Weekly Articles

It is a commonly accepted fact that predators are necessary for the health and welfare of the preyed-upon species.  When wolves are scarce, elk and deer starve to death because of overpopulation.  When lions are scarce, antelope and water buffalo herds overpopulate their ecosystems.    In fact, this is part and parcel of the theory of natural selection:   nature weeds out the unfit so that only the strongest survive.  Many will, in fact, point to this and say that it is one of the mechanisms of evolution.  They would, of course, be mistaken.

When we look at the creation account in Genesis chapter one, we see that God created a perfect world that was “very good.”  This world predated death, which means that it predated predation and hunting, sickness and death.  Look at the description of the sixth day:

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.”  And it was so.  God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.  Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”  Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.  They will be yours for food.  And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.”  And it was so.  God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.  (Genesis 1:24-31 NIV)

So then, what happened?  How did we get from everything eating green plants as food, to lions and wolves thinning out the sick and the old from the herds?  Man happened!  Man sinned, and so all creation has been awaiting the day “that [it] will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God,” (Romans 8:21 NIV).  Until that time, death has its way with this world.

There are some who say that man is a part of nature, that we have broken our bonds with the natural order and are thus out of balance.  These people look at epidemics and natural disasters as nature’s way of “culling the herds” of mankind.  These people have rejected God and have chosen to worship the natural world, and are often aligned with the environmental movement.

There are some who say that people are simply a part of the whole, are cogs in the machine of society, and must therefore suborn their needs to the collective good.  Our modern entitlement programs are designed with this in mind.  Take for example the Social Security and Medicare programs:  they require more people to pay into the programs without living to collect the benefits in order to remain solvent!  There is a commonly held misconception that the programs would have been fine if Congress had not raided the “trust funds” over the years; truly, Congress has acted irresponsibly, but the programs by design were never going to succeed because they depend on death.

This country is facing the crisis that it set in motion generations ago by adopting systems that treat people as valuable only in as much as they contribute to society.  We even have people in the political arena making comments about “responsible” health care decisions needing to be made about wasting limited resources on elderly people with little benefit to society.  This is how the world views its elderly people:  worn parts that need to be replaced for the good of the whole.

Our nation is facing its ruin not because our leaders are corrupt (which many apparently are), but rather because our nation has turned away from Godly principles.  Humans are not animals, which need to be removed from the herd when they are old and useless.  No, our elderly should be respected and cherished; they should be cared for and treated with honor.  But just as the worldly agenda seeks to destroy the hope of childbirth and the sanctity of marriage, it seeks to abolish the appreciation we owe those who raised us; in this, it seeks to drive from our hearts the appreciation we owe the one who created us.  Reject the world, and choose God.  And respect your elders.

-Charles Peterson

In the early 1920’s, Charles Ponzi made famous a particularly bad type of “get-rich-quick” scheme:  the Ponzi scheme.  His scheme bilked investors out of tens of millions of dollars (in the 1920s) by promising a 50% return on their investment in 45 days, and a 100% return in 90 days.  He claimed that he was investing their money in international reply coupons:  a postage stamp that was priced at the postage rate in one country and worth the postage rate in whatever country it was used; essentially, he claimed to be buying them cheaply in Italy and redeeming them in the US with a 400% markup.  In reality, he was using new money to pay old, meaning that the money invested by today’s investors would be used not to invest, but to pay the money owed to yesterday’s investors.  Of course, eventually there were not enough new investors to cover the obligations to the old, and so the entire house of cards collapsed.  Ponzi went to prison and many people came to realize that they had foolishly given their life’s savings to a conman. 

People are not so different today as they were in the 1920’s.  Remember Bernie Madoff’s $64 Billion Ponzi scheme?  He fooled Wall Street experts and SEC regulators for years.  People get fooled by these schemes because they forget their common sense:  if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  And the sad part is that there are many great opportunities out there, but most people do not notice them because they are disguised as hard work and disciplined behavior.  Americans have been raised to think they are being “risk-adverse,” when in reality they are “effort-adverse.”  Many immigrants come to this country with very little money and no ability to speak English, and in a few short years wind up owning successful businesses.  But they did not throw their money away on gimmicks, but rather put it to work carefully and intelligently (and put themselves to work, as well).

