Just A Bit of Slime On The Planet

Well, children are back in school now, ready for a fresh dose of evolution in their science classes. It's just the norm in many minds today that we exist because of a cosmic accident, a big bang that just happened at one point in time. There actually could have been a big bang, but Christian believers know that the bang would have been caused by the creator of all things, including big bangs.

Oxford (U.K.) Professor Peter Atkins said, "We are just a bit of slime on the planet." And so here we are, created by a chance mixture of non-living things. Life arising out of the proverbial primordial soup. Life that is created by none, and therefore responsible to none.

There are Christians today who have been well steeped in this new "enlightened" thought paradigm, and many find it not difficult at all to believe that the Bible is a good book but not divinely inspired. If the Bible is merely the words of fallible man, then all of us are free to invent our own ideas about God (which we are accomplishing at an astounding rate) rather than submitting to the Word of God, the Bible. The evolutionary thought process effectively removes any real source of authority in our lives. If there is no Creator, then to whom or what do we look for morality or for any semblance of meaning to life? We become "just a bit of slime," and in this century, we are living out quite well the curse of this definition on our lives.

Alone and unbridled, man is sinking in the sludge. It is simply the evolution of the primordial soup. Only now we can see---as with all things--- instead of improving, mankind is deteriorating and falling very far away from our Creator's intent.

The Apostle Paul left us an example to follow in countering arguments that stand against the knowledge of God  (2 Corinthians 10:5)  and in the commandment of Jesus that we have a duty to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. (Matthew 22:37)

We must figure out what we believe and think it through until we understand it well if we are to be faithful to the Word of God, particularly the example of the Apostle Paul when he asked that the believers pray for him that he would speak boldly in sharing the Gospel, refuting arguments that stand against the knowledge of God. Winning friends to Christ and restoring the knowledge that we are created by God in His holy image is our mandate. Each person is planned and valuable to the Creator. So much more than just a bit of slime on the planet.

The Great Debate or "Are We Allowed to Disagree with the President and still be Christlike?"

I love a great debate. Through no effort of my own, I seem to hide that fact well. I also take my faith seriously. It affects all I am and all I do. I've been praying much lately. Praying for my family, for our friends, and for our nation. Change is here, to be sure. And I'm not liking what I see. Most believers know that we should pray for our leaders, whether we agree with them or not. I hope every Christian is praying for our President and other leaders, right down to the local level, as the scripture exhorts us to in I Timothy 2:1-2. I hope that every Christian obeys the law (Romans 13:1-7), so long as it does not usurp the law of God, revealed in the Holy Bible.

What is meant by this? Well, for example, if the law of the land allowed only one child per family, would you agree to abort your second, third, or any following children? Of course not, and you, then would be in disobedience to the law of the land. However, in such cases it should be obvious that we are ultimately responsible to God in all things. We cannot in good conscience disobey the Word while obeying the law of the land.

And what about praying for our leaders? I would urge you to pray for them, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. And where does this leave us in the national debate? Does the command to pray for our President, Senators, Congressmen, judges and others preclude us from voicing our thoughts concerning public policy or even concerning the behavior and political inclinations of the leaders themselves? I would say not.

For instance, if you are of a "liberal" persuasion, should you have kept quiet about your opposition to the policies of the Bush administration? No one would have expected you to do that. If you think certain sexual practices outside of the bonds of marriage are reprehensible, should you have kept your opinions of our 42nd President to yourself? What if your child or a teenager you know asked you about those news reports and wondered if said President was wrong for doing such a thing? What about speaking publicly concerning your ideas about our leaders and/or their policies? Is it wrong to try to convince others to agree with you in your convictions? Current cultural thought police might want you to believe so, but nothing in scripture would condemn you for it. The Bible encourages us to "speak the truth in love." The whole of Ephesians chapter 4 is a study in public opinion making.

So, can I pray for President Obama and other leaders and still voice how thoroughly I disagree with the direction in which he is leading our beloved nation? Most assuredly. Being holy does not mean keeping quiet in fear of offending those who disagree with you. You are allowed by God to win people to Christ, and you have permission to persuade people to agree with your point of view with a great debate motivated by love.