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Note: This is a text-based version of our bimonthly magazine The Sower. It is primarily intended to be read by our third world folks whom can only access it online due to cost restrictions in being able to mail it to them. If you are in a non third world country and would like to receive a free copy of our magazine please fill out the request form at www.CESonline.org All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews, academic papers, and other non-commercial uses. For information, write Christian Educational Services, Inc., 2144 E. 52nd St. Indianapolis IN, 46205.

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FEATURE ARTICLES

4 Intro Letter: Gary Theisen shares about the “Creatoin R-Evolution conference and the importance of this issue for believers.

6 Creation or Evolution, What’s the Big Deal?: Why should this issue matter to Christians and is it really that important?

13 Figure of Speech: Polar-merismos.

15 The Vine: The Fellowship Community Section - Spotlight on a Fellowship, the De La Bruere’s in Clackamas, Oregon.

18 Fuel for the Fire: The Teens & Twenties Section - “The Real War of the Worlds” by Caitlyn Theisen discusses the spiritual battle that is raging behind the Creation/Evolution debate.

THE CONTENDER 21 Stopping the Progress of Science: Is it possible that evolutionary teaching has held

back scientific progress rather than advance it?

27 The Importance of a Literal Genesis: The entire Bible is affected by our understanding of the first few chapters of Genesis.

MINISTRY NEWS 29 Partner Profile: Karl Weaver

30 Creation Conference Report

31 Stateside Feedback

33 Calendar Corner

34 International Feedback

36 Teens & Twenties Camp Report

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LETTER FROM A BOARD MEMBER Gary Theisen

Welcome to the “Creation R-Evolution” edition of The Sower. The

Creation/Evolution debate has always been a hot topic among Christians, but this year it has been even hotter for the Spirit & Truth Fellowship community. It began with the “Creation R-Evolution” workshop this spring in Texas, which was spearheaded by a diverse group of interested and knowledgeable believers (John Truitt, Karl Weaver, and Brad Rowland) who saw the need for such a seminar and had the vision and the passion to make it happen. Our thanks to them, their families, and our supporters in and around the Dallas area!

I, for one, am glad that they did make it happen. I attended, and even got to share. Of

the many things I am thankful for about that seminar, three things really stuck with me. One, how little I really knew about the wonders of Creation. Two, the serious implications of the spiritual battle that we are in. And three, how amazing the Body of Christ is. Let me explain.

Before this seminar, I thought I knew all about Creation. My interest in science began

in the third grade, but my love for the Creation/Evolution debate began in the eleventh grade. Sadly, it began with a love of evolution, but this is not unusual, as I was in public schools and learning science taught through the filter of evolution with not even a peep about Creationism. How could you not love evolution when it was taught as fact, with seemingly all the logic of science, and endorsed by every expert who was anybody? In an anthropology class, I even debated a classmate who was a creationist. I remember tearing him limb from limb, because unlike now, the weight of science seemed to disprove Creation.

Thank God I saw the light in the years thereafter. Like many Christians, after

becoming born again I began to perceive the strength of the Creation argument and the weaknesses of evolution, even before science confirmed it. It really hit home during my medical schooling. One cannot truly admire the complexity of the human body and not come away with one great truth: only God could make a man. The more I studied the science of medicine, the more I understood that we really don’t know that much about the science of medicine. And if we don’t understand the details of the human body, can we really speak intelligently about how it got here?

But, as it turns out, the human body is really only a tiny part of the Creation story. I

had never considered the importance of the smallest things, such as the complexity of

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DNA, or the biggest things, such as the cosmos and our place in it as further evidence of God’s handiwork.

The second point I came away with from the “Creation R-Evolution” conference was

the seriousness of the spiritual battle that we are in. The motivation behind evolution is NOT science. After all, would scientists get emotional and slander nonscientists who don’t believe in gravity? They would no doubt be amazed and maybe a little sad, but I believe they would respect the individual’s right to be ignorant. This is not like that. This is a blatant attack by atheists (read “the Devil”) to stop the knowledge of God and His people. How do we know this is true? Easy. Evolution is the “unscience.” It is the opposite of all that is truth and logic. It is counter to every known area of science, including mathematics, all facets of biology and chemistry, geology, physics, probability, archeology and paleontology—just to name a few. What true scientist would stake his or her career on such a mess of pottage? It is not science, but religion, the religion of getting rid of God, and it has devoted followers.

The third point I saw at the conference was the beauty of the Body of Christ. Every

age and background was represented with one goal in mind: to glorify the Creator and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The presenters were quite diversified, but of one heart and mind. The attendees were excited, insightful, and articulate in our discussions. What a great experience centered on God, His Son, and the wonders of Creation. Many of us have since used the conference as a springboard to teach on the subject whenever and wherever we can.

If we have another “Creation R-Evolution” conference and you have the opportunity to come, please do. I think you will come away very blessed and your faith will have deepened.

Gary Theisen

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CREATION OR EVOLUTION,

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? BY DAN GALLAGHER

I was raised in a Christian home, and I do not really recall the topic of evolution or

creationism ever being discussed. In the Christian school I attended, my classmates and I just assumed that because the Bible said God created the world, it was true. It was not until I attended high school, especially biology class, that the subject of evolution was presented to me as fact. I remember questioning some of the concepts, but I guess I reasoned that there was some way to reconcile the two approaches.

Throughout my life I have held fast to what the Word of God declares: that God

created the world and all of life. Maybe I have intellectually compromised at times by not questioning or scrutinizing evolutionary theory more closely. It has always been clear to me that evolution fails principally because of its failure to find transitional fossil records such as the much sought after “missing link.” However, given the abundance of evidence evolutionists cite from different scientific disciplines, it certainly appears that there must be something there worthy of examination. At times I have questioned the tenacity that some Christians have in their opposition to the presentation of evolutionary theory, thinking that maybe they are misdirected in their focus. But maybe I am the one wrong here. After all, I do pride myself in being a seeker of truth, so again I find myself asking the question, “Creation or evolution, what’s the big deal?”

Maybe I have already answered that question if I believe as I do that I am a seeker of

truth. It appears that at the core the issues here are diametrically opposed. To the evolutionist, the world and all of life are merely the result of random and blind chance— “accidents of nature.” On the other hand, the creationist believes what God declares in the book of Genesis, that He spoke order from chaos and made all that we see in six days. If evolutionary theory is correct, the Bible is only a book of nice stories and fables, the integrity of Scripture is nonexistent, and God’s Word cannot be trusted. Some Christians reconcile evolution and creation by taking the compromised position that God created everything and then allowed the evolutionary process to take over. But is this really an honest approach?

At the heart of this debate is whether or not God’s Word is truth, as it claims to be. I

am passionate about truth because I know that when we have truth we find freedom,

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liberty, health, and life, whereas error always brings about enslavement, bondage, sickness, and death. Wow, that is a big deal when I think of it like that. So when we examine the two differing approaches, we should be able to see evidence of both the unhealthy fallout produced by evolutionary thought and the godliness of creationism.

Creationism is the belief that a loving God made the physical world for the benefit of

mankind and directed man to live anchored to godly virtues such as love, goodness, kindness, and faithfulness. When men subscribe to evolutionism, however, they are essentially removing themselves from any type of moralistic anchor. Because we are here simply by chance, there is no standard of truth from a source greater than man. They go further by saying, as Darwin proposed, that evolution is a matter of “the survival of the fittest.” This thinking has led men away from absolute morality and toward relative morality, which is the philosophy that permeates our present world. Morality becomes something that man determines, and it is all relative. “If it feels good, do it.” “Who are you to judge me?” “Why should we get married, it’s only a piece of paper; let’s just live together.” These attitudes are directly contradictory to the absolute standards given by God concerning all areas of human behavior. Constraints addressing societal obligations, family, marriage, and sexual behavior are clear moralistic anchors. Creationists see God as the Creator of all life, a loving God whose commands are not punitive but to help us derive the maximum enjoyment from life.

