Biochemical Engineering Rutgers University
Raymond Bohlin Ph.D. Molecular & Cell Biology University of Texas, Dallas
Christa R. Koval Ph.D. Chemistry University of Colorado at Boulder
John Bordelon Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
David Richard Carta Ph.D. Bio-Engineering University of California, San Diego
Lydia G. Thebeau Ph.D. Cell & Molecular Biology Saint Louis University
David Bossard Ph. D. Mathematics Dartmouth College
Robert W. Kelley Ph.D. Entomology Clemson University
David Bourell Professor Mechanical Engineering University of Texas, Austin
Carlos M. Murillo Professor of Medicine (Neurosurgery) Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Walter Bradley Distinguished Professor of Engineering Baylor University
Sami Palonen Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry University of Helsinki (Finland)
John Brejda Ph.D. Agronomy University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Bradley R. Johnson Ph.D. Materials Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Rudolf Brits Ph.D. Nuclear Chemistry University of Stellenbosch (South Africa)
Gary Kastello Ph.D. Biology University of Wisonsin-Milwaukee
Frederick Brooks Kenan Professor of Computer Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Omer Faruk Noyan Assistant Professor (Ph.D. Paleontology) Celal Bayar University (Turkey)
Neil Broom Associate Professor, Chemical & Materials Engineering University of Auckland (New Zealand)
Malcolm D. Chisholm Ph.D. Insect Ecology (M.A. Zoology, Oxford University) University of Bristol (UK)
John Brown Research Meteorologist National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Joseph A. Kunicki Associate Professor of Mathematics The University of Findlay
John Brumbaugh Emeritus Professor of Biological Sciences University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Thomas M. Stackhouse Ph.D. Biochemistry University of California, Davis
Nancy Bryson Associate Professor of Chemistry Mississippi University for Women
Walter L. Starkey Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering The Ohio State University
Donald Calbreath Professor, Department of Chemistry Whitworth College
Pingnan Shi Ph.D. Electrical Engineering (Artificial Neural Networks) University of British Columbia (Canada)
John B. Cannon Ph.D. Organic Chemistry Princeton University
John L. Burba Ph.D. Physical Chemistry Baylor University
Stephen J. Cheesman Ph.D. Geophysics University of Toronto
Mike Forward Ph.D. Applied Mathematics (Chaos Theory) Imperial College, University of London (UK)
Lowell D. White Industrial Hygiene Specialist (Ph.D. Epidemiology) University of New Mexico
Brian Landrum Associate Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering University of Alabama, Huntsville
David Chambers Physicist Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Michael T. Goodrich Professor of Computer Science University of California, Irvine
T. Timothy Chen Ph.D. Statistics University of Chicago
Sarah M. Williams Ph.D. Environmental Engineering (emphasis in microbiology) Stanford University
Donald Clark Ph.D. Physical Biochemistry Louisiana State University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—3 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
John Frederick Zino Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Shing-Yan Chiu Professor of Physiology University of Wisconsin, Madison
Todd A. Anderson Ph.D. Computer Science University of Kentucky
John Cimbala Professor of Mechanical Engineering Pennsylvania State University
Chris Swanson Tutor (Ph.D. Physics, University of Oregon) Gutenberg College
Kieran Clements Assistant Professor, Natural Sciences Toccoa Falls College
Jan Chatham Ph.D. Neurophysiology University of North Texas
George A. Gates Emeritus Emeritus Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery University of Washington
John Cogdell Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering University of Texas, Austin
David R. Beaucage Ph.D. Mathematics State University of New York at Stony Brook
Leon Combs Professor & Chair, Chemistry & Biochemistry Kennesaw State University
Laraba P. Kendig Ph.D. Materials Science & Engineering University of Michigan
Nicholas Comninellis Associate Professor of Community and Family Medicine University of Missouri-Kansas City
Stephen Crouse Professor of Kinesiology Texas A&M University
Cham Dallas Professor, Pharmaceutics & Biomedical Science University of Georgia
Charles N. Verheyden Professor of Surgery Texas A&M College of Medicine
Melody Davis Ph.D. Chemistry Princeton University
Thomas Deahl Ph.D. Radiation Biology The University of Iowa
Robert DeHaan Ph.D. Human Development University of Chicago
Gage Blackstone Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Texas A&M University
Harold Delaney Professor of Psychology University of New Mexico
Jonathan C. Boomgaarden Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering University of Wisconsin
William Bordeaux Chair, Department of Natural & Mathematical Science Huntington College
Michael Delp Professor of Physiology Texas A&M University
Keith F. Conner Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Clemson University
David DeWitt Associate Professor of Biology Liberty University
Aaron J. Miller Ph.D. Physics Stanford University
Gary Dilts Ph.D. Mathematical Physics University of Colorado
Gerald Chubb Associate Professor of Aviation Ohio State University
Robert DiSilvestro Ph.D. Biochemistry Texas A & M University
Daniel Dix Associate Professor of Mathematics University of South Carolina
Allison Dobson Assistant Professor, Chemistry Georgia Southern University
David Prentice Professor, Department of Life Sciences Indiana State University
Kenneth Dormer Ph.D. Biology & Physiology University of California, Los Angeles
Ernest Prabhakar Ph.D. Experimental Particle Physics California Institute of Technology
John Doughty Ph.D. Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering University of Arizona
Jeanne Drisko Clinical Assistant Professor of Alternative Medicine University of Kansas, School of Medicine
Robert Eckel Professor of Medicine, Physiology & Biophysics University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
Seth Edwards Associate Professor of Geology University of Texas, El Paso
Eduard F. Schmitter Ph.D. Astronomy University of Wisconsin
Lee Eimers Professor of Physics & Mathematics Cedarville University
William J. Hedden Ph.D. Geology Missouri University of Science & Technology
Daniel Ely Professor, Biology University of Akron
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Thomas English Adjunct Professor of Physics & Engineering Palomar College A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—4 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Rosalind Picard Sc.D. Electrical Engineering & Computer Science MIT
Danielle Dalafave Associate Professor of Physics The College of New Jersey
Richard Erdlac Ph.D. Structural Geology University of Texas (Austin)
Michael C. Reynolds Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering University of Arkansas-Fort Smith
Bruce Evans Ph.D. Neurobiology Emory University
Gary Achtemeier Ph.D. Meteorology Florida State University
William Everson Ph.D. Human Physiology Penn State College of Medicine
Susan L.M. Huck Ph.D. Geology/Geography Clark University
James Florence Associate Professor, Department of Public Health East Tennessee State University
Douglas R. Buck Ph.D. Nutrition and Food Sciences Utah State University Fellow, American College of Nutrition
Margaret Flowers Professor of Biology Wells College
Étienne Windisch Ph.D. Engineering McGill University (Canada)
Mark Foster Ph.D. Chemical Engineering University of Minnesota
Suzanne Sawyer Vincent Ph.D. Physiology & Biophysics University of Washington
Clarence Fouche Professor of Biology Virginia Intermont College
Robert Blomgren Ph.D. Mathematics University of Minnesota
Kenneth French Chairman, Division of Natural Science Blinn College
Richard N. Taylor Professor of Information & Computer Science University of California, Irvine
Stephen C. Knowles Ph.D. Marine Science University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Marvin Fritzler Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology University of Calgary Medical School (Canada)
Walter E. Lillo Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Purdue University
Mark Fuller Ph.D. Microbiology University of California, Davis
Daniel Galassini Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Kansas State University
Stanley E. Zager Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering Youngstown State University
Andrew Fong Ph.D. Chemistry Indiana University
John Garth Ph.D. Physics University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
Glen O. Brindley Professor of Surgery, Director of Ophthalmology Scott & White Clinic, Texas A&M University H.S.C.
Ann Gauger Ph.D. Zoology University of Washington
Pamela Faith Fahey Ph.D. Physiology & Biophysics University of Illinois
Paul Brown Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Trinity Western University (Canada)
Mark Geil Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering Ohio State University
Ibrahim Barsoum Ph.D. Microbiology The George Washington University
Jim Gibson Ph.D. Biology Loma Linda University
John W. Balliet Ph.D. Molecular & Cellular Biology University of Pennsylvania,
Post-doctoral Fellowship, Harvard Medical School
William Gilbert Emeritus Professor of Biology Simpson College
Joe R. Eagleman Professor Emeritus, Department of Physics & Astronomy University of Kansas
Warren Gilson Associate Professor, Dairy Science University of Georgia
Raul Leguizamon Professor of Medicine (Pathology) Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Steven Gollmer Ph.D. Atmospheric Science Purdue University
Gene B. Chase Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science (Ph.D. Cornell) Messiah College
Chris Grace Associate Professor of Psychology Biola University
James A. Ellard, Sr. Ph.D. Chemistry University of Kentucky
Richard Gunasekera Ph.D. Biochemical Genetics Baylor University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—5 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Jennifer M. Cohen Ph.D. Mathematical Physics New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Russel Peak Senior Researcher, Engineering Information Systems Georgia Institute of Technology
Graham Gutsche Emeritus Professor of Physics U.S. Naval Academy
Dan Hale Professor of Animal Science Texas A&M University
Robert L. Jones Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology University of California, Irvine
James Harbrecht Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Cardiology University of Kansas Medical Center
George W. Benthien Ph.D. Mathematics Carnegie Mellon University
James Harman Associate Chair, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry Texas Tech University
Frederick T. Zugibe Emeritus Adjunct Associate Professor of Pathology Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
William Harris Ph.D. Nutritional Biochemistry University of Minnesota
Thomas H. Johnson Ph.D. Mathematics University of Maryland
Paul Hausgen Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Gregory A. Snyder Ph.D. Geochemistry Colorado School of Mines
Walter Hearn Ph.D. Biochemistry University of Illinois
Howard Martin Whitcraft Ph.D. Mathematics University of St. Louis
Nolan Hertel Professor, Nuclear & Radiological Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Joseph Francis Associate Professor of Biology Cedarville University
Roland Hirsch Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry University of Michigan
Todd Peterson Ph.D. Plant Physiology University of Rhode Island
Charles Edward Norman Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Carleton University (Canada)
Dewey Hodges Professor, Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
James P. Russum Ph.D. Chemical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Marko Horb Ph.D. Cell & Developmental Biology State University of New York
Joe Watkins Military Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering United States Military Academy
Barton Houseman Emeritus Professor of Chemistry Goucher College
Mark Pritt Ph.D. Mathematics Yale University
Edward Peltzer Ph.D. Oceanography University of California, San Diego (Scripps Institute)
Cornelius Hunter Ph.D. Biophysics University of Illinois
Rodney Ice Principle Research Scientist, Nuclear & Radiological Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Malcolm W. MacArthur Ph.D. Molecular Biophysics University of London (UK)
Rafe Payne Ph.D. Biology University of Nebraska
Muzaffar Iqbal Ph.D. Chemistry University of Saskatchewan (Canada)
Mark P. Bowman Ph.D. Organic Chemistry Pennsylvania State University
David Ives Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry Ohio State University
Amiel Jarstfer Associate Professor of Biology LeTourneau University
Stephan J. G. Gift Professor of Electrical Engineering The University of the West Indies
Tony Jelsma Ph.D. Biochemistry McMaster University (Canada)
Fred Johnson Ph.D. Pathology Vanderbilt University
Raleigh R. White, IV Professor of Surgery Texas A&M University, College of Medicine
Jerry Johnson Ph.D. Pharmacology & Toxicology Purdue University
Harold D. Cole Professor of Physiology Southwestern Oklahoma State University
Yongsoon Park Ph.D. Nutritional Biochemistry Washington State University
Richard Johnson Professor of Chemistry LeTourneau University
David Hagen Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering University of Minnesota A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—6 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
David Johnson Associate Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology Duquesne University
Jay Hollman Assistant Clinical Professor of Cardiology Louisiana State University Health Science Center
Lawrence Johnston Emeritus Professor of Physics University of Idaho
Albert J. Starshak Ph.D. Physical Chemistry Illinois Institute of Technology
Robert Jones Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering University of Texas-Pan America
Scott T. Dreher Ph.D. Geology (Royal Society USA Research Fellow) University of Alaska, Fairbanks
David Jones Professor of Biochemistry & Chair of Chemistry Grove City College
Robert Kaita Ph.D. Nuclear Physics Rutgers University
Kenneth Demarest Professor of Electrical Engineering University of Kansas
Edwin Karlow Chair, Department of Physics LaSierra University
Francis M. Donahue Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering The University of Michigan
James Keener Professor of Mathematics & Adjunct of Bioengineering University of Utah
Shawn Wright Ph.D. Crop Science North Carolina State University
Douglas Keil Ph.D. Plasma Physics University of Wisconsin, Madison
Dave Finnegan Staff Member (Ph.D. Chemistry, University of Maryland) Los Alamos National Laboratory
Micheal Kelleher Ph.D. Biophysical Chemistry University of Ibadan (Nigeria)
Christine B. Beaucage Ph.D. Mathematics State University of New York at Stony Brook
Rebecca Keller Research Professor, Department of Chemistry University of New Mexico
Gerald E. Hoyer Retired Forrest Scientist (Ph.D. Silviculture, University of Washington) Washington State Department of Natural Resources
Michael Kent Ph.D. Materials Science University of Minnesota
William A. Eckert, III Ph.D. Cell & Molecular Physiology University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Richard Kinch Ph.D. Computer Science Cornell University
Irfan Yilmaz Professor of Biology (Ph.D. Systematic Zoology) Dokuz Eylul University (Turkey)
Bretta King Assistant Professor of Chemistry Spelman College
Mauricio Alcocer Director of Graduate Studies (Ph.D. Plant Science, University of Idaho) Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
R. Barry King Prof. of Environmental Safety & Health Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute
Hiroshi Ishii M.D., Ph.D. Behavioral Neurology Tohoku University (Japan)
Michael Kinnaird Ph.D. Organic Chemistry University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Lasse Uotila M.D., Ph.D. Medicinal Biochemistry University of Helsinki (Finland)
Donald Kobe Professor of Physics University of North Texas, Denton
Martin Emery Ph.D. Chemistry University of Southampton (UK)
Charles Koons Ph.D. Organic Chemistry University of Minnesota
Miguel A. Rodriguez Undergraduate Lab. Coordinator for Biochemistry University of Ottawa (Canada)
Carl Koval Full Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry University of Colorado, Boulder
Magda Narciso Leite Professor, College of Pharmacy & Biochemistry Universidade Federal de Juiz de For a (Brazil)
Bruce Krogh Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Carnegie Mellon University
Tetsuichi Takagi Senior Research Scientist Geological Survey of Japan
Daniel Kuebler Ph.D. Molecular & Cellular Biology University of California, Berkeley
William Notz Professor of Statistics Ohio State University
Wesley Nyborg Emeritus Professor of Physics University of Vermont
Peter William Holyland Ph.D. Geology University of Queensland (Australia)
Paul Kuld Associate Professor, Biological Science Biola University
Heather Kuruvilla Ph.D. Biological Sciences State University of New York, Buffalo
Nancy L. Swanson Ph.D. Physics Florida State University
Martin LaBar Ph. D. Genetics & Zoology University of Wisconsin, Madison A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—7 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
William B. Hart Assistant Professor of Mathematics University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Teresa Larranaga Ph.D. Pharmacology University of New Mexico
Yuri Zharikov Post-Doctoral Research Fellow (Ph.D. Zoology) Simon Fraser University (Canada)
Ronald Larson Professor and Chair of Chemical Engineering University of Michigan
