October 2008 - Vol 4, Issue 5

In this issue...
-- WHO IS OUR 'INTELLIGENT DESIGNER'? (Part 3)
-- Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
-- Prepare your heart for Thanksgiving at Day with WMI

WHO IS OUR 'INTELLIGENT DESIGNER'? (Part 3)
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

The Bible is completely clear on the issue of Intelligent Design: "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20).

Here the apostle Paul informs us that Adam and Eve could discern God's "eternal power and Godhead - by the things that are made," because "the invisible things of Him" were "clearly seen" - not by animals, but by men (beginning with our first parents) - "from the creation of the world."

But the fall brought about a profound change. When Adam and Eve rejected the clearly revealed will of God, being overwhelmed by a sense of sin and shame they had never known, they tried desperately to hide from their God: "and the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked... and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden" (Gen. 3:7-8).

Every human from then until now (with the blessed exception of our Savior, Jesus Christ) has been conceived in sin (Ps. 51:5); and in those rare moments of spiritual conviction, we agree with the prophet Isaiah: "all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way" (Isa. 53:6).

That is why it takes much more than brilliant ID arguments and the finite pressure of human rationalism to turn men back to God. Some ID scholars actually believe that, within the next generation or so, they will succeed in accomplishing "a paradigm shift" in the entire academic/scientific world.

For example, Philip Johnson encourages his followers "to inspire a lot of people to start doing intellectual work based on the right questions... As the discussion proceeds, the intellectual world will become gradually accustomed to treating materialism and naturalism as subjects to be analyzed and debated... Eventually the answer to our prime question will become too obvious to be in doubt" ("Signs of Intelligence," [Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 2001], pp. 37-38).

Then Johnson unveils his famous "wedge" strategy to change the thinking of materialistic scientists: "The metaphor of a wedge portrays the modernist scientific and intellectual world, with its materialist assumptions, as a thick and seemingly impenetrable log. Such a log can be split wide open, however, if you can find a crack and pound the sharp edge of a wedge into it... My own writings and speaking represents the sharp edge of this wedge. I make the first penetration, seeking always to legitimate a line of inquiry rather than to win a debate, measuring success by the number of significant thinkers I draw into the discussion, rather than by the conclusions that they draw for the present" (ibid., p. 38).

Our success, Johnson assures us, "is all but inevitable... [because] we are making a point of elementary logic that is irresistible once it is understood. The only obstacle to a breakthrough is the long standing prejudice [of materialism]... A prejudice like that can be protected for a while, but in the end reason always breaks through" ((ibid., p. 40).

The same optimism characterizes the writings of most design theorists, because their official exclusion of the God of the Bible from their discussion really leaves them no other power-system than their own finite intellects for changing the hearts and minds of materialists. Jonathan Wells thinks that "biologists should trust their common sense." Surely, "they would be better off following the evidence wherever it leads... Once [the neo-Darwinian monopoly in biology] is broken, we may expect to see dramatic scientific progress in understanding how embryos develop" (ibid., p. 40).

Such thinking actually sets up an enormous barrier against the true Intelligent Designer of the universe, Jesus Christ the Lord. In effect, He is being told to stay out of the battle. Since ID experts believe they can handle the enemy with their own resources, He is not needed. But Christ told us: " without Me ye can do nothing [of eternal value and significance]" (John 15:5).

Mark Cadwallader, board chairman of Creation Moments, Inc., concludes: "Even if you could store the contents of a thousand creation science books in your brain and had the ability to share that information in a clear, convincing way, it still wouldn't be enough to persuade even one person to abandon their belief in Darwinism or their unbelief in God" (August, 2008; www.creationmoments.com).

Is this really true?

To Be Continued...

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
All through this fall, Dr. Whitcomb will be traveling and preaching God's Word, and we trust the Lord to use this teaching to increase faith in the hearts of those who hear. Will you please pray for Dr. Whitcomb to have the needed time to prepare for these special engagements?

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.)

Prepare your heart for Thanksgiving at Day with WMI
Soon it will be time to focus on the forgotten holiday - Thanksgiving. Most of the world has already moved on to consider all the activities surrounding Christmas. For the Christian, however, it is imperative that we take the time to prepare our hearts for this month's all-important holiday.

If you need something that will help you do this, there could be no better way than to attend the Fifth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries, on Saturday, Nov. 8, in South Bend, Ind.

This conference, including the teaching of Dr. John Whitcomb on the subject of apologetics as well as wonderful sacred music, will be held there at the Fellowship Baptist Church.

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

You will find complete information there as well.

May God bless you as you begin to think about, and not forget, Thanksgiving.