Giving an Answer | The Institute for Creation Research

Giving an Answer

Download PDFDownload Giving an Answer PDF

Everyone holds to a worldview—a philosophical outlook on life—no matter how ill-defined. Whether one is a believer or not, their worldview is formed and molded by their family, culture, education, books they read, etc. One Christian writer defined a worldview as,

. . . a set of presuppositions (or assumptions) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously) about the basic makeup of our world.1

The Christian worldview looks to God (Hebrews 11:6) through Jesus Christ for our origin (Genesis 1:27) and our destiny (Romans 10:9; Luke 23:43). We intuitively know of God through His "clearly seen" creation (Romans 1:20), even though it has been corrupted by sin (Genesis 3). This belief system also states there are moral absolutes (Exodus 20) and there is truth (John 14:6). Indeed, all truth is God's truth. This is why a Christian's involvement in science is so intellectually satisfying: science is the search for truth—His truth!

Many holding to a secular worldview embrace Mr. Darwin's 1859 book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection not because it is scientific (he never discussed the origin of species and the first fifty pages was a bland discussion of pigeon variation), but because his book described creation without a Creator. Many in Darwin's day—like today—found such secular explanations academically agreeable, leading the "dean of evolutionary biology," Ernst Mayr to say:

The Darwinian revolution was the most fundamental of all intellectual revolutions in the history of mankind. While such revolutions as those brought about by Copernicus, Newton, Lavoisier, or Einstein affected only one particular branch of science, or the methodology of science as such, the Darwinian revolution affected every thinking man. A world view developed by anyone after 1859 was by necessity quite different from any world view formed prior to 1859.2

Sadly, Mayr was correct. This pervading worldview has corrupted society. For example, large corporations have long ago adopted a win-at-any-cost, survival-of-the-fittest mentality as the business animal claws itself to the top of the corporate ladder. American business practices—even the vocabulary—are often based on Darwinism. The Christian influence in this critical area has been minimized.

Peter states, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (I Peter 3:15). Being ready to share the Christian worldview anywhere in society involves a thorough study of God's Word (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Matthew 28:18-20). Let each of us know why we believe what we believe—especially in terms of our origin and destiny—and pass this wonderful news on to others (Romans 10:13-17).

References

  1. Sire, J. 1976. The Universe Next Door, Inter-Varsity Press, p. 17.
  2. Mayr, E. 1988. Toward a New Philosophy of Biology, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press, p. 182.

* Mr. Sherwin is a zoologist and seminar speaker for ICR.

Cite this article: Frank Sherwin, D.Sc. (Hon.). 2006. Giving an Answer. Acts & Facts. 35 (8).

The Latest
CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Searching for Truth Across the Globe | Creation.Live Podcast:...
How can we bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of creation to others outside our small spheres of influence?   Host...

NEWS
Marine Mammals: Designed for Deep Diving
While you’re reading this, hold your breath. What is now happening is your blood is delivering the last of oxygenated blood cells to your tissues...

CREATION PODCAST
Humanity's Demise at the Hands of Genetic Entropy | The Creation...
Welcome to the fourth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
''Inside-Out'' Fossil is Amazingly Preserved
It is widely known that vast numbers of fossils—vertebrate and invertebrate—have been discovered incredibly well-preserved.1,2...

NEWS
The Resurrection and the Origin of Life
At Easter time we focus on the cardinal Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. Without the Resurrection, Christianity is a sham. The truth that Jesus...

NEWS
Is an Ancient Extinct Tree-Dweller Our Relative?
Human evolution has always been hazy with seemingly as many attempted explanations for how we evolved from animals as there are paleoanthropologists. Evolutionists...

NEWS
The Return of the Dire Wolf?
There’s been much recent excitement about the birth of three dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) puppies by a Dallas-based biotech company: Colossal Bioscience....

CREATION PODCAST
Cracks in the Layers: Lake Suigetsu and the Old Earth Illusion...
Welcome to the third episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
Fish Fossil Vomit
A rather unsavory news story recently appeared regarding fossilized vomit. Although it’s hardly dinner table conversation, it nonetheless supports...

NEWS
Dino Footprints Down Under
Dinosaur trackways1 are once again making the news. Australia is the setting of a remarkable series of dinosaur tracks attributed to ornithischian...