Wolfgang Hutter Ph.D. Chemistry University of Ulm (Germany)
Robert Lattimer Ph.D. Chemistry University of Kansas, Lawrence
Robert J. Graham Ph.D. Chemical Engineering Iowa State University
M. Harold Laughlin Professor & Chair, Department of Biomedical Sciences University of Missouri
Samuel C. Winchester Klopman Distinguished Professor Emeritus (Ph.D. Princeton) North Carolina State University
George Lebo Associate Professor of Astronomy University of Florida
Kurt J. Henle Professor Emeritus (Ph.D. Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania) University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
J.B. Lee Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering University of Texas, Dallas
James O. Dritt Ph.D. Civil Engineering & Environmental Science University of Oklahoma
Matti Leisola Professor, Laboratory of Bioprocess Engineering Helsinki University of Technology
Manuel Garcia Ulloa Gomez Director of Marine Sciences Laboratory Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
E. Lennard Sc. D. Surgical Infections & Immunology University of Cincinnati
Glen E. Deal Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Florida Institute of Technology
Lane Lester Ph.D. Genetics Purdue University
Paul Whitehead Ph.D. Chemical Thermodynamics University of Natal (South Africa)
Catherine Lewis Ph.D. Geophysics Colorado School of Mines
John R. Goltz Ph.D. Electrical Engineering University of Arizona
Peter Line Ph.D. Neuroscience Swinburne University of Technology (Australia)
Gerald P. Bodey Emeritus Professor of Medicine, Former Chairman Department of Medical Specialties,
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Garrick Little Ph.D. Organic Chemistry Texas A & M University
John Nichols Ph.D. Mathematics University of Tennessee
Mark Bearden Ph.D. Electrical & Computer Engineering Carnegie Mellon University
Harry Lubansky Ph.D. Biological Chemistry University of Illinois, Chicago
Daniel L. Moran Ph.D. Molecular & Cellular Biology Ohio University
Fulbright Scholar
Ken Ludema Emeritus Professor of Mechanical Engineering University of Michigan
Jed Macosko Ph.D. Chemistry University of California, Berkeley
Nigel Surridge Ph.D. Electrochemistry & Photochemistry University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Christopher Macosko Ph.D. Chemical Engineering Princeton University
David Keller Associate Professor of Chemistry University of New Mexico
Allen Magnuson Ph. D. Theoretical & Applied Mechanics University of New Hampshire
Amy Ward Ph.D. Mathematics Clemson University
Donald Mahan Professor of Animal Nutrition Ohio State University
Shane A. Kasten Post-Doctoral Fellow (Ph.D. Biochemistry, Kansas State University) Virginia Commonwealth University
Robert Marks Professor, Signal & Image Processing University of Washington
Jesus Ambriz Professor of Medicine Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Julie Marshall Ph.D. Chemistry Texas Tech University
Jay L. Wile Ph.D. Nuclear Chemistry University of Rochester
David McClellan Assistant Professor of Family & Community Medicine Texas A&M University College of Medicine
Evgeny Shirokov Faculty Lecturer (Nuclear and Particle Physics) Moscow State University (Russia) A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—8 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Andy McIntosh Full Professor of Thermodynamics and Combustion Theory University of Leeds (UK)
Mark A. Robinson Ph.D. Environmental Science Lacrosse University
Tom McMullen Ph.D. History & Philosophy of Science Indiana University
Martin Poenie Associate Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology University of Texas, Austin
Tony Mega Ph.D. Biochemistry Purdue University
Carl Poppe Ph.D. Physics University of Wisconsin
James Menart Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Wright State University
Theodor Liss Ph.D. Chemistry MIT
James Keesling Professor of Mathematics University of Florida
Brian Miller Ph.D. Physics Duke University
Christopher D. Beling Associate Professor of Physics The University of Hong Kong (China)
Art Nitz Ph.D. Anatomy & Neurobiology University of Kentucky
Thomas Milner Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering University of Texas, Austin
David Ness Ph.D. Anthropology Temple University
Forrest Mims Atmospheric Researcher Geronimo Creek Observatory
S. W. Pelletier* Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Chemistry University of Georgia, Athens
Paul Missel Ph.D. Physics MIT
Dónal O'Mathúna Ph.D. Pharmacognosy Ohio State University
Lennart Möller Professor, Center for Nutrition & Toxicology Karolinska Institute
Victoriano Saenz Professor of Medicine Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
David Monson Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry Indiana University
Hugh Nutley* Professor Emeritus of Physics & Engineering Seattle Pacific University
Terry Morrison Ph.D. Chemistry Syracuse University
Bijan Nemati Ph.D. High Energy Physics University of Washington
William Russell Belding Ph.D. Mathematics University of Notre Dame
Bridget Ingham Ph.D. Physics Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)
Paul Nesselroade Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology Asbury College
Kevin L. Kendig Ph.D. Materials Science & Engineering University of Michigan
Robert Newman Ph.D. Astrophysics Cornell University
Angus Menuge Ph.D. Philosophy of Psychology University of Wisconsin-Madison
Khawar Sohail Siddiqui Senior Research Associate (Protein Chemistry) University of New South Wales (Australia)
Janet Parker Professor of Medical Physiology Texas A&M University, Health Science Center
Scott Northrup Chair and Professor of Chemistry Tennessee Tech University
John Omdahl* Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology University of New Mexico
Fazale Rana Ph.D. Chemistry Ohio University
Rebecca Orr Ph.D. Cell Biology University of Texas, Southwestern
Cevat Babuna Professor Emeritus of Gynecology (Post-doc, University of Chicago) Istanbul University (Turkey)
Lawrence Overzet Professor of Engineering & Computer Science University of Texas, Dallas
J. Meredith Assistant Professor, Chemical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Siddarth Pandey Assistant Professor of Chemistry New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Gordon Mills Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry University of Texas, Medical Branch
A. Clyde Hill Ph.D. Soil Chemistry Rutgers University
Stephen Meyer Ph.D. Philosophy of Science Cambridge University
William Purcell Ph.D. Physical Chemistry Princeton University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—9 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Paul Randolph Ph.D. Mathematical Statistics University of Minnesota
Christopher Morbey Astronomer (Ret.) Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada
David Reed Ph.D Entomology University of California, Riverside
Charles D. Johnson Ph.D. Chemistry University of Minnesota
J. Ishizaki Associate Professor of Neuropsychology (M.D., Ph.D. Medicine) Kobe Gakuin University (Japan)
David Rogstad Ph.D. Physics California Institute of Technology
Arthur John Jones Ph.D. Zoology & Comparative Physiology Birmingham University (UK)
Patricia Reiff Director, Rice Space Institute Rice University
Oleh Havrysh Senior Research Assistant, Protein & Peptide Structure & Function Dept. Institute of Bioorganic Chemsitry & Petrochemistry
Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences (Ukraine)
Dan Reynolds Ph.D. Organic Chemistry University of Texas, Austin
Andrew Steckley Ph.D. Civil Engineering University of Western Ontario (Canada)
Terry Rickard Ph.D. Engineering Physics University of California, San Diego
Arlen W. Siert Ph.D. Environmental Health Colorado State University
Mubashir Hanif Ph.D. Plant Biology University of Helsinki (Finland)
Eliot Roberts Ph.D. Soil Chemistry Rutgers University
Mario Beauregard Associate Researcher, Department of Psychology (Ph.D. Neuroscience) University of Montreal (Canada)
Quinton Rogers Prof. of Physiological Chemistry, Dept. of Molecular Biosciences Univ. of California, Davis, School of Vet. Medicine
Liang Hong Associate Professor, Dept. of Dental Public Health & Behavioral Science University of Missouri—Kansas City
Daniel Romo Professor of Chemistry Texas A&M University
David Sabatini Professor Civil Engineering & Environmental Science University of Oklahoma
Richard Buggs DPhil Plant Ecology & Evolution Oxford University (UK)
Theodore Saito Ph.D. Physics Pennsylvania State University
Kay Roscoe Ph.D. High Energy Particle Physics University of Manchester (UK)
Thomas Saleska Professor of Biology Concordia University
James F. Drake Ph.D. Atmospheric Science University of California, Los Angeles
Fernando Saravi Professor, Department of Morphology and Physiology Med. Sciences School, Univ. Nacional de Cuyo (Argentina)
Harold Toups Ph.D. Chemical Engineering Louisiana State University
Phillip Savage Professor of Chemical Engineering University of Michigan
Seyyed Imran Husnain Ph.D. Bacterial Genetics University of Sheffield (UK)
Dale Schaefer Professor, Materials Science & Engineering University of Cincinnati
Russell C. Healey Ph.D. Electrical Engineering University of Cambridge (UK)
Siegfried Scherer Professor of Microbial Ecology Technische Universität München
Stuart C. Burgess Professor of Design & Nature, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering Bristol University (UK)
Norman Schmidt Professor of Chemistry Georgia Southern University
Steve Maxwell Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Medicine Texas A&M University, H.S.C.
Andrew Schmitz Ph.D. Inorganic Chemistry University of Iowa
Anne E. Vravick Ph.D. Environmental Toxicology University of Wisconsin, Madison
Granville Sewell Professor of Mathematics University of Texas, El Paso
Richard A. Strong Ph.D. Chemistry Northeastern University
Marshall Adams Ph.D. Marine Sciences University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Stephen Sewell Assistant Professor of Family Medicine Texas A&M University
Gregory Shearer Ph.D. Physiology University of California, Davis A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—10 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Douglas Nelson Rose Research Physicist United States Army
David Shormann Ph.D. Limnology Texas A&M University
Paul Lorenzini Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering Oregon State University
Dale Spence Emeritus Professor of Kinesiology Rice University
David W. Dykstra Ph.D. Computer Science University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Arnold Sikkema Associate Professor of Physics Dordt College
Larry S. Helmick Senior Professor of Chemistry Cedarville University
Georgia Purdom Ph.D. Molecular Genetics Ohio State University
John Silvius Ph.D. Plant Physiology West Virginia University
Philip S. Taylor Research Fellow, Computer Science Queen’s University Belfast (UK)
Fred Skiff Professor of Physics University of Iowa
Giulio D. Guerra First Researcher of the Italian National Research Council (Chemistry) Istituto Materiali Compositi e Biomedici, CNR (Italy)
Ken Smith Professor of Mathematics Central Michigan University
Jacquelyn W. McClelland Professor (Ph.D. Nutritional Biochemistry) North Carolina State University, NCCE
Robert Smith Professor of Chemistry University of Nebraska, Omaha
Ian C. Fuller Senior Lecturer in Physical Geography Massey University (New Zealand)
Wolfgang Smith Emeritus Professor of Mathematics Oregon State University
Wayne L. Cook Ph.D. Inorganic Chemistry University of Kentucky
John Stamper Research Physicist Naval Research Laboratory
Jeffrey L. Vaughn Ph.D. Engineering University of California, Irvine
Timothy Standish Ph.D. Environmental Biology George Mason University
William Hankley Professor of Computer Science Kansas State University
Walt Stangl Associate Professor of Mathematics Biola University
John C. Walton Professor of Reactive Chemistry (Ph.D. & D.Sc.) University of St. Andrews (UK)
Fellow Royal Society of Chemistry
Fellow Royal Society of Edinburgh
Karl Stephan Associate Professor, Dept. of Technology Texas State University, San Marcos
Cahit Babuna Ph.D. Radiology Istanbul University (Turkey)
Richard Sternberg Ph.D. Biology (Molecular Evolution) Florida International University
Also: Ph.D. Systems Science (Theoretical Biology) Binghamton University
Reid W. Castrodale P.E., Ph.D. Structural Engineering University of Texas, Austin
Michael Strauss Associate Professor of Physics University of Oklahoma
Jason David Ward Ph.D. Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Glasgow University (UK)
Scott A. Renner Ph.D. Computer Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
John Studenroth Ph.D. Plant Pathology Cornell University
Peter M. Rowell D.Phil. Physics University of Oxford (UK)
Mark Swanson Ph.D. Biochemistry University of Illinois
João Jorge Ribeiro Soares Gonçalves de Araújo, Assistant Professor, Department of Mathematics Open University (Portugal)
James Swanson Professor of Biological Sciences Old Dominion University
Justin Holl Ph.D. Animal Science University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Bela Szilagyi Ph.D. Physics University of Pittsburgh
Richard Mann Ph.D. Physical Chemistry Princeton University
Daniel Tedder Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Derek Linkens Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor (Biomedical Eng.) University of Sheffield (UK)
Charles Thaxton Ph.D. Physical Chemistry Iowa State University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—11 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Lee M. Spetner Ph.D. Physics MIT
Christopher L. Thomas Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry University of South Carolina
Sture Blomberg Associate Professor of Anesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine The Sahlgren University Hospital (Sweden)
Pavithran Thomas Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering Ohio State University
Leonard Loose Ph.D. Botany University of Leeds (UK)
Richard Thompson Ph.D. Computer Science University of Connecticut
D. Albrey Arrington Ph.D. Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences Texas A&M University
Stephen Lloyd Ph.D. Materials Science University of Cambridge (UK)
James R. Thompson Noah Harding Professor of Statistics Rice University
Denis M. Boyle Ph.D. Medical Biochemistry University of Witwatersrand (South Africa)
Ide Trotter Ph.D. Chemical Engineering Princeton University
Kevin E. Spaulding Ph.D. Optical Engineering University of Rochester
Royal Truman Ph.D. Organic Chemistry Michigan State University
Robert VanderVennen Ph.D. Physical Chemistry Michigan State University
Nigel E. Robinson Ph.D. Molecular Biology University of Nottingham (UK)
Vincente Villa Emeritus Professor of Biology Southwestern University
Margil Wadley Ph.D. Inorganic Chemistry Purdue University
Clifton L. Kehr Ph.D. Chemistry University of Delaware
Carston Wagner Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry University of Minnesota
Karl Heinz Kienitz Professor, Department of Systems & Control Instituto Technologico de Aeronautica (Brazil)
Linda Walkup Ph.D. Molecular Genetics University of New Mexico Medical School
James Tumlin Associate Professor of Medicine Emory University
David Van Dyke Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry University of Illinois, Urbana
John Walkup Emeritus Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering Texas Tech University
Pieder Beeli Ph.D. Physics University of Notre Dame
Robert Waltzer Associate Professor of Biology Belhaven College
James R. Brawer Professor of Anatomy & Cell Biology (Ph.D., Harvard) McGill University (Canada)
Todd Watson Assistant Professor of Urban & Community Forestry Texas A & M University
Weimin Gao Microbiologist Brookhaven National Laboratory
Woody Weed Mechanical Engineer, Science & Technology Division Sandia National Labs
Heikki Martikka Professor of Machine Design Lappeenranta University of Technology (Finland)
Gerald Wegner Ph.D. Entomology Loyola University
Richard R. Neptune Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering University of Texas, Austin
Jonathan Wells Ph.D. Molecular & Cell Biology University of California, Berkeley
Alexandre S. Soares Ph.D. Mathematics Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Robert Wentworth Ph.D. Toxicology University of Georgia
Einar W. Palm Professor Emeritus, Department of Plant Pathology University of Missouri, Columbia
R. P. Wharton Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Sandra Gade Emeritus Professor of Physics University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
Elden Whipple Affiliate Professor of Earth & Space Sciences University of Washington
Chee K. Yap Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D., Yale University) Courant Institute, New York University
Mark White Professor of Chemical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Charles Detwiler Ph.D. Genetics Cornell University
Terrance Murphy Professor of Chemistry Weill Cornell Medical College
Ed Neeland Professor of Chemistry Okanagan University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—12 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Gregg Wilkerson Ph.D. Geologic Science University of Texas, El Paso
Joseph M. Marra Director, Interventional Radiology, & Adjunct Professor of Medicine Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
Ken Pascoe Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Air Force Institute of Technology
John H. Whitmore Associate Professor of Geology Cedarville University
Ernest L. Brannon Professor Emeritus, Distinguished Research Professor (Ph.D. Fisheries) University of Idaho
Christopher Williams Ph.D. Biochemistry Ohio State University
Georg A. Speck Ph.D. Biology, Molecular Pharmacology University of Heidelberg (Germany)
