In 1859, Charles Darwin's newly published work, The Origin of Species, brought the world a whole new vocabulary. Words like "mutation", "natural selection", and "survival of the fittest" would soon become part of the normal vocabulary of everyone from the world's most brilliant scientists to students in junior high biology class. Darwin's theory, while vast in its influence, was really quite simple. "He observed that there is variation in all species: some members are bigger, some smaller, some faster, some lighter in color, and so forth. He reasoned that since limited food supplies could not support all organisms that are born, the ones whose chance variation gave them an advantage in the struggle for life would tend to survive and reproduce, out-competing the less favored ones. If the variation were inherited, then the characteristics of the species would change over time; over great periods, great changes might occur." [Behe, Michael, Darwin's Black Box, The Free Press, New York, 1996, p. 3]

You have to wonder if even Charles Darwin realized how influential that theory would become. "Darwinism", as that theory of life's origins has come to be called, has now become a given in most of the scientific world today. Oxford Zoologist Richard Dawkins, one of the most influential figures in recent evolutionary science, wrote in his 1986 book, The Blind Watchmaker, "It is absolutely safe to say that, if you meet somebody who claims not to believe in evolution, that person is ignorant, stupid, or insane (or wicked, but I'd rather not consider that)."

And this is, by no means, just the opinion of one aberrant scientist. More and more, this kind of thinking permeates our society. At zoos, in museums, on TV, at schools—practically everywhere!—these kind of assumptions permeate. A few years ago now, I came upon a Time magazine where the cover story was about the origins of man. [Time, August 23, 1999.] Take a look at the title. Notice, it's not "Did Man Evolve?" It's, "How." The answer to the question "did he or didn't he evolve" is no longer a question that most people are asking. Evolution for many is now an accepted fact. The question now is simply, "how it happened." And by the way, that cover story contained not one single line to suggest that any thinking person in the world could possibly believe otherwise.

I doubt that I need to tell any of you that the net effect of all of this on the Christian church has been nothing less than devastating. Spiritual seekers who might otherwise embrace the message of Jesus have found Darwinism to be an insurmountable intellectual obstacle. Believers have been left reeling—wondering is the Word of God really trustworthy and accurate in all its parts? And, I really don't know how to say this any other way: if you believe all that—if you believe that the case for evolution is that rock solid—you have been deceived. The truth is that the theory of evolution is riddled with problems and as Christians it is essential that we are aware of them and able to converse about them. And so I want to share with you today some of those problems.

First there is the problem of mutation. According to Darwinists, random mutation is the central mechanism for making evolution happen. The great modern-American Christian apologist, Chuck Colson, describes the inherent problem. He writes, "What exactly is a mutation? Since a gene is like a coded set of instructions, a mutation is akin to a typing error—a changed word here, an altered punctuation mark there, a phrase dropped, or a word misspelled. ...But already there is an obvious problem. If you introduce a typing error into a report you are writing, it is not likely to improve the report. An error is more likely to make nonsense than to make better sense. And the same is true of errors in the genetic code. Most mutations are harmful, often lethal, to the organism, so that if mutations were to accumulate, the result would more likely be de-volution than evolution. In order to make this theory work, neo-Darwinists must hope that some mutations, somewhere, somehow, will be beneficial. And since the evolution of a single new organ or structure may require many thousands of mutations, neo-Darwinists must hope that vast numbers of these rare beneficial mutations will occur in a single organism. The improbabilities are staggering." [Colson, Charles, How Now Shall We Live?, Tyndale, Wheaten, 1999, p. 85]

And this is only the beginning of the problems. This leads to a second, humongous problem for Darwinism: the problem of transitional forms—meaning if evolution really is occurring—if apes and monkeys really did evolve into human beings, for example—then certainly we should find within the fossil records and elsewhere, so called, "transitional forms"—fossils that are half-ape and half-man. In fact, if that's what really happened, we should find thousands (millions!) of these so-called, "missing links" right? These transitional, in-between forms should be all over the place. Well, guess what? Have you ever wondered why they're called, "MISSING links?" It's because they're not all over the place. In fact, they're nowhere. Charles Darwin himself said, in his own book, that this was a huge blow to his theory. He wrote, "Why, if species have descended from other species by insensibly fine gradations, do we not everywhere see innumerable transitional forms? Why is not all nature in confusion instead of the species being, as we see them, well defined?" See Darwin believed that more and more archaeological discoveries would vindicate his theory in time, but the truth is that the exact opposite has happened.

New growth in scientific knowledge has only worsened Darwinism's probability by bringing to light the problem of "irreducible complexity." This phrase was coined by Lehigh biologist Michael Behe in his incredible book, Darwin's Black Box. Darwin had written in The Origin of Species, "If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down." Michael Behe says that Darwin's theory HAS broken down, because microbiology has revealed that the human body is full of these complex structures that could not possibly have been formed by numerous, slight modifications.

