As I sat down to write this blog post, I discovered that two women atheists had attended the conference—unknown to us—and written a blog post about their experience. Although their post about the conference is scathing, I praise God that they attended and heard the gospel!

I have decided not to go through their post point by point and expose error because that would take an enormous amount of time. Much of what they said consisted of ad hominem attacks or arguments that lack substance relevant to the topic and therefore do not warrant a response. However, I did want to point out a few of their comments that I thought were interesting, along with my response.

However, Purdom is one of two Answers in Genesis staffers with PhDs from secular universities (hers is in molecular genetics from Ohio State), so I was interested to hear how she would connect her training to her talk.

Answers in Genesis employs several staff members (not just two) with doctoral degrees from secular universities including Dr. Andrew Snelling (PhD, University of Sydney), Dr. Danny Faulkner (PhD, Indiana University), Dr. David Menton (PhD, Brown University), Dr. Terry Mortenson (PhD, University of Coventry) and Dr. Tommy Mitchell (MD, Vanderbilt University) and me, of course.

Her main argument [in a presentation I gave titled “The Genetics of Adam and Eve”] seemed to be that it was a “matter of starting points,” and that the scientists were starting from a secular place, rather than the Bible. (Starting points would, unfortunately, be a running theme throughout the conference.)

This is one of the best compliments I can think of! The real issue is not the evidence but how we interpret the evidence in light of our starting points or worldview—God as the ultimate authority or man.

Really, the entire talk [“The Genetics of Adam and Eve”] boiled down to one idea: evolutionists are highly prejudiced, and Creation Scientists are starting from an objectively true point: the Bible.

Both biblical creationists and evolutionists are highly prejudiced! Both have a starting point or worldview; the difference is that a biblical creationist starts with the ultimate authority of the inerrant Word of God, and secularists start with fallible man as the ultimate authority.

Dr. Purdom’s main argument [in my presentation titled “Facebook Debates, Re-Tweets, and My Opinion: Does the Bible Have a Place in the Marketplace of Ideas?”] seemed to be that Christians weren’t arguing enough using the Bible. (Which, I would think, is the least useful way to bring opponents to your way of thinking.)

But it’s not my “way of thinking” that I’m trying to bring people to! It’s not about my opinion vs. another person’s opinion. The point is to bring people to God’s way of thinking and to the good news of the gospel—and we can only do that effectively if we start with the Bible.

There were lots and lots of kids walking around with their parents at the museum — most of them under the age of ten. The Creation Museum has really become a Christian family destination.

Once again we see atheists bothered by the large number of children visiting the Creation Museum. Many atheists view teaching creation to children as a form of abuse. We were thrilled to see many children attend with their parents as we offered free admission for families to visit the Creation Museum for women attending the conference.

Although these two women did not appreciate the conference, many of the women who attended did express their appreciation. The following is just a small sample of the feedback we received about the conference.

Thank you so much for organizing the Women’s Conference. I don’t really know how to adequately describe how I feel about the experience… I think it was substantial, relevant, Biblically based, motivated me to action. As you said in the promo, we got into the meat of scripture, and I was so glad of that. I can express how much of an impact it had by saying that I wish I could persuade every woman I know to attend. Every topic was so very relevant and needed to be tackled and we were constantly pointed back to scripture. Even the music was so refreshingly pure and reverent.

I thoroughly enjoyed the women’s conference. When I signed up for it this year, I was convinced that it could never be as good as it was last year. It didn’t take long to recognize how God orchestrated each session to intertwine and exactly complement each other to give us exactly what we need to stand firm in the battle that enrages all around us. The material presented and the encouragement provided was a fresh breath from God as we head back to our homes, our churches, and our communities. I have a renewed sense of purpose and greater desire to reach out than ever before.

We drove 1,640 miles round trip to attend and I tell you that I would do it again.

The conference was indeed a blessing! I was so impressed with how well it was run, and most of all, I can say that it definitely changed my life and my marriage. I haven’t been able to stop sharing with everyone how much it impacted my walk with Christ. I usually hate being away from home, but I adored every minute and was so sad when it ended. I cannot wait until the next one!

What a blessing—I’m really looking forward to next year! If you missed this year’s conference, you can still view my final presentation of the conference: Facebook Debates, Re-Tweets, and My Opinion: Does the Bible Have a Place in the Marketplace of Ideas?