J. Mitch Wolff Professor of Mechanical Engineering Wright State University
Thomas D. Gillespie Research Professor Emeritus Transportation Research Institute, University of Michigan
John Worraker Ph.D. Applied Mathematics University of Bristol (UK)
Alexander Yankovsky Assistant Professor of Physical Oceanography Nova Southeastern University
John C. Zink Former Assistant Professor of Engineering University of Oklahoma
Patrick Young Ph.D. Chemistry Ohio University
David Zartman Ph.D. Genetics & Animal Breeding Ohio State University
Charles T. Rombough Ph.D. Engineering University of Texas
Henry Zuill Emeritus Professor of Biology Union College
Jane M. Orient Clinical Lecturer in Medicine University of Arizona College of Medicine
Frank Young Ph.D. Computer Engineering Air Force Institute of Technology
Murray E. Moore Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering Texas A&M University
William J. Powers Ph.D. Physics University California, San Diego
Max G. Walter Associate Professor of Radiology Oklahoma University Health Science Center
Rosa María Muñoz Head of Biopharmacy Department Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Scott R. Fulton Ph.D. Atmospheric Science Colorado State University
Don Olson Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry Purdue University
Graham Marshall Ph.D. Analytical Chemistry University of Pretoria (South Africa)
Philip R. Page Ph.D. Theoretical Particle Physics University of Oxford (UK)
Roger Wiens Ph.D. Physics University of Minnesota
Mark Toleman Ph.D. Molecular Microbiology Bristol University (UK)
Robert O. Kalbach Ph.D. Physical Chemistry University of South Florida
Gregory J. Brewer Prof. of Neurology, Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Cell Biology Southern Illinois University School of Medicine
Neil Huber Dr. rer. nat. (Ph.D. Anthropology) Tuebingen University
Marc C. Daniels Assistant Professor of Biology William Carey College
J.D. Moolenburgh Ph.D. Epidemiology University of Rotterdam (The Netherlands)
Roger Lien Ph.D. Physiology North Carolina State University
Dean Schulz Ph.D. Computer Science Colorado State University
John Millam Ph.D. Computational Chemistry Rice University
Joseph Lary Epidemiologist and Research Biologist (retired) Centers for Disease Control
Richard S. Beale, Jr. Ph.D. Entomology University of California, Berkeley
Ernest M. Thiessen Ph.D. Civil & Environmental Engineering Cornell University
Tianyou Wang Research Scientist Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement & Assessment, University of Iowa
Øyvind A. Voie Ph.D. Biology University of Oslo (Norway)
David K. Shortess Professor of Biology (Retired) New Mexico Tech
A.D. Harrison Emeritus Professor of Biology University of Waterloo A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—13 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
William P. Shulaw Professor of Veterinary Preventive Medicine The Ohio State University
Darrell R. Parnell Ph. D. University Level Science Education Kansas State University
Daniel W. Barnette Ph. D. Aerospace Engineering Stanford University
David William Jensen Professor of Biology Tomball College
Edward M. Bohn Ph. D. Nuclear Engineering University of Illinois
Robert G. Vos Ph.D. Civil/Structural Engineering Rice University
Yvonne Boldt Ph. D. Microbiology University of Minnesota
William B. Collier Ph. D. Physical Chemistry Oklahoma State University
Edward Gade Professor Emeritus of Mathematics University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
James E. Nymann Emeritus Professor of Mathematics University of Texas at El Paso
Malcolm A. Cutchins Ph. D. Engineering Mechanics Virginia Tech
Lisanne D’Andrea-Winslow Ph. D. Cell Biology & Biochemistry Rutgers University
Holger Daugaard Ph. D. Agronomy Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (Denmark)
Shieu-Hong Lin Assistant Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D., Brown University) Biola University
W. John Durfee Assistant Professor of Pharmacology Case Western Reserve University
Dominic M. Halsmer Ph. D. Mechanical Engineering UCLA
Charles B. Lowrey Ph.D. Chemistry University of Houston
Jeffrey H. Harwell Ph. D. Chemical Engineering University of Texas, Austin
Frank Cheng Associate Professor of Chemistry University of Idaho
David Heddle Ph. D. Physics Carnegie Mellon University
Yoshiyuki Amemiya Professor of Advanced Materials Science & Applied Physics The University of Tokyo
Barbara S. Helmkamp Ph.D. Theoretical Physics Louisiana State University
David C. Kem Professor of Medicine University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
C. Thomas Luiskutty Ph.D. Physics Univ. of Louisville
Wusi Maki Research Asst. Professor, Dept. of Microbiology, Mol. Biology, & Biochem. University of Idaho
A. Cordell Perkes Ph.D. Science Education Ohio State University
John D. Cook Head of Software Development (Ph.D. Mathematics, U.T. Austin) Department of Biostatistics & Applied Mathematics, U. of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Tony Prato Prof. of Ecological Economics University of Missouri
Charles G. Sanny Prof. of Biochemistry Oklahoma State University Ctr. for Health Sciences
Jairam Vanamala Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Nutrition Faculty of Nutrition, TAMU, College Station
Gordon L. Wilson Ph.D. Environmental Science and Public Policy George Mason University
Robin D. Zimmer Ph.D. Environmental Sciences Rutgers University
Karl Duff Sc.D. Mechanical Engineering MIT
David Jansson Sc.D. Instrumentation and Automatic Control MIT
C. Steven Murphree Professor of Biology Belmont University
Alfred G. Ratz Ph.D. Engineering Physics University of Toronto (Canada)
Chris Cellucci Associate Professor of Physics Ursinus College
Gary Maki Director, Ctr. for Advanced Microelectronics and Biomolecular Research University of Idaho
Ronald S. Carson Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering University of Washington
Joseph A. Strada Ph.D. Aeronautical Engineering Naval Postgraduate School
Olaf Karthaus Associate Professor, Chemistry Chitose Institute of Science & Technology (Japan)
Arnold Eugene Carden Professor Emeritus of Engineering Science & Mechanics University of Alabama
John B. Marshall Professor of Medicine University of Missouri School of Medicine
Robert B. Sheldon Ph.D. Physics University of Maryland, College Park A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—14 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
B. K. Nelson Research Toxicologist (retired) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Hansik Yoon Ph.D. Fiber Science Seoul National University (South Korea)
David Conover Ph.D. Health Physics Purdue University
Luis Paulo Franco de Barros D.Sc. Mechanical Engineering Pontificia Universidade Católica (Brazil)
Richard W. Pooley Professor of Surgery (retired) New York Medical College
Arthur Chadwick Ph.D. Molecular Biology University of Miami
Lennart Saari Adjunct Professor, Wildlife Biology University of Helsinki (Finland)
Douglas G. Frank Ph.D. Surface Electrochemistry University of Cincinnati
James G. Tarrant Ph.D. Organic Chemistry University of Texas, Austin
N. Ricky Byrn Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Mark S. Whorton Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Jeffrey E. Lander Ph.D. Biomechanics University of Oregon
Curtis Hawkins Asst. Clinical Professor of Dermatology Case Western Reserve Univ. School of Medicine
Mary A. Brown DVM (Veterinary Medicine) Ohio State University
Thomas H. Marshall Adjunct Professor, Food Agricultural and Biological Engineering Ohio State University
Charles H. McGowen Assistant Professor of Medicine Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Ronald R. Crawford Ed.D. Science Education Ball State University
Matti Junnila DVM, Ph.D. Veterinary Pathology University of Helsinki (Finland)
Dean Svoboda Ph.D. Electrical Engineering The Ohio State University
Ruth C. Miles Professor of Chemistry Malone College
Mark J. Lattery Associate Professor of Physics University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
William McVaugh Associate Professor of Biology Department of Natural Sciences, Malone College
Jeffrey M. Goff Associate Professor of Chemistry Malone College
Jarrod W. Carter Ph.D. Bioengineering University of Washington
David B. Medved Ph.D. Physics University of Pennsylvania
Theodore W. Geier Ph.D. Forrest Hydrology University of Minnesota
Christian Heiss Post-Doctoral Associate Complex Carbohydrate Res. Ctr., Univ. of Georgia
G. Bradley Schaefer Professor of Pediatrics University of Nebraska Medical Center
Bruce Simat Associate Professor of Biology Northwestern College
Teresa Gonske Assistant Professor of Mathematics Northwestern College
Thomas Mundie Dean of the School of Science & Technology Georgia Gwinnett College
Scott S. Kinnes Professor of Biology Azusa Pacific University
James A. Huggins Chair, Dept. of Biology & Dir., Hammons Center for Scientific Studies Union University
Jonathan A. Zderad Assistant Professor of Mathematics Northwestern College
Michael R. Egnor Professor and Vice-Chairman, Dept. of Neurological Surgery State University of New York at Stony Brook
I. Caroline Crocker Ph.D. Immunopharmacology University of Southampton (UK)
Donald J. Hanrahan Ph.D. Electrical Engineering University of Maryland
Gintautas Jazbutis Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering Georgia Institute of Technology
Paul S. Darby Ph.D. Organic Chemistry University of Georgia
Changhyuk An Ph.D. Physics University of Tennessee
L. Kirt Martin Professor of Biology Lubbock Christian University
Gerald Schroeder Ph.D. Earth Sciences & Nuclear Physics MIT
Rod Rogers Ph.D. Agronomy/Plant Breeding Iowa State University
David W. Herrin Research Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering University of Kentucky
Glen Needham Associate Professor of Entomology The Ohio State University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—15 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
E. Byron Rogers Professor of Chemistry; Chair, Dept. of Mathematics & Physical Sciences Lubbock Christian University
Vladimir L. Voeikov Vice-Chairman, Chair of Bio-organic Chemistry, Faculty of Biology Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia)
Ricardo Leon Dean of School of Medicine Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Eugene C. Ashby Regents’ Professor and Distinguished Professor Emeritus Georgia Institute of Technology
JoAnne Larsen Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering University of South Florida, Lakeland
Douglas Axe Director (Ph.D. Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology) Biologic Institute
Joel Brind Professor of Biology Baruch College, City University of New York
William F. Basener Associate Professor of Mathematics Rochester Institute of Technology
L. Whit Marks Emeritus Professor of Physics University of Central Oklahoma
Perry Mason Professor of Mathematics and Physical Science Lubbock Christian University
Timothy A. Mixon Assistant Professor of Medicine Texas A&M University
Lawrence DeMejo Ph.D. Polymer Science and Engineering University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Charles Garner Professor of Chemistry Baylor University
Lynne Parker Associate Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D. MIT) Distributed Intelligence Lab, University of Tennessee
Ivan M. Lang Ph.D. Physiology and Biophysics Temple University
David J. Lawrence Ph.D. Physics Washington University, St. Louis
John G. Hoey Ph.D. Molecular and Cellular Biology City University of New York Graduate School
Theodore J. Siek Ph.D. Biochemistry Oregon State University
John P. Rickert Ph.D. Mathematics Vanderbilt University
Christian M. Loch Ph.D. Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics University of Virginia
David W. Rusch Sr. Research Scientist, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics University of Colorado
Charles A. Signorino Ph.D. Organic Chemistry University of Pennsylvania
Luke Randall Ph.D. Molecular Microbiology University of London (UK)
Jan Frederic Dudt Associate Professor of Biology Grove City College
Glenn A. Marsch Associate Professor of Physics Grove City College
Eduardo Sahagun Professor of Botany Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Mark A. Chambers Ph.D. Virology University of Cambridge (UK)
Daniel Howell Ph.D. Biochemistry Virginia Tech
Joel D. Hubbard Associate Professor, Dept. of Lab. Science and Primary Care Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
C. Roger Longbotham Ph.D. Statistics Florida State University
Hugh L. Henry Lecturer (Ph.D. Physics, University of Virginia) Northern Kentucky University
Jonathan D. Eisenback Professor of Plant Pathology Dept. of Plant Pathology and Weed Science Virginia Tech
Eduardo Arroyo Professor of Forensics (Ph.D. Biology) Complutense University (Spain)
Peter Silley Ph.D. Microbial Biochemistry University of Newcastle upon Tyne
E. Norbert Smith Ph.D. Zoology Texas Tech University
Peter C. Iwen Professor of Pathology and Microbiology University of Nebraska Medical Center
Paul Roschke A.P. and Florence Wiley Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering Texas A&M University
Luman R. Wing Associate Professor of Biology Azusa Pacific University
Edward F. Blick Ph.D. Engineering Science University of Oklahoma
Wesley M. Taylor Former Chairman of the Division of Primate Medicine & Surgery New England Regional Primate Research Center, Harvard Medical School
Don England Professor Emeritus of Chemistry Harding University
Wayne Linn Professor Emeritus of Biology Southern Oregon University
James Gundlach Associate Professor of Physics John A. Logan College
Guillermo Gonzalez Associate Professor of Astronomy Iowa State University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—16 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Tim Droubay Ph.D. Physics University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Gregory D. Bossart Director and Head of Pathology Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution
Barry Homer Ph.D. Mathematics Southampton University (UK)
Jiøí Vácha Professor Emeritus of Pathological Physiology Institute of Pathophysiology, Masaryk University (Czech Republic)
Richard J. Neves Professor of Fisheries, Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences Virginia Tech
David Deming Associate Professor of Geosciences University of Oklahoma
Gregory A. Ator Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology University of Kansas Medical Center
Erkki Jokisalo Ph.D. Social Pharmacy University of Kuopio (Finland)
John S. Roden Associate Professor of Biology Southern Oregon University
Donald W. Russell Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Neil Armitage Associate Professor of Civil Engineering University of Cape Town (South Africa )
Geoff Barnard Senior Research Scientist, Department of Veterinary Medicine University of Cambridge (UK)
Richard Hassing Ph.D. Theoretical Physics Cornell University
Olivia Torres Professor-Researcher (Human Genetics) Autonomous University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Donald A. Kangas Professor of Biology Truman State University
Alvin Masarira Senior Lecturer for Structural Engineering and Mechanics University of Cape Town (South Africa)
George A. Ekama Professor, Water Quality Engineering, Dept of Civil Engineering University of Cape Town (South Africa)
Alistair Donald Ph.D. Environmental Science/Quaternary or Pleistocene Palynology University of Wales (UK)
Thomas C. Majerus PharmD; FCCP University of Minnesota
Ferenc Farkas Ph.D. Applied Chemical Sciences Technical University of Budapest (Hungary)
Scott A. Chambers Affiliate Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering University of Washington
Cris Eberle Ph.D. Nuclear Engineering Purdue University
Dennis M. Sullivan Professor of Biology and Bioethics Cedarville University
Rodney M. Rutland Department Head & Associate Professor of Kinesiology Anderson University
Alastair M. Noble Ph.D. Chemistry University of Glasgow (Scotland)
Robert D. Orr Professor of Family Medicine University of Vermont College of Medicine
Laverne Miller Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine Medical College of Ohio
Laura Burke Former Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering Lehigh University
Terry W. Spencer Former Chair, Department of Geology & Geophysics Texas A&M University
Bert Massie Ph.D. Physics University of California, Los Angeles
Mark C. Porter Ph.D. Chemical Engineering MIT
S. Thomas Abraham Assistant Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology Campbell University School of Pharmacy
John L. Hoffer Professor of Engineering; Texas A&M University College of Engineering; (also) Professor of Anesthesiology Texas A&M Univ. Syst. Health Science Center
Anita McElroy Ph.D. Biology University of California, San Diego
Herman Branover Professor of Mechanical Engineering Ben-Gurion University (Israel)
Martin Krause Research Scientist (Astronomy) University of Cambridge (UK)
James G. Bentsen Ph.D. Chemistry M.I.T.
Curtis Hrischuk Ph.D. Electrical Engineering Carleton University (Canada)
Guang-Hong Chen Assistant Professor of Medical Physics & Radiology University of Wisconsin-Madison
Doug Hufstedler Ph.D. Animal Nutrition Texas A&M University
Justin Long Ph.D. Chemical Engineering Iowa State University
James E. Rankin Ph.D. General Relativity Yeshiva University (Israel)
Donald F. Smee Research Professor (Microbiology) Utah State University A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—17 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
Colin R. Reeves Professor of Operational Research (Ph.D. Evolutionary Algorithms) Coventry University (UK)
A SCIENTIFIC DISSENT FROM DARWINISM—18 WWW.DISCOVERY.ORG
*= Deceased since signing statement.
Note: Unless updated information has been received, positions listed are those held by signers when they signed the statement.

Home Work Aug. 27-Sept. 2

2008-08-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

A. Please Read All 3 Introductions in UTT Textbook, and answer the quizzes (on page 6 of UTT Student Manuel) on separate pieces of paper to be handed in next class.
B. On another piece of paper write down your reaction to our class so far. Do you like it? Is it what you expect? Is it what you want? Also, any suggestions or questions that you would like answered.
C. In getting to know you further, on anoher sheet please write out any areas that you and/or your friends find the most difficult to understand or to live Biblically, or areas of common struggle that I could address in class. No matter what the issue Biblical Worldview is involved and has an answer. All information will be kept strictly confidential and I will only address the matters brought up in a general way having no connection with any individual student or their friends.
D. Please post your responces to my riddles if you care to. The person who answers the most of them correctly each semester will receive a special prize! ;-)
You're a great class, I'm honored to be teaching you! Prof. Clark

American Generosity to the poor

2008-08-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

America’s Most Important Export
Don Eberly and Joseph Loconte
The Upside of Globalization
We’ve heard a lot recently about the problem of anti-Americanism. The Pew Research Center produces surveys every year that announce, almost as a mantra, a widespread “disillusionment with American values.” Its latest report, released last month, found more of the same. Majorities surveyed in such countries as Pakistan and Turkey, for example, consider the United States as “more of an enemy” rather than “more of a friend.”
This narrative of global America-loathing, however, is a profoundly misleading story. The fact is that American ideals and institutions are highly popular in many areas around the world, especially in the developing world. A major part of the reason is the advent of globalization—the twenty-first century carrier of America’s democratic vision.
the most constructive aspects of U.S.-led globalization are the features most urgently needed in the developing world: private enterprise, the rule of law, social trust, respect for individual rights, pluralism, and good governance.
There are real downsides to globalization, including the export of trashy popular culture, a disregard for environmental concerns, and a lust for consumption. But the most constructive aspects of U.S.-led globalization are the features most urgently needed in the developing world: private enterprise, the rule of law, social trust, respect for individual rights, pluralism, and good governance. In this sense, the problem for the world’s poor over the past half-century has been too little, not too much, globalization.
These concepts are being embraced in some of the most impoverished and unlikely parts of the world. From Brazil to Rwanda to India to Indonesia, the American model of civil society offers a compelling vision of political and economic empowerment. Indeed, America’s vibrant independent sector—its charities, congregations, advocacy groups, community organizers, and small businesses—is the envy of the world. In short, Tocqueville’s America is going global.
Nevertheless, a rival school of development theory, led by economists such as Jeffrey Sachs, continues to focus mostly on top-down, government-driven “official development assistance.” Measuring America’s compassion in the world exclusively by traditional government aid, this school accuses the United States of being miserly toward the developing world.
Such thinking places too much trust in grandiose government schemes and not enough in the grass-roots, private-sector initiatives that are actually improving the lives of the poor. America’s private sector—both its civic and entrepreneurial power—is increasingly functioning as a “force multiplier” for social and political development. Wherever this sector engages internationally, it bypasses sclerotic hierarchies.
Homegrown entrepreneurs and community leaders are speaking with their own voice—and in a different language than those who presume to speak for them.
Equally remarkable is the dramatic rise worldwide of local civil society. Homegrown entrepreneurs and community leaders are speaking with their own voice—and in a different language than those who presume to speak for them. Despite United Nations proclamations to the contrary, the most important economic and political reformers are not wandering the halls of the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank seeking standing with government-aid agencies. They are laboring at the village level, where they are partnering with American businesses, entrepreneurs, and NGOs of every imaginable kind.
These organizations form the lifeblood of what Anne Applebaum, writing recently in Foreign Policy, described as “aspirational” societies. Inspired by American dynamism, such societies seek economic opportunity, social mobility, and more accountable government. In India, for example, the people most likely to hold favorable views of America are young, relatively wealthy, and better educated. The reason is obvious. A growing number of younger Indians have had the opportunity to work with U.S. companies and investors. “The poor in India are still untouched by globalization,” Applebaum writes. “But the middle and upper-middle classes—those who see for themselves a role in the English speaking, America-dominated international economy—are aspirational, and therefore pro-American.”
A similar process is at work across much of Africa. The Bush administration’s Global AIDS Initiative gets bipartisan praise for its investment in combating the AIDS pandemic, principally in sub-Saharan Africa. Through the Agency for International Development, billions of taxpayer dollars have funded anti-retroviral drugs and the creation of entire health-care systems. Often forgotten, however, is the indispensable role of faith-based and community organizations—congregations, clinics, hospitals, orphanages—in delivering assistance and battling the effects of the pandemic.
Perhaps it comes as no surprise, then, that in nine of the ten African nations recently surveyed by the Pew Research Center, favorable views of the United States were the rule—and strongly so. In countries such as the Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda, positive attitudes about America are double those in most European countries—anywhere from 61 percent to a high of 88 percent. All of these countries expressed strong support for “American ideas about democracy.” When African states are asked if they like “American ways of doing business,” roughly three fourths of them say yes.
the great tasks facing Rwandans—peacemaking and ethnic reconciliation—lie largely beyond the capacity of governments to achieve.
In areas torn apart by conflict or natural disasters, the work of community and church-based groups to bring about reconciliation and social stability is crucial. Rwanda, devastated by genocide in 1994, is slowly becoming a nation-building success story. Visionary political leadership is surely part of the reason. Yet the great tasks facing Rwandans—peacemaking and ethnic reconciliation—lie largely beyond the capacity of governments to achieve. They are being performed mostly through the quiet efforts of community and church-based groups indigenous to Rwandan society. Bishop John Rucyahana, for example, whose family suffered unspeakable atrocities during the genocide, is building orphanages and promoting ethnic reconciliation.

Meanwhile, the salient influence of American civil society—particularly its great philanthropic tradition—is visible in the world’s most populous Muslim nation: Indonesia. [For background on this tradition, see the Trinity Forum curriculum Doing Well and Doing Good.] As director of private-sector coordination for tsunami reconstruction at the State Department, Don worked with NGOs, humanitarian workers, and volunteers who arrived by the tens of thousands following the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck Indonesia and other nations in the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004.
most of the tsunami relief delivered by the United States came from people working through the private sector.
The U.S. government played an important role, yet most of the tsunami relief delivered by the United States came from people working through the private sector. Indeed, the response of ordinary Americans, who mobilized on a truly massive scale, marked a dramatic shift in how emergency relief and international development are being conducted. Teenagers, university students, congregations, relief groups, businesses, web-based companies, celebrities, sports teams—all sponsored fundraising projects or sent volunteers into the region. Private giving hit record levels. About $350 million arrived via Internet donations in the first month following the disaster. Indeed, the private-sector response of $2 billion far exceeded the $657 million in public funds appropriated by Congress.
Such charitable efforts not only rescued thousands of lives, but they also continue to bear fruit in the wider political culture. In Banda, Aceh, Indonesia—one of the most corrupt and conflict-prone regions in Asia—several hundred U.S. and international NGOs are now collaborating with local leaders and organizations to promote political reform, modernization, and conflict resolution.
Despite its philanthropic track record around the world, the United States is criticized by foreign aid advocates for being stingy in its foreign assistance. Their remedy for poverty is the transfer of income to poor nations—no strings attached. Meanwhile, the anti-globalization movement sees only a rapacious America and its multinational corporations scouring the earth for easy profits and displaying little regard for the poor, their cultures, or even the sovereignty of their nations.
The United States, however, has followed a different path in its approach to poverty, relying more on private charity and economic growth than on large amounts of government aid. It is a deeply ingrained American virtue.
Critics of U.S. aid policies tend to ignore the dynamic work of community and faith-based organizations in tackling the problems of drug abuse, crime, and poverty.
Critics of U.S. aid policies tend to ignore the dynamic work of community and faith-based organizations in tackling the problems of drug abuse, crime, and poverty. These neighborhood organizations bring a set of values and human resources typically lacking in government approaches. They are highly motivated, radically entrepreneurial, sacrificial, and mission-driven. A public-school principal, for example, reflecting on the commitment of church-based volunteers to her neediest children, offered this confession: “I’m an old lady and I’ve been in education for thirty years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.” Many U.N. bureaucrats and anti-poverty activists, if they were candid, would say the same.
Too many political leaders and pundits see the world only through the prism of America’s shortcomings. They consider anti-Americanism an incorrigible and permanent condition of the international community, for which the United States alone is responsible. Yet there is another story to tell—the countless ways in which American-style civil society is creating better conditions for the poor and transforming their attitudes about the American ideal.
Don Eberly is a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum, a former senior Bush Administration official, and author, most recently, of The Rise of Global Civil Society: Building Communities and Nations from the Bottom Up. Joseph Loconte, a senior fellow at Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy and a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, served as an informal advisor to the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives from 2001–2003.

2 Riddles for our Class ;-)

2008-08-13T01:31:00.000-07:00

All of my riddles are strictly math/logic riddles. None of them will be the double meanings, play on words or joke type riddles. Here are the first two. Bring your answers to class.

1. A man was looking at a portrait. Someone asked him, "whose picture are you looking at?" He replied, "Brothers and sisters have I none, but this man's father (man in the portrait's father) is my father's son." Whose picture was the man looking at?
2. A man is 100 yards due south of a bear. He walks 100 yards due east, then faces due north, fires his gun due north, and hits the bear. What color was the bear? There is only one possibility so you need to explain why the bear must be a certain color, given what you know.

The Crusades

2008-08-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

The Crusades: the rest of the story
Prof. Harold O.J. Brown, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Two of Christendom's favorite hymns, often used at services of Holy Communion, are "Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts" and "Jesus, King Most Wonderful." Both were written by the great medieval monk and theologian, Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153). Not many of those who sing Bernard's hymns know the name of their author, and even fewer know that he was the leading agitator behind the Second Crusade (1147-49). The thought might make them uncomfortable.
The Crusades do not enjoy a good press in the modern West--although the very existence of the modern West owes a great deal to them. Still, even among Christians the Crusades have a poor reputation.
The fact that the Crusades ultimately ended in failure was a setback to the prestige of the medieval papacy and indeed to the Christian Church as a whole. This is one reason why many of us who are Protestants would like to blame them on Catholicism and to act as though they were no concern of ours. And of course The Church crusading, in general, was not justified by Biblical doctrine and is not part of the program of any serious Biblical Christian today. Nevertheless, the Crusades were a primary preoccupation of Christendom for two centuries, and Christians should not dismiss them out of hand or brush them off with blanket condemnation. It is just possible that the medieval Crusaders knew something about the region adn culture they were invading that we have forgotten.
Dar al Islam
MANY MODERN Christians reject the Crusades with horror, believing they were an attempt to make converts by force. In fact, they were an attempt to re-conquer the Holy Land--an attempt that was, for about a century, a complete and surprising success. The Crusades were provoked not by missionary zeal, but by cruel religious repressions and massacres of Christians in the Holy Land--residents and pilgrims--by their Moslem rulers. Should the Moslem Arabs once again take control of Israel and begin to persecute the Jews living there, would we be surprised to see world Jewry organize militarily to rescue them? In that light, the First Crusade, if not justified, is at least as defensible as many other wars waged by the nations of the world, Christian and non-Christian alike.
A second fundamental misunderstanding is the idea that the Crusades are responsible for current Moslem hostility to Christianity. Missionaries in Moslem lands often explain their meager successes in these terms. There is no doubt that the Crusades--now more than seven hundred years in the past--furnish a pretext for Moslem hostility. But to say they are the reason for Moslem hostility is to betray a fundamental ignorance of more than a thousand years of Moslem history.
The Crusades were not the cause of Moslem aggressiveness, but a reaction to the extremely aggressive, unprovoked Islamic attacks against the west. From the very first years of its existence, Islam has been a militaristic, aggressive religion. According to Moslem doctrine, the Moslem belongs to the dar al Islam, the house of Islam, while all infidels--including Christians and Jews--belong to the dar al harb, the house of war. It is the Moslem's duty to expand the house of Islam and to pare down the house of war, until it is no more. Without any provocation, Islam conquered the richest and most populous parts of the Christian Roman Empire within a century of its founding by Mohammed in 622. Muslim aggression against Jews and Christins can be traced to A.D. 638 when the Muslims first attacked and conquered Jerusalem. Thereafter, Christians were subjected to demands for their money, often crucifixions, massacres, destruction of churches, denial of the right to teach their own children anything other than Islam and forced conversions or death.The conquering Moslems were finally stopped at the gates of Constantinople in 678, but they penetrated in the West as far as northern France, where they were defeated by Charles Martel, the grandfather of Charlemagne, at Tours in 732.
The successful re-conquest of Jerusalem by the Frankish Crusaders in 1099 shook the Moslem world, but it took less than a century for it to recover. In the East the march of conquest against/Christendom was soon resumed. (In the West, the Spanish gradually expelled the Moslem Moors, but the liberation of Spain was not complete until 1492, almost four hundred years after the First Crusade.) The Turks captured Constantinople in 1453 and turned Christendom's greatest church, Hagia Sophia, into a mosque. They overran the Balkans and much of south-central Europe until they were finally stopped for the last time at Vienna in 1683. Not only the Greeks but all the Christian peoples of southeastern Europe have a vivid memory of the horror of Turkish Moslem conquest and rule!
Christian Resurgence?
THE RISE of the European powers coincided with the protracted decline of the great Islamic nations. During the nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century, Islam was once again on the defensive. The greatest psychological shock, however, was delivered not by Christians but by Jews--the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and, even more forcibly, the "Jewish" reconquest of Old Jerusalem in 1967. (For almost all Moslems, it is the Jews, not the Israelis, who recaptured Jerusalem, just as the Pope is a Christian, not a Pole.)
It is true that the Moslems--as in the era of the Crusades--have now suffered almost two centuries of reversals of their original conquests at Christian hands. But this means that over the 1,360 years of Christian-Moslem history, the Moslems have been clearly on the defensive for only about four centuries. Four centuries of Christian resurgence do not explain nine and a half centuries of active aggression before, during, and after the centuries of Christian resurgence.
Very few Christians think of international politics in religious terms. The Christian West has produced more sympathy for the Moslems who were massacred during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 than for all of the Lebanese Christians whose protracted suffering at Moslem hands was one of the reasons for that Israeli invasion. We do not think of Christendom as something that we should defend, much less expand.
The Moslems, however, do think of dar al Islam, the house of Islam, as something they intend to expand. The historic Crusades were in fact a long-delayed reaction to the Islamic jihad, or holy war. It was the jihad that first attacked Christianity from North Africa and most of the Middle East, and threatened to destroy it in Europe as well. Christians today are not proud of the historic Crusades, attempt to fight back, nor should they be proud of all of it. But it is wise to remember that it took the crusading fervor, with all its faults, to stop and reverse the religiously motivated military expansion of Islam by means of the jihad.
Most serious non-western Islamic authorities still believe in jihad. Indeed, the Islamic world is not only spiritually and morally capable of launching a fresh jihad, it is already in the process of doing so in Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebenon. The renewed Islamic advance against the Christian West may be said to date from the great oil embargo of 1973.
by Iran.
Israelis know that the threat of the jihad is not an idle one, the fancy of scholars in an ivory tower. Christendom, by contrast, does not feel threatened. It is, on paper at least, far richer and more powerful than the Islamic world. But Christendom has paid a high price in the past for underestimating Islam. In the seventh century, Christian Rome was far richer and stronger than Islam. It did not feel threatened either--at least not at first. The incredible ferocity of the Islamic attack, when it came, stunned and virtually overwhelmed Christendom. It barely escaped complete subjugation.
It would be folly to exaggerate the new jihad, or the threat that it poses. But it would be even greater folly to ignore it. For the Christian world today, unlike that of 1096, is hardly in spiritual shape to begin a fresh crusade.
While Christians no longer have much sympathy for the old Crusader mentality, it could be very important for us to understand it. Unless we can at least understand the Crusades--rather than simply dismissing them as "aberrations of Christianity"--we will not be able to understand the jihad, to which the Crusades were a belated and weak responce. And unless we understand the jihad, and begin to take it seriously--as seriously as we took the Communist world revolution--we may soon find ourselves at a point where nothing less than a crusade can help us.