Abandoning a moral anchor leaves mankind adrift on a sea of speculation, emotional

coldness, and hardheartedness. The evolutionary concept of natural selection1 produced the philosophy of social selection that dominated whole nations in the early 1900s. This pattern of thought generated the energy behind the Nazi “super race” programs that resulted in the extermination of millions of humans. Thoughts of genetic superiority led to hundreds of cruel and barbaric so-called scientific experiments conducted on innocent people. Consider what callousness it took to perform experiments such as freezing people to death just to see how much a person could endure before he died. Ethnic cleansing, euthanasia, and abortion are some of the fallout from this godless philosophy that we still see promoted today. In his book, Darwin, Marx, Wagner, Jaques Barzun, history professor and dean of the Graduate Facilities at Columbia University, declared that evolutionary theory was directly responsible for European wars from 1870 to 1945.2 It seems clear that evolutionary thought is anything but life-honoring. It gives rise to coldness and intolerance for weakness and the disadvantaged.3 Contrast this to the creationist who believes that it is his moral obligation to show mercy toward widows, orphans, and societies less fortunate.

Deuteronomy 14:28 and 29a (NIV) (28) At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year’s produce and store it in your towns,

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(29a) so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied… Another ramification of evolutionism is that it robs God of the glory due Him. There

is no honoring of God when men teach that life came from a primordial soup.4 God tells us He loves us, and that everything He made was very good (Gen. 1 & 2). He made it all for our full enjoyment and pleasure, asking only that we in turn love Him and honor Him above all else. This is the essence of the first and greatest commandment recorded in Matthew 22:37 and 38. We are to praise God and glorify Him for His creation.

Nehemiah 9:5 and 6 (NIV) (5) “…Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.” “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. (6) You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. Man’s failure to acknowledge God as the Creator results in unthankfulness on the part

of mankind. When we acknowledge that man was created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27), it produces thankfulness to Him and nurtures our relationships with one another. This is consistent with the second commandment, which is, “…to love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39).

It is easy to look around and see the goodness of God in His provision for us. The sun

and moon remind us of His faithfulness. The beauty of the sky with its clouds and rain speak of His provision for us. The stars call out His majesty, and plants and animals show us His infinite variety, and even His sense of humor. Of what value is the Creation when we remove from it the Creator? Mankind runs a great risk by ignoring God.

Romans 1:20 (NIV) For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Evolutionists have nothing to be thankful for when they promote randomness or

domination by the strongest—unless they happen to be strong, but even they at some point will grow old, weak, and die.

When I consider the complexity of life, I see fingerprints of God. The intelligent

design of the biological processes in the human body leaves me in awe. Consider the beauty of an ocean sunrise or the grandeur of a mountain meadow. Taking in the scene

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through our God-given senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting, we should be filled with gratitude towards the Creator. Most all mankind recognizes the majesty of what they call “nature,” as if it happened “naturally,” but how sad that many fail to give the Creator His due. Instead, as God’s Word declares, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator…” (Rom. 1:25). Creationism produces thankfulness while evolutionism removes the hand of God from His handiwork.

Evolutionism also produces spiritual ignorance. When life is reduced to merely

biological or chemical processes, it loses the deeper reality of spirit. God tells us that the world as we see it is in a fallen state.5 If we eliminate the fall of man, we eliminate the Adversary, Gods arch-enemy, the Devil. If everything is merely a matter of natural processes, then we eliminate the spiritual battle, our spiritual enemy, and the spiritual gifts available from God. Ignorant of demonic intrusions and agendas, we explain spiritual matters with terms like “psychic ability,” “mental telepathy,” and “clairvoyance.” God warns us not to be ignorant of spiritual matters (1 Cor. 12:1), and tells us that we have an enemy, the Devil, who “…prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

The physical world is in many ways parallel to the spiritual world, and understanding

the physical world helps us more clearly understand spiritual realities. Just as there is physical health and sickness, so to there is spiritual health and sickness. The principles of sowing, reaping, judgment, justice, and vengeance are grounded in spiritual realities. Jesus used numerous examples from life to teach about the kingdom of heaven. Planting, sowing, tending, weeding, watering, harvesting, and reaping work not only for the farmer but also for us in the spiritual realm. Consider Jesus’ use of the human body to describe his relationship to us, how we are all members of the Body of Christ, members in particular, all in need of each other. The promotion of evolution erodes spirituality, undermining our ability to understand spiritual matters and stand effectively in the spiritual battle.

The most significant problem with evolution is that it takes mankind out of the

Garden of Eden and thus nullifies our need for a Redeemer. If there is no garden, then there is no Fall and without a Fall, there is no sin. No sin means there is no consequence for sin, which God tells us is death. Creation or evolution, what’s the big deal? I believe mankind’s need for redemption and salvation is the crux of the entire issue. When evolutionists eliminate the fall of man as recorded in Scripture, they eliminate the need for a Savior. One must understand the origin of sin and the penalty of death in order to realize the greatness of the solution to the problem: Jesus Christ.

The New Testament can be understood only in light of the Old Testament. No one

will ever understand the Good News of the New Testament (life through Jesus Christ), if they do not understand the bad news of the Old Testament (death through Adam). The

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Apostle Paul realized that he needed to evangelistically approach the Gentiles differently than he did the Jews. The Jews had a monotheistic, creationistic foundation that he could build on, but when Paul evangelized the Gentiles he had to start by laying a creationist framework before he could even present Christ to them.6

One final point is the great importance of the Christian’s Hope, the “anchor of the

soul” (Heb. 6:19-KJV). If life is merely physical matter and processes, there is no hope of a better world to come. Living a life based upon evolutionary thought eliminates any possibility of rewards for a godly lifestyle, and will result in a “rude awakening” on the Day of Judgment. The Word of God reminds us: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Cor. 15:19). But Christians are not to be pitied, because we have a beautiful hope and full assurance of our salvation, for we have received the promised holy spirit.

Creationism teaches that as Christians, we are the sons of a living God. The Bible is

clear when it predicts that the day will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine, but will turn away from truth and turn to fables.7 Evolution is one of those fables. It is unsound and unhealthy doctrine, and we can see the destructive fruit it produces. On the contrary, creationism promotes wholeness, respect for all mankind, thankfulness to God, and understanding of man’s fallen state and his need for a Savior. The evidence should speak for itself. Creationism or evolutionism? It really is a big deal! ☼

(Footnotes) 1. Webster’s Dictionary, Random House, 2001: Natural selection; the process by which forms of life having traits that better enable them to adapt to specific environmental pressures, such as predators, changes in climate, or competition for food or mates, will tend to survive and reproduce in greater numbers than others of their kind, thus ensuring the perpetuation of those favorable traits in succeeding generations. 2. The Evolution Cruncher, Evolution Facts, Inc., Box 300, Altamont, TN, 37301, 2001, Brief History of Evolutionary Theory, pp. 50-51. 3. One of the major problems with “Theistic evolution” (that God “created” life via the process of evolution) is that then God, who is good, kind, and loving, would be using the cruelty of “survival of the fittest” to “improve” life on Earth. In other words, our “good” God would use the healthy and strong to kill and eat the young, the old, the sick, and the defenseless. But it is precisely the weak and defenseless that God in the Bible commands us to protect and provide for. Does it make sense that God “improves” the world by doing what He forbids us to do? Of course not—instead He commands us to imitate Him (Eph. 5:1). 4. Evolutionary theory teaches that life began on an earth that had just the right atmosphere (something different than we have now), with just the right combination of chemicals (something different than we have now), using an unknown source of just the right energy, to produce the precise type of amino acids in sufficient quantities that were able to reform themselves (in just the right way) to produce life as we know it now. 5. Romans 8:22 6. See Acts 17:22-33; Paul’s brilliant articulation of the Gospel begins with his message of creationism, without which the Gospel is foolishness. 7. 2 Timothy 4:3 and 4

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Using state-of-the-art computer animation “Unlocking the Mystery of Life” transports you into the interior of the living cell to explore systems and machines that bear the unmistakable hallmarks of design. Rotary motors that spin at 100,000 rpm. A biological information processing system more powerful than any computer network. And a thread-like molecule that stores instructions to build the essential components of every living organism on earth. This is the newest and most compelling case for Intelligent Design. DVD or VHS only $17.00 (plus S&H). Order online at www.CESonline.org in our online catalog, under the “Video & DVD” link, or call us toll free at 1-888-255-6189 M-F 8:30 to 5.