Modern American evangelism, sadly, has more to do with “get-rich-quick” schemes than with hard work and disciplined behavior.  How many churches build their followings around novelties and gimmicks?  Consider the discipling movement, in which one member exercises control over another member (made famous in the Boston-movement).  How many churches try to reach people through a consumer model?  The “emerging church” movement, emphasizing the “here and now” in a very postmodern way and thereby de-emphasizing questions of eternal salvation is a good example of reaching through repackaging the message (such as salvation through recitation of the believer’s prayer).  How many churches are arranged around a cult of personality, and are centered on one dynamic speaker or celebrity?  There are many churches that face this dangerous road – the Calvary Chapel churches form themselves around the “Moses model” (as they call it), in which a pastor acts as the executive and is advised by a board of elders.

What shall we say, then?  Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?  Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.  If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.  For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.  (Romans 6:1-7 NIV)

The sad part is that there is a perfect plan waiting for us.  But our “get-rich-quick” mentality will not let us see it; we want something that costs us nothing or that substitutes for other activities such as entertainment.  But nothing but death can free you from your sins!  Yes, that is right:  you cannot escape the fact that you will die for your sins.  But because of Jesus, you can now choose:  die to your sins through the waters of baptism, or die in your sins when you achieve room temperature (physical death).  The choice is yours:  the con or the Bible.  Choose wisely, but choose quickly.  In the words of the infomercials:  act now, before it’s too late!

-Charles Peterson

There are many theories on the “dawn of civilization” with most based on assumptions about pre-historical events.  I have been in many college-level history classes in which claims were made that “agriculture began around 10,000 BC” and “the domestication of the dog happened around 30,000 BC.”  These claims (and others like them) are assumptions masquerading as fact, because they all have one thing in common:  none are recorded in historical records by man.  Historical records go back as far as the middle of the 4^th millennium BC (3700-3400 BC).  It is fair to assume that people built homes and settled farms before this, but how much before is the source of controversy.  But regardless of how far back, civilization is very much based on literacy; the ability to preserve knowledge between generations is crucial, and while this can be done orally, written records are inherently more trustworthy and durable than the memory of a few.

Civilized societies are literate societies, and the extent of literacy very often drives the sophistication of the civilization (compare pre-renaissance and post-renaissance Europe).  But literacy does not by itself determine the economic, military, and political strength of a civilization:  many examples exist of better armed, trained, and motivated barbarians overcoming the defenses of civilized societies.  Ancient Sumerian culture outlived the Sumerian civilization by several thousand years, as the Sumerians were overwhelmed by various uneducated (but better armed) barbarian hordes, who in turn absorbed the belief systems and culture of the conquered Sumerians.  Rome is said to have conquered Greece (militarily), and in turn was conquered by Greece (culturally).   

Examples also exist of the unassailable defenses that are possible by the correct application of learning and technology.  The Roman legionnaires in Julius Caesar’s time made short work of Gallic barbarians through the proper application of military technologies such as training, discipline, and weapons and armor.  The 139 British soldiers at Rourke’s Drift (South Africa) successfully defended their station against 4,000-5,000 Zulu warriors; although the Zulu warriors were highly trained and well disciplined, the technological advantages of the British soldiers’ proper usage of modern firearms and artillery against spears and shields enabled their victory.  Here I mention the “proper usage,” because just prior to this the British proved the improper usage of modern weaponry to be of no help against a disciplined and trained enemy with primitive weapons (a reference to the British defeat at Isandlwana).

