Confronting an Atheist

Have you ever found yourself unexpectedly face-to-face with an atheist, while minding your own business? That’s what happened to me in a restaurant while I was quietly reading the book, Creation Without Compromise.

Sitting at the next table was a neatly groomed man in about his thirties. The book's title must have caught this man's eye. He raised his voice to ask “Do you really believe in that?” No doubt he assumed I was just some casual reader of this book, and felt it his duty to “set me straight” as to what nonsense it was. Catching me off guard, he greeted me with an engaging smile and repeated his question: “Do you really believe in creation?”

I held up the book and said firmly, “Yes, I do! So much so, that I founded a Creation ministry to instruct and provide young and old with answers to their questions on this vital topic.” To his surprise, I told him about the books I have personally written and that I've taught on this very topic since 1988, here locally and at numerous churches and schools throughout the country. There was a pause as I smiled at him and the sobering realization hit him: he'd chosen to challenge somebody who had great vigor for the message that he was about to poke fun at. Suddenly, he adopted the posture of a submissive pet dog under the command to “sit”. I looked at him directly and asked him, “Where does it all begin? What is your starting point?”

He admitted he did not know exactly, but he thought the earth could have been “seeded” with life.
Having no evidence and riddled with holes, this is an old argument and weak “cop-out”. It conveniently pushes the problem of origins out of reach, into the great “unknown” of space, ignoring the same problems that confound any naturalistic explanation for origins here on earth. For those who believe only in naturalism, it is a “forced inference” because origins is a big mystery to evolution.

My new conversation partner went on to tell me quite brazenly that he came from a liberal mindset and had an atheistic mantra of “no God”, that evolution is science, and that the freedom to choose our own morals is good for all of us. He whimsically blurted out so everybody in the vicinity could hear: “The Bible is like a fairy tale - like Eve coming out of the rib of Adam.”

There was silence in the air as I asked the Holy Spirit to put the words in my mouth and I believe He did. I replied, “Doesn’t it eventually come down to what you believe in? The evidence that life was seeded on this planet is extremely elusive but you prefer that belief over the Adam and Eve narrative in the Bible.” I continued making my point that it all comes down to having faith: “You choose to have faith in aliens seeding the earth, but I prefer the belief that the Word of God is true. It directly gives a starting point in Genesis 1: where we come from, how we got here, who we are and what our purpose is. It points very clearly that Jesus Christ is our Creator, Savior and Judge. It requires faith, yes, just like you are putting your faith in evolution and alien life.”

The words coming from my mouth were somehow penetrating this man's inner conscience as he looked at me with passive intensity. I continued by letting him know that he was building his faith on evolution, which has a history of unanswered questions. Not only was the origin of life unanswerable, but the very existence of male and female and origin of sexual reproduction has no evolutionary explanation. Even Richard Dawkins, famous evolution biologist and atheist, affirms this by stating that scientists are puzzling over “what sex is all about.” I looked at my new conversation partner and said “I believe that God created man and woman fully formed as it states literally in Genesis 1:27
['So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.'] It has to start somewhere, and you have to have faith, no matter what you choose!”

It was important for him to know that our faith is not based on ignorance but backed up by overwhelming evidences that make Christianity unique from any other faith. It is based on the rationale of the universe, namely Jesus Christ who is our Word, our Creator, our Savior and our Judge.

He responded, “I never realized that I have been using faith too, and you certainly have given me something to think about.” His lunch guest arrived but I left the door open to continue our discussion in the future. My hope and prayer is that this discussion will lead to faith in Jesus Christ. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1)

If you're a Christian and you've never had such an encounter, God will almost certainly set one up for you sooner or later! Sometimes it takes a few uncomfortable questions from non-believers, before we'll determine to equip ourselves “to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). Actively reading your Bible and studying the educational resources of our ministry will allow you to prepare for these situations with confidence, and grow in your own faith. Most importantly, before opening your mouth, always pray for the Holy Spirit to speak through you.

Genesis and Evolution

The Genesis account gives us the foundation for our faith and provides a structure to understand the world around us. It gives a starting frame of reference for everything including theology, academics and, most importantly, the Gospel. It is no wonder that the above discussion began on the topic of creation as mentioned in the book of Genesis, the most attacked book in the Bible. If secular society wants to destroy the church and mask the reason for the existence of mankind, their easiest tactic is to discredit the book of Genesis. “When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalms 11:3)

Evolution is totally contrary to the Word of God and is used to sabotage our foundations. It is a weapon that is disguised as true science and taught to our kids in our public school systems and almost everywhere else they turn. It is no wonder that the latest Pew Research Center Report cites that only 7% of our young adults, from ages 18-29, pray and read the Word of God. The Genesis account is being torn down and made fun of, in our classrooms and public media. So why are we so surprised that the upcoming generation is turning its back on God and the Bible?

Ironically, evolution has insurmountable problems with the issue of origins. Those who are witnessing in the name of Jesus Christ in this darkened secular world, and love His righteousness, need to know these major problems. In fact, “evolution” (strictly defined), ignores origins as the theory only kicks in once first life is already in place. It is a fallacious argument to say that evolution disproves Creation, when – as a theory – it does not even address the very essence of the Creation account, namely origins.

We often hear pastors say that the issue of the age of the earth and the topic of origins are too controversial and could split their church. Many of them are not prepared or trained to handle this material.

It is clear to me that, in America and throughout the world, pastors need to be prepared to use their pulpits boldly and declare that the Genesis account is a reality: an actual historical account, not some fairy tale. This is an urgent matter because the foundations of Christ’s church are at stake. My prayer is that there is revival within the church to believe in the veracity of God’s Word as stated in Genesis so that our church foundations will be built on God’s solid rock and never be compromised.

This month we are offering the book I was reading in that restaurant:
Creation Without Compromise by Donald Crowe.

By analyzing the errors of prominent and influential thinkers – from the ancient Greek philosophers through to more recent times – this book reveals what happens when we allow ourselves to deviate even slightly from a literal interpretation of Genesis.

It examines how religious leaders, influenced by academia, have put too much faith in the assumed “inerrancy” of ever-shifting science, rather than scripture. One compromise eventually leads to another, until eventually the credibility of the whole narrative is undermined. It explains the importance of realizing that Genesis is not poetry, but a historical record of the 6 real days of Creation. You'll see how Darwin's ideas were not all that new; he fell for the same type of deception that Satan's been using for centuries.

We also recommend the DVD Elephants in the Room.

This brand new DVD from Creation Ministries International explains why Christians are treating this “elephant” – evolution – the wrong way, either by ignoring it or trying to accommodate it into the Bible. It shows that real science can deal with the elephant much more effectively.

Please consider availing yourself of these wonderful resources. You might consider getting them for your pastor, church leaders or your church libraries as gifts so that these resources can be used to boldly proclaim “the Word of God from the very first word as being true.” In doing so, your financial gift will be helping us to continue spreading this crucial message, and you will become better equipped for your own unexpected lunch guest!