The next Answers for Women conference will be May 2–3, 2014. Be sure to mark your calendars and watch the Answers for Women website for more information.

Elizabeth and I promoting the Answers for Women conference!

At this year’s conference we are pleased to have a new speaker, Dr. Joy Fagan. She is an associate professor of educational ministries at Cedarville University (my alma mater!). Joy is also a conference and retreat speaker focusing on the areas of gender issues, spiritual formation, and women’s ministry. She is particularly interested in ministering to disadvantaged and marginalized women such as those who have suffered trauma, substance abuse, and homelessness. Her presentation will be titled “Vessels of Honor: Our Identity and Calling.” Joy gave me the following summary of her presentation, which will be based on 2 Timothy 2:20-21.

I will talk about the importance of being a clean vessel with a noble purpose as established in Scripture. Having established this as a foundation, we will biblically unpack today’s “Who is my neighbor?” and also the “widow and orphan” of our day, and finally what we as believers and as the local church can do in our communities for the women “still at the well.”

I have no doubt this will be a challenging message!

In addition to the presentations, there will also be a drama performance on Friday evening. Matt Moore of Lamp and Light Productions will present “John’s Gospel: So That You May Believe.” This is yet another Cedarville connection for me. Matt and I attended Cedarville at the same time and I remember him as the star in most of the drama and musical performances that the university offered. He is truly talented.

Remember to register before February 28 to take advantage of the early bird discount. Registration cost includes lunch on Saturday, admission to the Creation Museum for you and your immediate family, and a gift bag.

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

For the pre-conference on Friday at 3:00 PM, I will present “Were Adam and Eve Real? The Genetic and Theological Reality of Adam and Eve.”

One of the biggest debates in Christianity today concerns the first two people: were Adam and Eve real or are they the product of myths? Those who claim we have evolved over millions of years believe that Adam and Eve, as the Bible teaches about them, have no place in human history. They argue that the science of genetics proves we cannot be descended from only two people. Many Christians have accepted this position and propose that their historical existence is irrelevant to Christianity and the gospel. In this session, I will show how current findings from scientists who study DNA actually support the biblical position that Adam and Eve were real people. More importantly, I will demonstrate how absolutely necessary Adam and Eve are to understanding original sin and the redemptive work of Christ on the cross. Come find out why there can be no Jesus without a real Adam and Eve.

For the last session of the conference on Saturday afternoon I will present “Facebook Debates, Re-Tweets, and My Opinion: Does the Bible Have a Place in the Marketplace of Ideas?”

You’ve seen it before—that pithy status update about what Mother Teresa thinks about abortion. Or those drawn-out debates on your Christian friend’s wall about why homosexual behavior is wrong or right. Or that opinion offered by so-and-so on the current trend in child-raising that just begs to be re-Tweeted. In a culture where social media reigns and getting the most “likes” or re-Tweets makes us happy, there’s a tendency for Christians to elevate opinion over Scripture, not because they don’t know what the Bible teaches but because teaching the Bible is seen as irrelevant to unbelievers. Yet the Apostle Paul made it clear that we are not to be ashamed of the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). In this session, we’ll unpack the problems associated with the opinion-based mentality and discover the vital importance of always beginning with God’s Word in order to effectively witness to those around us. We’ll discuss the best way to engage our culture, whether through social media or in real life, that honors our Creator and His Word.

I’m really looking forward to discussing the role of God’s Word as it relates to science, theology, and our everyday lives. For more information and to register, visit AnswersForWomen.org.

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

Modeling Modesty

Do you think of the virtue of modesty as an outdated, Victorian notion? Apparently, many women do. Modesty in dress for us as Christian women is an indication of our seriousness in showing the world and our fellow believers that we seek to be holy in all that we do. Join us for this seminar as we explore what the uphill battle to model modesty looks like in 2013 in light of steadfast Biblical mandates. We will seek to discover what the motivation is behind the abandonment of modesty that seems to be so prevalent even among believers and how to teach our daughters to go against the tide and embrace modesty for all the right reasons.

