Sermons touching on the issue of Creation (last updated: 11th November 2022)
Sermon contributions from America:
Lifeway (Lifeway was formed by the Southern Baptist Convention for the purpose of publishing resources for the church. It is centered in Nashville, Tennessee):
Sermon Central (Colorado Springs. Excellent series but has cost implications):
Sermon Summary: 1) Who Created What? (Genesis 1:1), 2) Where did God Create? (Genesis 1:2), 3) How did God Create? (Genesis 1:3), 4) Why did God Create? (Genesis 1:4), 5) When did God Create? (Genesis 1:5)
Professor Francis Spufford speaking at University Church, Oxford, addresses the issue but makes no attempt to argue the case for Creationism. I guess it is the best we can hope for from the C of E which pins its colours to the Theistic Evolution mast. Intelligent Design (ID), the science backing up the case for Creationism receives no attention, it is simply ignored. Typical professor speak, studiously avoiding making a commitment to any particular viewpoint, no doubt to circumvent being challenged by the likes of Richard Dawkins. The following quote from him sums his position up nicely:
"let me be clear that I do not think the existence of DNA proves the truth of the first chapter of John's gospel."
One is inevitably led to wonder whether the learned professor who speaks for the C of E at a high level doubts the truth of John's gospel, and other Bible passages that make bold claims along similar lines? As a spokesperson for the C of E why does he need proof of crucial New Testament text anyway?
The professor also seems to have embraced the notion of a very old Earth, or does he?
'Now, it's a contention that comes to us in the context of a universe 13.8 billion years old'.
There is no verifiable scientific evidence to support this contention, it is pure speculation, is at odds with the Bible, and was invented back in the 1800's for the sole purpose of supporting Darwin's theory of evolution which would be unsustainable without it.
Again he avoids saying where he stands on this, leaving his audience not knowing what to think. Expressing a view would not in any way inhibit the audience from reaching a different conclusion, but of course it opens him to criticism from the likes of Richard Dawkins and other like minded atheists.
Allow me to specify what DNA and cell molecular biology does prove. In a nutshell, it is that life at all levels was designed, and the designer possessed an intellect far surpassing anything mankind could offer now, or at any time in the future. This is the crux of the issue, not whether the discovery of DNA can throw additional light on the precise wording in John's Gospel. If the full implications stemming from Intelligent Design research were taken on board then John's gospel, the Genesis account of Creation, and many other Bible tracts would begin to make perfect sense.
JOHN 1:
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. He was with God in the beginning. 3. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Extract: Every act of worship should be one that is thankful for all of the mysteries and
wonders of God's creation but, in a special way, Creationtide follows the Psalmists'
call to join our song of praise with the forests, rivers and fields who bring their own
praise to the Creator.
Some C of E Churches to their credit celebrate what is known as Creationtide or the Season of Creation. It is the period in the annual church calendar, from 1st September to 4th October, dedicated to God as Creator and Sustainer of all life.
The book 'Daily Reflections for Creationtide' contains indisputable historical fact together with quotes from the Bible, however Mr Clarkson admits that it is not written with the
purpose of convincing the reader that the world was indeed created by the
God of the Bible. Mr Clarkson has added his own ideas which are not based on the Bible. He also avoids revealing how he personally regards the creation story. Extracts: 'Around 400 million years ago life on earth was concentrated almost entirely
in the oceans', 'Praise God for lifes tenacity across the ages as it gradually improved, Evolved', 'Charles Darwins great gift to the Church (though it's not always been
acknowledged) is the reminder that we are animals too, creatures within creation'. In reality the only gift that Charles Darwin gave to the Church was to cast doubt on the existence of a Creator God! Clearly Mr Clarkson believes life evolved over long ages disputing the Bible account of Creation.
Creationtide is currently, it seems, all about encouraging people to help protect the environment, not about acknowledging God as Creator in the Biblical sense. Also, there is no requirement for Churches to set aside time for Creationtide week:
The burning bush is the Symbol for the Season of Creation 2022. Today, the prevalence of unnatural fires are a sign of the devastating effects that climate change has on the most vulnerable of our planet. Creation cries out as forests crackle, animals flee, and people are forced to migrate due to the fires of injustice.
Thanking God for Creation, by itself, entails making no commitment to any particular method by which this amazing feat could have been accomplished. It commits us only to accepting that God had some unspecified role in Creation.