War and The Bible

2008-08-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

A Biblical Perspective on War

We are all very much aware of the fact that our nation is on the proverbial brink of war. The President has declared war and the media has begun to post the word in bold print. This is the first war of the twenty-first century.
It is, however, different than the five wars of the twentieth century: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. It is different in that it is an unconventional war. It is what some are calling an asymmetrical war because it is not fought against a nation or a coalition of nations, but it is still a war. It is a deadly armed sustained conflict with an enemy. In truth, the war has already begun. It started when those hijacked jets hit the buildings and killed thousands of people. Those terrorists acts were essentially a declaration of war.
At this particular time, our nation is strategizing and arming for an appropriate response. The goal of that response is aimed at destroying the enemy's ability to harm us or others again. So the reality of war is swirling around us right here in the first year of the new millennium. And there are many opinions circulating in the national discourse that range from those people who advocate passivism, that is a non-retaliation, all the way to the other side to aggression, the severest kind of aggression is what some people want. There are opinions from restraint to all out destruction. I've heard everything from we shouldn't do anything to we should nuke Mecca. I have heard suggestions that we need to set about to find the specific perpetrators of these crimes against us and bring only them to justice, which would be something like trying to find the actual pilots that flew the Japanese planes and bombed Pearl Harbor and bringing them singularly to justice. I have also, as you have, heard people talk about literally annihilating anybody and everybody connected to the people who did this. And there are all points in between.
We want to come to that not just by virtue of what rhetoric feels more comfortable. We don't want to respond to this thing on sheer emotion, but rather because we are Christians and we have the Bible, we want to go to the Bible and get an understanding of war that comes from Scripture. We have to realize that the military has many believers, some of them from our own church. They are serving in a wide ranging area of responsibility everywhere from support and supply to special forces. And how are they as Christians to understand the responsibility they have under the command of those in the military, how does that fit in with the will of God and the teaching of the Bible?
I'm going to make two big points. I want to keep it as simple as possible and I'm going to load those two points with a lot of information.
Point number one, war in itself is not necessarily wrong, immoral or ungodly. War in itself is not necessarily wrong, immoral or ungodly. Now I know what the sixth commandment says and so do you, "You shall not murder," Exodus 20 verse 13. I also know that in Romans 12 verse 19 it says, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord." We are commanded not to take personal vengeance but to leave vengeance to God and God ordained institutions. It is also true in Numbers 35:33 the Bible says, "So you shall not pollute the land in which you are for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it except by the blood of him who shed it."
So while God says you should not murder and the Bible says you shall not take personal vengeance, it also says that when someone sheds blood that land is polluted until the person who shed that blood sheds his blood. In Genesis chapter 9 and verse 6 God Himself instituted capital punishment. He instituted capital punishment for the crime of murder. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed. And later on in the Mosaic instruction we find there are at least 30 other immoral acts, crimes, for which God prescribed the death penalty.
So God Himself has established that we do not have the right to take a life in a act of murder or in an act of vengeance. But there is a place for just retribution and there are crimes, including murder, killing at any level, that require retaliation and retribution in the form of death. It is also true that not only has God established justice on an individual level through human government but He has also established war as a means of judgment on a national level. In fact, God Himself engages in war for His own purpose. God uses rulers and nations in His providence to bring death and destruction to people. And for sure, there are no people on the face of the earth who don't deserve to die because the wages of sin is death, the soul that sinneth it shall die, we all deserve to die. So when people die it isn't some aberration whether they die in an accident or from a disease or from a criminal act or war. That is part of sin. It's the wages, it's the payment. But there are times when God uses rulers and nations within His providence for His purpose to bring certain death and destruction to people because it's His will to do that.
I'm not here to tell you everything about God's will. I don't know that. I don't know why God does it in some circumstances and doesn't do it in other circumstances. God doesn't tell us that. But I trust that God always does what is right. In Joshua chapter 10 and verse 40 Joshua struck all the land, this is Joshua's conquest of Canaan and the children of Israel going into the land of Canaan which God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the land that God wanted to give His people and they needed to go into the land and they needed to go in and make war against the idolatrous people of the land and destroy those people and then take that land which God had given them. So Joshua did that, struck all the land, the hill country, the Negeb, the desert in the south, the lowland, the slopes, all their kings. He left no survivor but he utterly destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord the God of Israel had commanded. Amazing. And Joshua struck them from Kadesh-Barnea, even as far as Gaza and all the country of Goshen even as far as Gibeon and Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time because the Lord the God of Israel fought for Israel.
Now here is a simple illustration of the fact that God sent Joshua, the commander, and his army, the people of Israel, to go and to make war and utterly destroy all who breathed in the land around Canaan. In Psalm 18, and it's important that you see these passages so I'm going to take the time to point them out to you, in Psalm 18 verse 30, this is a psalm of David and in verse 30 he says, "As for God, His way is blameless." Don't ever forget that. Whatever God does is blameless. "The Word of the Lord is tried, it's proven. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him." You don't have to worry about what God does if you put your refuge in Him, right? Because no matter how you die, if your refuge is in Him even in a war you're going to into His glorious presence. Verse 31, "For who is God but the Lord, and who is a rock except our God, the God who girds me with strength and makes my way blameless. He sets my feet like hind's feet, mountain goat's feet, He sets me upon my high places." Then verse 34, "He trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze." David saw himself as a soldier for God that went to battle to kill in fulfillment of divine purpose.
In the fifth chapter of Jeremiah and verse 14 we read, "Therefore thus says the Lord the God of hosts because you have spoken this word, behold, I am making My words in your mouth fire and this people wood and it will consume you. Behold--verse 15, and the Lord here is sending a message to Jerusalem--I am bringing a nation against you from afar." This is Babylon, the Chaldeans, the Babylonians. "I'm bringing a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel, declares the Lord. It is an enduring nation, it is an ancient nation." And truly Babylon was. "It is a nation whose language you do not know, nor can you understand what they say. Their quiver is like an open grave, all of them are mighty men and they will devour your harvest and your food. They will devour your sons and your daughters. They will devour your flocks and your herds. They will devour your vines and your fig trees. They will demolish with the sword your fortified cities in which you trust. Yet even in those days, declares the Lord, I will not make you a complete destruction." Obviously He saved some of them to take them into captivity and then later to bring them back. "And it shall come about when they say why has the Lord our God done all these things to us, then you shall say to them, As you have forsaken Me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve strangers in a land that is not yours."
God sent the Babylonian army to come in with a massive slaughter to kill the people of Judah and Jerusalem, take a remnant captive and it was a punishment for their idolatry. In the fifty-first chapter of Jeremiah this too a very, very helpful passage of Scripture. Jeremiah chapter 51 verse 1, "Thus says the Lord...Behold I'm going to arouse," and here's an interesting turning of the tables. "I'm going to arouse against Babylon and against the inhabitants of Leb Kamai the spirit of a destroyer and I will dispatch foreigners to Babylon that they may win over her and may devastate her land for on every side they will be opposed to her in the day of her calamity."
What's He talking about? He's talking about the Persians under the leadership of Cyrus who later came to destroy the Babylonian Empire. God used the Babylonian army to judge Israel. God used the Medo-Persian army, particularly Cyrus the Persian, to judge Babylon.
And drop down to verse 11, this continues. "Sharpen the arrows, He says to the Persians, sharpen the arrows, fill your quiver, the Lord has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes because His purpose is against Babylon to destroy it, for it is the vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for His temple." The Babylonians went in and they conquered the Jews and that was an act of judgment and they desecrated the temple. And God used them to chasten Israel. But later on God came right back and punished them for their idolatry and desecration of His temple.
Down in verse 15, "It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom and by His understanding He stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice there's a tumult of waters in the heavens. He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain. He brings forth the wind from His storehouse. All mankind is stupid, devoid of knowledge. Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols for his molten images are deceitful, there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery. In the time of their punishment they will perish." Talking about the idols. "The portion of Jacob is not like these. Jacob doesn't have a God like these, for the maker of all is He," that is the God of Jacob is the true God, the creator. "Lord of hosts is His name."
And then notice verse 20, amazing. He says, "You are My war club, My battle axe, My weapon of war and with you I shatter nations and with you I destroy kingdoms. With you I shatter the horse and the rider, the chariot and the rider, man and woman, old man, youth, young man, virgin, the shepherd and his flock, the farmer and his team, governors and prefects." When God sends a force, a military force in, everybody feels the power and the deadliness of that force...not just the king, not just the military, not just those horse and riders and chariot and riders, those who represent the military but men and women, old and young, virgins and people working the farms, everybody all the way down through. And God is saying you, Cyrus really, the Persian who led the Medes and the Persians, you are My battle axe. You are My war club.
Backing up in the sixteenth chapter of Isaiah to further help you see this, Isaiah 16 verse 6, "We have heard of the pride of Moab and excessive pride even of his arrogance, pride and fury. His idle boasts are false. Therefore Moab shall wail, everyone of Moab shall wail. You shall moan for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth as those who are utterly stricken." You're going to long for the things you loved. And God here is talking about Assyrian armies who are going to come in a conquering fashion.
The thirty-seventh chapter of Isaiah, I won't read it, verses 26 and 27. God gives power to the Assyrian king Sennacherib to crush the fortified cities of Judah.
In Ezekiel 30 verse 22 to 26 God said that Nebuchadnezzar was His war weapon to break the power of Egypt. So God made war against Israel in the north. God made war against Judah in the south. God made war against Babylon. God made war against Egypt. The little prophecy of Habakkuk, I think, is very instructive as well. Habakkuk is toward the end of the Old Testament, chapter 1 verse 5. This is a judgment against Judah. God is going to bring the Chaldeans, it's the same prophecy we heard from Jeremiah that Babylonians or the Chaldeans are going to come and destroy Judah and Jerusalem.
Verse 5 of Habakkuk 1, "Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I'm doing something in your days. You would not believe if you were told. Behold I am raising up the Chaldeans, that fierce and impetuous people who march throughout the earth to seize dwelling places that are not theirs. They are dreaded and feared. Their justice and authority originate with themselves." That is they answer to nobody. "Their horses are swifter than leopards and keener than wolves in the evening. Their horsemen come galloping, their horsemen come from afar. They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour. All of them come for violence. Their horde of faces moves forward. They collect captives like sand. They mock at kings and rulers are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every fortress and heap up rubble to capture it then they will sweep through like the wind and pass on. But they will be held guilty, they whose strength is their god."
God will use a worse nation than Judah, Babylon, the Chaldeans, to destroy Judah then hold them accountable for their desecration and later on have the Persians destroy them. God was involved in war. And God understands the devastation that war brings. Look for a moment at Psalm 37.
This is hard to hear, this little section, but needs to be read because it is the Word of God. Verse 9 of Psalm 37, "Evil doers will be cut off...evil doers will be cut off." Sooner or later, sooner or later the wicked will be destroyed. That's just the way it's going to be. There's no escape. And when it happens, the fallout will strike everybody.
A couple of passages that show this, Isaiah 13:16, this a painful one. This is a discussion of when God brings the Medes, the Median Empire, the Persians, against Babylon. It's verse 1 of chapter 13, an oracle concerning Babylon and God is going to bring this army, and He did historically. But I want you to notice this most compelling part of it. "Anyone...verse 15...who is found will be thrust through," it's going to be deadly with a sword, "and anyone who is captured will fall by the sword. Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes. Their houses will be plundered and their wives ravished." God knows innocent women and children die in a war and still He authorized the war.
Turn to Hosea and here you have Hosea talking about the Assyrians attacking the northern kingdom Israel. In Hosea chapter 13 this is almost a repetition of what I read in the same chapter and verse of Isaiah, 13:16. Israel is going to be destroyed, it says that in verse 9. And the agent of destruction in this case was the Assyrian Empire. Notice verse 16, "Samaria will be held guilty for she has rebelled against her God, they will fall by the sword," Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom Israel, and look at this, "their little ones will be dashed to pieces and their pregnant women will be ripped open." God understands that what we would call the innocent perish in a war. The reality, however, is all people deserve to die and will die and some will die in wars which God determines are within His purpose and His will.
There's a little chapter and verse in Nahum, so easy to overlook, just three chapters long this book. In Nahum 3:10 it's the same thing. This is discussing Assyria's attack on Egypt and verse 10 says, "Her small children were dashed to pieces at the head of every street." Just horrible, unthinkable, but this is the reality of war.
By the way, I'm going to say this a couple of times tonight, file it in the front. God gives no account to us of His actions. He doesn't need to. And we can claim no right to call Him to account. He is the sovereign of the universe. He is blameless. He doesn't owe us any explanation. Calamity, war are within His providential purpose. Amos the prophet was a sheep breeder from a place called Tekoa. He received a revelation from God in Amos 3:6, listen to this, you don't have to look it up. Amos 3:6, write it down, "If there is calamity in a city will not the Lord have done it?" What's he saying? Is he saying God does evil? No. He is saying any calamity anyplace any time, crashing into towers, war fits within the purpose of God. Everything fits into His purpose, He hates sin, He's absolutely righteous, He is never responsible for any evil. Yet all that occurs He allows, even war which is within His purpose. We may not know what that purpose is. I'm sure it could have been very, very confusing to people living at the time of the Old Testament when just about every nation at one time or another was the battle axe of God against another one. And as I said, if God chose for all of us to die right now, we'd only get what we deserve. But He's patient and He's gracious but He sovereignly selects the calamities and the battles that He allows even though they are generated by wicked and evil men, they fit within His purpose.
So we know then that wars are not necessarily ungodly or immoral or wrong because God Himself engages in them. In fact, turn to Exodus 15...Exodus 15. You know, Exodus 15 is called "The Song of Moses." What do they have to sing about? Chapter 14, what happened in chapter 14? God drowned the entire Egyptian army, closed up the sea, drowned them all. Verse 28 of chapter 14, Pharaoh's entire army had gone into the sea, every one of them. God drowned them all. They were all dead on the shore, verse 30 says. And they sang a song because God had destroyed the entire Egyptian army. Were they all equally evil? No, but in God's purpose He deemed that it was time for their punishment. And it was also time to protect His people. And so the song of Moses goes like this, "I will sing to the Lord for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea." Talking about the Egyptians. "The Lord is my strength and my song and He has become my salvation. This is my God and I will praise Him. My father's God and I will extol Him. The Lord is a warrior." Humph...the Lord is a warrior.