Embracing God’s Plan for Marriage in a World That Makes Up Its Own Rules

“Submission, are you serious? Don’t you know that you don’t have to be a doormat anymore?” Questions like these are too often the norm as an outraged society questions how women can voluntarily sign on for a marriage based on complementarianism, including male headship. However, these same people do not seem to be outraged at Scripture’s lofty command to husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the church and gave His life for them. God’s plan is best now just as it was when the Holy Spirit inspired the authors to pen the words of Scripture over 2,000 years ago. Let’s have an honest discussion about God’s blueprint for marriage and be reminded that we simply cannot improve upon His perfect plan.

Mary’s presentations were well-liked at last year’s women’s conference and are always biblically sound and practical. Whether we are young or old, single or married, a parent or not, the issues presented at Answers for Women are relevant for our lives as we seek to be godly women in an ungodly society.

Here are just a few comments we received about last year’s conference:

Mary Mohler—very energetic, would like to hear more from her.

Can’t wait for the next one.

I can’t thank you enough for a wonderful time of encouragement and equipping me.  This conference was great! I laughed, cried, and grew in faith and love of the Lord!

Next week I’ll share more information about a new speaker to the conference, Dr. Joy Fagan.

To register for the 2013 Answers for Women conference, go to AnswersForWomen.org.

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

Further evidence of this is seen in an article titled “Why We Don’t Need Women’s Ministry.” The author, Sarah Bessey, commented as follows:

We’re choking on cutesy things and crafty bits, safe lady topics . . . We are hungry for authenticity and vulnerability . . . Some of us are drowning, suffocating, dying of thirst for want of the cold water of real community.

I would love to wrestle with some questions that don’t have a one-paragraph answer in your study guide. I would like to do a Bible study that does not have pink or flowers on the cover.

We want to give and serve and make a difference. We want to be challenged. We want to read books and talk politics, theology, and current events. We want to wrestle through our theology.[1]

I concur! Many times I have had women come up to me—after I have given my women’s presentations—and say, “I almost didn’t come today.” They then explain how they are sick and tired of going to women’s conferences that only present a superficial treatment of God’s Word, if the Bible is discussed at all.

Don’t despair—Answers for Women conferences are here! I think an appropriate byline for the conference should be “not your typical Christian women’s conference.” We will be delving deeply into God’s Word! Last year it was thrilling to host the first-ever Answers for Women conference at the Creation Museum. I was very encouraged by the feedback we received from this attendee:

So much new information that gives me more confidence in Scripture and make me love Jesus more! Please, please do this conference again. The quality of the conference is far better than any conference I’ve ever attended—very theologically sound and saturated in the proper understanding of Scripture. This is greatly needed for women in the church today. THANK YOU for helping me grow in Christ and the defense of His Word. You’ve better equipped me to homeschool and disciple my children and love my husband! I’ll be back next year with more women from my church, Lord willing.

We’ve changed the format a bit this year to make the conference accessible to more women. The conference will begin on a Friday evening (there will also be a special preconference session) and end by 3:00 on Saturday. This will also give you time to visit the Creation Museum. As we did with last year’s conference, the registration cost includes free admission to the Creation Museum for you and your immediate family. This allows you to enjoy the conference knowing the rest of the family is being educated and entertained nearby.

In the coming weeks I will share more details about the speakers and their topics. You won’t want to miss out!

Be sure to visit AnswersForWomen.org for more details.

Who: You!

What: Answers for Women Conference

When: May 3–4, 2013

Where: Creation Museum (near Cincinnati, Ohio)

Why: You love God and His Word!

How: Any way you can

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

[1]  Sarah Bessey, “Why We Don’t Need “Women’s” Ministry,” http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/155219-sarah-bessey-why-women-s-ministry-needs-jesus.html.

As I read about Bill and Madalyn’s life, I just kept thinking, “How is it possible that a woman who was an avowed Marxist and wanted to defect to the Soviet Union was given so much media attention and influence in the U.S. government?” If Madalyn were alive today, she would be grouped with the “New Atheists.” She was passionate about hating God and wanted all the fame and glory for herself. I’ve often thought that cases to remove “In God We Trust” from U.S. currency and “under God” from the pledge of allegiance were modern battles. However, Madalyn was fighting these very same battles in the 1960s. She wanted every trace of God completely removed from society.

