Five Reasons Why I Reject Theistic Evolution: Part 4

4) It gives the wrong impression of death

The Bible is very clear that death is the judgment for sin. There are several passages that illustrate this: For the wages of sin is death, Romans 6:23. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, Romans 5:12. He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, James 5:20, et al. We die physically because we are descended from Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22) but, after we die, the lost will be judged for their own sins before the Great White Throne (Revelation 20:11-14). At that Judgment, everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life, is cast into the Lake of Fire; this is called, the second death (Revelation 20:14-15).

When we are born again, the Bible says we pass from death into life (John 5:24). The gospel is the good news that we can have life in Christ. As Christians, our sins are forgiven by Christ's blood. Our physical death becomes that time when we are rid of these vessels of clay and enter into eternity knowing that we will have no part in the second death. In 1 Corinthians 15:55, Paul rejoices, saying, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Christ conquered death for Christians but, for the lost, death still holds sway. We seldom know when death will overtake us so we need to make a decision for Jesus while we have the opportunity. If a person dies before he has repented, he has forever lost the opportunity for salvation. Ezekiel 18:21-23 says, “But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?” God wants all people to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

In an interview with the NY Times, Bill Nye made these following comments:

NYE: I think the fear of death figures prominently in creationist thought. That the promise of eternal life is reassuring to people who are deeply troubled by the troubling fact that we’re all going to die. And it bugs me, too. But I press forward rather than running in circles screaming.

NY TIMES: And ultimately, death is a part of evolution.

NYE: It’s the key. The key is that you can pass on improvements by having kids. And there aren’t enough resources for any population to go completely unchecked, whether the population is humans or crickets. There isn’t enough for everybody, so you compete. And this is one of Darwin’s enormous insights.

According to Nye, death is the key to evolution. You see, it's not just that death happens during evolution, death is prerequisite to evolution. It's the hero of the story. It's the champion of the theory. Yet in spite of this, I still think that most of the people who believe in evolution never fully grasp exactly how critical a role death plays.

Natural selection is sometimes described as the “survival of the fittest.” Of course, this must also mean the demise of the unfit. According to the theory, a creature is born with some unusual trait (either through a fortunate combination of existing genes or through random mutation). On rare occasions, this unusual trait conveys some advantage to its host – perhaps the host can run faster, see keener, or jump higher. Because of this advantage, the host will hopefully live longer and leave more offspring than its neighbors without the trait. The offspring that inherit the advantage will likewise tend to have more offspring and eventually, the creatures having the trait will replace the entire population. The more fit live, the less fit die, and the entire population evolves. That is how it is supposed to work. If the less fit did not die, then the more fit really have no advantage to select.

Because it plays such a key role in evolution, some people almost regard death as noble. Biologos, a group that identifies itself as Christian, has an article titled, Death and Rebirth: The Role of Extinction in Evolution. Wow, “death and rebirth”! It almost seems to put evolution on equal footing with the Resurrection! In the article, the author makes this claim:

Extinction is actually a common feature of life on earth when viewed over long (e.g. geological) timescales. By some estimates, over 99% of the species that have ever lived have gone extinct [this is a lie, by the way].... Such an extinction event (of a single species, or perhaps a handful of species) alters the environment of other remaining species in an ecosystem. This, in turn, may influence the ability of some of these remaining species to reproduce compared to other species.... As the ecosystem landscape shifts due to loss of species, new biological opportunities, or niches, might arise. These new niches are then available to support new species to fill them.

There you go. Animals go extinct but that makes way for new animals to evolve. It's the circle of life. Some things live and some things die and it's good. When a tsunami or earthquake kills thousands of people, critics often say that such tragedies are evidence there is no God. They also say that such events have happened frequently in the world's history and that they are mechanisms that give some species the opportunity to evolve.

The role of death in evolution is the complete opposite of what death truly is. Death is an intruder into the creation. It is the consequence of Adam's sin and later, of our own sins. It is an enemy that will one day be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26). Death should be dreaded by the lost and they should seek a way to avoid it. The gospel – the good news – is that there is life in Jesus!!

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3
Part 5

How Should We Feel About the Death of Osama Bin Laden?

Bin Laden is dead and a lot of people are happy about it. I admit, it's hard to not be happy about it. A lot of the folks I saw rallying in front of the White House after the President's announcement looked like they were in their twenties. Weren't they, like, 10 when 9/11 happened? Maybe they are old enough to remember but I know I can certainly remember where I was and how I felt when I saw the Towers fall. My first thought when I heard bin Laden was dead was, “good.” But is that how I should react?

When we search the Scriptures for an answer on how we might act, a lot of verses come to mind. Some people will immediately go to Exodus 21:24, “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” Not that it really matters but that is OT Law so some people reject it out of hand. Therefor, some will turn to the teachings of Jesus and cite something like Matthew 26:52, “Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Thus, if bin Laden lived by the sword, it is just that he should die by the sword.

Certainly it's just that bin Laden should die for his crimes. Even so, does that mean we should rejoice about it? I'm reminded of the words in Ezekiel 33:11, “As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”

God, who is the perfect Judge, holds the guilty accountable for their crimes – if not in this life then certainly in the next. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We all die physically because of our sins but the unrepentant face the second death which is the lake of fire. God isn't “happy” about it. It's His will that the wicked would turn from their sins and live. Jesus said, “this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40). So God's will is not that anyone should die but that all should come to Jesus and live.

