November 2008 - Vol 4, Issue 6

In this issue...
-- WHO IS OUR 'INTELLIGENT DESIGNER'? (Part 4)
-- Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
-- Join us for Indiana Day with Whitcomb Ministries
-- New creation book honors Dr. Whitcomb

WHO IS OUR 'INTELLIGENT DESIGNER'? (Part 4)
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

One of the most astounding and shocking discoveries of Intelligent Design theorists is not the almost infinite and irreducible complexity of living organisms, but the almost total resistance to the implications of this on the part of materialistic scientists.

Two leading ID theorists, Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt, stated their amazement in these terms: "Why should we suffer any longer under the reign of materialism and its subspecies, Darwinism? There is no reason except an all-too-human intransigence in the face of mounting evidence... Such blindness is actually a form of the most ancient of sins, pride; and this pride attacks science at its core. At the heart of the scientific enterprise is humility..." ("A Meaningful World" [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2006], pp. 238, 246).

These observations come close to God's perspectives. Apart from the grace of God, the Bible tells us, men do not want to see the overwhelmingly obvious and universal signs of our Intelligent Designer. But this is nothing compared to the refusal of Jews and Gentiles (with rare exceptions) to see the deity and glory of the Son of God when He walked among men (John 1:14), speaking as no man ever spoke (John 7:46), performing signs never before seen on earth (John 3:2; 10:21), and dying as no man has ever died (Mark 15:39; Rom. 3:21-26).

This is nothing less than a spiritual catastrophe: men refuse to see the light of the world! "And this is the condemnation, that light [God's only Son] is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil" (John 3:19). It is not a lack of ability to recognize, appreciate, honor, respect and worship Him. It is a deliberate, intentional, profound and continual refusal to see God in the face of Jesus Christ.

When our Lord healed a man born blind - a miracle that had never been experienced in human history (John 9:32-33) - He said: "For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. And some of the Pharisees which were with Him heard these words, and said unto Him, Are we blind also? Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin; but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth" (John 9:39-41).

But this is the ultimate issue: If people reject the light of the world, in whose image and likeness we were originally created - which is special revelation - how can they possibly repent and believe by looking at the vastly dimmer light of general revelation?

In 2004, "World" magazine invited several leaders of the ID movement to "imagine writing in 2025, on the 100th anniversary of the famous Scopes 'monkey trial,' and explain how Darwinism has bit the dust, unable to rebut the evidence that what we see around us could not have arisen merely by time plus chance" ("World" 19:13 [April 3, 2004], pp. 34-47).

In response, Phillip Johnson predicted that by 2025 naturalistic scientism will have "lost its hold on the popular and literary imagination" (ibid., p. 36). Darwinism will join Marxism and Freudianism "in the dustbin of history," and "the entire world [will seem] new and full of exciting possibilities" (ibid., p. 37). By then, "sanity [will have] reasserted itself..." (ibid., p. 38).

Jonathan Wells suggested that by 2025 A.D., "Darwinian evolution [will be] little more than a historical footnote in biology textbooks" (ibid., p. 38). "Within a few short years [into the 21st century], Darwinism [will have] lost its scientific credibility and public funding... By 2030, Darwinism [will be] effectively dead" (ibid., p. 41).

William Dembski saw a wonderful kingdom coming to the world by the year 2025 because of the ID movement. "The primacy of information throughout the sciences [will have] profound consequences for religion and faith... With information as the primary stuff, there [will be] no limits on what the world can in principle reveal about God. Theists of all stripes [will therefore find] this newfound focus of science on information refreshing" (ibid., p. 47).

Although the editors of "World" assured their readers that Johnson, Wells and Dembski were just "having some fun," it seems obvious that they were writing in all sincerity: "Someday we will win!"

In response, David Roden observed: "Intelligent Design is a half-measure and wholly inadequate. Isn't the identity of the Intelligent Designer a necessary ingredient? Yet, your cover story offers no viewpoint from those who hold God's Word as the final authority..." ("World" [May 1, 2004], p. 64).

To Be Continued...

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
Your prayer support for this ministry is crucial to our ongoing service. Please lift our work to God often during this month of Thanksgiving. We greatly appreciate your fellowship in the gospel.