It casts doubt on option 1 below, the Bible account of Creation, because it leaves open the possibility of alternatives 2 and 3. However, ID research alone rules out both of these evolution dependent ideologies as explanations for the existence of life on our planet:
1. God gave a command and over a period of 6 days the created kinds (humans, cats, etc) described in Genesis came into being. These creatures were endowed with a special ability to adapt to changes in their environment ensuring their survivability in the long term. As a result of this forward planning new species have emerged over time. For example, new species of the cat family (domestic cat , tiger, cheetah, etc), but cats remain cats, canines remain canines, etc.
2. God created a simple life form such as a single viable living cell way back in prehistory that was able to reproduce, and then sat back allowing evolutionary mechanisms operating over billions of years to steadily give rise to the complex life forms we see on Earth today. Sometimes referred to as microbes to man ideology. Theistic evolution is based around this idea.
3. God Created the Heavens and the Earth but the first living cell somehow popped into existence by itself courtesy of fortuitous activity in a chemically laden soup and over billions of years complex life forms evolved. Another variant along these lines is that the first living cell arrived from another planet courtesy of some unknown space traveller way back in prehistory. However we should still thank God at least for overseeing these developments, even perhaps masterminding them by providing appropriate laws of physics, that enabled the World we now live in to develop over long ages via evolutionary mechanisms.
There is no halfway house, either 1. is accepted which is honouring to God because it accords with His word in the Bible, or one of the other ideas, which are pure figments of people's imagination, are accepted both of which are demeaning to God. I am sure you will agree with us that this is a crucial issue for the Church and for society. The fudge that has been in operation for the past 150 years cannot be allowed to continue. The Church must make its views clear on this key issue to avoid losing all credibility.
When celebrations take place at Creationtide there are bound to be those who believe they are thanking God for establishing some kind of evolutionary mechanism for creating life based on long ages.
We should therefore be wary of assuming that the offering of thanks for Creation implies belief in Creationism itself. (the belief that the universe and living organisms originate from specific acts of divine creation, as in the biblical account, rather than by ongoing natural processes such as evolution that God may have kick-started.)
The Churches across most denominations have acquired a track record of not being prepared to stand up for the Creationist viewpoint as detailed in Genesis, that God is the architect of all life on our planet, and the public are well aware of this.
The Church rightly thanks God for life but this falls well short of acknowledging that He alone produced the rich variety of living organisms along with Adam and Eve at the beginning. On the contrary, they hedge their bets by blending the Bible account with modern day evolutionary precepts that deny Him the honour He is due.
It is interesting to note that rib bones are unique in that they show an unusual capacity to regrow and repair themselves even when a large portion is damaged, so we can rest assured that Adam did not suffer in the long term from the injury he sustained during the Creation of his partner. Of course God would have known of this capacity to heal!
Genesis 2:21, 22:
21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.
22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Isn't it also amazing that God effectively applied an anaesthetics to Adam so that he did not suffer pain. We can be pretty certain that he didn't suffer a hangover of up to a week afterwards as would be the case if a modern anaesthetic had been used.
Those of us that attend Church are familiar with reciting the Nicene Creed:
'We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen ...'
Church leaders are happy to pay lip service to the Creation story but when challenged to support the creationist viewpoint born out by research in ID they stay largely silent. The Church is not even making a case for Creationism, and that is a tragedy. Darwinian Evolution still unfortunately looms large in the mindset of a high percentage of Church of England clergy, along with leaders in other denominations, in line with views held within the general population. In conclusion, the fact that the Church celebrates Creationtide doesn't mean they believe God created life just as the Bible claims He did, rather they accept He played some part in it, and if Theistic Evolution is the doctrine of choice, only a diminutively small part! Unless the Church makes a clear and unambiguous statement supporting the Creationist implications stemming from ID research the public will continue to doubt the existence of a Creator God, or indeed any God at all.
The Church can no longer go on pretending there isn't a problem when clearly there is! What evidence do we have this is the case? A quick glance at the creation logger tally on our front page tells us that despite hundreds of visits by members of the clergy since it was installed only 50 have acknowledged belief in a Creator (about 5 percent of those approached)! So despite Creationtide celebrations, the vast majority of clergy do not believe in what one might innocently imagine it is designed to portray, namely that the Christian God actually assembled Adam and Eve and the rest of creation in accordance with scripture!
