Fun in the Bible Belt

We celebrated Evolution Sunday, February 14th, the Sunday closest to Darwin's birthday. It was a lot of fun and we received some great publicity for it as well including this article in the Elizabethton Star.

In today's Elizabethton Star another point of view is being presented. Harvest Baptist is celebrating Creation Sunday on March 7th. Here is the story:

Harvest Baptist Church will celebrate "Creation Sunday" on Sunday, March 7, at 11 a.m.

Sunday school teachers, as well as the song service, will focus on the topic of the day.

The special service is being held as a response to First Christian Church's observance of "Evolution Sunday" in February.

(I think this is an error. First Christian Church is mentioned as celebrating Evolution Sunday. Maybe that church did as well but I doubt it. I think the article should read First Presbyterian).

"We wanted to stand against that," said the Rev. Dale Greenwell, pastor. "We've got nothing against the church itself, but we just want to try to stand against what they're trying to bring across, because we believe evolution is a lie. It goes against what true Christianity is."

Greenwell continued, "We believe in creation in six literal days, as given in Genesis I and II, and that God created everything you see and everything that is in those six days, and evolution has no part in it. I don't understand why any pastor or church would want to bring that in to cause people to disbelieve the Bible, because that's what it does -- it causes doubt on the Word of God. There is no hint, whatsoever, of evolution mentioned in the Bible, none whatsoever. If God didn't talk about it, then there's a good chance it's not a part of what's happened."

Greenwell cited Genesis 1:27: "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

"He created us the way we are," Greenwell said. "He didn't have to have billions of years to make us what we are."

Greenwell also shared Isaiah 43:7, "Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him."

"God made us," Greenwell said. "He didn't fix it so the earth would make us to evolve. He made us what we are, so we stand against evolution and every theory of it. It's only a theory. There's no proof to it, so we believe in the Scriptural Creation."

Greenwell says he agrees with the statement that more faith is required to believe in evolution than in creation. "There's more evidence that there is a designer of everything instead of some 'Big Bang' taking place," he said.

The Scripture is literal and should be accepted literally, "unless it makes no literal sense," Greenwell observed. "Then you understand it as an allegory or an analogy. But the Scripture itself is written as a literal book and we believe it just for what it says."

A belief in any form of evolution, Greenwell says, "destroys faith in God, because it either says God can't do it all or He's left it halfway done and it's got to take care of itself. God completed the world in its complete form."

Harvest Baptist Church has gained members as a result of "Creation Sunday," according to Greenwell. "We've had a huge family to join because of that," he said. "And when our people see evolution pushed by another church, they are proud that we stand against it, because we all believe the same here and believe that God created the earth and the heavens."

Greenwell says choosing to believe the concept of evolution instead of creation is the same as taking faith away from God and placing that faith in His creation. "It turns into Pantheism then," he remarked.

"It takes away personal responsibility, too," Greenwell said. "If the Bible is not true, or if just parts of the Bible are true, I'll pick out what I want it to be, and I won't have to worry about my own sin and if I want to do something wrong I can do it. The world would rather believe evolution because it takes away their personal responsibility for their sin."

Greenwell is the administrator of Harvest Baptist Christian School, a Christian school operated by Harvest Baptist Church, and he says creation is taught at the school. The students "are also taught some of the evolution as 'This is what the world believes....it's not what we believe, it's not what we're encouraging you to believe.' But they are taught parts of it and why it's not true."

For more information, call 543-3303.

There you have it. A little drama here in Scopes Country.

Maybe someday we'll all kiss and make up.