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Figures of Speech: Keys to Effective Communication

Polar-merismos BY JOHN W. SCHOENHEIT

od is the Author of language, and the ability to communicate by words is one thing that

sets apart man from all other creatures. God invented words so that He could tell us how much He loves us, and vice versa, and so that we as brethren in the Lord can knit our hearts together. Figures of speech are an indispensable linguistic component, and without their emphatic assistance, our verbal communication would be “dull as dishwater.” Hey, there was one! That was a Simile, which is a comparison using “like” or “as.”

No one has ever used language as precisely as does its Creator in His God-breathed

revelation to mankind. When we recognize the figures of speech in the Bible we are able to more fully enjoy the richness of the Word of God, and also learn much more truth from it. The failure of Bible students to recognize figures of speech in “the literature of eternity,” the Word of God, has caused confusion as to its contents. It is imperative that we become at least somewhat familiar with the figures of speech in Scripture, of which there are more than 200 varieties.

All of us use figures of speech when we write or speak, but often we are not aware of

the figures we are using. That is usually the case with the “Figure of the Month” that we are going to cover now. It is called “Polar-merismos,” and it is a variety of the figure Merismos, which is a figure of distribution.1 The Greeks called the figure merismos, which means “division,” and also called it diallage, which means “interchange.” The Romans called it distributo, which means “distribution.”

Merismos is a grammatical figure for emphasis, and occurs in its classic form when

the whole or entirety of something is mentioned, and then the parts are also mentioned. A good example occurs in Galatians 5:19-21. In this section of Scripture, the whole is mentioned, i.e., “…the works of the flesh…” (KJV). Then afterward, the various parts of that whole are given also. Another example occurs in Isaiah 24:1 and 2. After saying that the inhabitants of earth will be scattered, God individually mentions priests, people, masters, servants, mistresses, maids, sellers, buyers, borrowers, lenders, debtors, and creditors.

One of the forms of Merismos is Polar-merismos. In Polar-merismos, the whole is

usually mentioned, but it is also described by mentioning the two extremes that define or delimit it. A good example occurs six times in Genesis 1, and has an important impact on the understanding of this critical chapter.

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Genesis 1:5 (NIV) God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. The phrase “…there was evening, and there was morning…” occurs in Genesis 1:5, 8,

13, 19, 23, and 31. God could have said that He did things on the first “day,” and the second “day,” and so forth, but He did not. By using Polar-merismos, “…evening…and morning—the first day,” God emphasized the time period in which He worked and, among other things, displays His awesome ability. After all, it can take a crew of men years to build a building, but God “built” the earth, including the life on it, in six days. I would say that is a pretty impressive display of power.

By itself, the word “day,” can mean any number of things, including: the daylight

period of the day, one period of light and dark (“one day”), a period of undetermined length (as in “…the day of small things…” Zech. 4:10), an appointed time, and a time in general (“…the day of Midian’s defeat…” Isa. 9:4). People trying to harmonize the Theory of Evolution with the Bible often point that out and ask, “If a biblical day can be a period of time, how do you know that the days in the Bible weren’t long periods of time?”

Good question, and there is a good answer. The figure of speech Polar-merismos

makes it clear that the days in Genesis were 24-hour periods of dark and light. That is why God said, “…evening…and morning.” Had He simply said, “day,” the door would be open to much longer periods of time in Genesis 1. But when a “day” is defined in the context by an evening and a morning, we know it is speaking of one 24-hour period. We have an amazing and powerful God who organized the earth, as we know it in six 24-hour periods. Furthermore, this awesome Creator is our Father, and there is nothing He won’t do to bless us. God’s love is “off the charts,” figuratively speaking. ☼

(Footnote) 1. E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, reprinted 1999), p. 435. Richard A. Lanham, A Handful of Rhetorical Terms (University of California Press, Berkley, 1968), p. 65 (Lanham spells it with a “u,” merismus).

For further study on figures of speech used in the Bible, please visit our research website

www.TruthOrTradition.com Topic: Figures of Speech.

We highly recommend this book!

Figures of Speech in the Bible by E.W. Bullinger, ISBN: 0-80100-5590

Published by Baker Book House Co. You can purchase it at: www.half.com or www.Christianbook.com Also available on CDROM

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The Vine

THE FELLOWSHIP COMMUNITY SECTION

Spotlight on a Fellowship Fellowship sponsors:

Marc and Beverly De La Bruere Location: Clackamas, Oregon (near Portland)

In March of 2002, Dan Gallagher came through the Portland area and held a small

meeting to see if anyone wanted to run a home fellowship in this area. That was an open door to Marc and Beverly De La Bruere, who had been praying for months about that very thing. They began meeting in their home that April with several who had attended Dan’s meeting. Since that humble beginning, the fellowship has grown and become a blessing to many.

Currently, the fellowship meets every other Saturday evening at 7:00 in the De La

Bruere’s family room. For special occasions, we often have a potluck dinner and meet a little earlier. Usually there are ten to twenty people at any given fellowship (including the children), but if everyone shows up at once, it can top twenty-five, and we are cramped for seating room. Most fellowships consist of praise and worship, prayer and manifestations, and time in the Bible. There are often lively discussions. Snacks and coffee are provided and there is quality social time before and after the meetings. Our fellowship is blessed with wonderful musicians who provide live guitar accompaniment for the praise and worship time.

In addition to the regular meetings, we have area-wide fellowships to draw in others.

We have had two Good News Classes, teen activities, mountain climbing and hiking outings, camping trips, a relationship seminar, scrap booking nights for the ladies, extra study nights (currently some are going through John Schoenheit’s “A Journey through the Old Testament” seminar), and several are involved in a program called “Outsiders Outreach” that feeds homeless people once a week. It was a great blessing to host the first ever Northwest Spirit & Truth Conference here last October. This past spring, a joint fellowship was held with the saints in Washington state to promote unity in the body of Northwest believers.

“Our emphasis is on letting this fellowship be led by the Lord Jesus, and encouraging

and loving one another. Prayer was how it got started, and prayer is still an important component. Our goal for this precious group of people is that we have loving

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relationships that accept one another, that are honest about our weaknesses, and that build up others in humility,” reflects Beverly De La Bruere. Marc says, “We really try to stay connected as a body and know that God is faithful to give the increase as we plant and water.” Marc and Beverly feel very blessed to have some wonderful, mature believers who help share the leadership and responsibilities.

Much of the teaching has been centered around unity in the Body of Christ, healthy

relationships, and practical Christian living. “We have had our rough spots, but altogether, this is a great group of people to fellowship with.”

News through the vine

Dear Sower,

My family and the leaders here in Negros Oriental, Philippines join me in sending my

love to you. Also, they are in one heart with me in thanking you for your love and support for our family and ministry needs financially, doctrinally, and practically.

Our current developments here needs your earnest prayers and support. You might

have inputs that I will be able to integrate with what works here in my area. I am so much grateful for the articles in The Sower about the Community Fellowship, which greatly helped me understand and act on the principles therewith. It is really sad to split up our group after a long time of worshipping congregationally, but Dan’s article on the Developmental Stages of a Fellowship [now posted on www.TruthOrTradition.com Topic: Community] helped me appreciate and understand what we are experiencing now. Our Bais City group is being subdivided into three small cell groups in reason of distance, space, and most of all to give an opportunity for each to grow and thereby work for the ministry as reflected in Ephesians 4:12 (NIV): “to prepare God’s people for works of service….”

The transition is a little bit lonely, but as I am prospecting it, it will greatly enhance

our objective to help every member grow and do the work. There is, of course, a great challenge for the leaders who stood up to their former groups, and for those who are not used to doing a ministry, but as the believers in Acts who were scattered abroad because of persecution, they have multiplied. I also am reminded of what we did before in our farm. There are times that we need to split bananas, uproot some, and transfer them to other location where they can freely grow, leaving the rest with the same equal opportunity. We also did that with sugar cane, corn, and others. When we uproot and

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transfer, we always take care with the root, and proper watering when it was newly transferred.

