Recently, our brief
study of evolution in my Man, Sin and Salvation Course intrigued me despite my
firm belief in creation based on biblical teaching. I recall Dr. Dean Haywood’s lecture where he
taught us the evolution theory that “several
billion years ago, chemicals in the sea, acted on by sunlight and cosmic
energy, formed themselves by chance into one or more single-celled organisms,
which have since developed through beneficial mutations and natural selection
into all living plants, animals, and people.” I also listened closely as he shared with
the class about those that believe that God directed the process to create
the world that which is the process of naturalistic evolution. If
I am honest, even though I was intrigued, I glossed over this part of the information
because if it was not my belief system why must I know it? I understood it yet
did not get too deep into it.
As I sat in the movie theater ready to be “entertained” this weekend,
everything I learned in class came back to me and I realized what God was
saying to me. Evangelism! How can we share the faith with non-believers if we
are unaware of their beliefs? The movie, God’s Not Dead, chronicled
the journey of a young college student who challenged his Philosophy professor
who required all students in his class to write that “God is Dead” on a paper
at the beginning of the class. This student, as a Christian, could not write
such a thing and stood up for what he believed at a great cost. In the process, he
evangelized many souls that did not know God including the atheist professor.
The young student was challenged to address
the evolution theory, the same ones that I learned in class, and refute it not
just with biblical truth but moral and ethical findings. He even used the words
of trusted scientists and philosophers that the professor and his peers could
relate to. Often when evangelizing we must meet people where they are in order
to reach them, as God meets people where they are. People do not believe for
many reason therefore as believers we must have an understanding first of God’s
Word, the fall of man and finally what they believe in and do not believe in.
After the movie, I came home and immediately downloaded the book with a thirst for more. It is not like the
movie which pleased me because my thirst was centered on the message God
had for His people. By understanding what others thinks we can evangelize and win
more souls for Christ which is what we are all called to do. We spend a great
deal of time doing other things yet this is the great commission. Paul tells us
in Romans 12:2 (NLT), “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but
let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you
will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Allow God to transform those as they learn who God is.
The books official website states, “God’s Not Dead serves as a guide to
understanding the arguments of new atheists such as Dawkins, Harris, Krauss and
Mahrer, and an easily digestible reference to the teachings of scholars such as
Darwin and Nietzsche.”
I was transformed
and blessed by the movie God’s Not Dead.