Bill’s story is a very sad account, and at times I wasn’t sure I would be able to finish the book. He endured a lot of abuse physically, mentally, and emotionally. One time, his mother read through his junior high history book and made this comment:

“I can’t believe all the hogwash in there. It treats the parting of the Red Sea just like it really happened. It’s incredible! Later on it talks about Jesus and says he was the son of God, that he performed miracles and rose from the dead. [Expletive] stuff I ever read. It has no place in a public school textbook!”[1]

Having graduated from the public school system, I was shocked that at one time biblical history was part of the history books! The battles Madalyn and others fought with the public school system have made a huge impact on the information taught there over the last 40–50 years. We really shouldn’t be surprised that there is so much violence among children, especially in school. This is the result of children learning that—instead of being created in the image of God—they are nothing more than the result of time, death, and chance.

Bill became very disillusioned about life over the years, but wasn’t willing to give up on atheism yet. He wrote a letter to 400 members of his mother’s atheist organization. He stated the following:

I wrote to them asking for support of positive rather than negative atheism. I suggested we use funds to establish atheist chairs at universities rather than to sue to have religious chairs removed. I recommended the construction of monuments and hospital wings.[2]

And what was the response of the atheists?

A handful of people sent contributions out of habit. But the overwhelming majority of those who answered my letter pelted me with such abuse that I was stunned. Over and over I read that the principal goal of atheism was the destruction of religion and that this was no time to build.[3]

Pure and simple atheism is nothing more than rebellion against God. That is its sole goal and purpose. There is nothing in atheism to “build” on. If you think people are nothing more than animals, evolved by random chance, then there is no ultimate meaning and purpose in life. Why build hospitals to save people’s lives? Why bother teaching people anything at all?

These events and others led Bill to believe that God must exist, so he gave his life to Christ at the age of 33. A short while later, Bill wrote a letter to the people of the city of Baltimore where the case to remove prayer in public schools had begun. He wrote as follows:

First, I would like to apologize to the people of the City of Baltimore for whatever part I played in the removal of Bible reading and praying from the public schools of that city. I now realize the value of this great tradition and the importance it has played in the past in keeping America a moral and lawful country. I can now see the damage this removal has caused to our nation in the form of loss of faith and moral decline.[4]

In some ways it is sad to think about the impact that one person with sinful motives and actions can make in this world. But we should rejoice that one person with Christ-centered motives and actions can also make an impact in this world. As we begin 2013, think about ways you can impact the world around you. How can you equip people to defend the authority of the truth of God’s Word? Maybe through a Bible study, Sunday school class, having a conversation with a neighbor or friend, or maybe sending resources to a loved one who has questions. We can all make a difference.

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

[1] William J. Murray, My Life without God (New York: Thomas Nelson, 1982) p. 50.
[2] Ibid, p. 228.
[3] Ibid, pp. 228-229.
[4] Ibid, p. 247.

Welcome to Kids Without God, a site for the millions of young people around the world who have embraced science, rejected superstition, and are dedicated to being Good Without a God!

A cartoon dog, appropriately named Darwin, is used to teach kids what is supposedly true and false about the world they live in. Kids can flip through a storybook, where they learn that Darwin the dog “loves to do science experiments and test out theories about how the world works.” I’m glad Darwin the dog likes observational science (i.e., technology that gives us planes, computers, vaccines, etc.) but that is distinctly different from historical science (i.e., creation and evolution). We can study evidence like cells, fossils, and rocks in the observable present, but our worldviews or starting points determine how we interpret that evidence in relation to the unobservable past. Do we start with man’s ideas about the past—who wasn’t there during the supposed billions of years of earth history—or do we start with the Bible, the written revelation of the eyewitness account of the eternal God?

We learn that Darwin the dog likes to read stories from a “long, long time ago” but he knows those stories are false. Darwin knows it’s okay for people to believe those stories, but you don’t have to believe them to be a good person (more on this below). According to the book, Darwin “only believes in things that he can see in the real world. Things like friendship, and being nice, and learning.” I would love to know how you can “see” friendship, being nice, and learning! These are abstract concepts, not physical realities.

In another section children are encouraged to uphold seven promises that Darwin the dog has decided are the “best way to have lots of friends, and feel happy and satisfied every day.” So who determines how happiness and satisfaction are defined in the relativistic worldview of atheism? AHA has apparently decided they are the ultimate authority on this matter and so, being inconsistent with their own worldview, they proceed to tell children what they need to do to be happy and satisfied.

