83
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
February 1928
the zoologist decides very reasonably that a remote ances tor had legs. Vestiges of teeth and legs are found in cer tain whales. The zoologist decides reasonably that early whales were different from modern whales. Comparative anatomy seems (though falsely) to demonstrate evolution beyond dispute. Embryology does the same thing. The f ossil record indicates at least a large amount of evolution. It is every unfortunate not to recognize these things. Considering the evidence that appears to be in its favor, evolutionists can well be excused for believing in the theory, especially since many of them try to put God into it by believing that it was theistic evolution. Where the big majority of creationists fail is in refusing to"see that there have been great changes. In fighting every kind of “ evolution” they have gone contrary to facts and-have done discredit to the cause. If, in addition, .they have accepted the theories o f historic geology, they have con fused their whole cause so seriously that scientists could be excused for believing that there was little to the theory of creation but religious, dogma. The fundamentalist must be correct in his science before he can oppose evolu tion effectively. When he does get his science straightened out he will find that the “ evolution” which has taken place is in full accord with Genesis, and what is not in accord with Gen esis has no real standing at all. He will find that the Deluge certainly took place just as it was, said to have taken place and-at just about that time, and that the earth and the original species thereon were products of very dis tinct and definite creation. All o f this can be demonstrated simply and clearly. Rossgrams F rom E vangelistic S ermons of R ev . B ritton Ross There’s a great difference between a plan and a scheme. Man schemes; God-plans. You may have heaps o f religion and yet go. to hell. The vital question i s : Do you know JesUs Christ as your per sonal Savior? It’s not money, it’s not pleasure, the world needs. The world needs “ Jesus only,” I ’ll tell you what is the matter with a lot o f men. They have a piece of spaghetti for. a backbone, where they ought to have a piece of pig iron. , There is no middle of the road in following Christ. “ He that is not with Me is against Me.” We either give light or cast a shadow. What you do with Jesus often determines what some one else will do with Him. God says there is a hereafter. If God is right, and I know He is, then some men are badly fooled. Some men say there is no hell. Well, there’s plenty of it right here on earth, I ’ll admit, But this is only á taste of hell hereafter. What surprises me is not that so many of our young people do go astray, but that more o f them do not go astray. Don’t bank too much on your family tree. Go far enough back and you’ll find something about your ancestry that will knock your family traditions all to smash. If church membership is all that you have, God pity you. You. don’t have to hold out. Christ will hold you fast. Every saved person ought to be a member of the church. If he is really saved he will want to be. W e need more fathers who are willing to devote time to their children.
V ariation of K inds The other great, .almost inexcusable blunder made by most creationists has been their insistence that species are fixed and unchangeable. It is very true that Darwin’s theories o f how species change have failed and that La marck’s theory of the inheritance of acquired characters has also failed as an agency by which evolution could work. Statements like the one from the late William Bateson are carelessly held to be all-important: “ Variation of many kinds, often considerable, we daily witness, but the origin o f species never.” When Bateson made that statement he believed and stated that species had changed even though the process did not appear to be occurring now. It is true that these things have an important place in demon strating the weakness of the theory of evolution. Never theless, there has been much species change since creation, and consequently the failure of Darwinism and La marckism, and the truth of Bateson’s statement are not enough to keep an evolutionist from having good grounds for believing in evolution. Let us take a few examples o f species change. Negroes, Mongolians and Caucasians all had the same remote an cestors. The change that has taken place is evolution of a kind. The American bison is quite different from the oxen of the Old World, so change has taken place there, but the two will breed together and produce fertile off spring and so form (with one' or two somewhat similar animals) a true species. There is just as. much reason for believing that American monkeys and Asiatic monkeys are descended from the same remote ancestors as in believing that bison and oxen were descended from the same ances tors. Yet Old World and New World monkeys are ac tually divided into separate species which are intersterile. Among both plants and animals instances could be cited by the thousand where there are great differences in re lated individuals in different parts of the earth. Some times the differences are those of varieties; in others they are o f species. Both form and geographical distribution indicate clearly that American panthers, wildcats, and other felines are descended from the same remote ances tors as lions, tigers, leopards and domestic cats. Things like these demonstrate that there has been-definite species change o f considerable amount, the failure o f Darwinism to the contrary notwithstanding. Consequently when a creationist emphasizes too strongly the failure of Dar winism, and emphasizes too strongly the fixity of species, he merely amuses an intelligent biologist, who most prob ably goes his way believing in “ evolution.” C hange in K eeping W ith G enesis It ought not to be necessary to say that Genesis allows for changes like those outlined above. Original species were created for a perfect earth. . When sin came it seems that a curse came upon all creation and that God permitted briers and thorns to grow on plants which never had them before. Presumably animals could change in equal amount. Then at the time of the Deluge the earth was ruined and reorganized so that it was much different from the earth as it Was in the days before the Flood. In this new earth species were given a chance to change more than ever. As far as the amount of evolution which has really occurred is concerned, I will assert without the slightest fear of suc cessful contradiction, that it can be explained better on the basis o f Genesis history than on the basis of evolutionary geology. Altogether there are many evidences of great species change. One species of serpent has vestiges of legs and
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