We therefore need your prayers and support for these new small cell groups and for

me in taking care of them, as they are newly transferred to the place where they might not be comfortable but which is rich with great opportunity and freedom to do a ministry.

Benjie and Leizl Casido Bais City, Philippines

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PARAGUAY

PERU

PHILIPPINES

POLAND

PORTUGAL

PUERTO RICO

QATAR

R. OF IRELAND

REPUBLIQUE DU

CONGO

ROMANIA

RUSSIA

RWANDA

SAIPAN

SAUDI ARABIA

SENEGAL

SERBIA &

MONTENEGRO

SIERRA LEONE

SINGAPORE

SOLOMON

ISLANDS

SOUTH AFRICA

SOUTH KOREA

SPAIN

SRI LANKA

ST KITTS

ST LUCIA

ST VINCENT

SWAZILAND

SWEDEN

SWITZERLAND

SYRIA

TAIWAN

TANZANIA

TOGO

TRINIDAD &

TOBAGO

TURKEY

U.S. VIRGIN

ISLANDS

UGANDA

UKRAINE

UNITED ARAB

EMIRATES

UNITED

KINGDOM

VENEZUELA

ZAMBIA

ZIMBABWE

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FUEL FOR THE FIRE Fuel for the Fire is written by the Teens and Twenties of Spirit & Truth Fellowship International.

THE REAL WAR OF THE WORLDS By Caitlyn Theisen

or thousands of years, a war has raged between two worlds; one a kingdom of light, the

other a kingdom of darkness. Lives have been lost, battles have been fought, homes have been torn apart. Lies have been spun, traps have been set, countless have been deceived. These two worlds that wrestle against one another both fight for life – your life. But only one has the truth. This epic war between the two greatest kingdoms in the universe is never so evident as it is in the Creation/Evolution debate.

“Surely not!” you cry. “How can a mere science disagreement be considered so crucial?

What does this debate have to do with me?” Let us enter this world of treachery and deception to find the facts that have been

purposefully distorted and blurred. Let us boldly drive away the shadows and reveal that which has been so carefully concealed in the darkness: the truth.

God our Father has His heart set on having us to call His own – but so does Satan. These

titanic powers have clashed and battled together since the very beginning. And since the very beginning, Satan has used evolution to draw God’s children away from Him.

In Genesis 3, the serpent successfully tempted mankind with the promise that we “will be

like God.” In the same way, evolution proclaims that we evolved by chance; that there was no outside force, no Creator to mold us as we are. Without a Creator, there is nothing higher than ourselves. We are, then, each and every one of us, gods. We are our own god and need look no farther than ourselves. How sad that this selfish way of thinking has trapped so many into searching for answers within themselves when all they will find is emptiness and brokenness without hope of redemption.

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The cost of believing the Theory of Evolution is high and the consequences are numerous. Evolution claims we do not have a Creator and are a series of accidents. Because we are not uniquely created, it is impossible for us to have a unique purpose. Evolution reduces human beings into organisms related to earthworms without purpose or direction in life. Evolution takes away the point to living. Without a purpose, life is cheapened. It is no big deal to abort unborn children or to abuse your body with drugs or alcohol. The Theory of Evolution states each organism evolves into a more highly evolved organism. One creature, then, is considered “higher” than another. This is also known as racism. Hitler was a devoted follower of Darwin and, like Darwin himself, fervently believed that their race was higher on the evolutionary chain than were the blacks, Jews, and other “non-whites.” Stalin and Marx were also staunch evolutionists and many were killed under their political rule. Evolution has directly led to wars, mass genocide, murder, and bondage. Much evil stems from its beliefs and has led the blind, the naive, and the wounded away from the One who would give them sight, wisdom, and healing.

Why has Satan spent so much energy into promoting evolution? Merely to create a

difference of opinion concerning science facts or trick a few intellectuals? No, the stakes are much higher. The Devil’s entire purpose is to steal, slaughter, and annihilate. The very core of evolution is to lead us into everlasting death. Evolution propounds that, we have no Creator, and we came about by chance. Since there is no Creator, there is no Creation story, no Adam. If there is no Adam, there is no fall, no sin. If there is no sin, there is nothing to be saved from. And if there is nothing to be saved from, there is no need for a savior. This, my friends, is the heart of evolution. It takes away the need for a savior and the path to everlasting life. Satan has worked hard to ensure that this lie is taught in every science book, in every classroom, and in every grade. If you questioned any public school student from first grade on, every single one would be able to tell you basic evolutionary “facts,” such as the Big Bang, how birds came from reptiles, and how men and apes evolved from a common ancestor. As a biology major at an esteemed university, the very first biology class I had to take was Evolution and Diversity. Not only do evolutionists assume evolution is fact, they blend their evolutionary theory with the fact of diversity and call it all fact. Satan has done a marvelous job at saturating our education system with his “truth.” So well, in fact, that 83% of children raised in a Christian home reject their faith by the end of their first year in college.

The situation at times may appear hopeless. This appealing lie has been set behind a

facade of logic and science. In reality, evolution is a theory of assumptions that are not only without evidence, they are illogical and unscientific. So what can we do to uproot this lie that is deeply embedded in the lives of so many? Exactly what our God and our Savior have already told us to do. We are to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. We are to preach the good news of salvation, which includes Creation and the fall of man. We

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are to pray for those in authority, including education boards and textbook writers. We are to use our influence on school boards and politics. We do have a say in what is taught in our schools and what curriculum our children learn. Let us not hold back and let yet another child of God fall to Satan’s tempting but false offer to “be like God.” Let us boldly stand for truth in our education, our society, and our lives. Let us seek out truth in every area of life and we will find that where truth is, there God is also, for they are one and the same. True science points to God.

Let me warn you. The quest for truth is not for the faint of heart. Your journey will lead

you to new levels of knowledge that will demand much in order to be fully understood. You will uncover such blatant and obvious lies, you will be astounded so many have believed in them. You will face the raw anger and hatred of many who oppose you, because you have exposed their “proof,” their religion, as fraudulent and nonexistent. In order to find truth, you must be willing to let go of all you have ever known or believed, for the truth will stand on its own and needs no explanation. Do not despair in this quest you have chosen, for it leads to abundant life. Take heart and be encouraged. For your Savior will never leave you and he will never forsake you, even in the midst of your darkest tribulation. Take heed of his words, for they are truth.

Matthew 28:19a-20 (NIV) (19a) “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations... (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” ☼

POETRY CORNER Tonight I am a poet, with notions of long-past eloquence.

I soak up the night as I wander through darkened, rain-drenched streets. My eyes find refuge in the beauty of the twilit sky, which cries out as the sun slips beneath the earth.

The last faint rays, mixed with the now-radiant moon, utter silent mysteries that beckon to me,

inviting me to join in their journey.

My soul dreams of distant realms as our worlds unite in this suspended moment. I am immersed in the infinite depths of time and space,

intrigued by the fathomless grandeur of Creation.

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In the deep I know that I am known, amidst all that have been and will be.

I have been called from the farthest reaches of my existence into the light of grace and truth.

I return to the earth but my heart is awakened,

and I bask in the comfort of my new-found strength. I am fortified by the power of my Creator, whose love surrounds me like a fortress.

Though it echoes from afar, the storm has past, leaving joy in its wake. As raindrops dance through the trees, reveling in their recent union,

I revel in my freedom, as my spirit dances before the LORD.

By Melissa Couch

THE CONTENDER

STOPPING THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE: THE FRUIT OF EVOLUTION

BY BRAD ROWLAND

he Creation/Evolution controversy continues to heat up and stir debate, and let us praise God for that. Several times a week I read news articles saying that teaching creation in schools has a negative impact on “science.” Evolutionists assert: “If we allow creation to be taught, or even allow the review of the problems with evolutionary theory, we will be leaving our children and our nation unprepared for the future, because after all, isn’t this a debate between science and religion? Should we just teach religion in schools and go back to the dark ages? Should we allow the nations of the world to progress beyond us in science because of religious ignorance and Christian creation dogma?” This is an interesting argument, and if pursued properly could shed great light on how evolutionary teaching has done more to hold back the progress of science than to advance it.

