Just as the moon can obscure the sun, so the philosophies of mankind can obscure the knowledge and wisdom of God. Christians should not retreat from this darkness but instead overcome it with light.

Rather than abandon the public schools, our calling should be to "take every thought captive for Christ" and in so doing become salt and light to the world of public school teachers and students.

Take evolution, for example. As soon as the topic is raised, any Christian ought to point out that evolution, no matter how it is defined, ultimately points back to the creation of everything in the finite past. The universe has not always been the way it is today. The creation of everything - spacetime, matter, and energy along with all of the Natural Laws and initial conditions - preceded the evolution of anything. If science teachers insist that neither creation nor intelligent design is scientific because neither can be explained by purely natural causes, students should point out that the origin of the universe was obviously not natural, but required the miracle of miracles to even get started. This is the most rational and logical inference we an make from the scientific data. Either the universe has always existed or its non-physical Creator has always existed (and the universe has not always existed). With apologies to Carl Sagan, "The Cosmos is not all that is, has been, or ever will be." Given the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics (not to mention the accelerating expansion of the universe) it is much more reasonable to build one's life on the foundation of the Creator of the Cosmos than on belief in an eternal material universe. (Who put the material in Materialism anyway? Hint: Who first said, "Let there be light"?)

We have seen how the concept of evolution actually infers creation and how it can easily be taken captive for Christ. God, the Great I AM, has always existed. His creation has not. Created in His image, He is the reason we exist as thinking human beings. To paraphrase Descartes, "I AM, therefore, we think."

Because God is the ultimate Law Giver and we are the only collection of particles in the known universe widely known not to obey God's Laws, we really ought to ask why we don't think and behave as well as we should. For those of you who missed the 20th Century, several of the world's most advanced nations rationalized away hundreds of millions of human lives over a period of mere decades. While the world's greatest public relations firms (i.e. universities) were busy cranking out attractive labels to help satisfy our longing for a universe without a Creator (e.g. Humanism, Rationalism, Positivism, Modernism, etc.) the world became awash in blood. Ironically, the real Dark Ages seem to have reached a climax shortly after the Enlightenment. It makes one wonder who the "lightbearer" may have been.

ON DARKNESS AND LIGHT

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. - Genesis 1: 1-3

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. - Isaiah 42:16

So justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. - Isaiah 59:9

The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. - Matthew 4:16

But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! - Matthew 6:23

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - John 8:12

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. - Romans 13:12

Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. - 1 Corinthians 4:5

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. - 2 Corinthians 4:6

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. - Ephesians 5:8

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. - 1 Peter 2:9

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. - 1 John 1:5

If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. - 1 John 1:6

 

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