Back in chapter 14 verse 14, Moses told the people, "The Lord will fight for you." Did you know the Old Testament talks about God's wars? It does. Yahweh's battles, Yahweh's wars. First Samuel 18:17, 1 Samuel 18:17, 1 Samuel 25:28, the wars of God. God is a warrior. There are times when God uses war, there are times when God yields a sword.
In Exodus 32 the children of Israel worshiped the golden calf. It was idolatry. God was angry, verse 25, Moses saw the people were out of control. They were out of control worshiping the golden calf, having an orgy while he was up in the mountains getting the law of God. So Moses stood in the gate of the camp and he said, "All right, whoever is for the Lord come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered to him. Nobody else, just the sons of Levi came. What did he tell them to do? "Thus says the Lord God of Israel, every man of you put his sword on his thigh, go forth back and forth from gate to gate in the camp everywhere, kill every man, his brother, every man, his friend, every man, his neighbor. So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed and 3,000 men of the people fell that day." God said go and kill those idolaters now. That was a command from God to show the people in a profound way the danger of idolatry.
And then there's 1 Kings 18:40, Elijah with the prophets of Baal. And it says he seized them, brought them down to the brook Kishon and slew them there. Do you know how many there were? Four hundred and fifty.
Now there are times, you see, when God obviously not only instituted capital punishment as we saw in those earlier scriptures, but there are times when God commanded that a group of people be killed, false prophets, idolaters. There are times when God actually was a warrior, when God was the commander-in-chief in a war and He had nations against nations bringing death and destruction against evil to punish idolatry, punishing it in Egypt, punishing it in Babylon, punishing it in Israel, punishing it in Judah. So God is a warrior, don't underestimate that.
Not always does God bring death. But sometimes He does in this way as a testimony to what we all deserve, right? But we don't live in a theocracy. We say we're a nation under God, but that's not true. You know that. We're under God in the sense that He is the sovereign over us, we're not under God in the sense that we willingly submit to Him. But we are not like Israel. We are not God's people. We don't have any covenant promise and protection. But God has assigned to human government the task of protection and punishment.
On a personal level government has the right to exercise capital punishment, government has the right to exercise just retribution, government has the responsibility to provide protection. And so, on a personal level we have the police and we have the courts and we have the jail system. And all of that is designed so that government can function to protect the good and punish the evil. Well God also gave that to government not only on the personal level but on the national level. Government has a responsibility to step in and protect its citizens from an aggressive force, preserve life and peace and justice here and in the world. While God is the ultimate judge, the final and eternal authority, He has delegated to man a certain sovereignty because the Bible says man is the king of the earth. And his rulership goes through the agencies that God has instituted. His rule in the family is clear, the father is the ruler of the families, the head of the family. His rule in the church is through the pastors and elders who lead the church. His rule on the social level is through the duly constituted government.
War then has been divinely delegated to governments who are the God-appointed authority for preservation, punishment and protection. So when injustice is done against a nation, it is the responsibility of government to protect that nation. Let me tell abut wars, real simple. War starts when the peace is interrupted and ends when it is restored. That's really what a war should be. It starts when the peace is interrupted and it ends when it is restored. Stopping Hitler would be the classic example of a just war, wouldn't it? He was going to commit genocide, obliterate the Jews from the face of the earth. He was going to literally kill everybody he had to on the face of the earth to achieve his horrendous evil intentions. America and many other nations rose up in a noble expression of the role of government to punish the evil doer and protect the innocent. And the war began when Hitler interrupted the peace and it ended when the peace was restored.
In the Old Testament we have a lot of scriptures that talk about Yahweh's wars...the wars of God. Numbers 21:14, there we are told, here's a quote, "The book of the wars of the lord...the book of the wars of the Lord." And that book consisted of victory songs, written to be sung in the celebration of the triumph of the Lord over the idolatrous people of Canaan when they went in and they killed the idolaters as an act of divine judgment. They had songs to sing. There is a Psalm...when you think about the Psalms you think about songs and they were songs, it was a hymnbook of Israel. Psalm 68:21, here's...here's a verse you won't find in hymns, "God will shatter the heads of His enemies." God told Israel to arm itself and defend itself against attack. We find that in Ezekiel 17:18 and following. We find it in Numbers 21:1 to 3. And God instructed, as I told you, Joshua to take Canaan by military force. Read Joshua 1, read Joshua particularly Joshua 6. God instructs him to take that land by military force. Isaiah 42:13 says, "The Lord will go forth like a warrior. He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes He will raise a war cry, He will prevail against His enemies." If you've ever seen any old war movies when the armies would face each other in the phalanx and just run at each other...that's the imagery...shouting and screaming and raising a war cry and plunging into battle. And it says that's what the Lord will do.
David's song of praise, he said, "The Lord trains my hands for battle," as I read. "And he strengthens my arm to bend a bow of bronze." In Psalm 144:1 David said, "Blessed be the Lord my rock who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle." Do you remember 1 Samuel 18:7 where when the people were hailing David they said, "Saul has killed his thousands and David has killed his ten thousands?"
Starting to get the picture? Deuteronomy chapter 20, we're going pretty good here, this is good. "When you go out to battle...Deuteronomy 20...against your enemies and you see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, don't be afraid of them for the Lord your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt is with you. Now it shall come about that when you are approaching the battle, the priests shall come near and speak to the people. He shall say to them...Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today, do not be fainthearted, do not be afraid or panic or tremble before them." It's the original pep talk. Why? "For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you." What a great statement. And the rest of the chapter, by the way, Deuteronomy 20, you can read it on your own, gives the rules for war. Who should be a soldier and who shouldn't. How to treat people. How to treat prisoners. How to deal with the spoils. How to treat the trees.
Well, let me summarize what we've been saying. Under God's command and God's direction and for His own purposes, to punish sinners, wicked nations, wicked people, God wielded a mighty sword of death. He wielded it against nations that threatened Israel. He wielded it against nations that threatened peace, against nations that threatened other nations. He wielded not only a sword of punishment but a sword of protection. God wielded His sword against aggressive, evil, destructive enemies who desire to destroy others. And under God's command and with God's help, battles were fought against sinful nations, against wicked nations, against aggressive nations. But they were also fought against His own people. Wars were then a form of divine protection, as well as divine judgment on idolatry, whether it was in a pagan nation or in Israel. Any national breech of the truth of God constitutes a justification for divine punishment. Don't you think for a minute that America is guaranteed to win any war. We're not the people of God. There's no covenant to preserve us. Those of us who are Christians obviously will survive everything into the glory of the Kingdom. I think we'll win this one, I hope we will. I don't know the purposes of God. I do know those who threaten us are wicked and evil and godless and idolatrous, but so are we. I also know this, however, that it's better to be a friend of Israel because whoever blesses Israel shall be blessed, whoever curses Israel shall be cursed, Genesis 12.
The Jews fought wars all the time. They fought wars in the time that's called the Conquest, when they came in and settled the land. They destroyed wicked Canaanites, Philistines, Amalekites, Medianites, Ammonites, Arameans(?). During the time of the monarchies, the kings, they fought more wars. They fought a lot of those wars against the same people they didn't destroy. If they destroyed them they wouldn't have had to fight wars against them anymore. And if those people had been destroyed as god told them to destroy them, they wouldn't have had their idolatrous influence all the time. Then they added they had to fight the Moabites. And then they had to make war against the powerful forces of the Assyrians who obliterated the northern kingdom, and the Babylonians who defeated the southern kingdom and hauled them off captive for 70 years in Babylon.
They fought wars at the time of the Conquest, at the time of the Monarchies. They fought wars in the 400 years between the Old and the New Testament. They had what is called a Maccabean Revolution. They fought the Greeks. Josephus says they fought the Romans. Now they're fighting just about everybody in the Middle East. Sad to say, you know, God intended Israel to be righteous and godly and to be His instrument to cleanse the Middle East of deadly idolatry so that they could bring on themselves the blessing of God. But Israel forgot God, didn't do the cleansing they were told to do and then began to adopt the idols of all the people around them. And judgment fell not only on the people around them, but on Israel as well. And God made war against everybody, including them.
You know, wicked, idolatrous, destructive nations are like cancer. They have to be fought. If you lose the war on cancer, you die. God has every right to purge His world any time He wants of any kind of sin, any sinning people. God desires the good to prevail. God desires that the good, even human good be rewarded. God desires stable civilization. God desires men to live at peace with one another. And war is really a righteous last resort for God. It comes after warnings and warnings and warnings and warnings that are not heeded. Here we are in the twenty-first century in a war...I don't know what God is doing in this, He hasn't told me. I was listening to some preacher on television today and saying, "Of all the times, this is the time to listen and let God tell you what He is doing." Well, He's not going to tell you, this is not some holy war because America is not a holy nation. This is a conflict between two idolatrous forces, but I'll say this, ours is a just engagement, the enemies' is not because a just war is a war fought because peace is interrupted and it is fought only until peace is restored. It is not a war of aggression. It is not a war of dominance. It is a war of defense.
I think God prefers justice to injustice, don't you? Goodness to wickedness, kindness to brutality. And maybe...maybe we are going to be instruments of God to crush this wicked force that threatens justice and goodness in the world and threatens Israel. It's probably true that we will be that instrument. But after we have done that, there is no guarantee that we're not next. And you saw the pattern of that with God using Babylon to judge Israel, the Medes to judge Babylon, the Assyrians to judge Egypt and so forth.
Israel was God's judgment tool but they also were under His judgment. Is there anything more horrible than 70 A.D. when the Romans came in and besieged the city of Jerusalem? Surrounded it, basically that's what they would do and starve the people to death and before the slaughter under Titus Vespasian was over, we're told that the Romans killed 1.1 million Jews in 70 A.D. The next few years they sacked 985 pounds in the land of Israel, it was an utter devastation and the Jews that remained were scattered only to finally be regathered in 1948. Not even Israel, not even Israel escapes the judgment of God.
So, for the moment we may be the instrument of God to judge these evil aggressors who would destroy the people of God. But as I said, there's no guarantee in the future.
Now I want to take you in to the New Testament for a minute. And we're getting close to the end...not real close, but close. I'm going to give you a principle to think about. There are people who say war is wrong, war is wrong, we shouldn't do it, we shouldn't do it. When you come in to the New Testament you have some interesting passages of Scripture. Luke 3:8 and following, this is the preaching of John the Baptist and so he's preaching repentance, repentance, repentance and people are coming to repent. And he is saying to them, "Demonstrate that your repentance is real, show that your repentance is real." And so the crowd in verse 10 says, "How do we do that? How do we show that our repentance is real?"
He says, "Okay, let somebody who has two tunics share with him who has none and let the one who has food do likewise. And some tax gatherers also came to be baptized and he said to them...they said to him, 'Teacher, what do we do?' He said, 'Well, don't take any more tax than you're supposed to.' And then some soldiers came and they were questioning him saying, 'And what about us, what do we do?'" And some would like to have Jesus say...Get out of the military, it's wrong. He said, "Don't take money from anyone by force, don't accuse anyone falsely and be content with your wages." That is without question an implicit affirmation of being a soldier...just be honest, don't rob people because you have the power to do it, because you carry a weapon, don't accuse people falsely because you're on the inside of law enforcement, be content with your pay. I mean, there's an affirmation of the validity of being a soldier, just be a noble one who does what is right to do.
You have the same thing in the tenth chapter of Acts where Cornelius was a Roman soldier. He was a centurion which meant he was the leader of a hundred men. It's..it's an Italian battalion which was from Rome. Cornelius was a formidable soldier. He was a devout man, verse 2. He feared God with all his household. He gave many alms to the Jewish people, prayed to God continually. And in verse 22, "Cornelius was a centurion, a righteous and God fearing man, well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you," that's referring to Peter. Down in verse 48 he came to be baptized. Here is another implicit, really a commendation of a man who was a righteous Roman soldier.
And then if you were to go through the teaching of Jesus you would find similar kind of implicit affirmations. Remember in Matthew 21 Jesus approved about a king who waged war against wicked people, remember that story? Do you remember Jesus said, "Nobody goes to war without counting the cost," do you remember when Peter took out his sword in the garden when they came to arrest Jesus, started to cut his way through the crowd, he cut the ear off the first guy in line who ducked and lost an ear? Peter was going for his throat, you can be sure. Jesus said, "Put your sword back in its sheath." He didn't say, "What are you doing with that thing?" He said, "Just put it back where it belongs." The implicit idea is you have a right to carry it for your self-protection, don't use it like this. In fact, in John 18:36 Jesus actually said, "That it would have been proper for his disciples to defend His Kingdom with swords if it was an earthly kingdom," John 18:36.
And I'll tell you something else. How many times in the New Testament is a soldier an image of a Christian? Right? We put on the armor of God, don't we? We're to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ. And do you know that the Lord would never use a dishonorable profession as an illustration for a Christian? He would never use a thief or a prostitute or a murderer as an illustration of a Christian. Thus He implies the nobility of being a soldier, it's a transferable analogy for a Christian. We are told to fight spiritual warfare like a good soldier.
By the way, Obadiah, the prophet in the Old Testament says that when the Lord comes He will instruct His people to engage in war. And when Jesus Himself comes, He comes on a white horse as a great warrior with a sword in His hand.
All of this imagery exalts the proper role of the soldier. Now let me give you two explicit passages. Turn to 1 Peter chapter 2...1 Peter chapter 2 verses 13 to 15. "Submit yourselves...1 Peter 2:13...submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors, those who are authorities under the king as sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do right, for such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the foolishness of ignorance of foolish men."
In other words, here is the general principle. Soldiers, governors, whatever you want to call them, those who are under the king's authority are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of those who do right. They come to make it good for the people who obey the law and bad for the people who don't. The primary duty of civil government is indicated here. The primary duty is not Welfare, it's not the reallocation of wealth, it's not the roads, it's not education. The primary duty of civil government is law enforcement. It is to punish evil doers so they can't harm other people and to deter would-be evil doers by letting them know what the penalty is.