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Another question is, “What is the value that evolutionary theory has actually provided to

science?” Ask a doctor how much he studied evolution in medical school. The answer is usually, “Not at all.” Why is that? Because there is no practical application of evolutionary theory, only the advancement of “pure science,” or “theoretical science.” How much does an engineer or rocket scientist use evolutionary theory in their work? Probably not at all. Beliefs and understanding of evolution have no impact on math, spelling, finance, physics, chemistry, or engineering; in fact, were the theory of evolution discarded, it is hard to see what would be impacted except the theory itself. Would it impact our ability to compete in the space race? Would we fail to be the first to create alternative fuels? Would it impede our advancements in nanotechnology? Again, these questions fall to the floor with a resounding thud, and a great, big “NO.” Questioning the Theory of Evolution is not questioning scientific fact, it is questioning the atheistic world-view of origins: where did we come from, and usually, where are we going?

The “debate” also shows the grim reality of our sound-bite culture, with bumper sticker

slogans in newspapers serving as nearly the full extent of the discussion. Often we can read, “Religious Fundamentalists Attempt to Reverse the Clock in Public Schools,” or, “Creationists Debate Scientists.” The supporting news story will jab at Christian scientists as if they are ignorant of the facts and want to live in a fantasyland of religion that is “taken by faith.” Often there is no public recognition that there are even trained scientists on the Creation side, and the picture is painted that all creationists are “just people with religious motivations.” In such cases, even if a person takes the time to read the full article he will not learn much more than the headline, and what conclusion could he draw from that?

But what about the actual debate? Have you seen any real scientific information in the

news? Typically it is sound-bites like, “All reputable scientists believe in evolution,” followed by a high-level overview of the “correct scientific position” that leaves out any opposing data, assumptions, or problems with their theory. What do they mean by “reputable scientists”? What about the thousands, or possibly tens of thousands of scientists who do not believe in evolution? Most secular scientists argue with each other’s theories, so does that mean that every opposing view of evolution is to be discounted? Or should we discount only the scientists with opposing views who are Christians? Who is to decide who are the “reputable scientists”? What is a “correct” scientific position? Is the media really telling us that scientists with a creation world-view are not reputable?

Starting with the basics, we should give some benefit of the doubt to a scientist with a

Ph.D. in a specific field, and more so if he has worked on research projects in the same area, published papers, worked with other researchers, or been salaried research staff at a corporation or government research facility. We should not disqualify his scientific opinions

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based on religious beliefs, but should look specifically at the merits of his arguments and theories. Doing so would be fair, logical, and would be good science.

There are documented lists of hundreds of Christian scientists who believe in Creation

and hold degrees and positions of distinction at the major universities of the world. More profoundly, they believe in Creation not because of “faith,” but because that is where the data has led them. A good example of a current list can be found at www.discovery.org, which lists three hundred scientists from prominent universities, who question the scientific merits of the Theory of Evolution. Amazingly, many of these scientists are not Christians, or even theists, but are still compelled by the evidence to see a designer. Is this information you have ever heard on the news? Should we not grant them equal merit and review their scientific positions with the same vigor as evolution-based scientists? To deny them a voice is equivalent to telling a bold-faced lie: that there is no valid scientific position on the Creation side. If evolution is based on sound science, then let the open debate begin! That is, after all, good science.

When we look at the impact of evolutionary philosophy in historical science, one shining

example of incompetence shows through: the teaching of vestigial organs. According to evolutionary theory, humans have evolved over millions of years. Mutations would always be “creating” new features, whereas natural selection would be preserving those that are beneficial and removing those that are not. If we examine humans with this view, we should be able to find new features that are not yet beneficial, not beneficial at all, or no longer needed, which are being removed over the course of time. These “vestigial organs,” or “vestiges,” might be partially functional or could have lost all of their function. For many years, the tonsils and appendix were considered to be vestigial because scientists could not determine their function.

We should also see the development of new organs and features arising through mutation

that are not fully functional or perhaps have no function, although natural selection dictates that these should be removed in fairly short order. In fact, we do not see this at all. Have you heard of anyone, ever, who was born with a new organ, like perhaps X-ray vision? Where is the evidence of new creation? Instead of becoming more evolved, we see the evidence of a fallen creation: humans born with genetics mutations; cows born with five legs, a scrambling of the existing DNA information. Sadly, when we see humans born without organs it is not due to natural selection’s removal of vestiges, but from a problem that usually results in the death of the baby. This is not a creative process. Where are all the millions of “good” mutations we would need to go from “goo” to you?

For the last hundred years or so, the list of organs and features thought by scientists to be

vestigial has gone from more than one hundred down to a small handful. Most have been removed from the list as science has determined their function. But for many years organs thought to be useless were removed through surgery, as were my tonsils. The latest news

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describes parts of DNA as vestigial, or “junk DNA,” but even recently this notion has begun to be re-thought as scientists learn yet again that things they do not understand may indeed have a purpose. Articles appearing in Science News during early 2005 showed plants genetically modified by scientists returning to their original state in several generations! Could it be once again that parts of DNA we do not understand are not junk at all but designed for a purpose? Contemplate for a moment how evolution can even begin to explain the vast amounts of information in DNA. Add to that question how DNA could “fix itself ” over multiple generations? How would natural selection account for a feature that manifests generationally?

How many times will we have to wade through the arrogant evolutionary position that

things we do not understand are junk? How many times should scientists be proven wrong before they stop looking at the world this way? How many times has this fallacious view stopped the progress of science?

If we look at the other position, how may we envision a scientist with creation or design

viewpoint examining an organ with no apparent function? Perhaps in the same way I approach working on my car. When I discover a part I do not recognize, I know that it has been designed and that I must determine the purpose of the part if I want the car to work properly. Have you ever finished building a piece of “ready to assemble” furniture and wound up with extra parts? My first reaction is concern—I know they were probably included for a reason. I could simply throw them away, but I would always have that nagging doubt when I sat down in my newly-assembled rolling office chair that the wheels could just pop right off or the whole thing could collapse. When starting with the concept of design, we are led to look for function and purpose.

When we ask which scientist will find the function of a mysterious organ first, the one

who cuts out organs he doesn’t understand and throws them away, or the one who continues to search for a reason based on design, the question answers itself. I know which one I will go to when I have a headache. 100 years of vestigial organ teaching has done little to further the pursuits of science. Even evolution-based researchers should be looking at design, because they believe in natural selection as the ultimate designer substitute. Simply to stay true to their own ideas, they should see the idea of “vestigial organs” as irrational and incompatible with evolution. Natural selection “preserves features that are beneficial, and removes those that are not.” According to their view of evolution as a natural designer, it should not leave vestiges, only functional components with a purpose.

Creationists also believe in natural selection, as it is something we can easily observe in

nature and duplicate in a lab. Natural selection demonstrates God’s amazing design: that

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DNA allows tremendous variation within a species, allowing adaptation in greatly diverse environments, but never allows a creature to change to another species. Look at the hundreds of varieties of dogs in all shapes and sizes, adapted to many environments, and they are still dogs! Scientist or not, no one expects a cat to be born from a dog.

For several years, the U.S. Government has offered ten million dollars to anyone that can

design a robotic car that can navigate its way along a desert road. After many attempts by the best and brightest, no one has won the money. Our collective intelligence cannot even design a robot that can drive through the desert. Why are we asked to believe that nature can blindly design creatures that can see, hear, navigate, eat, reproduce, and through the variation already in their DNA adapt to new and diverse environments? Natural selection should really disprove evolution and lead us to a Designer.

Many other “evolutionary tales” have had the same kind of bad impact. Secular geology

assumes that the earth can be best understood through “uniformitarian” concepts, that is to say processes that work the same way over a long period of time. It sounds good on the surface, but is this the most logical way to view geology? Is it possible that this view could lead us to inaccurate or erroneous conclusions?

