The Slippery Slope
by Dave Nutting

One of my jobs during my college days was working at the Bonaza Gilsonite mine in Utah. Gilsonite is similar to oily coal and is used in producing asphalt for pavement. Those on the crew didn’t seem to have much care for safety procedures. I remember those with me throwing cases of dynamite from the elevator shaft to the ground 6 feet below. (That’s only OK if the dynamite is still uncrystalized).

On my first day of work, I was assigned to break the loose ore from the side of the tunnel. I did what I was told and worked my way down the wet, slippery tunnel. As I came to a section of the tunnel that began to slope downward, I heard someone shouting and saw headlamps coming quickly toward me. I moved toward them up the tunnel. The more experienced miners told me that if I had gone just a bit further, I would have slid down a slippery slope which would have plunged me into a vertical shaft and the ore processing machinery. That didn’t sound very pleasant, and, although I am glad they warned me at the last moment, I really would have been happy to have had advanced warning of the slippery slope.

Maybe that is why I am continually warning parents of the slippery slope of evolution. It starts out gently — a few facts here and there, steady doses of it on TV, visits to museums, and further instruction in textbooks and in school. It may include believing God used evolution as His means of creating, only to be further eroded when encountering the knowledgeable “open minded” college professor. Some actually come to the precipice by reasoning, “If evolution is true, then who needs God.” An example of this is reflected in a conversation Mary Jo & I had with a young man who wondered why we as Christians didn’t believe in evolution. “After all,” he said, “My dad was a pastor and he believed in evolution.” When I asked the young man what he believed, he said, “Oh, I don’t believe in any of that religious garbage.” In reality, the father’s beliefs took his son right to the edge of the slippery slope and let him plunge down!

Ronald Numbers wrote a book against creation in which he said he had heard a lecture at the University of California at Berkeley about the famous “multiple petrified forests” of Yellowstone National Park. In his mind the lecture totally contradicted the truth of the Bible. He agonized over the material and then, like many high school and college students, made a huge mistake by continuing down the dark tunnel of evolution.

He wrote, “Having thus decided to follow science rather than Scripture on the subject of origins, I quickly, though not painlessly, slid down the proverbial slippery slope toward unbelief.” (Ronald Numbers, The Creationists, 1992 Alfred Knopf, Inc., New York, p.16)

Ironically, he didn’t have to take that plunge. Before he even published his book, science already began to abandon the very theory that caused him to doubt the Bible. Remember, science always changes! The Word of God doesn’t have to.

I encourage you to help your family avoid that dark tunnel leading toward the “slippery slope.” When a present interpretation of science seems to contradict the Word of God, STAND FIRM on the Word! Teach your family to do the same and warn others of the danger. Reach out and grab the hand of those around you who are sliding down that slippery slope!

Icons of Evolution
by Mark Sonmor

Remember high school biology, when you heard that light and dark colored peppered moths or finches with different sized and shaped beaks proved Darwin’s theory of evolution? What about the Stanley Miller experiment that proved life was created in a test tube? If I could travel back in time, I would take Icons of Evolution with me. Jonathan Wells Ph.D., a molecular and cell biologist, exposes 10 basic pillars of evolution. “evidence” such as homology, fossil horses, Archaeopteryx, embryology, and human evolution are shown to be either fakes, misrepresentations or evidence drawn to false conclusions. The Creation Research Science Quarterly states, “I do not recall ever pondering a Darwinism-challenging book that was so authoritative, clear, poignant, and thorough in hitting the center of its target.”— Wayne Friar Ph.D.

Like Behe’s Darwin’s Black Box and Denton’s Evolution: A Theory In Crisis, this is a great book for skeptics with a scientific background. The information is current (published 2000) and critical for all concerned about science and education in our country. Buying a copy for your local high school, college, or public library is a great ministry idea. 338 pages, $28.00.

The Battlefield
Quotes showing the Humanist battle plan & the predicted

•“Evolution thus becomes the most potent weapon for destroying the Christian faith.” — Mattill, A. J., Jr., Free Inquiry, vol. 2 (Spring 1982), pp. 17-18

•“As were many persons from Alabama, I was a born-again Christian. When I was fifteen, I entered the Southern Baptist Church with great fervor and interest in the fundamentalist religion; I left at seventeen when I got to the University of Alabama and heard about evolutionary theory.” — Wilson, Edward O., The Humanist, vol. 42 (Sept./Oct. 1982), p. 40

•“Atheism is science’s natural ally. Atheism is the philosophy, both moral and ethical, most perfectly suited for a scientific civilization. If we work for the American Atheists today, Atheism will be ready to fill the void of Christianity’s demise when science and evolution triumph.