I know, “great history lesson, but what does it have to do with me?”  The same lessons apply to the Church in our war.  Our people are led astray when they are not properly grounded in the scriptures.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.  Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  (Ephesians 6:10-13 NIV)

Paul didn’t write “be weak in the Lord, knowing virtually nothing about him or what he has done throughout the history of the world, and totally neglect arming yourself with the armor and weapons he has provided – definitely do not train to use them properly.”  Paul wrote to Christians that we are fighting against the rulers, authorities, and the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Does this sound like the kind of enemy you want to be facing unarmed and untrained?  That is like stepping onto the field of battle, facing a force of barbarians armed with swords, shields, and bows and arrows, and then stripping down naked and proceeding to pick dandelions in the short time before you are cut down.  But this is what much of the Church does spiritually when they refuse to read the Bible regularly.

I understand that many (too many) in the Church disagree with me; I have had Church leaders say idiotic things like “all you need to do is show people Jesus,” as if you can show Jesus to anybody if you do not know who Jesus is.  I am not saying that you cannot be a Christian if you do not read your Bible; I am saying that you cannot be a spiritually mature Christian, armed and trained as God intends you to be, if you do not regularly read your Bible.

Why do we think God’s people can remain spiritually ignorant savages?  Look at the great people in the Bible (if the names and stories are not familiar, looking them up would be a great place to start):  Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Deborah, David, Isaiah, Elijah, Peter, Paul, and many others.  All knew God and tried to learn more about him and his ways.  We have it easy:  God brought forth the Bible for us so that all we have to do is set aside a little time each day and read it!  Yet how many of us will instead spiritually disarm and disrobe before the enemy?

Parents:  do you want your children to grow up to be Godly or worldly?  You are setting the example for them!  They will do as they see you doing:  if knowing God is important to you, then they will want to know God; if putting into practice in your life the fundamental teachings of Jesus is a visible priority in your life, then your children will make it their priority; but if your life is filled with the hypocrisies born of ignorance of God, then they will see your life for the sham that it is and forsake God just as you do.

Do not forsake God’s word!  Keep it close to you:  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path,” (Psalm 119:105 NIV).  Keep on the straight path, using the light God provides through his word!

-Charles Peterson

I was driving home from the grocery store a few days ago and I read a bumper sticker on the minivan in front of me:  it read, “the last time we mixed politics and religion, people got burned at the stake.”  This is, of course, a reference to the Salem witch trials, in which twenty-one people were executed for having been convicted of witchcraft.  This reference brings up all of the disgust and revulsion at the idea of people’s lives being destroyed because of superstitious paranoia.  But is it accurate?

The trials occurred between 1692 and 1693.  Since that time, the Declaration of Independence was signed (in 1776); the Constitution of the United States of America was written (adopted in 1787); and all of the State Constitutions were written, most of which contain references to God (including the latest, the 9^th Constitution of the State of Georgia, dated July 1, 1983).  Since 1693, references to God are throughout the governments of the United States; I cannot recall any people burning at the stake because of it.  Almost every President of the United States has mentioned God in his Inaugural Address; no witch trials have ensued.  Until the last few decades, the Bible figured prominently in public education; children did not figure prominently as witnesses in any legal proceedings against witches.  In fact, at times when Biblical principles have been honored in this country, those are the times when citizens have been the most prosperous and peaceful towards others.

So then, what about the Salem witch trials?  Well, it is purely coincidental that the law of the time allowed the state to confiscate land of those convicted of witchcraft, I am sure.  It is mere happenstance that Martha Corey (executed in 1692) had been an outspoken critic of the witch trials in general and the teenaged girls in particular; certainly her criticism played no part in those same girls’ testimony against her afterwards.  Theologically, it is of note that the group in question were Puritans, a group known for intolerant and borderline paranoid beliefs.

All of this went through my mind as I pondered the bumper sticker.  Obviously the sentiment is meant as a criticism of Christianity; but I wondered if the sentiment might be more accurate if other examples were chosen.