Let me tell you something. The greatest need for a city is to strengthen the police force. That's the greatest need. Look around Los Angeles. People say, "What do we need? What do we need?" Stronger police force that protects people who do obey the law and punishes people who don't. And what is the thing the nation needs more than anything else? Strong military. We didn't think that when things were kind of going along and we were floating high when the cold war ended in the eastern Europe sector and we thought everything was going to be fine. And we downsized our military and now we've got a serious problem. The government's responsibility is to protect us from evil doers. And that may cause a war because the peace has been interrupted, those who are just and righteous go into action until the peace is restored.
Turn to Romans 13...Romans 13. This is a familiar portion, probably the most familiar portion of Scripture on the subject. The first seven verses definitive, verse 1, "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities for there is no authority except from God and those which exist are established by God." Talking about governmental authorities, they're all...it isn't that every person is a Christian and every person is a, you know, willing servant of God. It just means that government as an entity is there by God's direction. "Therefore he who resists its authority has opposed the ordinance of God and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves."
When a nation or when a group of people like the terrorists attack America, they have struck a blow against an institution of God. Okay? We're not a godly nation, we're not under God as individual people, but government that seeks to provide justice and peace and protection is an agency of God. And when it's attacked, that institution of God is attacked. Rulers, verse 3, are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Then do what's good. Just do what's right because the authority, verse 4, is a minister of God to you for good. So when somebody attacks this government, this entity, it is attacking the servant of God for the well-being, protection and peace of this nation. And if you do what is evil, be afraid because this institution of government doesn't bear the sword for nothing. A sword is an instrument of death, it's not to wrap people on the knuckles, it's to run them through...what a sword is for. This is a sword here, it is the minister of God.
And here's the main point. The government is the avenger which brings wrath on the one who practices evil. God delegates vengeance to the government. The government then has the power to kill. And let me tell you something, if the government's power to kill is a mercy, it's a mercy otherwise evil people dominate. You see, man's worse enemy is man. You read in the time of the Tribulation in the future when Antichrist rules the world, all the laws will change and it says people will rise up and kill each other in the same family.
Now all of that is to demonstrate the point that I started with. War is not necessarily immoral, wrong or ungodly. In fact, it may well be an expression of righteousness. Francis Schaeffer wrote in one of his books called Who is for Peace? quote, "To refuse to do what I can for those under the power of oppression is nothing less than a failure of Christian love, it is to refuse to love my neighbor as myself."
This nation has always understood that. And we've gone all over the globe to protect other people who were under the slaughter of an evil oppressor. This is good. So really there are only two kinds of wars. There is the war of evil aggression, James 4, you lust, you have not, so you commit this war of evil aggression, the Stalins and the Hitlers and the Osama bin Ladens and whoever else. It's the war of evil aggression, rooted in alienation from God, rooted in wretched lust and desire to have something and something is in the way of getting what you want. It's the war of the terrorists.
Then the other war would be the war of just protection. The evil aggressor comes and the reaction is the peace has been taken, we have to restore the peace. That's the function of government. We have to protect the people. It's not just vengeance. If we don't do something immediately, they'll bomb us even more and many more people will die. God is a warrior because He's a God of peace. And listen to this, war is a severe mercy. War is a severe mercy. But it is a mercy.
A moral war, a just war is defensive. It is protective. It is a last resort when all attempts at reconciliation and mediation are exhausted. And, boy, have we done that. A moral war is national, it's not personal vengeance. A moral war is limited, it doesn't seek annihilation, it just seeks to restore the peace. It just seeks to assure that they can't do it again. And the ethics of the Old Testament by no means give a blanket approval for all wars or all methods of war. You can read the second chapter of Habakkuk where the ethics of war are laid out and God condemns people who commit wars of aggression. That little book of Habakkuk has so many wonderful insights with regard to this particular issue. It warns against nations that plunder and loot and kill and commit bloodshed and violence. Woe to those who build a city with bloodshed and found a town with violence. I mean, God in no way blanket approves war. The only war that God approves is that war either which He Himself commands, in the case of Israel where He's not doing any more through direct revelation, or that just war of protection.
Amos the prophet, again Amos chapter 1, almost the whole chapter, forbids a war of evil aggression. It forbids a pitiless, ruthless war. In fact, Psalm 68:30 says, "God scattered the people who delight in war."
Now I believe that the war we're not engaged in with this Middle East terrorist group is a war that embraces these two features. They are the evil aggressor and we are the just protector. And that's the way it is. It is possible then, I like to think that we as an evil nation ourselves still have enough human goodness and commitment to justice to be used as God's instrument of judgment on those who not only have rejected God but who want to destroy Israel and take peace from the whole earth. I like to think we are the judgment weapon for God to deal with those people. I also know down the road that we may be next.
You see, all of this is a complex of factors that God understands but...in the L.A. Times the other day some guy wrote an article and the headline was, "Where is God?" And the answer was, "He is in the rubble." God is not in the rubble. God is not victimized. He's not trying to find His way out. He's on the throne. He's the sovereign of the universe. Isaiah 46:9 and 10, "Remember the former things long past, for I am God and there is no other, I am God and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things which have not been done saying, 'My purpose will be established and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.'" That's encouraging, isn't it?
Nebuchadnezzar knew that. He knew God was God. He knew God was mighty. Everything is in God's control. And again, He doesn't have to explain it...just doesn't have to explain it. He may allow war for no other reason than to show us the effects of sin, and to waken us to our sinful condition. He may allow war to give us a temporal taste of eternal punishment. People kept climbing all over the rubble when they were interviewing it, they said, "This is like being in hell." I kept thinking, "Wow, I hope they know what they're saying." What a great lesson that is. We see our sin in this. We see our vulnerability in this. We see the agonizing reality of death right in our face. We see the taste of hell. That is a severe mercy, isn't it? That's a severe mercy because we need to see that so that we can repent before the tower falls on us.
You say, "Well what about my kids in the next generation? Will it be better?" Jesus said in Matthew 24, "In the end of the age there shall be wars and rumors of wars." It's not going to change. Not going to change until that great final conflict of the Antichrist when the Lord Jesus comes back as the final warrior and forever wins the victory.
Now I could end here. But there's a second point and it's brief but it's a point you need to understand. This is maybe even critical. Okay, the second point...the first point, war is not necessarily wrong, evil, ungodly, immoral...second point, God has a purpose in war, just like everything, but we may not know what it is.
Well, is this a judgment on America? Is this a judgment on us for abortion, materialism, secularism? What is it? Were those people who died in the building the worse people in our society and that's why they were there? And somebody whose alarm didn't work and they never got there in time was a better person? I mean, what is this? What is God doing in this? What's His purpose?
Well, I'm going to give you an answer. Before I do that I want to say, however, don't think for a moment that those people in that building are the worse. Don't think that the person who died in the war are the worse. The fact of the matter is the visible providence of God has no respect of persons. It doesn't discriminate between believers and unbelievers. Plane crashes, boat sinkings, train accidents, car collisions, heart disease, cancer doesn't discriminate between a sinner and a saint, or between a sinner and a sinner. There are complex divine elements operating here.
The best answer I can find in Scripture is in Isaiah 45. This is the last passage but this is really critical. Isaiah 45, and I want you to turn to this chapter, I want you to look right at verse 15. The first line of verse 15, I just want you to focus on it, Isaiah 45:15, this is what it says, "Truly you are a God who...what?...hides Himself." Wow! You are a God who hides Himself. Now listen very carefully, this is not a complaint, this is praise. This is an expression of adoration. This is a statement of worship and it should end with an exclamation point as the verse does.
Now let me give you the background. Israel was experiencing at the time of this prophecy...Israel was experiencing a barrage of humiliations, trouble everywhere, defeat everywhere, constantly attacked by idolatrous enemies, assaulted and defeated by their enemies. The enemies of Israel had plundered her treasures, taken her people captive, destroyed places. And God through the prophet Isaiah says...It's going to get worse. Only a matter of time before Jerusalem would be conquered, destroyed. And the remainder of the people who weren't killed, taken to Babylon as captives. It came to pass, Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom Israel; Babylon destroyed the southern kingdom Judah.
Now this is hard to swallow because they are the people of God's promise. They are the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are the covenant people. Yet God is doing nothing to protect them. Why? Why? Why doesn't God do something?
Well, they were in sin. They turned their back on God, they were in idolatry. And so all of this was coming on them. And we ask the same question today, why did God let that happen? Why did He allow it? Why didn't He protect us? Aren't we a nation under God? Don't we have "In God We Trust" on our coins, even if it's "Me First" in our hearts? Doesn't God bless America because America is special?
Well the new theology...the new theology says that God would like to prevent these things but He doesn't really know they're going to happen until He turns on CNN. This is called the process theology. God is just in the process of awakening to things like you are. He doesn't know the future because He can't know something that hasn't happened, so the future catches Him by surprise as well.
Well other say, "No, He knew about it but He just couldn't do anything about it." Others would say, "Well He knew about it and He could do something about it, but He doesn't care." These are the questions in the minds of people in our country. They were the questions in the minds of Isaiah's readers.
So let's go back to verse 5 and watch how this unfolds. The Lord here is talking and He says, verse 5, "I am the Lord, there is no other, besides Me there is no God. I will gird you though you have not known Me that men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord and there is no other. The one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity, I am the Lord who does all these. Drip down, O heavens from above, and let the clouds pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit and righteousness spring up with it. I, the Lord, have created it. Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker, an earthenware vessel from the vessels of earth! Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?' Or the thing you are making say, 'He has no hands'? Woe to him who says to a father, 'What are you begetting?' Or to a woman, 'To what are you giving birth?'" Ridiculous questions.
"Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: 'Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons and you shall commit to Me the work of My hands. It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it. I stretched out the heavens with My hands and I ordained all their host. I have aroused him in righteousness and I will make all his ways smooth. He will build My city and will let My exiles go free.'" He's referring prophetically to Cyrus who pronounced the freedom of Israel from Babylon.
Verse 14, "Thus says they Lord, 'The products of Egypt, the merchandise of Cush, the Sabeans, men of stature will come over to you and will be yours. They will walk behind you, they will come over in chains and will bow down to you. They will make supplication to you. Surely, God is with you and there is none else, no other God.'"
Now all of this affirms that God is God. God is Creator. God is sovereign. God is in control. Does exactly what He wants to do. You have absolutely no right to ask. And it comes to this culmination, verse 15, "Truly," the prophet responds, "You are a God who hides Himself." What he means by that is...You're in it all, we just can't see it. We can't know Your purpose, but You're hidden in all of it, all the calamity and all the blessing, all the fruitfulness, all the creation, light and darkness, the earth, the clouds, You're in it all, all the events, everything...You're in it, You're hidden in there. We can't see what His purposes are.
But I love how verse 15 ends, "O God of Israel, Savior!" Where's Isaiah going here? He says this, "I can't see and I can't know all the details of what You're doing, but this I know, in the end You are a Savior!" So that ultimately in every mysterious operation of God in the world, the end is that He might save sinners. He has the purpose of salvation.
Down in verse 20, the Lord talks. "Gather yourselves and come," He says. "Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations, they have no knowledge, who carry about their wooden idol and they pray to a god who cannot...what?...cannot save." And then He says this, "Declare and set forth your case; indeed let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior. There is none except Me."
And here comes the invitation, and this is the invitation I give to America, this is the invitation I give to you, verse 22, "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth."
Is that profound? He says...I look at all of this and You're hidden in it and I can't understand all of the complex of Your divine purposes, but I know this, the great end of everything is that men might be saved That's why I say war is a severe mercy...it awakens you to the fragile character of life...it awakens you to the reality of death...it awakens you to the insecure future...it awakens you to the terror just an arm's length away...it awakens you to the reality of sin...it awakens you to horrors...the death of children...the death of innocent women. It awakens you to all of these things in order that you might see death close and you might get a taste of the consequence of sin. You see some weeping, you see some wailing, you see some gnashing of teeth, you see some darkness, you see some terror and all of that is a preview of what eternal judgment brings. And this, I say, is a severe mercy.
So, the question is...are you prepared to die? Spurgeon said in a sermon that he preached September 8, 1861, I read it this week, he said this, "Let us remember that death will come to us as it did to them, with terrors. Not with the crash of broken timbers, perhaps not with the darkness of the tunnel, not with the smoke and with the steam, not with the shrieks of women and the groans of dying men." He was referring to a train accident. "But it will come," he said, "with terrors. For meet death where we may, if we be not in Christ and if the shepherd's rod and staff do not comfort us, to die must be an awful and tremendous thing. Yes in thy body, O sinner, with downy pillows beneath thy head and a wife's tender arm to bear thee up and a tender hand to wipe thy clammy sweat, thou will find it still an awful work to face the monster and feel his sting and enter into his dread dominion. It is an awful work at any time and at every time under the best and most propitious circumstances for a person to die unprepared."
It is a universal principle that in normal times people make a superficial display of themselves. They put on a good front, they adopt behavior that is self-centered and self-indulgent. They are able actors playing a superficial role, giving the impression that everything is well and under control. And then the disaster hits, fear, panic, sadness shatters them. The artfully crafted mask disintegrates, the troubled heart breaks out with reality. This is a great time for the gospel. People live comfortably, indifferent to the supernatural powers at work in the world, the reality of sin and death and hell. They are consumed with what is physical and what is fashionable. There is no desperation until a crisis comes. And know this, God is hidden in all of this, inexorably working His sovereign purpose. We don't know all of that. We do know this, He is the Savior. And He's calling people to salvation. Let's pray.
Father, we thank You for the call. Your salvation is not hidden. You have made it clear. You desire all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. And so You have given us one mediator, the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself as a ransom for all. For this I am appointed a preacher and an apostle. All of us need to take the message that though Your purpose for the moment is hidden, Your ultimate purpose is not. All these warnings are so that men can flee to the only security which is Your own glorious person wherein they will find eternal deliverance and salvation. We thank You for the severe mercy that has come upon us and may many flee to Christ and find in Him full comfort, trust, peace, joy, security and hope. We pray in His great name. Amen.
From Grace Church
Tony CapocciaBible Bulletin Board Box 119Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com Email: tony@biblebb.comOnline since 1986

