I was recently asked if I'd be willing to talk with a group of 5th and 6th grade Sunday School students about Creation. There was no real script, no debate to be won or lost, just some open conversation about Creation and evolution to see what the kids had on their minds. Honestly, I was sort of curious about whether or not it WAS on their minds and whether or not it was something they could or would talk about.
I thought our discussion went very well. Sometimes having a serious conversation with children that age is like nailing Jell-O to a tree, but this group was fairly attentive and gave some honest, open answers about their ideas on Creation and evolution. I think we all gained something valuable from the conversation.
But what struck me was something I discovered about myself while reading some articles on how to speak to someone that subscribes to evolution as the origin of life in preparation for our group discussion. I read that many times, the person that does not believe in Creation also does not believe in God. That person many times bases their beliefs in "facts" and scientific data, or chooses to believe something that is based on nothing more than a feeling or lack thereof. That's where the trap is set for people like me. I've always been eager to accept the challenge of convincing someone I'm right about an idea while debating the topic on their terms. I've always thought it was more convincing to "win" on someone else's home court.
But look what that does....
Everything I believe starts with a belief in God. It's my faith in God that makes me whole and gives credibility to my beliefs. It's my belief that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, conveyed by the hands of men, that lends Truth to my story. If you are a believer in God, have you ever heard this?
"Okay... explain why Creation is the true story of how life began without using the Bible."
That sounds like a dare to me. And I'm a real sucker for a dare like that. So I've always started trying to debate my position while tiptoeing around what the Bible says. I've tried to think of really cool, discreet, subconscious ways to make my "opponent" come to the same conclusion I have.
Guess what.... That will never work.
I believe in God. The Bible is God's word. Creation is in the Bible. Creation is the origin of life.
Telling me to "prove" that without using God or the Bible would be like me telling that other person to prove evolution without science or theory. Debating Creation without using the Bible is removing God not once, but twice. Yep, twice. That's what hit me between the eyes when I was reading.
Under those terms, God is first removed from my life, if just for the length of the conversation with the non-believer. To argue my point without referring to God as the Creator is removing Him from my life. If I'm not for Him, than I'm against Him. Not proclaiming that all things were created by God is no better than denying that same truth.
Bad news for me.
God is removed a second time because in that moment I've temporarily removed any possibility of introducing God to someone who truly needs to know Him. I've forsaken my commission to introduce God to someone just for the sake of winning on the road. I've removed God from that person's life, too, at least on a tangible level.
Bad news for them.
God, twice removed... Gone from two people's lives for a few moments because of my stupid pride and arrogance that leads me to believe that I have the ability to make someone believe without telling the Truth.
Luckily, I cannot actually remove God from anyone's life including my own. Luckily, God can always win... even when the odds are against it. It's time for me to understand that God's Word is not a crutch that demands some sort of excuse, or that needs to be removed from debate to allow for a "fair" playing field. I think I'll choose to use it whenever I can to help people understand the Truth. I think I'll continue to study it so that the Truth becomes clearer to me. I think I'll choose to rely on God and his Word to fill me and make me whole. I think I'll choose to try harder to avoid getting sucked into situations that tempt me to remove God from my life, and someone else's.
Peace,
Mike