1. Be nice
2. Care for the world around us
3. Think for myself
4. Think about how other people feel
5. Tell the truth
6. Help others
7. Take good care of myself

As I read the list I couldn’t help thinking, “But why?” or “According to who?” When there is no ultimate authority other than man, each individual determines whether these are “promises” they should keep or not! Whether they decide to keep the promises or not, they cannot be considered wrong.

I doubt the AHA realizes this, but all except one of these promises has a biblical basis! The atheists have borrowed from a biblical worldview to argue against a biblical worldview. It is truly a self-refuting argument! Let’s look at the basis for each of these promises from Scripture. (Please note that I am only sharing a few verses for each promise; there are many more that could be used.)

1. Be nice. (Galatians 5:22–23) Being nice is not one of the fruits of the Spirit, but I think the overall concept being promoted here is encompassed in the fruits of the Spirit.
2. Care for the world around us. (Genesis 1:28 and Genesis 2:15) God gave man dominion over the livings things He created and desired man to be a good steward of it.
3. Think for myself. (Colossians 2:8) Scripture actually speaks against this promise. Eve decided what was right and wrong according to herself, disobeyed God, and along with Adam’s disobedience she brought a curse upon all creation (Genesis 3). Proverbs 1:7 states, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”
4. Think about how other people feel. (Luke 6:31) Jesus gave the Golden Rule.
5. Tell the truth. (Exodus 20:16) This one of the Ten Commandments.
6. Help others. (Matthew 25:34–36) Jesus commands us to care for the sick and poor.
7. Take good care of myself. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20) Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

These “promises” are consistent with a biblical worldview that holds Scripture as the ultimate authority.  Atheists must be inconsistent and borrow from a biblical worldview to state these things and uphold them as the highest good.

The accompanying parents’ site states,

We hope that you and your kids will enjoy reading about Darwin the Dog, who is committed to an uplifting, altruistic morality without the influence of religion; and who is able to enjoy mythology while still differentiating between the real and the imaginary.

You know what I hope? I hope and pray that kids and parents visiting the site will see the morally bankrupt, self-refuting arguments used by the atheists. I hope and pray that kids and parents will decide to visit the Kids Answers and Answers in Genesis websites and discover Bible-based answers to their questions about the world in which we live.

The Answers in Genesis theme for next year, “Standing Our Ground, Rescuing Our Kids,” resonated loudly in my mind as I browsed this atheist website for kids. I want to challenge each of you to do one thing (and I hope you’ll do many more!) to actively teach kids the truth of God’s Word in the coming year. Maybe it’s a trip to the Creation Museum, maybe it’s using resources like books and DVDs for Christmas presents, or maybe it’s teaching a Sunday school class (check out our amazing Answers Bible Curriculum). Just do something to help rescue our kids before they’re already gone!

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

Interestingly, as all this was going on, Lenski released a new paper showing the genetic changes that had occurred in E. coli. First, let’s review what Lenski reported in 2008.[1] E. coli (such as those found in our gut or in the soil outside our home) have the ability to utilize citrate as a carbon and energy source when oxygen levels are low. They transport citrate into the cell and break it down. Lenski’s lab reported that the E. coli they had been culturing in the lab for many years could now utilize citrate under normal oxygen levels. It’s fairly easy to see that this was not “a major innovation” or the “making of a rare and complex new trait”; it was simply a change in the regulation of when citrate was used by E. coli.

In Lenski’s 2012 paper he shows the genetic mechanism that caused E. coli to make this change.[2] The E. coli that had been cultured for many years in his lab had a duplication of a portion of their DNA that included the citrate transporter gene called citT. The citT gene encodes a protein that transports citrate into the cell. The duplicated citT gene was under different regulatory control than the original citT gene. This allowed the citrate transporter to be produced and citrate to be utilized under normal oxygen levels.

Clearly this is not a case of adding new genetic information as the DNA that already existed in the bacteria was merely duplicated. It’s also not an example of the gain of a new function because the bacteria could already utilize citrate under certain conditions. There was a definite loss of regulation as the original citT gene was only expressed under low oxygen levels. These types of changes do not provide a mechanism for adding the new genetic information required for the evolutionary “novelties” necessary for molecules-to-man evolution.

Lenski also noted that certain mutations occurred before and after the duplication event. Those before were deemed necessary to “potentiate” the duplication event and those after were deemed necessary to “refine” the duplication event. I was amazed at just how many changes were necessary to allow the bacteria to perform a pre-existing function (using citrate) under different conditions (normal oxygen levels). Imagine how many changes would be necessary to generate truly novel proteins with truly novel functions necessary for molecules-to-man evolution.  Impossible!