Emergent Church

2008-08-13T00:10:00.000-07:00

Responses to the Emerging Church Movement

They believe the world is radically changing and the church must radically change with itEmergents believe postmodernity represents a dramatic break with the past and that only an extreme transformation in the church can keep the church relevant and effective in this environment. What is needed, they say, is not just a change in methodology. We need a new kind of Christian.
Since the Church has been culture bound for so long we must reexamine and question every belief and practice in the Church, finding new ways to define and express theseVisiting emergent blogs, one will find that absolutely any doctrine or moral standard can be questioned. It seems at times that emergents are engaging in a complete reinvention of Christianity accompanied by a radical redefinition of Christian terms.
We have no foundation for any beliefs, therefore we cannot know absolute truthCritics of the Emerging Church movement insist that emergents misrepresent epistemological foundationalism (the belief that we do possess some knowledge that serves as a basis for further knowledge) as requiring “bombproof certainty,” something contemporary foundationalists insist they do not hold to. What contemporary foundationalists do believe is that we can possess real knowledge that is so certain it requires extraordinary evidence to refute it. [13] D. A. Carson points out that emergent postfoundationalism is based upon yet another of their false antitheses, saying “In effect the antithesis demands that we be God, with all of God’s omniscience, or else forever be condemned to knowing nothing objective for sure.” [14] Additionally, emergents fail to consider the scriptural teaching of faith as something God-given which does possess supernaturally certain knowledge (Mt 21:21, Eph. 2:8, Heb 11:1). Emergents do not seem to realize that critiquing secular foundationalism is not the same as critiquing Evangelical foundationalism. In A New Kind of Christian McLaren’s fictional altar ego, Neo, says even Scripture is neither authoritative (in a “modern” sense) [15] nor a foundation for faith. [16]
Since we cannot know absolute truth, we can only experience what is “true” for our communitiesPostmodern philosophers and theologians insist that truth is only known and validated within communities (“There are no Metanarratives only local narratives”). While this implies that truth is culturally relative and that true cross-cultural communication is impossible (those outside a community must first join a community before they can understand the community’s ideas), postmodern authors communicate to people of various communities simultaneously, apparently expecting them to all equally understand their intent.
Since we cannot know absolute truth we cannot be dogmatic about doctrineEmergents see orthodoxy as “generous,” [17] that is, inclusive of many beliefs Christians have historically thought of as aberrant or heretical. Many leading emergents echo McLaren’s refusal to assert Christianity’s superiority to other world religions.
Since we cannot know absolute truth we cannot be dogmatic about moral standardsAbsolute stands on issues such as homosexuality are viewed as obsolete. Activities such as drinking, clubbing, watching sexually explicit movies, and using profanities are seen by some emergents as opportunities to show those who are not part of the Christian community that postmodern Christians do not think they are better than them through any false sense of moral superiority. [18]
Since we cannot know absolute truth, dogmatic preaching must give way to a dialogue between people of all beliefsEmerging Christians do not posture themselves before the world as though they were the light and the world were in darkness. Instead of “preaching” to the “lost” they join in “conversation,” with people of various beliefs. Conservative Evangelicals seem not to be truly welcome to contribute their distinctive content to this conversation since they represent the old, rotting corpse of “modernism.”
Since propositional truth is uncertain, spiritual feeling and social action make up the only reliable substance of ChristianityEmergents consider propositional truth a “modern” (and thus outmoded) fascination. Postmoderns think and communicate in narratives. [19] Since the pursuit of truth is portrayed as a never ending journey with no solid starting point, they consider the only legitimate measuring rods of Christianity to be experience and good works. Without a solid footing in revealed truth, however, emergents have no firm foundation for knowing which experiences are valid and which works are good (something they do not seem to notice).
To capture a sacred feeling we should reconnect with ancient worship formsTrappings such as burning candles and events such as silent retreats are popular in the movement. Embracing these premodern forms further breaks their connection with “modern” Christianity.
Since sublime feeling is experienced through outward forms, we should utilize art forms in our worshipMany participants in the movement see appreciating art for art’s sake as a spiritual experience.
Through conversation with them, “outsiders” will become part of our community, and then be able to understand and believe what we teachThe postmodern approach is not to try to persuade people to believe, it is to try to befriend people into joining. This is commonly expressed as Robert Webber does when he says “People in a postmodern world are not persuaded to faith by reason as much as they are moved to faith by participation in God’s earthly community.” [20] There is a false antithesis in such statements, however. We do not have to choose between a purely cerebral attempt to talk others into believing correctly on the one hand and offering an open, unqualified invitation to our group on the other. The Bible teaches us to proclaim the gospel message with reliance upon the Holy Spirit to empower, illuminate, and convict (1 Co 2, 1 Thess 1:9). When such proclamation is absent, as it is in the Emerging Church movement, there is no prophetic voice coming from the church calling sinners to repent and believe the Gospel (Ac 2:38, 16:30-32).
All are welcome to join the “conversation” as long as they behave in a kind and open-minded manner.Emerging believers reject any posture which hints at exclusivism. Dogmatic Evangelicals, however, are not treated as kindly in the conversation as others are (something many emergents admit).
The ultimate goal is to make the world a better placeThe Emerging Church movement envisions a utopia in which the oppressed of the world are free, the poor are no longer impoverished and the environment is clean. This paradise is achieved through social activism. Many emergent leaders think it is selfish folly to live for the return of Christ.
The accomplishing of all of the above is seen by those in the movement as evidence that the Church is emerging to reach the culture, adapting to it. Critics of the movement see these things as signs that the Church is submerging into the culture, being absorbed by it.

Unfortunately, many evangelical shepherds, who have passed from a prophetic to a professional model of ministry too readily welcome wolves into God’s flock if those wolves are decked out in the latest, trendiest garb. The cutting-edge heresy that is being welcomed by many Evangelicals today is known as the Emerging Church movement. While many participants in this movement undoubtedly know and love Christ, and while many of their criticisms of evangelical tendencies are well founded, their concessions to relativism inevitably lead them downward to serious doctrinal and moral deviations that they bring into the household of God.
The Emerging Church movement consists of a diverse group of people who identify with Christianity, but who feel that reaching the postmodern world requires us to radically reshape the church’s beliefs and practices to conform to postmodernism. Postmodernism is a term that has been dissected and broken down into various schemes of subcategories and there is not absolute unanimity among postmodern thinkers. Nevertheless, there are certain defining characteristics of this phenomenon that grew in the late twentieth century out of some elements that always existed in modernism. [2] Grenz and Franke summarize postmodernism as “…the rejection of certain central features of the modern project, such as its quest for certain, objective, and universal knowledge, along with its dualism and its assumption of the goodness of knowledge. It is this critical agenda, rather than any proposed constructive paradigm to replace the modern vision that unites postmodern thinkers.” [3]
Postmodernism rejects the basic premises of modern epistemology. [4] In modernist thought perception corresponds to truth and language refers to an independent referent. [5] Douglas Groothuis describes the correspondence theory of truth as the assumption that “A belief or statement is true only if it matches with, reflects, or corresponds to the reality to which it refers. For a statement to be true it must be factual. Facts determine the truth or falsity of a belief or statement.” [6] For Groothuis, this theory harmonizes with the presuppositions he finds clearly implied and presupposed in Scripture: “The Bible does not relate a technical view of truth, but it does implicitly and consistently advance the correspondence view in both testaments.” [7]
The referential theory of language is the view that language refers to something objectively real in the mind of the one who communicates. Communication is not seen as ambiguous verbalizations that can have various private meanings for each hearer independent of the author or speaker’s original intent. Just as Groothuis finds the correspondence theory of truth presupposed in the Bible, Justin Taylor finds the referential theory of language similarly presumed in Scripture:
Nothing could be clearer from the New Testament, it seems to me, than the idea that God has given us universally true doctrinal revelation that can be understood, shared, defended and contextualized. ‘The faith’ has been once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). We are to guard the ‘good deposit’ entrusted to us (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 1:14), instructing in ‘sound doctrine’ and rebuking contrary doctrine (Titus 1:9; 2:1). False doctrine is associated with conceit and ignorance (1 Tim 6:3-4), and we are commanded not to be tossed to and fro by its winds (Eph. 4:14). [8]
Postmodern rejection of these two principles causes them to “deconstruct” the language of texts (including Scripture), redefining the words and reinterpreting the texts to mean whatever they feel as they have an encounter with the text’s language.
Although many aspects of modernism cannot blend with Christian faith, the correspondence theory of truth and referential theory of language harmonize with the presuppositions of Scripture. God intended real, objective meaning in the Bible. Scripture has no real value to us beyond subjective moments of “inspiration” if we do not believe its narratives and propositions connect with reality or that each author’s original intent is the ground and goal of our interpretation. Contemporary, biblical scholars who adopt these elements of “modern” epistemology, embracing the correspondence and referential theories and incorporating them into their hermeneutics, are not thereby embracing a wholesale adherence to all of the beliefs of secular modernism. Although Emerging Church leaders accuse Evangelicals of being culture-bound to modernism, Evangelicalism has in many ways been a countercultural movement rejecting, for example, modernism’s strict empiricism that disallows miracles or revelation. Only classic, theological liberals have accommodated modernism in all of its views.
Postmodern epistemology has serious practical consequences as it leaves no foundation for objective beliefs – a position called “postfoundationalism.” In spite of the ingenious efforts of skilled, postfoundationalist theologians to construct a theology that “has universal implications,” all postfoundational thought eventually succumbs to some form of skepticism or relativism. Thus, within postmodern thought no truth or morality can be “normative.” That is, no person or “scripture” can authoritatively tell postmoderns what is true or right for them. “Truth” and “morals” are found in the context of a specific community and they vary from one community to another.[9]
Thus, while generic “spirituality” is more acceptable to postmoderns than it has been to moderns (partly because the absolutist claims of science are losing ground everywhere but college science departments) any exclusive claim to revelation-based truth or morals is now thought to be arrogant and philosophically untenable. Postmoderns believe espousal of absolutes is an illegitimate attempt to manipulate others and exercise power over them. No one who embraces this epistemology has any room for others’ proclamation of an ahistorical, [10] objective, universally authoritative meaning of a scriptural text.
It is not an oversimplification to say that postmodernism is hostile to the objective and exclusive claims of biblical Christianity. While Christians must be sensitive to the culture they find themselves in, and while we must contextualize our methods to reach those in that culture, we must never alter the Gospel itself to fit the prevalent worldview of any given culture. [11] Postmodernized Christianity is a seriously compromised “Christianity.”
I contend that the Emerging Church movement is guilty of this kind of compromise through embracing postmodern epistemology and accepting this epistemology’s practical implications. Emergents’ efforts to accommodate postmodernism by shaping theology to suit culture (as opposed to merely adapting methods to reach culture) have been every bit as disastrous as liberal scholars’ accommodation to modernism. This accommodation follows the removal of a theological foundation (an objective basis for faith) with the rejection of “bounded-set” theology (borders for orthodoxy). With no foundation or boundaries it becomes practically impossible to say what is or is not Christian truth or conduct as there are no objective definitions or limits to faith or practice. Culturally arbitrary opinions are all that remain. Any belief or standard may then be questioned or changed. In a postmodernized faith all beliefs are valid to those who hold them. Brian McLaren, for example, says
I don’t believe making disciples must equal making adherents to the Christian religion. It may be advisable in many (not all!) circumstances to help people become followers of Jesus and remain within their Buddhist, Hindu or Jewish contexts … rather than resolving the paradox via pronouncements on the eternal destiny of people more convinced by or loyal to other religions than ours, we simply move on … To help Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, and everyone else experience life to the full in the way of Jesus (while learning it better myself), I would gladly become one of them whoever they are, to whatever degree I can, to embrace them, to join them, to enter into their world without judgment but with saving love as mine has been entered by the Lord. [12]
Any thoughtful consideration of the removal of the foundation and the boundaries for Christian faith must conclude that this postmodernization is fatal to biblical faith, stripping the term “faith” of any real meaning and opening the door to substantial change in fundamental beliefs. These changes can be found most prominently in the soteriology and eschatology of emergents. After they have undergone emergent accommodation to postmodernism, doctrines such as atonement and judgment no longer resemble the biblical teachings Evangelicals believe are non-negotiable. The collection of quotations from emergents found later in this article should give the reader an idea of the extent to which heresies have been entertained in the movement.
The effect of the emergent movement’s presence in the body of Christ is equivalent to both an autoimmune disease (such as multiple sclerosis, in which the body attacks itself with harmful consequences) and an immunocompromising disease (such as AIDS, in which the body lowers its defenses to external pathogens). The Emerging Church movement acts like an autoimmune disease, stripping Christian terminology of its biblical meanings, and it acts like an immunocompromising disease, disarming the body’s defenses against foreign invasion. The result is that this movement represents a deadly influence within the Church which requires a decisive response from those who recognize it as such.
While many participants in this movement such as Dan Kimball acknowledge that the terms “emergent” and “emerging” are essentially synonymous in popular understanding, and while many scholars such as D. A. Carson use them interchangeably, some participants in the movement see a distinction in meaning between the two. Mark Driscoll and many of the churches listed on the Acts 29 Network website (http://www.acts29network.org/index.html) consider themselves “emerging” but not “emergent” because they associate “emergent” with the more liberal and antinomian positions of Brian McLaren and Emergentvillage. This more conservative minority may be characterized by some but not all of the criticisms offered in this article. An even smaller minority of “emerging” bloggers consider the “emergent stream” too conservative and structured. [This paragraph was edited on Aug. 8, 2006]
Just as there is diversity in postmodernism at large there is diversity in the Emerging Church movement and there are many things within it that are in themselves good. To isolate the essence of emergent we will disregard the diverse elements they do not necessarily hold in common with each other. Emergents differ on many peripheral theological and practical issues. Thus, these issues do not help define the movement in spite of their being a real part of the movement. We will also disregard those elements emergents do hold in common with Evangelicals outside of the movement. Emergents share many things with non-emergents such as a belief in contextualization, caring for the needy, friendship evangelism, and fellowship. Consequently, these commendable elements are not part of the distinctive essence of emergent regardless of the legitimate place they have in the movement. This leaves us with the distinctive teachings and goals elaborated below.
If we think of this distinctive essence of emergent as a lake, we can observe that some people, such as Brian McLaren, are swimming in its deepest spot, while others, such as Scott McKnight, are wading in the lake at a shallower depth. Still others (perhaps John Ortberg and Rick Warren fit this description), seem to enjoy boating on the lake and occasionally drinking its water, enjoying friendship with the movement while maintaining a distinctly Evangelical identity.
“How then have we come to believe that at the cross this God of love suddenly decides to vent his anger and wrath on his own son? The fact is that the cross isn’t a form of cosmic child abuse — a vengeful father punishing his son for an offense he has not even committed. Understandably, both people inside and outside of the church have found this twisted version of events historically dubious and a huge barrier to faith.Steve Chalke
“I was relaxing in my parents’ swimming pool with my brother…I asked him how the engineering business was going, and he reciprocated: ‘How’s the ministry world going?’ ‘Okay,’ I said, ‘except that a couple of weeks ago I realized that I don’t know why Jesus had to die.’ Then Peter, without skipping a beat, without even a moment’s hesitation, said, ‘Well, neither did Jesus.’”Brian McLaren
“Was God so disgusted by our sins that Jesus had to die to take them away? Or was it that God loved us so much that Jesus had to die? Well which was it?”Spencer Burke
“I guess if I had to label what I believe, it would fall under the universalist category…I guess my question to you [Brian McLaren] would be how should I go about this self disclosure? Since you know X [the Evangelical seminary this blogger attends], do you have any insight for me? I am pretty sure X is clearly in the, you must be saved to get into heaven camp.”Question addressed to Brian McLaren on his website (answered below)
“I’d recommend you serve them and teach them by your actions”Brian McClaren’s answer to the above question
“We should consider the possibility that many, and perhaps even all of Jesus’ hell-fire or end-of-the-universe statements refer not to postmortem judgment but to the very historic consequences of rejecting his kingdom message of reconciliation and peacemaking. The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 67-70 seems to many people to fulfill much of what we have traditionally understood as hell….I hope people can understand that some of us show our love for God by seeking better answers when our current answers are unworthy of God.”Brian McLaren
“What I think I can say is, and this is where I get into trouble, I don’t believe that when this life is over that all the possibilities for salvation are over.”Tony Campolo
“For too many people the name Jesus has become a symbol of exclusion, as if Jesus statement ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me’ actually could have the meaning, ‘I am in the way of people seeking truth and life, apart from me and I won’t let anyone get to God unless he comes through me, and me alone.’”Brian McLaren

Class Source Course on Worldviews

2008-08-07T04:18:00.000-07:00

This will be our class page...never used one before...so here goes...lol
Professor Clark