Ephesians 6:14
"Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;"

Try as they might, no evolutionist can successfully explain how a four-legged ape-like creature evolved into a two-legged creature like man.

In his book Hallmarks of Design, engineer Dr. Stuart Burgess notes that "there are so many unique features required for bipedal motion that it is impossible for a quadruped to gradually evolve into a biped." He went on to note that evolutionists "have often claimed to have found intermediate extinct creatures between man and apes. However, in every case, the creature is either fully bipedal or fully quadrupedal, showing that it is actually either fully human or fully ape."

Today I'll mention just two of those features. First, humans have a flat face compared to apes. What does this have to do with walking? The shape of our face gives our eyes a field of view which extends all the way down to the ground in front of our feet. Being able to see the ground is important because the problem of tripping is far greater for two-legged creatures like humans.

Another structural feature is that we have strong big toes which are close to our other toes. This is important for walking and running because the final push from the ground comes from the big toe. In contrast, the big toe of apes is more like a flexible thumb that is designed for gripping branches.

Since God created us to stand, let us remember to take a strong stand for the truths found in the Word of God!

Notes: S. Burgess, Hallmarks of Design, pp. 166-169 (Day One Publications, 2002). Photo: Courtesy of Honda and Poppy. (CC-BY-SA 3.0) Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

Gene Gurganus, former missionary to Muslims, explains that there are three stages of Islamic jihad (Peril of Islam, pp. 114-115). First there is the weakened stage, which applies to Muslims living as a minority in a non-Muslim country. “At this stage, Muslims follow the word given to Mohammed in Mecca: ‘There is no compulsion in religion’ (Surah 2:256).” Second, there is the preparation stage, which is reached when Muslims are a reasonably influential minority. At this stage they make preparations in every possible area--financial, physical, military, mental and any other. Surah 8:59-60 says, “Against them [unbelievers] make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into (the hearts) of the enemies of Allah and your enemies, and others besides whom you may not know, but whom Allah knows.” The third stage is the jihad stage, which commences “when Muslims are a minority with strength, influence and power.” At this stage “every Muslim’s duty is to actively fight the enemy, overturning the system of the non-Muslim country and establishing Islamic authority.” This stage is based on the final revelation Mohammed received concerning jihad, which is Surah 9:5 -- “Fight and slay the Pagans wherever you find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem [of war].” Thus, “Muslims are commanded to kill everyone who chooses not to convert to Islam. The verse says wherever you find them. There are no geographical limits” (Peril of Islam, p. 114).

(Friday Church News Notes, July 24, 2015,www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Genesis 1:25
"And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good."

While most evolutionists today would deny what I am about to say, many prominent evolutionists would agree that Darwin's "Origin of Species" utterly failed to explain the origin of species.

Let me begin by making it clear that all of the people I'm mentioning today are evolutionists who were quoted in the book The Great Evolution Mystery by evolutionist Gordon Taylor. In the chapter dealing with the name of Darwin's famous book, Taylor quotes Professor Ernst Mayr of Harvard, who said, "The book called The Origin of Species is really not on that subject." His colleague, George Gaylord Simpson, said: "Darwin failed to solve the problem indicated by the title of his work."

Also quoted is British geneticist William Bateson, who wrote that the "essential bit of the theory of evolution which is concerned with the origin and nature of species remains utterly mysterious."

As Taylor points out, the issue that Darwin failed to deal with was speciation – that is, the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. As creationists have rightly pointed out, Darwin dealt only with the survival of the species, not the arrival of the species. As Professor Hampton Carson of Washington University in St. Louis pointed out, speciation is "a major unsolved problem of evolutionary biology."

And it remains unsolved to this day. While neo-Darwinists continue to search for the answer, those of us who believe what the Bible teaches already know where the different kinds of animals came from. It's all there in the first chapter of Genesis!

Notes: Gordon Rattray Taylor, The Great Evolution Mystery, pp. 140-141 (Harper & Row, 1983). Taylor (1911-1981) was a popular British journalist and evolutionist who was critical of some elements of neo-Darwinism.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

About $450,000 has been given to help the owners of the Oregon bakery Sweet Cakes who are being persecuted for their Christian faith by lesbians and the state government. After Melissa and Aaron Klein refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, they were found guilty of “violated the civil rights of a same-sex couple” (“Oregon Rules Bakery Violated Couple’s Civil Rights,” CBS Seattle, Jan. 21, 2014). Under the Oregon Equality Act of 2007, citizens may not be denied service “based on sexual orientation or gender identity.” In July, the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industry (BOLI) ordered the Kleins to pay $135,000 in damages to the lesbians for “emotional suffering.” The ruling states that citizens should have “the ability to enter public places, to shop and dine, to move about unfettered by BIGOTRY,” thus labeling the Kleins’ Christian faith bigotry. The Kleins are appealing the ruling. In the meantime, a flood of help has been given through the crowd funding organization Continue to Give and through Samaritan’s Purse. The Kleins have stood their ground in spite of an outpouring of filthy remarks and death threats by homosexuals. Of BOLI Commissioner Brad Avakian, Aaron Klein said, “This man has no power over me. He seems to think he can tell me to be quiet. That doesn’t sit well with me and I refuse to comply.” Mr. Klein accused the BOLI of ordering him not to speak publicly about the case--an order he said is unconstitutional. “When my constitutional freedoms have been violated by the state I’m going to speak out” (“Christian bakers fined $135,000,” Fox News, July 3, 2015).

(Friday Church News Notes, July 24, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Ephesians 4:14
"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"

The idea of multiverses – that our universe is one of many – has long been used in science fiction stories. But now, atheists and evolutionists are depending on it to be true! They're saying this to dispose of the obvious fact that we live in a finely tuned universe that bears the stamp of our Creator's design. We are lucky to inhabit just the right universe, they say.

This must surely be the pinnacle of wishful thinking! In his poem "Multiverses to the Rescue!", poet and creationist Tom Graffagnino points out that evolutionists desperately hope that multiverses will come to the rescue of evolution!

When we analyzed the figures,
We thought Chance and Time would do.
But we couldn't fake the numbers,
So we dreamed up something new!

Hmm, we pondered, let's pretend here,
Make believe – that's better still!
Multiverses! That's the answer!
Oh my, yes, that fits the bill!

We thought Chance 'n Time could do it,
But the notion crashed and burned.
Multiverses to the rescue!
My-oh-my! So much to learn!

Though we've never really seen one,
And we don't know if they're there;
Still by Faith we just believe it,
Gospel Science fills the air.

Endless Mythic Multiverses,
Brooms 'n Buckets, come alive!
Hocus-pocus is our focus,
Fantasy in overdrive.

Yes, the Scientism Genie
Has at last moved in to stay!
Glory, glory, Hallelujah!
Science fiction saves the day!

Bowing to Almighty Matter,
Yes, our hope's in Science now!
Naturalism is our Dogma,
Mind of Man our Sacred Cow.

Notes: "Multiverses to the Rescue!" by creationist and artist Tom Graffagnino. Used with permission. For more information about Graffagnino and his work, visit his website: http://www.withoutexcusecreations.net/.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church (Southern Baptist), author of The Purpose Driven Life, is scheduled to speak at Pope Francis’ Festival of Families in Philadelphia in September. Other speakers include three Catholic cardinals and a Jewish rabbi (“Papal Mass in Philadelphia,” Catholic Herald, Jun. 26, 2015). I would ask Pastor Warren the following question: If a man prays to Mary, trusts her intercession and help, and considers baptism the new birth, and believes that a piece of bread is the very body and blood of Jesus (as the pope does), is he a saved man or is he following “another gospel” and “another spirit”? Rick Warren is one of the most influential preachers in the world, and he is the blind leading the blind. The fact that the Southern Baptist Convention has not publicly reproved his error and compromise and removed his church from its rolls is proof of that convention’s rebellion to God’s Word.

(Friday Church News Notes, July 24, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Leviticus 13:45
"And the leper in whom the plague is, his clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, Unclean, unclean."

Did Moses know that germs – invisible to the naked eye – were the cause of disease thousands of years before the invention of the microscope?

American evangelist, creationist and author Harry Rimmer thought it was possible. In his 1936 book, The Harmony of Science and Scripture, Rimmer wrote that the custom of wearing a protective mask in the hospital is a modern method of preventative medicine based upon the certainty that pathogenic organisms cause disease in the human body.

"How, then," he asked, "can we account, on purely human grounds, for the use of this same method for the prevention of infection in the days of Moses?" Rimmer then refers the reader to Leviticus 13:45 where "we have a record of a contagious disease…. The law of God, as given through Moses, contained the injunction that the infected man must bind a cloth across his upper lip, exactly as the physician in the hospital wears the mask today!"

Of course, Moses couldn't have known anything about the microorganisms that spread disease from one person to another, but God certainly knew all about germs! Rimmer concluded: "If Moses really spoke by inspiration of the Spirit of God and transmitted to us only those things which he in turn had received, we have a sensible explanation for this marvelous anticipation of modern wisdom in this ancient book."

While Creation Moments does not agree with Dr. Rimmer's position on the gap theory, we wholeheartedly agree that the Bible contains many scientifically sound truths we are only learning about today.

Notes: Harry Rimmer, The Harmony of Science and Scripture, pp. 101-102 (Eerdmans Publishing, 22nd printing, 1973).
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

“A video released Tuesday by the Center for Medical Progress shows a top Planned Parenthood director explaining in graphic detail how the abortion giant harvests and sells baby body parts and organs nationwide--a practice that is a felony under federal law. The Center for Medical Progress released the video as the next in its ‘Human Capital’ investigative series, as it researches the organization’s illegal sales of fetal body parts in America. ‘Planned Parenthood’s criminal conspiracy to make money off of aborted baby parts reaches to the very highest levels of their organization,’ director David Daleiden remarked in a statement. ‘Elected officials must listen to the public outcry for Planned Parenthood to be held accountable to the law and for our tax dollars to stop underwriting this barbaric abortion business.’ The video features abortionist Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s senior director of medical services, who oversees the practices of all the 700-plus Planned Parenthood locations nationwide. Nucatola thinks she’s having a business dinner with representatives of a fetal tissue procurement company, but what she doesn’t know is that the man and woman that she is speaking with are undercover investigators and are recording her conversation. During the discussion, as she munches nonchalantly on salad, Nucatola explains in detail how the organs and extremities of the aborted babies are decidedly removed intact so that they can be sold to buyers. She outlines that the organization is paid between $30 to $100 per ‘specimen.’ ... [Nucatola says,] ‘I’d say a lot of people want liver. And for that reason, most providers will do this case under ultrasound guidance, so they’ll know where they’re putting their forceps. ... We’ve been very good at getting the heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so “I’m not gonna crush that part. I’m gonna basically crush below, I’m gonna crush above, and I’m gonna see if I can get it all intact.”’ ... She mentions a ‘list’ that she refers to in supplying the body parts that are in demand. ... Planned Parenthood released a statement on Tuesday following public disgust over the video, downplaying the matter by stating that the organization gives women the option of having their baby’s bodies donated to medical research. ... The Center for Medical Progress likewise released a statement after Planned Parenthood downplayed the undercover video footage. ‘Planned Parenthood makes two key admissions in their statement today: 1) aborted fetal parts are harvested at their clinics, and 2) money is exchanged in connection with this,’ it wrote. ‘They also tell several lies: 1) That proper consent is obtained from patients, 2) That Planned Parenthood does not make money off the body parts, and 3) that everything is legal.’”

“Exposed: Planned Parenthood,” Christian News Network, July 14, 2015, and “Planned Parenthood Downplays Video,” Christian News Network, July 15, 2015

John 1:3-4
"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men."

Though Louis Pasteur proved that life comes only from life, the myth that life can come from non-life – or abiogenesis – is still defended by evolutionists today. They now claim that while Pasteur disproved spontaneous generation, he did not prove that life comes only from life.

Confused? Here is how one evolutionist explains it: "Spontaneous generation held that life in its present form today could form from non-life, and did so all the time – for instance, aphids sprang from dew on plants, maggots emerged from rotting meat, and mice were created from wet hay. In 1859, Louis Pasteur … proved definitively that life does not spring, fully formed and unbidden, from any recipe of inorganic or dead organic matter."

Notice the words "fully formed" in that statement? Like most evolutionists today, he believes that life came from non-life, but such life came into being not at a fully formed creature level but at a chemical level. According to the evolutionist, "Abiogenesis predicts that … the constituent components of life can self-arrange given certain conditions" and that "there is some point in Earth's early history wherein a chemical chain reaction went runaway and breached the fuzzy barrier between chemistry and biology."

Though evolutionists admit they have zero evidence for this, they still cling to such a rescuing device because evolution and their atheistic worldview depend on it. Unlike evolutionists, though, creationists can hang their hat on the established Law of Biogenesis – that life comes only from life!

Notes: "Abiogenesis is not spontaneous generation. Period." Jason Thibeault, posted 6/25/10 on freethoughtblogs.com.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

The University of Edinburgh and the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences have announced the discovery of the latest candidate for the missing link in bird evolution.Zhenyuanlong (zhenyuan’s dragon) is the name of a fossilized “winged dinosaur.” The 6-foot creature is said to have looked “exactly like a turkey or a vulture.” It had “real wings” with vaned feathers on its short arms and tail, but didn’t fly. The interpretation of the artifact is given an evolutionary twist, not because of the evidence itself, but because that is the presumption in the minds of the scientists. Lead researcher Dr. Steve Brusatte says, “So maybe [wings] did not evolve for flight--perhaps they evolved as a display structure, or to protect eggs in the nest. Or maybe this animal was starting to move around in the trees and was able to glide” (“Dinosaur find: Velociraptor ancestor was ‘winged dragon,’” BBC News, July 17, 2015). This is pure presumption. It is nothing but guesswork. There is zero evidence that wings and flight “evolved.” For a “dinosaur” to evolve into a bird would require massive additions of perfectly-ordered information in the DNA to create new, breathtakingly-complex structures, and evolution has never proposed a creative mechanism that could produce such change. “Natural selection,” at best, can only select within the framework of existing genetic information. As for mutations, they are genetic errors. They are neutral at best and are often highly destructive. Mutations do not build layer upon layer of complex, perfectly-ordered genetic code. Whatever “Zhenyuanlong” was, it was not something that evolved. There are a bewildering variety of flying creatures (birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects) as well as winged creatures that don’t fly (e.g., emu, ostrich), and Zhenyuanlong fit somewhere within these categories.

(Friday Church News Notes, July 24, 2015, www.wayoflife, org[email protected], 866-295-4143)

“Recently biologists and engineers from Australian universities have analyzed the sea urchin spine’s ingenious structure under a powerful tool called micro-computed tomography (microCT). Each spine is a single crystal of calcite (CaCO3). This is normally a soft and brittle mineral, but it is highly strengthened in several ways. It is a hollow tapered cylinder, which saves weight and materials without sacrificing much strength. Some magnesium ions replace calcium ions, which produce an irregularity that impedes cracks from propagating (the same principle explains the greater strength of metal alloys). So any fractures are more like in glass, a non-crystalline solid, than a crystal. This fracturing absorbs energy and protects the main spherical shell (called a test) of the animal. There is also a small amount of organic material (glycoprotein) with the mineral crystal, which makes a huge difference to toughness. The strength is further enhanced by its very fine structure. The crystal contains finely spaced radial wedges connected by bridges. The thin edges direct stresses to the outside, and the spaces stop fractures from spreading through the whole spine. The researchers say, ‘Overall, the spine is highly porous with an intricate structural hierarchy.’ However, in a popular report, the researchers paid the obligatory fact-free homage to evolution. They called this amazing structure an ‘evolutionary feature’ that was ‘optimized’ and ‘survived hundreds of millions of years.’ Yet they also say ‘the finding could offer clues for creating new bio-inspired materials and more efficient engineering designs.’ This should have been a clue that the original was designed as well!”

Jonathan Sarfati, “Sea Urchin,” Creation Magazine, Jan. 2014

Dr. Leen Ritmeyer, architect and archaeologist, has made three reconstructive drawings of the ancient city of Sodom and its gate based on research done over the past two decades by Dr. Steven Collins, Dean of the College of Archaeology and Biblical History at Trinity Southwest University, Albuquerque, New Mexico. I understand that Ritmeyer has assisted some in the excavation. They believe that Sodom was located at Tel el-Hammam, almost due east of Jericho on the eastern side of the Jordan. This is in the plain of Jordan, which is the area where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea. It fits the Bible’s description of Sodom’s location in Genesis 13:10-11. Lot lifted up his eyes from Bethel, which is west of Jericho, and saw the region to the east, describing it as “the plain of Jordan.” From Bethel, Lot journeyed east to Sodom. The Hebrew word for “plain” in Genesis 13 is “kikkar,” which refers to a circle, a perfect description of the plain of Jordan. Ritmeyer reports, “During the excavations of Tall el-Hammam in 2013, a large gatehouse with pillars was found behind the main entrance to the Middle Bronze Age city. This reconstruction drawing shows what the main gate of Tall el-Hammam would have looked like. The drawing shows a right angled pathway through the gatehouse with a space at the side where the elders and judges of the city would have congregated. Many other exciting finds were made, such as melted potsherds and burnt skeletons, that testify to a terrible and fiery destruction, reminiscent of that described in Genesis 19.” Whether or not Tel el-Hammam is Sodom, there is no doubt that Sodom and its sister cities were located somewhere in that area. Dr. Ritmeyer’s reconstructive drawings are based on actual archaeological research and are beautifully done, bringing ancient Bible history to life. I have licensed some of them for my PowerPoint presentations. Dr. Ritmeyer also has an excellent new book Jerusalem: The Temple Mount. See The Search for Sodom

(Friday Church News Notes, July 17, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Acts 7:36
"He brought them out, after that he had shewed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red sea, and in the wilderness forty years."

The 40-year-long journey of Moses and the Israelites from Egypt to the land of promise continues to fascinate movie makers. From Cecil B. DeMille's 1923 silent film "The Ten Commandments" to the more recent "Exodus: Gods and Kings", the story of the Exodus never fails to excite our imagination. Even so, there are Bible scholars out there who are saying the Exodus never really happened. Some even insist that the Israelites never set foot in ancient Egypt.

Archaeologists have shown, however, that the biblical account is historically accurate. And satellite image analyst George Stephens even claims that the route of the Exodus can still be seen today through the use of infrared technology.

According to the book The Stones Cry Out, Stephens studied SPOT satellite imagery of Egypt, the Gulf of Suez, the Gulf of Aqaba and portions of Saudi Arabia. On the images, taken at an altitude of 530 miles, he claims he saw evidence of ancient tracks made by "a massive number of people" leading from the Nile Delta that eventually wound up in the Sinai peninsula. He said he even saw traces of "very large campsites" along the trail.