Lenski concluded in his recent paper, “The evolution of citrate use in an experimental E. coli population provided an unusual opportunity to study the multi-step origin of a key innovation.” No, it did not. It did provide further understanding of mechanisms that bacteria use to adapt to varying environmental conditions. God designed bacteria to be “master adapters” to survive and thrive in a post-Fall, post-Flood world. At times this can be to our detriment when bacteria cause disease, but this ability to adapt can also be put to good use for bioremediation and cleaning up our planet.

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

[2] Zachary Blount, et al., “Genomic analysis of a key innovation in an experimental Escherichia coli population,” Nature 489 (2012): 513-518.

In the letter my dad found, it was obvious that my grandfather and I have something else in common, our love of God’s Word and our willingness to fight for the Bible’s truthfulness and authority. My dad believes the letter was written around 1960 shortly before my grandfather died. My grandpa shared with my Dad some of the problems with Sunday school literature in his church.

We have a big meeting on the literature coming up this week. Pray for us. [Name withheld] told me this morning that he has found out that those who have written our literature do not believe that the Bible is necessarily the inspired word of God. I hope he has proof. If he has we have the battle won and I do mean battle. I had about sixteen in my class this morning. The lessons have wonderful titles but they do not always have the teaching to back it up. When this happens I turn to the inspired word of God and teach with his help.

It was so encouraging to me to visibly see this amazing godly legacy on paper! I feel a special connection to my grandfather now and I look forward to seeing him in heaven and discussing these things. Doubting the Bible is God’s Word started long before our modern times. In reality it’s been happening since shortly after creation, when Satan questioned God’s Word, “Did God really say . . . ?” (Genesis 3:1) and Eve chose not to believe God’s Word as truth. Almost 50 years before I started teaching Sunday school, my grandfather was having the same problems we’re experiencing with Sunday school literature today! There truly is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). I’m sure my grandfather would be thrilled with Answers Bible Curriculum (see my previous blog post) in which we teach children and adults alike to know and defend the Bible as the Word of God.

As I was sorting through these things with my dad, I came across one of my old children’s book called Noah’s Ark. The book was printed in 1969 by Golden Book and I was really impressed with the realistic pictures!

Front cover of the 1969 edition

Very realistic ark with the animals

As I looked for images from the book online I came across the 2003 version of Noah’s Ark from the same publisher.

Front cover of the 2003 edition

It appears that the publishers no longer think of the account of Noah’s Ark as real but merely a made-up child’s story.

I also noticed the wording in the book had changed.

[1969] God said to Noah, “I am going to flood the earth and destroy every living thing on it—except for you and your family and two of each kind of animal.

[2003] God said to Noah, “I am going to wash away the evil in the world with a great flood.” He told Noah to build a special boat, called an ark, to save his family.  “Bring into the ark two of every kind of animal,” God told Noah.

So their description of the Flood went from “flood the earth and destroy every living thing” to “wash away evil with a great flood.”  These are subtle but nonetheless significant differences that seem to imply more of a local flood with minimal impact in the 2003 edition. Praise God for our many children’s resources that don’t “myth” the ark!

My grandfather was right—this is a battle, and the battle will be won because we have the truth of God’s Word on our side.

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!

A few weeks ago, my Dad was sorting through some old papers that had belonged to his parents and came across a booklet titled, “Evolution or the Bible—Which?” by Rev. Dewey Whitwell (the subtitle above is a quote from it). Of course, He knew I would be very interested in it! The booklet appears to have been published sometime between 1933 and 1955. We know this because Dr. Judson Rudd, president of William Jennings Bryan University (now Bryan College), wrote the foreword to the booklet and served as president during those years.

Rev./Dr. Dewey Whitwell was from Nashville, Tennessee, and was an evangelist in the Evangelical United Brethren denomination. The publisher of the book stated that Rev. Whitwell attended the Scopes case that was presented before the Supreme Court of Tennessee in 1926. Other than that, I wasn’t able to find much information on Rev. Whitwell, but I did greatly appreciate what he wrote in this booklet over 50 years ago.