If you see me driving down the freeway at 60 mph, is it more logical to assume that I

have always been driving 60 mph, or that I started from a complete stop in my garage, pulled into the street at about 10 mph, drove through the neighborhood at 35 mph, then got onto the freeway? It would be a good idea to develop practical science around my driving at 60 mph, for instance, what would happen if I crashed into a wall at that speed? But if we used my current rate of speed to determine what time I left the house or how far I had traveled within the last hour, it would be pure guesswork, having lost the scientific basis of logic. If I look at a human at the age of thirty, should I assume that the processes in his or her body have always functioned the same, or is it possible that they worked differently at birth and in youth, and will work differently in old age? It is hard to think of anything we know of that we can solidly state has always been the way it is now. Even the precise atomic clocks used to calibrate our advanced technology need to be regularly adjusted because gravity slows the movement of atoms the closer they are to earth. So why is uniformitarianism the best way to look at geological features?

It is important to understand that the founders of uniformitarian geology had their own

religious motivations: “to free the science from Moses.” In their own words, they were seeking an alternate worldview that would discount the biblical history of Genesis; hence the old-earth concepts of uniformitarian geology were founded. In days before any type of

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scientific testing was available, amazing ages of millions of years for rocks and dirt were established with no conclusive scientific reason for doing so, and those opposing God jumped in with both feet. Who are really the ones with a religious bias?

The following quote from a geneticist, Professor Richard Lewontin, a world leader in

evolutionary biology, makes clear that secular science is approached with religious bias.

We take the side of science in spite of the patent absurdity of some of its constructs, in spite of its failure to fulfill many of its extravagant promises of health and life, in spite of the tolerance of the scientific community for unsubstantiated just-so stories, because we have a prior commitment, a commitment to materialism. It is not that the methods and institutions of science somehow compel us to accept a material explanation of the phenomenal world, but, on the contrary, that we are forced by our a priori adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations, no matter how counter-intuitive, no matter how mystifying to the uninitiated. Moreover, that materialism is an absolute, for we cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door. (Richard Lewontin, Billions and Billions of Demons, The New York Review, p. 31, 9 January 1997. www.answersingenesis.org) We can and should discuss religious bias in science, and understand that the current

“accepted” views of evolutionary theory and origins have been arrived at due to a bias, the bias of secular humanism, which is design without a designer and Creation without a Creator. This is clearly a religious view where people have taken a firm position on God, i.e., that He does not exist. Even if every single piece of data led straight to God, those with this position would continue looking for a naturalistic explanation because they “…cannot allow a Divine Foot in the door.”

If we want to examine and understand geological processes as they occur today, we can

use uniformitarian assumptions to create scientific models for processes and theories like rates of plate movement, but it is obvious that we cannot use this as a historical “proof” that it has always been this way. Neither you nor I were there to see it happen, and geological features don’t have a date stamp or users manual. If there are multiple ways to interpret the data, then they should all be reviewed; we cannot simply insist on a naturalistic explanation because we do not want to believe in God.

As Christians, we should be able to provide answers in this area and not be so quick to

cave in or compromise. Using an evolutionary framework or a Creation framework to investigate science will both continue to yield results over time, but in the case of an evolutionary framework we can see that it takes longer. As to the question of which

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framework will hold back the progress of science, the answer is clear: the illogical conclusions drawn by the evolutionary framework have and will continue to retard the honest pursuits of science. It is simply more logical to assume that teaching Creation and design theory in schools is more likely to advance science. Let’s see this debate for what it is: not a debate between “science and religion,” but a scientific debate between two religions, secular humanism and Christianity. ☼

The Importance of a Literal Genesis By John Truitt

A literal version of the first eleven chapters of Genesis is foundational to the rest of the

Bible. Without a literal interpretation of the Creation account, the fall of Adam, and the flood during the days of Noah the rest of Scripture is just nonsense. Does this seem a little preposterous? It doesn’t seem that way to the opposition. In an issue of American Atheist, G. Richard Bozarth wrote the following about the importance of the Genesis account to the basis for Christianity.

“Christianity has fought, still fights, and will fight science to the desperate end over

evolution, because evolution destroys utterly and finally the very reason Jesus’ earthly life was supposedly made necessary … If Jesus was not the redeemer who died for our sins, and this is what evolution means, then Christianity is nothing! What all this means is that Christianity cannot lose the Genesis account of creation like it could lose the doctrine of geocentrism and get along. The battle must be waged, for Christianity is fighting for its very life.”1

According to Scripture, Jesus died to redeem the world from Adam’s sin (Rom. 5). But,

logically, if the account of Adam is just a myth, then Romans makes no sense when it says “…sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men…(Rom. 5:12-NIV).” The book of Romans says that death came as a result of sin, and that it was Adam who brought death into the world. If there were no Adam and death has existed for hundreds of millions of years and long before man was ever on the earth, then why did Jesus’ have to die? Jesus’ redemptive death only makes sense in light of a literal understanding of the Genesis record.

Genesis states that the earth was created in six days and was a paradise where there was

no death. Then Adam sinned and brought death and the Curse into the world. Jesus paid the price for Adam’s sin, that is, Jesus’ death paid the penalty for Adam’s sin. Through his sacrifice, God was able to redeem all of mankind. The focus of the entire Bible is on the story of Adam’s sin and the Messiah who paid for that sin. Do you see how if the first part of the story is just myth then the second part of the story is just nonsense? That is why it is absolutely imperative that Christians understand that Genesis is a literal account of history; it is not figurative.

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In our culture today, the literal account of Genesis is under constant attack. In our schools, especially public schools, in the news media, in television and movies a constant barrage of ancient earth and evolutionary theory is promulgated. Visit any state or national park and you will find all kinds of information about how geologic features were formed millions of years ago or how that the area was first occupied by humans tens of thousands of years ago. Constant repetition through all of these media has led to the false belief that science has proven that the earth is billions of years old and that man evolved into his present state over the past several million years.

Since there is no way to reconcile a literal rendition of Genesis with the idea of millions

of years of evolution, many people over the last century have rejected Christianity on the basis of so-called “science” even though very, very few of them actually have understood the science upon which they were basing this decision. Unfortunately, they based their decision on propaganda, which over time becomes “fact.” It is no surprise, then, that many of these people then reject Christianity as an illogical proposition. Most Europeans are no longer Christians in any real sense and much of the United States is headed in that same direction.

Today, we are locked in a Culture War. On one side we have the forces of Christianity

who are fighting for traditional moral absolutes, and on the other side we have the forces of post-modernism fighting for relativism. But if we examine the history of this war, we will find that the real battleground is Genesis. If Genesis is true then people have good reason to believe God and become Christians. If Genesis is not true, then people have little reason to do this.

It is imperative that Christians become familiar with this issue not only for the sake of

their own faith but more importantly so that we can begin to win back the ground that has been ravaged by the Enemy for nearly two centuries. ☼

(Footnote) 1. G. Richard Bozarth, “The Meaning of Evolution,” American Atheist 20 (Feb. 1978): 30 as quoted by Henry Morris in “The Long War Against God” (Master Books, 2000) p.119.

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PARTNER PROFILE Karl Weaver

’ve been a long time supporter of the work of Spirit & Truth Fellowship International. I feel the work we’re doing is of the utmost importance. We all face choices and decisions

concerning where we will dedicate our time, our heart, and our resources. As I look around my community and our society as a whole, I can see that we are in a world of hurt. War, famine, disease, and hunger come to mind first and I know I’m not alone when I ask myself “Where can I help?”

There are many honorable causes and charitable organizations that cry for our support. I

enjoy giving in other areas when I can and was a mentor in the Big Brothers & Sisters program here in Fort Worth, Texas for many years. When it comes to giving, I have many choices. But when it comes to my spiritual giving, I have found a home with this ministry, which is my family.

There are things in the physical world that parallel or give us a glimpse into the spiritual.

There is a spiritual reality we should clearly see - an epic battle being waged in the spiritual realm. A struggle between the goodness of our Creator and the evil forces of Satan, the god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4-NIV). It literally is a matter of life and death -- eternal life and everlasting death. In this battle there are spiritual casualties and the walking wounded.