·         The last time we mixed politics and social justice, sixteen thousand people died in French guillotines. (French Reign of Terror, 1793-1794)

·         The last time we mixed politics and racial justice, six million Jews died. (Hitler’s “Final Solution,” 1933-1945)

·         The last time we mixed politics and a cult of personality, twenty million Soviets died. (Stalin’s purges and collective farm-induced famines, 1922-1953)

·         The last time we mixed politics and feminism, forty-nine million babies died (Abortions since Roe v. Wade, 1973-2010)

·         The last time we mixed politics and environmentalism, sixty million people died (Approximate deaths from malaria following DDT ban, 1972)

·         The last time we mixed politics and atheism, one hundred million people died (World Communism’s death toll, 1900-2000).

Granted, these aren’t as catchy as the bumper sticker I saw; they are, however, accurate.  It is possible to mention religions that legitimately could have the bumper sticker’s sentiment applied to them:  Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism come to mind.  But Christians who actually read and follow the teachings of the Bible cannot have this laid at their feet.  When Biblical Christianity is injected into a political system, true morality and decency begin to take root.  Conversely, when Biblical Christianity is removed, immorality and corruption spread throughout the system.

We took Christianity out of science and we got evolution.  We took Christianity out of the courts and we got abortion.  We took Christianity out of the schools and we got school-violence.  We took Christianity out of the curriculum and we got epidemic teen pregnancies.  What we need is more Christianity, not less.  And the people who have those bumper stickers need to look at real history, not activist propaganda.

-Charles Peterson

At the close of the 1700’s, two democracies had emerged from the turbulent chaos of the 18^th century:  the United States of America and the French Republic.  From the start, these two “great experiments” were compared with each other; often the comparison was neither fair nor flattering to the USA.  Both had their beginnings in the abuse of power by a monarch and the yearnings of the people to be free, as expressed by a select group of men.  Both transformed the economic and political stage for future generations.  Both reaped the harvest of consequences they had sown in the manner of their revolution.  But to say that they were the same but for which side of the ocean they occurred is to err grievously:  they were as different as night and day.

The beginnings of the American revolution in the abuse of power by a monarch (King George III) and the yearnings of the people to be free were, from the start, rooted in the rights enjoyed by all subjects of the British crown.  The phrase “taxation without representation” had meaning precisely because all British citizens were taxed by Parliament, wherein they had representatives they had elected; since the colonies had no such representatives, they rightly viewed Parliament had no right to levy taxes on them.  The American revolution did not start out as an independence movement, but became one because they felt the Crown had forfeited its God-given authority when it abandoned its God-given responsibility.  The nature of the American revolution was shaped by Christian beliefs and traditions.

The beginnings of the French revolution in the abuse of power by a monarch (King Louis XVI) and the yearnings of the people to be free were, unlike the Americans, rooted in financial crises, widespread famine and starvation, and the eruption of resentment among the lower classes of the privileges of the upper classes.  All of the social classes among the French had special privileges in theory, such as the nobility’s tax exemptions or the commoners’ right to operate business ventures (something denied to aristocrats); in reality, most of the commoners realized very little benefit and were universally exploited by nobles, clergy, and merchants.  The French revolution is rightly named the “Reign of Terror,” because the national emotions boiled up and led to the use of murderous show trials to “right the wrongs” and to restore “social justice.”  What was seen in the French revolution was described by Alexander Hamilton:

“… when I find the doctrine of atheism openly advanced in the convention, and heard with loud applause; when I see the sword of fanaticism extended to force a political creed upon citizens who were invited to submit to the arms of France as the harbingers of liberty; when I behold the hand of rapacity outstretched to prostrate and ravish the monuments of religious worship, erected by those citizens and their ancestors … I acknowledge that I am glad to believe there is no real resemblance between what is the cause of America and what is the cause of France; that the difference is no less great than that between liberty and licentiousness.”  (quoted in George Washington, William Roscoe Taylor, 1922)

There is absolute difference between the fathers of the American revolution (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, Franklin, etc.) and the bloodthirsty leaders of the French Reign of Terror (Robespierre, Marat, Carrier, Roux, Hébert, etc.):  the former were guided predominately by their sense of divine providence – that God was in control and the best they could do was trust his guidance; the latter chose instead to place faith in man and in fact even did their best to extinguish Christian beliefs in France.  As a direct result of this difference, America had developed into a lawful nation guided by Christian beliefs, while France has suffered despots and terrors ever since.

