CEDG Topic for January: Creation Meets Evolution

This group will meet on January 22nd at 7:00pm at the Riverfalls Campus.

This subject tends to brew controversy and contention. Our hope is that the articles listed below and the discussion to follow will be received with open minds and hearts providing an opportunity to learn more about God’s amazing world.

Mission Statement:
The Current Events Discussion Group (CEDG) exists to explore and evaluate contemporary social, political and cultural issues so that each member may discern and apply their personal faith convictions within their daily lives.The opinions and views expressed at the CEDG reflect those of the person who gave them and not New Life Church.

Discussion Questions:
1) Does acknowledging evolution necessitate giving up Christianity? Why or why not?
2) What did or would Jesus say about the conflict? Was Christ in conflict with the scientists of his time?
3) The last line of Henry Morris article quotes “Since the Bible cannot be reinterpreted to correlate with evolution, Christians must diligently proceed to correlate the facts of science with the Bible.” Do you agree?
4) Do science and religion attempt to answer the same questions (what are they)? And if so, how could Christians be the voice of peace between the warring factions?

Preparation:
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1 and 2. Isaiah 45:1-18 is a different and interesting look at how God feels about His creation. Also, Colossians 1:15-17 and
John 1:1-5.
Read these two articles from very different points of view. http://www.icr.org/article/evolution-bible/
http://books.nap.edu/html/11876/SECbrochure.pdf

The first is from the director of the Institute for Creation Research, Dr. Henry Morris. He lists the current theistic evolutionary theories that attempt to accommodate evolution within the framework of creation. He describes why he believes these theories are false and dangerous, suggesting that literal biblical creationism outweighs scientific theory. The second article is from the National Academy of Science and represents the current opinions of the majority of the scientific world on evolution. This article suggests that science and religion offer different ways of understanding our world, and that since creationism is not based on fact it cannot be labeled (or taught) as a scientific theory.
Pick and answer one of the Discussion Questions from the list above. Be prepared to give a 4-5 minute defense/presentation of your answer (i.e., less than one page written).
Consult at least two additional media sources dealing with the question you've chosen. These sources must reflect two varying/opposing answers to the question and they must be from reputable sources.
We look forward to PEACEFULLY and INTELLECTUALLY discussing this fiery subject.

Contact Information:
For more information on CEDG procedures and for an Information Packet addressing this month’s topic contact Tiffani Howard.

Upcoming Monthly Topics:
Is America a “Christian Nation”? • Evangelical Environmentalism • Christianity and the Israeli State • Old Testament Wars vs. Modern Wars