Being a partner with this ministry allows me to contribute to our spiritual war effort in a

material sense. I’m supporting our spiritual “troops” on the front lines. In truth, in this battle we’re all in forward trenches. Our Enemy knows no borders and recognizes no flags. His aim is still to steal, kill and destroy, but in contrast, our Lord is here to give life in all of its abundance (John 10:10-KJV). None of us should go into battle ill equipped.

This ministry helps to equip us with a greater understanding of the Word of God.

Ephesians 6:11 and 12 (NIV) (11) Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (12) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

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Things that we do and decisions that we make here in the senses realm have eternal ramifications. I believe that what we are doing in this ministry affects the eternal lives of many others all around the world. As for myself, and some of the members of our home Church, we’re thankful to be partners with this ministry!

Karl Weaver Bedford (Fort Worth), TX

“Together We Can!”

“Creation R-Evolution” Conference Report May 20-22, 2005

Many people came to the 2005 “Creation R-Evolution” conference in Dallas, Texas expecting to be in “science class” for three days. By the time the event was drawing to a close, it was evident that nobody in the room had a science class like this! It was powerful to come together and discover the awesome depths of God’s wisdom in the Creation. When we gather as believers and marvel at the great complexity and beauty of God’s creation, the frequently unchallenged evolutionary model begins to fall apart before our very eyes.

Friday night opened with a teaching by Dan Gallagher that laid the foundation for why

the topic is important. He stressed the wide reaching implications of evolutionary teaching on our society and faith. Later, John Truitt continued on the same theme by discussing the philosophy that underlies evolution. How clear it is when held up to the light that evolutionary teaching is detrimental to our society. It is clear that we as Christians have an opportunity to stand up against a philosophy that is directly opposed to the truth of Creation.

Saturday was a day of examining the evidence in detail. The presenters included Josh

Anderson, Brad Rowland, John Truitt, Natalie Lawrence, Caitlyn Theisen, and Gary Theisen. Each presenter brought a different perspective to the discussion, but all the speakers were able to show that the evidence witnesses to a Creator. Presentations discussed topics like the inadequacies of the Big Bang Theory, the inaccuracies of radiometric carbon dating, the forged drawings of Haeckles embryos, the impossibility of spontaneous generation, the nonexistent beneficial mutations of the evolutionary system, the failed attempts of scientists to discover the “missing link,” and much much more that all confirms the fatal flaws of evolution.

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As the conference progressed on Saturday and the evidence against evolution began to stack higher and higher, it became abundantly clear that God is truly worthy of worship. The times of praise and worship had an air of great respect and honor to an Almighty Creator. As pictures and video of the Creation were projected on the screen, it was evident that the glory of God’s promise to restore the Earth is only made more real by studying Creation Science.

The conference also had its share of fun as well. The most notable event had to be the

appearance of “Orthopithicus Man.” During dinner on Saturday a “notable” scientist revealed the much sought after missing link in the fossil record! Unfortunately, due to the intense investigative questioning by Creation Science reporter Billy Darr, Orthopithicus Man was publicly exposed to be a hungry college student in a cave man outfit. It’s always a surprise to see what can happen at the “Creation R-Evolution” Conference.

The conference closed on Sunday morning with a time of coming together and setting a

vision for the future. Creation Science is a powerful witnessing tool that can inspire faith in all who study it. As Gary Theisen ended the weekend with a presentation on “Living in the Light of Creation,” one could see that the fruit of Creationism is thanksgiving. The sounds of worship and praise closed out the weekend as everyone recognized the majesty of our great God. It seems fitting that praise is the enduring “evidence” of Creation.☼

FAMILY NEWS, VIEWS, AND FEEDBACK

Dear Sower,

May God bless you abundantly in the name of our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I wanted to write to let you know that I give thanks always for the work of your ministry

and keep all of you in my prayers. Your teachings and books, as well as those of Mark Graeser and John Schoenheit have had a powerful impact on my life and on my family. First, the e-mail teaching regarding the Old Testament through New Testament eyes was received with much gratitude. My husband read the teaching and commented that knowing the truth of God’s Word has set him free. Mind you, this is not a man who quotes chapter and verse, but what a fabulous response to the teaching. He is diligent to teach our children the great love God has for us, and about the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Second, we have read and re-read your books Don’t Blame God! and The Christian’s

Hope. Flying home from Texas, my husband found himself balling like a child as he was coming to a fuller understanding of how great a God we truly have, and a loving Savior in Christ. My husband is the strong, quiet type, but he does his very best to witness and share

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the Word with those who are seeking answers. I wouldn’t peg him as evangelist, but I am delighted in his heart and his striving to know God more intimately.

We also read the email teaching on prayer, and afterwards I purchased And God Changed

His Mind, and The God Who Risks, and The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer. I have never felt so close to God, nor have I ever sought so diligently that which my Father desires in me. I still almost can’t comprehend that God is waiting to act on our requests and that our prayers really do have an impact in the world. My vocabulary is not large enough to describe my joy and rejoicing, but this letter is to say thank you for your diligence in rightly dividing God’s Word. I realize that ministering to the flock must have its challenges, but your labor is not in vain. I have purchased a variety of books from your website (www.CESonline.org) and given them to friends and family whose hearts are broken or they simply want to better know His love.

Your sister in Christ. (Name withheld by request)

Dear Sower, How can I say and improve on what you have said? I recently left a ministry I had been

with many years because the condition of it had deteriorated. I have tried several churches since my departure. God is still there for me. I left over the tithing issue, which wasn’t working for me. The very tools that they had taught me to use showed me that what they taught about tithing was wrong.

Two weeks ago, I was preparing to go to church, one I had discovered that is Bible-based

and good, but not great. They don’t teach the Word like my former church, but they do have their head on straight when it comes to giving. I was praying to God for guidance to show me how to be obedient in the area of financial giving. Now I had seen the subject of giving vs. tithing explained on another website pointed out to me by a brother that left my former ministry for the same reason of the tithe. While I believed that information, it was a little militant in its presentation, so I found myself praying to God to give me what I needed.

Later that afternoon, He led me to your website, www.TruthOrTradition.com, and I

discovered the articles on giving. Now I had seen it twice. Established, right?! I have been on your site ever since, and I know God had led me there. Here is all the good stuff of my old church and more, plus accuracy in some areas where it was off center. God truly answered my prayers. Because of this website, my oldest son now has accepted Christ and speaks in tongues. Likewise, one of my sisters, who has been born-again for a long time, finally speaks in tongues. And I could go on. In the two weeks since I found you, God has not just walked beside me, He has me sprinting to keep up during this “season” in my life.

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And then today I received The Sower, a beautiful magazine. I cannot tell you how blessed I am.

I will read this magazine and delve into the information on your website. I want to help. I

can teach the Word, and I want to be part of a fellowship again without the bad stuff. God bless you mightily. You will be hearing from me again. To say that God has fit my abilities to His direction is an understatement at this point.

Love in Christ, Charles (Luke) Gainer Greensboro, NC

Calendar Corner

September 30 - October 2 North West Conference

Portland (Clackamas), OR

October 20-23 Men’s Retreat

Camp Vision, Bloomington, IN (see page 20)

December 31 to January 2

Live Out Loud Teens & Twenties Conference Kalamazoo, MI

Register online at

www.CESonline.org or call us toll free at:

888-255-6189 M-F 8:30 to 5

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS AND FEEDBACK

Dear Sower,

I have recently had the privilege of visiting some of the other Spirit & Truth Fellowship

elders here in the Philippines, and want to report that the Lord worked mightily with me. Last Sunday I preached at Jaime Bat-ao’s fellowship in Cantilan, and the house was too small compared to his fellowshippers. God impressed upon me that there were people in the congregation who were suffering from pains in the different parts of the bodies and I did not go preaching right away. I called for them who had pains and almost a dozen responded. I prayed for their healing en masse and all of them were instantly healed and testified for their healings.

Just after my trip there, I was also invited to a mountain fellowship in Sibonga, Cebu and

prayed for two sickly women. One was about ninety percent blind, and the other had a cancerous cyst. My son Morris assisted me in prayer for them and he was surprised to find out that as he was laying his hand on the cyst he observed it to have slowly melted. The blind lady saw clearly a person about three meters away from her, which she could not do before.

