The Root of the Problem
It has been called "The Big Lie." It has been used to deceive hundreds of millions of people and has been instrumental in the death of millions. It is at the root of most of the great ills that now afflict society. "It" is evolution—the theory, first introduced by Charles Darwin, that says we are the product not of a benevolent Creator, but of a blind, random, and spontaneous process.
Evolution rests on the claim that the universe is made up of nothing but matter. It holds that matter, time, and chance—the unholy trinity of materialism—brought all things into existence. Evolution, therefore, has no need for a Creator and has been midwife to the growth of atheism in the last 150 years. Before Darwin, an atheist was as scarce as a hen's tooth. But, as atheist Richard Dawkins has put it, "Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist."
Sadly, Darwin did more than provide atheists with an excuse to reject God. His idea has leaped from science to almost every other arena of human endeavor. Evolution is, after all, more than a scientific theory. It is a worldview—a way of understanding all of life that entirely excludes God.
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This evolutionary worldview has long held sway in the law. It has led courts to discard the principles laid down on Mount Sinai in favor of legal standards that adapt to evolving social standards—a notion that allows judges to discover new rights, such as the right to abortion, or the right to engage in homosexual sodomy.
Evolution has also led to lethal consequences. The idea that only the fit survive has led to both eugenics and genocide. Darwin predicted that, "At some future period, not very distant as measured by centuries, the civilized races of man will almost certainly exterminate and replace the savage races throughout the world."
Adolf Hitler, a devout evolutionist, applied these ideas and taught them to his troops. He was absolutely determined to create a super race. Six million Jews lost their lives as a result.
Darwin's theory supplies a rationale for racism—the idea that some groups are more advanced along the evolutionary scale than others. It gave to Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, an intellectual foundation for her campaign to rid mankind of what she called "human weeds," so that the superior stock might prevail.
Evolution also robs man of his significance. The Bible teaches that man is an immortal creature created in the image of God. Today, students are taught that man has no purpose and that chance, not God, governs all. When life has no meaning, no purpose, and no future, some young people take their own lives. Suicide is the third largest cause of death among youth ages 15-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
And yet, evolution as science has failed at every point. The late British astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle mocked the idea that the amazing complexity of living cells could come about by chance, calling it "nonsense of a high order." Yet it is this "nonsense" that our children are being taught in schools as scientific fact.
My earnest prayer is that the Lord will topple the whole monstrous edifice of evolution, which has brought so much death and despair into human existence. May evolution's collapse be swift and complete! In its place may Christ be glorified, and the wondrous effects of His ethical, moral, and spiritual teaching prevail once more in our nation and in this world.
Adapted from Dr. Kennedy's message: "The Root of the Problem."
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D. James Kennedy, Ph.D., is senior minister of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, and president of Coral Ridge Ministries, an international Christian broadcast outreach.