— Bozarth, G. Richard, “The Meaning of Evolution,” American Atheist, February, 1978, p. 30

•“Every professor should have the right to fail any student in his class, no matter what the grade record indicates, [and should even have the right of] retracting grades and possibly even degrees if such gross misunderstandings are publicly espoused after passing the course or after graduating.” — Frazier, Kendrick, Skeptical Inquirer, vol. 8 (Fall 1983), pp. 2-5

•“Creationists often complain that their theories and their colleagues are discriminated against by educators…. As a matter of fact, creationism should be discriminated against…. No advocate of such propaganda should be trusted to teach science classes or administer science programs anywhere or under any circumstances. Moreover, if any are now doing so, they should be dismissed…. I am glad this kind of discrimination is finally catching on, and I hope the practice becomes much more vigorous and widespread in the future.” — Patterson, John, Journal of the National Center for Science Education (Fall 1984), pp. 19-20.

•“Humans are complex organic machines that die completely with no survival of soul or psyche....No inherent moral or ethical laws exist, nor are there absolute guiding principles for human society. The universe cares nothing for us and we have no ultimate meaning in life.” — Provine, William B., The Scientist (Sept. 5, 1988), p. 10.

Wow! What a battle! Is this what you want your children to learn in school? No meaning? No morals? Only Atheism? It is time to get active!! — Dave Nutting

©2001

Back to School Toolbox
by Dr. Dan Korow

Critical thinking in the classroom is crucial to the preservation of our children’s faith in Christ. Having a toolbox of good questions can not only improve their thought processes but greatly impact their peers for the Gospel. Good questions, like good tools in a toolbox help to separate truth from error. Begin by asking, “Is this claim consistent or contradictory to the teachings of the Bible?” If the claim opposes Biblical truth, the Bible calls it error. If an issue is unfamilar, then search the Scripture to see if it is so. A family Bible study can solidify each member’s beliefs, while building closer relationships to God and one another.

A great question to validate, or refute a claim is, “What’s the evidence? Or “How do you know that to be true?” I have found that many people do not know what they believe or why they believe it. They simply parrot the “in fad notion,” without giving it much thought. Many claims are unsubstantiated or unprovable, and can only be credited to the anonymous “they said it.” Ask for specific evidence supporting the claim.

Another tool is to define the terms of the claim. For example, if someone says, “I believe in evolution,” my immediate response is, “What do you mean by evolution?” Discussing microevolution (genetic diversity within a created “kind”) is altogether different than macroevolution (progression from molecules to man). Defining terms helps to maintain clear communication. Nothing is worse than delving into a deep discussion with emotions rising, only to later learn someone meant something quite different.

Digging below the surface of some claims can sometimes expose hurts, misunderstandings, and motives. For example, inquiring, “What difference does this make in your life?” or “Why are you so passionate about this issue?” may give the true reason a person claims that a woman has the right to choose the fate of her baby or why a particular lifestyle choice is acceptable.

Add this question to your child’s toolbox: “What if you’re wrong and you die?” To an atheist, this claim has eternal consequences. Also include, “What evidence would you accept to change your mind?” This question helps to distinguish the genuine seeker from the closed-minded debater.

If a claim is suspect and you want to dig still deeper, ask, “What assumptions are built into this claim?” For example, consider the claim of the Big Bang. It presupposes a naturalistic origin to the universe. It assumes that there is no god, and evolution is true. These built in assumptions indicate its false nature.

Lastly, identify whether a claim is neutral, or biased by a particular philosophy. Ask the question: “Is there a worldview attached to this claim?” A person’s worldview is the interpretive context, or “glasses” that one looks through to give meaning to their world. Worldviews are specific to Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Humanism, Mormonism, Atheism, the New Age, etc. Each requires a particular interpretation of the same world. For example, what would happen if 20 people were asked, “What is the color of the sky on a cloudless, sunny day?” It’s likely (assuming no one was color blind) that all 20, regardless of age, sex, religion, worldview, or socio-economic status would claim the sky was blue. However, the follow-up question would reveal their individual worldview. “How did the sky, earth, and universe originate?” Such diverse answers would include: “God,” “chance,” “it’s an illusion,” or even “aliens did it.”

Raising up godly children that search the Scripture is the first line of defense against ungodly philosophies. Teaching them to use their critical thinking toolbox will help them throughout their life, and equip them to be student missionaries to their generation. It’s a choice on whose report we will believe, I have decided to believe the report of the Lord.

“That our faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God.” 1 Cor 2:5