September 2008 - Vol 4, Issue 4

In this issue...
-- WHO IS OUR 'INTELLIGENT DESIGNER'? (Part 2)
-- Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
-- Fifth Annual Day with WMI in SermonAudio 'Events'
-- Dr. Whitcomb contributes to book in honor of Ryrie

WHO IS OUR 'INTELLIGENT DESIGNER'? (Part 2)
By Dr. John C. Whitcomb

The Intelligent Design Movement has been widely popularized by Philip E. Johnson, (professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley) in his books, beginning with Darwin on Trial in 1991.

Dr. Johnson, considered by many to be the chief architect of IDM, has clearly demonstrated that neo-Darwinian, materialistic evolutionism (which presupposes atheistic naturalism) simply cannot explain the nearly infinite complexity of living things. By inserting "the wedge" of Intelligent Design into the biological sciences, he is quite hopeful that materialistic naturalism will be uprooted in universities and public schools, and that science and sociology textbooks will be purged of evolutionary distortions.

These are noble goals; and most of the argumentation of IDM books is, to this extent, on target. Every Christian should applaud legitimate efforts to restore sanity and reality to the study of ultimate origins in our public schools, our universities and even in many of our "Christian" colleges.

The tragedy of the ID movement, however, it that it stops very far short of honoring God's written revelation, the Bible. In fact, the book of Genesis as literal history seems to be an embarrassment to most of these scholars.

Sadly, Johnson raised high the banner of religious neutrality for the entire ID movement when he said: "For the present I recommend that we put the biblical issues to one side. The last thing we should want to do or seem to want to do is to threaten the freedom of scientific inquiry. Bringing the Bible anywhere near this issue just raises the 'Inherit the Wind' stereotype and closes minds instead of opening them. We can wait until we have a better scientific theory, one genuinely based on unbiased empirical evidence and not materialistic philosophy, before we need to worry about whether and to what extent that theory is consistent with the Bible" ("How to Sink a Battleship," in Mere Creation: Science, Faith and Intelligent Design, Wm. A. Dembski, ed. [Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1998], p. 453).

But how can we really help people understand the enormously crucial issue of our ultimate origin if we "put the biblical issues to one side"? Would listening to our God speak to us in His written revelation "threaten the freedom of scientific inquiry"? Would "bringing the Bible anywhere near this issue" actually "(close) minds instead of opening them"? And how long do we have to "wait until we have a better scientific theory . . . before we need to worry about whether and to what extent that theory is consistent with the Bible"?

Four years later, Johnson insisted: "Get the Bible and the Book of Genesis out of the debate because you do not want to raise the so-called Bible-science dichotomy. Phrase the argument in such a way that you can get it heard in the secular academy and in a way that tends to unify the religious dissenters. That means concentrating on, 'Do you need a Creator to do the creating, or can nature do it on its own?' and refusing to get sidetracked onto other issues, which people are always trying to do. They'll ask, 'What do you think of Noah's flood?' or something like that. Never bite on such questions because they'll lead you into a trackless wasteland and you'll never get out of it" ("Berkeley's Radical: An Interview with Phillip E. Johnson" in Touchstone 15:5 [June, 2002], p. 41).

Is the "Bible-science dichotomy" something that God's people should be afraid of? Is it really God's plan for the true church to modify His creation message so that we "can get it heard in the secular academy"? Will such a drastic compromise really "unify the religious dissenters"? Are the magnitude and effects of the global flood of Genesis 6-9 part of a "trackless wasteland" into which we should refuse to be "sidetracked"?

To Be Continued...

Hear Dr. Whitcomb speak this month
Dr. Whitcomb is staying extremely busy in service to the Lord God this year. Will you please pray for God's blessings to fall on his upcoming meetings? Also, if you are near any of these services, we hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to attend in person.

On Saturday, Nov. 8, Dr. Whitcomb will speak on apologetics at the Fifth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries, to be held at the Fellowship Baptist Church of South Bend, Ind. For more information, call Paul Scharf at 920-623-0257 or visit www.whitcombministries.org.

On Sunday, Nov. 9, and Monday, Nov. 10, Dr. Whitcomb will teach at the Fellowship Baptist Church of South Bend, Ind. For more information, call Pastor Virgil Wesco at 574-234-1127 or visit www.fellowshipbaptistsb.org.

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.)

Fifth Annual Day with WMI in SermonAudio 'Events'
Complete information regarding the Fifth Annual Day with Whitcomb Ministries, to be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, in South Bend, Ind., is available on the "Events" page at Whitcomb.SermonAudio.com.

This conference will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., 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, president of Whitcomb Ministries, Inc., creation speaker for Answers in Genesis and co-author with the late Dr. Henry Morris of the groundbreaking book "The Genesis Flood," will bring powerful truth-filled messages for the purpose of "Helping People Believe the Bible" - the subtitle of this apologetics conference. The conference will also include sacred music from the musicians of Fellowship Baptist Church, and will be a great way to prepare one's heart for the upcoming Thanksgiving season.

All who attend will have immediate access to some of the best Biblical resources available, as well as a unique opportunity to learn valuable, Scriptural information from one of our day's top Bible teachers. Exhibitors are also being invited to come and help make the day an enriching and memorable experience.

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

We hope to see you on Nov. 8!

Dr. Whitcomb contributes to book in honor of Ryrie
Dr. John Whitcomb is one of several contributors to a new book from Tyndale Seminary Press that is written in tribute to Dr. Charles C. Ryrie.

Tyndale president Christopher Cone is the general editor of "Dispensationalism Tomorrow & Beyond: A Theological Collection in Honor of Charles C. Ryrie," which contains contributions from 16 other authors, including Drs. Whitcomb and Ryrie.

For more information, or to order this volume, call 800-886-1415, or visit http://www.tyndale.edu/home.html.