I think God's will should also be our will. I know there will never be peace in the world until the Prince of Peace returns so there will always be a military component to the war on terror. Even so, shouldn't we also be zealous about winning radical Muslims – indeed, wining all Muslims – to Christ? In the war on terror, the death of Osama bin Laden is a huge victory. In the Great Commission, any person who dies without Christ isn't a victory; it's a loss.

Some Thoughts About Tucson

There's an old adage that you can judge a man's character by how he acts in a crisis. There's a lot we can learn from watching how liberals and conservatives have acted in the wake of the recent tragedy in Tucson. I've seen conservatives react the same way they always react. In typical fashion, they suspend their political differences and offer sincere prayers and condolences to the victims involved. Oh sure, there might be some nuts on the web who make light of the event but I defy anyone to find a mainstream conservative (on FOX News, talk radio, or anywhere else) who has dared suggest that the victims deserved what they got. Such a person does not exist. It's simply not in our nature.

Likewise, liberals have also reacted in their typical fashion. They immediately blame Republicans. It's a joke really, but every time something bad happens, liberals blame Rush Limbaugh as a matter of first resort. I'm not talking about the fringe left (although one might label all liberals as fringe). I'm talking about run of the mill liberals like the Pima County sheriff, the on-air personalities at CNN or MSNBC, members of Congress, and many other mainstream Democrats. It's sad that they use such tragedies as a political tool. Such a tactic derails conversation from useful things we might have learned from an event like this (like how to identify and help the mentally ill). I also think it cheapens the tragic impact of the events on the victims. Liberals aren't sincere. They're making political hay. How unfortunate. I apologize to the victims for their outrageous behavior.

It's easy to see that liberals aren't sincere. As I listen to them whine about the supposed vitriol coming from conservative media, I'm reminded how they were strangely silent while real, violent speech was being hurled at conservatives (see Michelle Malkin's article). And where is the evidence that this person even visited Sarah Palin's website or attended a Tea Party rally? Liberals have rushed to paint the shooter as a right-wing extremist, whipped into a murderous frenzy by heated, political rhetoric. They've done so without a single shred of evidence. In the same vein as Rahm Emmanuel, they will not let this crisis go to waste without using it to bludgeon their political opponents.

I could write a lot about liberal hypocrisy but much has already be said about it. Their behavior is so predictable that anything I say or write about it isn't new or clever anyway. Let me just say something about conservatives that I haven't heard discussed: I think we react the way we do in part because of our faith. Even if we vehemently disagree with someone, we seldom wish harm on them. What we prefer is to persuade that person to our belief. As a Christian, it is my hope that I would lead my enemies to Christ. The Bible says there is no rejoicing in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). I have no idea of the spiritual condition of those who died in Tucson. I really don't even know their political views since they are far removed from my district. But if they weren't Christians, then their untimely death is made all the more tragic. It is something I would never make light of.

Where is our Watchman?

“Give me your poor, your tired, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free...” These words, graven on a tablet on the Statue of Liberty, are the recipe for what has been called the American “melting pot.” People of different nations and heritages would come here and become Americans. One sign of our diversity is the recent celebration of Cinco De Mayo (the Mexican equivalent of the 4th of July). This day is celebrated more widely in the US than in Mexico – though perhaps it's become like St. Patrick's day and is just another excuse to party.

Sadly, the idea of an American melting pot has been replaced by a “salad bowl.” People all want to be in the same place but they still want to remain separate. Many people seem to want to be divided along ethnic or racial lines.

One notable landmark in the history of immigration is Ellis Island. The first stop for some 12,000,000 immigrants to the US was this NY port where everyone underwent legal and medical inspection. Most immigrants were free to enter the US after only a few hours with only about 2% being turned away. Perhaps it wasn't a perfect system but, looking back, it seemed a good balance between making American liberty available to anyone and protecting our national security.

The recent events in AZ have brought the issue of immigration and national security to the forefront. The governor there wants to enforce immigration laws and be able to investigate the citizenship status of anyone suspected of a crime. If someone gets pulled over for speeding, he usually has to produce a driver's license. Now, he may also be asked if he's here illegally.

The Obama administration, and liberals in general, see the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants as a crop of potential Democrat voters and so they oppose any efforts to crack down on illegal immigrants. Interestingly, during the first century of the US, immigration regulation was the responsibility of the states. It wasn't until 1890 that the Federal government took over and now the Feds act offended that states don't like the job they've done (or rather aren't doing). Well, I don't like the job they're doing either. I've not heard a single word – NOT ONE WORD – about how Obama intends to stem the flow of illegal border crossings. What I have heard is that we need a plan to deal with the “undocumented persons” we already have here (aka “amnesty”).

I always try to find a Biblical perspective on political issues. While considering illegal immigration, I thought about Ezekiel and the parable of the Watchman. Ezekiel 33:2-6 talks about how a city will set up a watchman who will stand on the wall and sound the trumpet when he sees an enemy approaching. By the way, where is our wall? Even Nehemiah saw the need to have a wall to protect the city. Anyway, when the watchman saw an enemy approaching, he was to sound the alarm. That was his job. Even if the enemy still came and destroyed city, the watchman will have done his job. However, if the watchman saw the enemy coming and did nothing, the people's blood will be on the watchman's hands. Illegal immigration is much the same. Where is our wall to defend our border? Why are we not more vigilant in protecting our people from illegal immigration? Where is our watchman? The people of another country are rushing across our borders in droves and the person who is supposed to stop this is doing nothing!