This is exactly as the Bible says it will always be with the affairs of man:  man prospers only as he follows God, and nations prosper only as they serve to facilitate man’s following of God.

Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.  “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”  The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.  Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, “I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”  (Psalm 2:1-6 NIV)

Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.  Why do the nations say, “Where is their God?”  Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.  But their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.  (Psalm 115:1-4 NIV)

The trend in America today is for American citizens to look to politicians to look after the “will of the people,” and for Presidents to look at polls as proof of a “mandate by the people” to do whatever pleases them.  This will lead us to ruin, just as it did France; our mandate is to look to divine providence for our guide, and to trust in the will of the Lord.  The American spirit has long been known for strength, courage, generosity, and compassion; but it has only gotten this reputation because it was empowered by the people trusting in the Holy Spirit.  It will only regain its reputation by again, trusting in the Holy Spirit.  Let’s make every effort to bring Americans back to their true identity, as the shining city on the hill, shining with Christ’s light.

-Charles Peterson

One of my dearest friends is a Captain in the US Army, and he related a story to me of something that happened to him while deployed to Afghanistan.  My friend was in a position with his men and was engaged in a firefight with enemy forces.  While he was in the prone position firing his weapon he felt someone grasp his ankle.  When he looked, he saw his battalion’s chaplain looking back at him; the chaplain simply said “it’s Easter morning, would you mind if I prayed with you?”  My friend answered with an emphatic “yes!” and this chaplain, who had exposed himself to mortal danger from enemy fire to give spiritual comfort to my friend and his soldiers, prayed in the middle of a battle. 

I was quite impressed with this story.  It seems all too often we hear stories in the news about religious people who fail to live as they preach; as the above story illustrates, there are people who care more about their faith than even their own safety.  Those stories should be the reputation of Christians, as that is what we see in the Bible.  Here are two examples:

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”  Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”  But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.  When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.  The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”  Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”  (1 Samuel 17:32-37 NIV)

Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?  Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good.  But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace.  Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”  (Daniel 3:13-18 NIV)

In the first example, we see that David was not afraid to enter a dangerous situation because he new that God would deliver him from the hand of Goliath just as he had delivered David from the lion and the bear.  Do we shy away from situations that might lead to embarrassment or danger if we were called to make a stand for God?In the second example, we see that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were not only fully trusting in God to save them, but they wanted it known that they were more than willing to die rather than to betray God.  Are we willing to make it known that we believe in God?

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”  “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.  (2 Kings 2:9 NIV)

This verse is from when Elijah is taken up into heaven; all Elisha wanted was to receive a double portion of Elijah’s spirit.  This Elisha later makes a spring of toxic water pure, raises from the dead the Shunammite’s son, heals Naaman the Aramean of leprosy, and traps the Aramean army.  This demonstrates that God grants his Spirit to those who call on him and truly seek him.  Call out to God through your prayers, seek him in his word, and trust him to give to you his Spirit.  Then look for opportunities to show others what God has done for you.

-Charles Peterson

There is a common belief among secular Americans that there are two ways to look at the origin of the universe issue:  religious and scientific.  This belief is held by many in the academic and scientific communities, and by not a few who self-identify as Christian.  This belief is used in our courtrooms and classrooms to declare the teaching of evolution as scientific and the teaching of creation as religious.  This belief also happens to be wrong.  It is wrong not because the teaching of creation is not religious, because it is; the belief is wrong because the teaching of evolution is not scientific, but is rather religious as well.