Here's another example, from Chuck Colson. He said, "Take the example of the bat. Evolutionists propose that the bat has evolved from a small, mouse-like creature whose forelimbs (the "front toes") developed into wings by gradual steps. But picture the steps: As the "front toes" grow longer and the skin begins to grow between them, the animal can no longer run without stumbling over them; and yet the forelimbs are not long enough to function as wings. And so, during most of its hypothetical transitional stages, the poor creature would have limbs too long for running and too short for flying. It would flop along helplessly and soon become extinct. There is no conceivable pathway for bat wings to be formed in gradual stages. And this conclusion is confirmed by the fossil record, where we find no transitional fossils leading up to bats. The first time bats appear in the fossil record, they are already fully formed and virtually identical to modern bats." [Colson, p. 89]

And if none of these scientific problems rock you, there's always the very simple problem of design demanding a designer. Our world is full of incredible complexity. Just take a human biology class sometime and find out how all the systems of the body relate to sustain life. Take a natural science class sometime and learn about the atmosphere, the solar system, the make-up of the earth and the unbelievable complexity of the universe we live in. And then ask yourself, is it likely that all this just sort of happened? By unguided chance? By coincidence? It seems to me that if anyone is crazy or insane it's the person who really believes that! It's like driving through South Dakota and seeing Mount Rushmore and thinking it all just got formed by rain and erosion! That's just ridiculous. Design simply demands a designer.

But if all of this is so obvious and so fraught with difficulties you might ask, then why do so many still cling to it so tenaciously? And the reason is because this debate is really not between science and religion. It's a debate between competing religious philosophies. Let me give you an example. When I was a kid, I remember watching the show "Cosmos" with Carl Sagan. Anyone else remember that old show? And if you do, do you remember Carl Sagan's trademark phrase? "The cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be." What is that? That's not science! How could you ever test that? How could you ever prove that one way or the other? That's philosophy, not science! It's a philosophy called "naturalism"—which many people in the scientific community hold to—the philosophy which says that the forces of nature alone can explain everything that exists. It's a philosophy that says that everything that happens can be explained by natural causes. There's no need for the supernatural. There's no need for any belief in a god. People who hold to that philosophy simply can't believe in a creator, because the thought of a creating God is unthinkable. It can't even be considered. It's excluded from the get-go. But isn't it true that that's not only bad theology, it's also bad science?! Isn't science supposed to follow the evidence wherever it leads? Since when, in science do we predetermine what the answers can and can't be?

Well, we shouldn't be surprised by this. The Bible predicts this. In Romans 1, the apostle Paul says that wicked men suppress the truth; though "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 have been clearly seen, so that men are without excuse." He says that throughout time this is what human beings have done: "they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator." And that's why we must stand firm on this as believers in Christ. Belief in a creation designed by God is not optional for the Christian. It is an essential belief for many reasons. Let me show you some of them. First, because it's the truth. Jesus says, "If you hold to my word, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." My Word is accurate, Jesus says! My Word is trustworthy! And it is in clinging to the trustworthiness of God's Word that we find the truth that sets us free.

Second, it points us to God and His salvation. David says in Psalm 139, "I praise you!" And why does he praise God? "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." The pondering of the wonder of his own creation has moved him to honor the Creator. And this has been God's intention all along according to Paul in Second Corinthians. Isn't this an amazing verse? "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." Paul makes the entire creation account simply a foreshadowing of what God would do through the sending of His Son. When we sinful beings come to see that Jesus Christ is our only Savior from sin and death—in that moment we are re-created by God Himself. The light of His love, the light of His truth, the light of His grace shines into the darkness of our hearts and we are not the people we used to be anymore.

Third, belief in a designed creation is essential because it gives proper value to human life. Many of the most vexing cultural issues of our day—abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, what to do with frozen embryos—all turn on the question of life's origins. But when we recognize God as the creator of life many of the answers to these vexing questions become quite clear. God's Spirit confirms in our hearts that every life and every pregnancy must be protected, even if it was unplanned or unwanted, and yes, even if it was the result of something as horrible as rape or incest. Listen to me: there are many illegitimate sexual acts in this broken world we live in, but there is no such thing as an illegitimate child. Every child's life is of infinite value—no matter how they were conceived or what disabilities they may have—because they were formed by the hand of God Himself!

Fourth, belief in a designed creation is essential because it gives meaning and purpose to life. When I acknowledge God as my creator and the creator of all things I also acknowledge that I am accountable to Him. I recognize that when God made me He also created in me gifts and talents and abilities to use to honor Him in my life. And I recognize that ultimately I am not here for my own pleasure. I am not here simply on some aimless journey. I have a calling and a mission and my life matters. And in gratitude for all that my Creator has given me, it is my job to do all that I can so that one day soon when I stand before Him in the new creation Isaiah writes about, He will look at me and say, "Well done."

And let me give you one final reason why belief in the creator matters so much. Belief in a designed creation is essential to doing the work of evangelism. It is essential because it reminds me as I try to share the Gospel with people who have bought the lie of Darwinism hook, line, and sinker, that initially the Gospel will have no meaning to them whatsoever. The sweetness of the Gospel can only be apprehended by one who knows the devastating effects of sin that Christ has set us free FROM. But the whole concept of sin makes no sense to people who have no concept of a God who created us and who therefore we are accountable to. Before people can confess with us "I believe in Jesus Christ", they must first learn to say, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth." And, as Hebrews 11 reminds us, ultimately we cannot bring that about. This is God's work, not ours. We cannot argue anyone into that belief no matter how well we make the case about the problems in evolutionary theory. Rather "It is by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command..." And so my prayer for all of you is that God will work that faith in you today, or confirm it in you today, so that you too will say with David, "I praise you O God!" "I praise you because I too am fearfully and wonderfully made." Amen.

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