From Friday, Nov. 14, to Sunday, Nov. 16, Dr. Whitcomb will preach on Biblical prophecy at the McCalla Bible Church of McCalla, Ala. For more information, call Jimmy Dean Brown at 205-507-0901 or visit www.mccallabible.com.

On Friday, Nov. 21, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Smith-Cotton Auditorium in Sedalia Mo., hosted by Maplewood Church. For more information, call Pastor Eddie Brown at 660-827-0532 or visit www.maplewood-church.com.

From Friday, Nov. 21, to Sunday, Nov. 23, Dr. Whitcomb will preach at the Maplewood Church of Sedalia Mo. The weekend will include a pastor's lunch on Nov. 21, for which reservations are required. The cost for the lunch is $6. For more information, call Pastor Eddie Brown at 660-827-0532 or visit www.maplewood-church.com.

On Tuesday, Dec. 9, Dr. Whitcomb will address the 17th annual Pre-Trib Study Group Conference in Dallas, Tex. His topic will be "Ezekiel 40-48 and the Millennial Sacrifices." For more information, call Dr. Thomas Ice at 434-592-3773 or visit www.pre-trib.org.

From Friday, March 13, to Sunday, March 15, Dr. Whitcomb will speak at the Brookside Baptist Church of Brookfield, Wis. For more information, call 262-783-6180 or visit www.brooksidebaptist.org.

For additional details about these events, please visit our web pages at www.whitcombministries.org and www.sermonaudio.com/whitcomb.

(*Answers in Genesis-sponsored event. For more information on these conferences, visit www.answersingenesis.org/events.)

Join us for Indiana Day with Whitcomb Ministries
The Fifth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time), at the facilities of the Fellowship Baptist Church in South Bend, Ind.

The theme of this year's conference will be "The Faith Once Delivered: The Christian's Unchanging Trust."

Dr. John Whitcomb will bring powerful truth-filled messages for the purpose of "Helping People Believe the Bible" - the subtitle of this apologetics conference.

This is the first time that a Day with Whitcomb Ministries has been held in Dr. Whitcomb's home state of Indiana, and Whitcomb Ministries is hopeful that many of his long-time friends will join in for a day of Bible-teaching and celebration of the power of God's holy, self-authenticating Word.

Registration for this conference is still open, and admission for the event will be free for all who attend. Only those who pre-register will be guaranteed to receive a conference registration packet containing several valuable and helpful items. A free-will offering will be received during the conference.

For more information, or to request a brochure or a quantity of brochures, call Paul Scharf at (920) 623-0257, e-mail conference@whitcombministries.org, or visit www.whitcombministries.org or our Weblog on www.SermonAudio.com/Whitcomb. You can also register online simply by clicking on Events on www.SermonAudio.com/Whitcomb.

Seating is limited, but registration will remain open until the capacity is filled.

Fellowship Baptist Church is located at 4849 W. Ford St. in South Bend. For more information on the church or directions to it, visit their Web site at http://www.fellowshipbaptistsb.org/.

Those interested in attending this conference can register for free by going to http://www.sermonaudio.com/event_details.asp?eventID=wh91008205711.

New creation book honors Dr. Whitcomb
"Coming to Grips with Genesis: Biblical Authority and the Age of the Earth," a 450-page paperback being published this month by Master Books, contains the writings of 14 scholars on various themes surrounding the Biblical text of Genesis and the literal history of creation, the fall and the flood.

The book is written to honor Dr. John C. Whitcomb, and contains a chapter detailing his life story, as well as a bibliography of his writings.

Forewords were written by Dr. John MacArthur and the late Dr. Henry Morris. The book is edited by Dr. Terry Mortenson (speaker, writer and researcher for Answers in Genesis), and Dr. Thane Ury (associate professor of systematic theology at the United Wesleyan Graduate Institute, Hong Kong).

To see the book's listing on www.christianbook.com, follow this Link: http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=515488&netp_id=530393&event=EBRN&item_code=WW&view=covers

For much more information, see the "Coming to Grips..." category under "Links" at Whitcomb.SermonAudio.com. Those links will be continually updated to include the latest information.