The National Center for Science Education (http://ncse.com) is dedicated to “defending the teaching of evolution in schools” and to “keeping evolution in the science classroom and creationism out.”  A recent article on their website described the dangers of a proposed bill before the State of Mississippi’s House Education Committee: 

A bill in Mississippi is apparently the first antievolution bill of 2010. House Bill 586, introduced on January 12, 2010, and referred to the House Education Committee, would, if enacted, require local school boards to include a lesson on human evolution at the beginning of their high school biology classes. The catch: “The lesson provided to students … shall have proportionately equal instruction from educational materials that present scientifically sound arguments by protagonists and antagonists of the theory of evolution.”The legislative history of [Section 1] of state law suggests that it was intended to allow or encourage the presentation of antievolution material in science classes, as NCSE previously reported.  (http://ncse.com/news/2010/01/antievolution-legislation-mississippi-005283)

Notice in this article that they are not worried about the dangers of teaching religion in the classroom, but rather they are worried about “proportionately equal” teachings from “scientifically sound arguments” that offer views antagonistic to evolution.  They cannot allow students to be taught that evolution is anything but scientific fact.  They do not promote it as a theory (as many Christians mistakenly believe they are supporting), but rather they insist it is the only allowable viewpoint.

In the biological sciences, evolution is a scientific theory that explains the emergence of new varieties of living things in the past and in the present; it is not a “theory of origins” about how life began. Evolution accounts for the striking patterns of similarities and differences among living things over time and across habitats through the action of biological processes such as natural selection, mutation, symbiosis, gene transfer, and genetic drift. Evolution has been subjected to scientific testing for over a century and has been (and continues to be) consistently confirmed by evidence from a wide range of fields.  (http://ncse.com/evolution)

Here they claim it is “not a ‘theory of origins’ about how life began,” but then on another page they claim:

In the biological sciences, evolution is a theory of change that accounts for the pattern of similarities and differences among living things on earth throughout the earth’s history and across all the habitats and biomes that exist or have existed in that history. Evolution is a theory of emergence of new varieties of life forms, not a “theory of origins” that accounts for how life began. There are currently a number of proposed models and hypotheses for the beginning of life as we know it, but evolution begins after life is established on earth.  (http://ncse.com/evolution/why-teach-evolution)

So, evolution doesn’t explain how “life” began, but it explains how all variation of that life happened, in “all the habitats and biomes (an ecological type such as a rainforest) that exist or have existed” in history.  That’s all it does.

“Creation” is a philosophical concept: it is the belief that the universe depends for its existence upon something or some being outside itself … (A contrary and equally untestable philosophical assertion would be that the universe is uncreated, or self-subsistent.)  By contrast, “evolution” is in the scientific category … In biology, evolution is the principle that all life is related through descent with modification from common ancestors.  Science is the process of explaining phenomena by testing explanations against the natural world … Science also restricts itself to explaining things through natural, rather than supernatural, mechanisms.  (http://ncse.com/religion/god-evolution)

Let’s understand this:  “creation” is a philosophical concept because it says the universe depends on something or some being outside itself (God), and evolution would be equally a philosophical concept if it says the universe is “uncreated or self-subsistent.”  Evolution is scientific because it says the universe can only be explained through “natural, rather than supernatural, mechanisms.”  Doesn’t that mean “self-subsistent”?  When they say “natural mechanisms,” don’t they mean through means that we can observe scientifically – meaning things within the universe itself (self-subsistent)?

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  (Romans 1:18-20 NIV)

Understand that the evolutionists are just as religious about denying God as we are about proclaiming him!  They may claim otherwise, but their own words and deeds confirm that they view “science” (guesswork done by men) as being authoritative, while they view the Bible as philosophical at best and primitive foolishness at worst.  But theirs are the foolish hearts that have been darkened and theirs is the thinking that has become futile (see Romans 1:21).  Christians that yearn to be accepted by men, and so fall into the evolution trap had better wake up:  you can only serve one master.  The establishment religion of evolution cannot coexist with Christ.

