Old Earth Christian Cannot Ultimately Give Richard Dawkins an Answer

This past Thursday, an article about Richard Dawkins and William Lane Craig appeared in theguardian news in the United Kingdom, entitled: “Why I refuse to debate with William Lane Craig.”

William Lane Craig is Research Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California.   Richard Dawkins, the famous atheist,  was giving his reasons as to why he refuses to debate Dr. Craig.  Dawkins brings out his usual claim of accusing God of genocide because of the order to the Israelites to kill the Canaanites. Such claims  have been answered many times on the AiG website and in books and DVDs. Actually, how can a person claiming to be an atheist accuse God of genocide anyway? How inconsistent can one get!  You see, Dawkins has no basis whatsoever to impose his “morality” on anyone else!

Now Richard Dawkins does quote William Lane Craig attempting to explain that the Canaanites were pagans, and were in rebellion against God—and a Holy God has the right to judge them accordingly.  But really, Dr. Craig can never give the ultimate answer he needs to—and why?  Craig claims that the earth is about 13 billion years old, and that he will not contradict what he calls “mainstream science.” Dr. Craig is an ARDENT believer in billions of years of earth history.  Thus, he believes there were millions of years of death, disease, suffering, and violence before man sinned.  The Bible makes it clear that after God had created everything, he called the creation “very good.” For those Christians (like Craig) who believe in an old earth, then they are blaming God for disease and death—and they are really saying God calls such “very good.”  Such compromise will never allow a person to be able to give the correct answer to Richard Dawkins—that it is not God's fault there is death and disease and suffering—it is our fault, because we sinned in Adam.  We committed high treason against the God of creation.  The real issue is not why did those particular people die—but why is everyone (including Richard Dawkins) going to die!  It is because we are sinners—which is why we need salvation—which is why God's Son stepped into history to pay the penalty for our sin.

It also never ceases to amaze me why Richard Dawkins is even concerned with this issue—after all, as an atheist, he believes he will cease to exist when he dies—and ultimately from his perspective, everyone will cease to exist eventually—so why should he care about people dying? From his perspective there is no ultimate purpose and meaning in life except what he subjectively determines that to be right in the here and now!  Well Dawkins is illustrating Romans 1 so clearly—he “'suppresses the truth.”  Because in his heart he knows there is a God, and he has a conscience, Dawkins has to shake his fist at God and do whatever he can to block his ears to the truth.   That is why he is so active in suppressing the truth—in a sense he is putting his hands on his ears and saying “I refuse to listen—I refuse to listen.”

But what is also very sad, is that Christians who compromise with millions of years do not stand on God's Word in Genesis and can never be the real Christian witness to Dawkins they need to be—and one day they will have to answer for that to the God of Creation who gave us His infallible Word!

You can read the entire news article about Richard Dawkins at:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/20/richard-dawkins-william-lane-craig

Speaking in Memphis

Also on Tuesday, I will be speaking at nearby Mid America Baptist Theological Seminary. See www.answersingenesis.org/outreach/event/7156/ Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken