I am thankful for Christian apologists and creationists like Dr. Terry Mortenson of Answers in Genesis. He spoke at our church this weekend with great receptivitity from the congregation. He argued that Genesis 1-11 is foundational to virtually every doctrine of Scripture. In his first message to our church he stated:"Psalm 11:3 declares that 'if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?' The book of Genesis is foundational to the rest of the Bible. Every single Biblical doctrine is either directly or indirectly founded in the book of Genesis, particularly chapters 1-11."
He made a statement that made a huge impression on me. He said, "If Genesis 1-11 is the foundation of all Christian doctrine, this also means that if someone wants to destroy Christian doctrine, the best way is to attack the foundational book of beginnings. If the foundation of a house is destroyed, then the structure collapses. Likewise, if the foundations of Christian doctrine in Genesis 1-11 are destroyed, then ultimately the entire structure will collapse."
This is exactly what evoluntionists are doing. They are attacking the very foundation of Christian doctrine, the first 11 chapters of Genesis. If people can relegate Genesis 1-11 to mythology or allegory, then there is no real history upon which Christian doctrine can be founded. If there is no real history, then there is no real Adam and Eve. If there is no real Adam and Eve, then there is no real original sin. If there is no real original sin, then there is no need for a Savior. If there is no need for a Savior, then Jesus' death on the cross was for nothing.
One can now see why Genesis 1-11 is such an important part of our Christian faith. Dr. Mortenson stated, "The meaning of anything is dependent upon its origin, the meaning of any particular doctrine is also dependent upon its origin-i.e., its real history. Thus, the book of Genesis is vital to the whole of what Christianity is all about. One of the reasons that many people can't defend or explain their doctrine is because they don't believe and understand the book of Genesis, particularly the first eleven chapters. Believing and understanding the book of Genesis is prerequisite to an understanding of God and His relationship to man-and to all Christian doctrine."
I will share more from this conference later. In the mean time, I would highly recommend having an Answers in Genesis conference at your church.
Just a thought.