-Charles  Peterson

There was a recent news article in the NY Post titled Stern sidekick in suicide try.  “Troubled comic Artie Lange landed in the hospital after stabbing himself nine times in an apparent suicide attempt, sources told The Post.”*  The article detailed numerous problems including ongoing battles with substance abuse and addiction.  Mr. Lange is not alone in this world, as addictions of all sorts enslave millions of Americans.  The recovery website www.myaddiction.com lists the following statistics**:

Americans with a Substance abuse or dependence problem:  Over 22 Million

Americans with alcohol use disorders:  14 million

Americans (12 and older) who have tried cocaine:  33.7 million

Americans (12 and older) who have tried methamphetamine:  10.4 million

Americans (12 and older) who have tried heroin:  3.5 million

Americans abusing prescription drugs:  4.7 million

Americans with gambling problems:  6-9 million (3 million are “pathological gamblers)

American sexual addiction:

·         sex addicts - 18 million - 24 million (200,000 are addicted to E-porn)

·         25 million visit cyber-sex sites between 1-10 hours per week

·         4.7 million visit cyber-sex sites in excess of 11 hours per week

·         One out of every 6 women struggles with an addiction to pornography

American eating disorders:

·         One percent (1%) of female adolescents have anorexia, and four percent (4%) college-aged women have bulimia.

·         That means that about one out of every one hundred young women between ten and twenty are starving themselves, sometimes to death

·         More than half of teenaged girls are, or think they should be, on diets. They want to lose all or some of the forty pounds that females naturally gain between 8 and 14. About three percent of these teens go too far, becoming anorexic or bulimic.

In looking at these statistics, it would be easy to become depressed with the tragedy.  Look at how many have lost control of some important part of their life!  Think about the pain and suffering, not only of these people but also of their families and friends.  Think of the cost in resources spent, lost productivity, and damaged values that our society must bear.  But I am also reminded of the hymn “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”:

Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents.  But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together.  And quarreling arose between Abram’s herdsmen and the herdsmen of Lot.  The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.  So Abram said to Lot, “Let’s not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers.  Is not the whole land before you?  Let’s part company.  If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.”  (Genesis 13:5-9 NIV)

Lot chose to go to the urban and comfortable areas around Sodom and Gomorrah; Abram chose to remain in the lands God picked for him.  As Lot sought after earthly wealth and delights, he lost everything.  As Abram sought after God’s promises, God changed his name to Abraham and blessed him and everything he touched.Through the prophet Malachi, God promised that if we would just trust in him and walk after him in faith he would “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it,” (Malachi 3:10 NIV).  If you are tired of seeing the world’s promises of happiness lead you to misery, then seek the end of your wanting by filling your life with God’s promises.

-Charles Peterson

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* http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/stern_sidekick_in_suicide_try_5m9Hwhn1OvpONlzbsiW3oJ#ixzz0cAiYLxj9

**http://www.myaddiction.com/education/articles/alcohol_statistics.html, /cocaine_statistics.html, /meth_statistics.html,

 /heroin_statistics.html, /prescription_drug_statistics.html, /gambling_statistics.html, /sex_statistics.html, /eating_disorder_statistics.html

Have you ever wondered about the original meaning behind the symbols we see everyday?  For example, the twisted-loop shape of a pretzel comes from an intent to symbolize arms crossed in prayer for children.  Although they are no longer exclusively given as a reward for having learned prayers, the shape remains.  There are many such symbols around us; two that I want to focus on are linked to the medical profession.

If asked what the symbol for the medical profession is, most Americans would respond with the answer of “the caduceus” (the winged rod entwined by two snakes); this answer is both right and wrong.  The correct symbol for the medical profession is the rod of Asclepius, which is a stick with one snake wrapped around it.  This symbolizes the medical profession because:  it represents the religion Hippocrates belonged to; it is reminiscent of the Bronze snake lifted on a pole in the desert by the Israelites (see Numbers 21); and it brings to mind the Apostle Paul surviving the bite of a viper on the island of Malta (after which he healed all the sick of the island).  This is the symbol used on the EMS star of life logo - a blue “heavy asterisk” (*) with the rod and snake in white at its heart.