I also visited brother Ben Attos, who invited me to give a message to his Bible Study

Center about 2 kilometers away from Benjie Casido’s fellowship. About 62 women attended, and I concluded the message with prayer for the sick. Eight ladies responded and went to the front to be prayed for. I told them to touch the part of their bodies that was hurting. I just offered a mass prayer without touching them, and all of them testified to have received their instant healings. They were suffering from eye problems, stomachache, pain in the shoulder, a symptom of goiter and others. Those who were healed now attend the Bible studies conducted regularly by Ben Attos.

I am now going back to my healing ministry I used to do, and my son Morris is backing

me up in this ministry. I really want to stage street meetings anywhere, and I am praying for the following equipments to help me in my evangelistic ministry: a second hand multicab (a pickup), an amplifier, a movie projector not only in Cebu but also to Mindanao and neighboring areas in the Visayas.

We love you very much, Rey & Linda Delima Cebu City, Philippines

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Dear Sower, Bless you all! May the love of God and grace of His Son the Lord Jesus be with you all

always! The 3rd anniversary of Mindanao State University Spirit & Truth Fellowship

International was so very successful and we thank you all for the prayers and financial provisions. We do cherished and treasured our 3rd anniversary because there are many things that the Lord has made and help to pursue and push the TRUTH and to share the true meaning of fellowship here.

That morning God provided shelter for us cause it’s raining and by the way we are not

surprised that God gave favor for the shed where we celebrate the occasion. Our brothers and sisters who were the pioneering of our university fellowship are here to join our celebration, not just because they missed the fellowship but to show support and to witness the joy we would like to share to our fellow visitors in showing the love of God to them.

One of our guest speakers, Ace Cortez, was one of the guys with Vincent Rosales who

were the pioneers to create this fellowship. He boldly told us the history and background of the fellowship. Persecutions and socially “killing” of us and the people whom we meet come and go, but we until now stand victoriously for the Word of God! Other speakers were Nej Gerasta, one of the sisters who help the ministry here and in Davao, and Ernie Cubero, one of the pioneers. The Paganpan sisters are there, me and the rest of the family.

I gave the floor to Vincent that afternoon and he shared truths to the souls who were there

listening earnestly. Vincent delivered the Word of God as the real and basic truth that God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth and letting them know that the world is not focusing on God’s Word, but on religions. We hope and pray that this will be a challenge for the visitors we have to ask and seek the questions that they have which the fellowship can offer to them—the accuracy in God’s Wonderful Word that for many centuries has been lost.

Last Saturday though we have just enough money to buy for our food to be prepared we

joyfully shared our strength and sacrifice our sleep just to prepare food and though most of us don’t know how to cook macaroni and spaghetti, by the grace of God the visitors are amaze cause we guys did cook it nicely and surely DELICIOUS!

What the fellowship can be proud of is that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ

always protect and gave favor for the sheeps who stand for truth. We can testify that many

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other fellowships here are praying for us (we’re branded here monsters and cults) to be dissolved. But where are those guys now who pray that God may dissolve us? It’s almost 3 years and 6 days now we here still standing and growing in number, praise God! Nothing can separate us from the love of God and who can be against us cause God is for us!

God and Jesus will richly reward you! Standing still and clinging to the truth!

Cyril Udtojan The Mindanao State University Spirit & Truth Fellowship International Philippines

2005 Teens & Twenties Camp Report

A record 167 campers and 42 staff joined together for an exciting week of worship, study, fellowship, and bonding despite the unwelcome attendance of the remnants of tropical storm Dennis that stayed for three full days. A few adjustments had to be made because of the weather, like moving the flag-raising ceremony inside on a couple of mornings, and providing rain locations for the small groups, but all in all the inclement weather served to bring the body together into a tighter bunch of dedicated and committed believers determined to have a great time together no matter what.

The theme of the camp was “The Sacred Secret,” and the heart of the week was exploring

what all God has done to bless His people in the Grace Administration [for further study visit www.TruthOrTradition.com Topic: Administrations]. This mostly happened in the study sessions each morning, but also occurred throughout the day as campers lived in the power and fellowship of the holy spirit that Jesus sent to the Church on the Day of Pentecost.

The typical day began with the blowing of the shofar, the traditional rams-horn trumpet

used in ancient Israel to announce gatherings of various kinds. It was used to rouse the campers from their slumber.

Campers then ate in their small groups for breakfast, followed by the flag-raising

ceremony. Each morning we had prayer and a reading from some source that evidenced the godly heritage of the United States of America. We daily rejoiced that we live in a country that allows us the freedom to worship God according to His Word and the dictates of our conscience. We do not take such liberty for granted, but recognize as a body of believers that our freedom has been purchased for us at a great cost.

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A time of worship followed the flag-raising ceremony, as campers opened their hearts to

the Lord and in some cases, actually woke up to find themselves in the middle of worship. We had some pretty sound sleepers who don’t do mornings well. Waking up in worship is a good thing, we figured.

Campers then went off to one of six study groups. We had Beginner, Intermediate, and

Advanced groups that focused on studying various aspects of the “Sacred Secret.” In addition, and for the first time at Camp, other possibilities were offered. Mark Graeser led a group called “Helekia,” the Greek word for “of age.” Assisted by Kathy Lunardini and Billy Darr, Mark drilled thirteen students (aged 13 and 14) on truths basic to the Christian faith and had daily exams that they had to pass to move on (all of them did great!). Each received a certificate of completion for his/her hard work.

Anita Graeser led a group called “Women’s Roles in the Church.” She had prepared a

very creative series of teachings and study tools designed to help the all-female group understand God’s heart for women and how much He has empowered women in the Grace Administration to do the same work that men do. They also studied in depth the difficult passages of Scripture that have led some Christians to limit women’s roles in the Church. Karen Anne and Julia Graeser assisted with that group.

Nate Graeser led a group called “Defending the Faith,” and was assisted by Josh

Anderson. This group was challenged to make the Christian faith their own, and took turns sitting on the “hot seat,” an opportunity to practice being confronted with difficult questions that they are likely to hear when they witness to people in high school and college. Nate did a great job inspiring the students with his passion for giving “…an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have…” (1 Pet. 3:15-NIV).

One afternoon, attendance at a workshop was required, but campers were allowed to

choose which one they wanted to attend. Their choices were: salvation and Q & A, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, and a group on miracles and healing. We heard great feedback about each group, as campers addressed the areas of their spiritual life that they thought needed some growth.

Small groups were very important this year, and given a particularly unique flair by being

assigned a special colored bandana, a flag, and a Greek or Hebrew word associated with the “Sacred Secret.” Small groups found each other by raising their flags, and bandanas were displayed throughout the week to show what group they were in. Many of the small group leaders reported this year that the campers were prepared to “go deep” with each other and really get honest about what holds them back spiritually and what they intend to do about it. Much healing and deliverance took place during these small group sessions.

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After an amazing dinner the campers and staff assembled in the gym for an evening

program featuring more worship and teachings. When weather allowed, we dismissed after that for a campfire, but because of all the rain we improvised and created a “faux fire” on the gym floor using a fabric-and-hot-air-contraption that served our purposes just fine. One night we had a healing service, and campers and staff joined together to minister to one another.

“Lights out” each night was at 11:30, with a curfew at midnight. Many nights, campers

were still up and fellowshipping close to the bewitching hour, but managed to get to bed on time. Jeff Williams served this year as our disciplinarian, acquainting campers with the penalties for rule violations, which included helping clean the Port-o-johns.

If you were at camp and you left something behind, let us know and we’ll try to get it

back for you. Of course, despite many encouragements to do so, few names were put on belongings. It seems that the more blessed they are, the more likely they are to leave behind tents, sleeping bags, Bibles, siblings, etc. But then, we were teenagers once, and needed a lot of adult supervision. While we no doubt shared in the spaciness of youth, few of us had the zeal and excitement for God that these campers have. It is a joy to see them grow up in the Lord. The world better look out, because these kids are “world changers.”

“…These…who have been turning the world upside down have come here also” (Acts

17:6-NRSV). ☼