While it is impossible, of course, to know if these tracks were made by the Israelites during the Exodus of Moses' time, the satellite images do demonstrate that large numbers of people could make long journeys through that inhospitable region and on the same route taken by the Israelites.

Notes: Larry Williams, The Mountain of Moses (Wynwood Press, 1990) "Epilogue" as cited in The Stones Cry Out, Randall Price (Harvest House Publishers, 1997), pp. 136-137.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

New Zealand has passed legislation on “cyber-bullying” that has the potential to destroy freedom of speech and religion in that country. The Harmful Digital Communications Bill “will censor posts deemed offensive, racist, abusive or show religious intolerance” (“Mind Your Manners: New Zealand Criminalises Online Trolling to Prevent ‘Hurt Feelings,’” Breitbart, Jul. 2, 2015). That covers almost everything! All that is necessary for action to be taken is for an individual to claim that he has suffered “serious emotional distress” by something published on the Internet. Further, the (allegedly) aggrieved party can remain anonymous. Laws designed to protect people’s feelings can do nothing but destroy every semblance of freedom of speech and religion. We have no doubt that there will be a line of aggrieved queued up to take advantage of this new law, and the real bullying will be the nanny state’s bullying of those who don’t kowtow to political correctness. Last week, a Christian couple in Oregon, Aaron and Melissa Klein, were ordered to pay $135,000 to two lesbians for “emotional suffering” because they refused to make them a wedding cake in 2013.

(Friday Church News Notes, July 17, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Psalm 50:22
"Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver."

When most of us were in school, everybody knew that the terms "BC" and "AD" meant Before Christ and Anno Domine, meaning "in the year of our Lord." But those terms are disappearing as authors now prefer the terms "CE" and "BCE", which are abbreviations for "Common Era" and "Before the Common Era."

As the online encyclopedia Wikipedia points out, "since the later twentieth century, use of CE and BCE has been popularized in academic and scientific publications." It is also being used "by publishers wishing to emphasize secularism and/or sensitivity to non-Christians." In other words, they are changing the terms to erase Jesus from history under the guise of not wishing to offend anyone. The secularists, on the other hand, have no qualms about offending Christians.

This is what secularism does. It obscures the truth and even revises history in subtle or overt ways. Applied chemist and creation scientist Mark Cadwallader says that the use of CE and BCE is "clearly another example of the assault on Christianity. Radical atheists," he says, "have been agitating for freedom from any reference to Christianity and especially its founder. They will disguise and revise history itself to obscure the truth of Jesus Christ."

Here at Creation Moments, we believe that truth will ultimately prevail, but we must all do our part. That's why we encourage you to do everything you can to make all people, young and old, aware of the truth and consistency of a biblical worldview. And keep on using BC and AD!

Notes: M. Cadwallader, "Another Attempt to Erase Jesus from History," 2/27/12. 
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

The following is excerpted from “Baylor University Drops Ban,” Houston Chronicle, Jul. 7, 2015: “The world’s largest Baptist university has dropped a ban on ‘homosexual acts’ in its sexual conduct policy. After years of appeals from students, alumni and others, Baylor University revised its policy, dropping the ban on gay sex to ‘state more plainly the expectations of the university,’ a Baylor spokeswoman said Tuesday. ‘These changes were made because we didn’t believe the language reflected Baylor’s caring community,’ spokeswoman Lori Fogleman said in an email. ... Baylor’s previous policy called ‘homosexual acts’ a misuse of ‘God’s gift,’ along with sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual assault, incest and adultery. ... The school’s updated policy, approved by Baylor’s board in May, is far more vague than its last one. It says the university will be guided by ‘the biblical understanding that human sexuality is a gift from God.’ Sex, the policy says, ‘is to be expressed in the context of marital fidelity.’”

Concluding Comment: It is not an act of “care” or compassion to authorize something that God plainly forbids. Furthermore, it is impossible for homosexuals to express their sexuality “in the context of marital fidelity” when the Bible only endorses such a context for a man and a woman.