The popular caduceus has come to be associated in America with the medical profession because it was adopted by the US Army Medical Corps.  It is the symbol of Hermes (Roman: Mercury) and is thus associated with thievery, dishonesty, and death.  While this may be appropriate in light of the current debates about healthcare (such as abortion), what is interesting to me is that this symbol, too, has links to the Apostle Paul.

In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.  He listened to Paul as he was speaking.  Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!”  At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.  When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”  Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.  The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.  But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:  “Men, why are you doing this?  We too are only men, human like you.  We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them.  In the past, he let all nations go their own way.  Yet he has not left himself without testimony:  He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”  Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.  (Acts 14:8-18 NIV)

With all that is going wrong with the medical profession in America today, it would be wise to look at the symbols we use.  The caduceus is a symbol of dishonesty and death, but it was briefly assigned to Paul because he healed through the power of God.  Over the past several decades the medical profession has been linked to the killing of babies (abortion), the killing of the elderly (euthanasia), and the killing of the depressed and infirmed (assisted suicide).  But when linked to God through Christian faith, the medical profession can return to its proper role of treating the sick and preventing illness, to mending the broken and repairing the damaged.

When you see an ambulance, the blue cross of life (the rod of Asclepius) is like the Bronze snake in the wilderness – look to it to save the life of the critically injured.  When you see a doctor with the caduceus on his lapel, think of the Apostle Paul healing the sick through the power of God and pray for the doctor’s skill.  But always remember what symbol brings real healing to your life:  the cross of Christ.

-Charles Peterson

This has been an odd Christmastime for me.  The Christmas music started later this year, as well as starting with an odd assortment as compared to other years; the popular songs didn’t get played until the week before Christmas.  The temperatures were colder, as well as a considerable amount of snow appearing (a white Christmas is great – until you have to drive in it).  It also seemed that people were far more stressed out this year than last, with retailers worried about how the country’s economic woes will affect their rather thin profits and the drivers on the road demonstrating their less charitable side.  I know this is all anecdotal, but this is what has been going on for me.So, in the midst of all of this, I have been retreating into the Christmas spirit.  No, not into the fat guy in a red suit, but into the hymns and story to which the season is dedicated:  the birth of Christ.  One of the best known, and most illustrative of the true Christmas spirit is Charles Wesley’s “Hark! The herald angels sing”; its first verse is:

Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!”  Joyful, all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With th’angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

In opening this way, the song is proclaiming the true meaning of Christmas:  celebrating the birth of Jesus, the true king and reconciler of God and man.  I have, in the past, written about this identification of the “peace on earth” with “God and sinners reconciled”, but this year what stands out to me the most is the “join the triumph of the skies” line.  With this I am reminded of the Bible stories concerning Christ’s birth.I am reminded of the Magi, who saw a star in the sky and followed it to where Jesus lay:

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.  (Matthew 2:7-12 NIV)

I am reminded of the Shepherds, who heard of the birth from an angel and went to see for themselves:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”  Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”  When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  (Luke 2:8-15 NIV)

But then I think a little more and I realize what this line really means:

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  (Acts 1:9-11 NIV)

For this year it has become painfully clear that America is reaping what it has sown.  Americans are obsessed with material gain, so we are eviscerating our economic security for our immediate convenience and comfort.  Americans are afraid of getting cheated, so we are fighting over toys and putting others at risk on the roads simply out of fear of losing.  But Christmas is about the triumph of Jesus over this world, and over death itself, and the fact that his triumph is our triumph if we believe in him and trust in his word.  And that is something our nation should definitely rise in joyful celebration of.

-Charles Peterson