In the introduction to the booklet, Rev. Whitwell stated the following:

I wish to call your attention to a pertinent text for this discussion. The text is found in Gen. 1:1, “In the beginning God.” These first four words of the Bible are the key-note [sic] to all its facts. More depends upon these four words than any other words in the Bible. If we do not believe in the truthfulness of the text we cannot believe in a God, Christ, the Holy Ghost, the inspiration of the Scriptures, and Heaven. Therefore it can readily be seen that these four words are the foundation of the Bible.

Is this text true? If it is false then everything else in the Bible is false. If I did not believe in the truthfulness of this text I could not believe in any other words of the Bible. Thank God this text is true. “In the beginning God,” is a fact long ago established. . . . Yet agnostics, infidels, and atheists have tried (in vain) to prove to the world that God, Christ, Salvation, and Heaven, all constitute a fake. The Bible has truthfully stated: “The fool hath said in his heart there is no God.” [Psalm 14:1]

It is important that you believe in this text because otherwise you cannot believe in the special creation of man by God. Evolutionists deny the truthfulness of this text and the remainder of the Bible. (pp. 5–6)

I don’t think I could have said it any better myself! If Genesis isn’t true, then it casts doubt on the validity of the rest of Scripture. To be truly consistent, we must either believe all of it or none of it.

In a later chapter titled, “What is the origin of all life?” Rev. Whitwell begins by summarizing how evolutionists answer the question and then proceeds with what should be the Christian’s response.

Second, let the Bible tell us how all life came into existence. The book of Genesis is the best authority on creation in the all the world. You need not go any farther or search any longer for a better authority. There are two words in the book of Genesis that explain it all, namely, “God created.” This tells us that all life is a product of the creative hand of Almighty God. Therefore, the Bible teaches that all life is a special product of the creative hand of God, who created all things both in heaven and earth. (p. 20)

Yes, the Bible is the ultimate authority, and there is none better, since God was an eyewitness to His own creation!

In a concluding chapter, “What is the influence of evolution?” Rev. Whitwell expounds on the problems inherent in secular education.

Let me draw you another picture of the influence of evolution on the life of the individual. A child is born in a Christian home. He is taught the Lord’s prayer, and the simple story of Jesus and his power to save. He is made familiar with the Bible record of creation, and God’s plan of salvation. He is raised to go to church and Sunday school and to reverence the Word of God, ministers, and Christians everywhere. That boy completes high school and goes off to college. There he comes in contact with a teacher who teaches him that his family tree is millions of years old and that his immediate ancestors were monkeys, or related animals. He is taught that all life came from a nebular matter or a one-cell organism and that through the process of evolution this one-cell organism produced all life; that all species of every sort both in the vegetable an animal kingdom came from this one-cell organism. For four years this young man is drilled in this theory. He never hears this teacher mention the Bible, God, Christ, or the Holy Ghost. In fact the teacher leaves God out of his teaching. This young man returns home with a sheep-skin [sic] diploma in his hand but he says: “Mother, your old book of Genesis is out of date. The Bible and science do not harmonize. Science is an established fact and the Bible is nothing more than a hypothesis, therefore I am forced to discard the Bible.” This is a fair demonstration of the influence of evolution on the lives of individuals. This is exactly what takes place every year. (pp. 24-25)

How saddened Rev. Whitwell would be today knowing that many children who go to Christian colleges (see Already Compromised) have a similar experience after being taught by professing Christian professors who have compromised on God’s Word. Just as it was a call to parents of Whitwell’s time, it is a call to parents today to do their job of teaching and instilling in children the truth of God’s Word. We are blessed in modern times to have so many tools to teach children to defend their faith!

Rev. Whitwell concludes the chapter with this strong affirmation:

Personally I am one hundred per cent [sic] for the Bible, my God, my Christ, the Holy Spirit, the preservation of personal faith in all the cardinal principles of the Christian faith, the peace and progress of the world, the schools of our land, the church, the home, and the Old Time religion. I have decided that if the world wants to stray off after every kind of heresy and false doctrine, I shall continue to say: “Let others do as they may but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” [Joshua 24:15] (pp. 27–28)

I concur, “Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar.” (Romans 3:4) Thank you, Rev. Whitwell, for standing up for the truth of God’s Word in your time, and may we continue the legacy in the battle for the authority and truthfulness of God’s Word in our own generation.

Keep fighting the good fight of the faith!