(Friday Church News Notes, July 17, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Romans 5:8
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Though it must surely be one of the most disgusting creatures in God's creation, the bird dung spider is yet another beautiful example of God's design.

Not only does the bird dung spider have a body covered with unattractive warts, the spider often produces a white thread and sits on it, looking almost exactly like bird poop that has fallen on a leaf.

Despite its unattractive appearance, the spider's unique camouflage is a masterpiece of well-thought-out design. First off, by looking like bird poop, the spider is of no interest to a wide variety of potential predators. At the same time, its camouflage brings a steady flow of dung-loving insects within reach of the slow-moving spider. On top of that, the spider is able to attract male moths by mimicking the sex pheromone released by female moths. As one website put it, "Once the male moth gets a whiff of the scent, it will fly towards the smell expecting to find a female moth. Imagine the moth's surprise when the motionless bit of bird dropping comes alive! The spider will use its front legs to grab the moth and then it will devour it on the spot."

Just as the bird dung spider is unattractive to us, so, too, are we unattractive to God in our fallen state. Nevertheless, while we were yet sinners and deserving of God's wrath, Christ died for us. God saved us not because of any beauty He saw in us but because He loved us. By shedding His blood for us on the cross, He transforms us into a new and beautiful creation!

Notes: http://spidervista.com/Bird-Dung_Spider.html. http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_orbweavers/BirdDroppingSpider.htm. Photo: Source unknown.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

The Ontario Superior Court has upheld the decision to deny accreditation to a Christian law school because of its stance against homosexuality. When the 4,000-student Trinity Western University in Vancouver, British Columbia, wanted to open a law school a couple of years ago, the Law Society of Upper Canada barred accreditation. The Ontario Court “found that the denial of accreditation did violate Trinity’s freedom of religion, but that this violation was acceptable because of the greater good of protecting equality” (“Canada Court Denies Christian Law School Accreditation Due to University’s Rule against Gay Sex,” The Stream, July 5, 2015). This is the latest in a series of attacks on religious liberty in Canada. Ken Ham rightly observes: “[We] have been warning that legalizing gay ‘marriage’ is only the beginning of an agenda. From what we’ve seen and know about the LGBT movement, the leaders don’t just want legalization of their immoral behavior, but also want to force acceptance of this on everyone. They want everyone not just to tolerate their position, but to accept it while they themselves show intolerance for those who do not hold to their views” (Around the World with Ken Ham, July 7, 2015).

(Friday Church News Notes, July 17, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Mark 8:7-8
"And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets."

A bacterium has recently been photographed that is so tiny, researchers have debated about whether it could even exist. The bacterium has a volume of only .009 cubic microns. To put that into perspective, a micron is one millionth of a meter. This means that more than 150,000 of them could fit on the tip of a single human hair.

Despite their small size, these bacterium have everything they need to survive and reproduce. And what they don't have, they borrow. For instance, these bacteria have tiny string-like structures called pili. Scientists suspect the bacteria use these pili to link up with other microbes so they can borrow key nutrients from them.

Now, don't let evolutionists tell you it would be easy for evolution to produce a life form as tiny as this bacterium. If anything, its small size speaks loudly of an incredibly intelligent Creator. Consider, for example, the phone in your purse or pocket. Today's typical smart phone is so technologically advanced, it has far more computing power than computers from the past that filled up entire rooms. And they can do far more than make phone calls. Hey, we call them smart phones for a reason!

Little things can accomplish astonishing things in the hands of a great God. Jesus took a few small fish and used them to feed thousands. God took a little boy and used him to vanquish a giant. So don't ever think you are too small or insignificant to do great things with God.

Notes: E. Brodwin, "Scientists have finally found and photographed the tiniest life on Earth," Business Insider/Yahoo News, 3/3/15.
Photo: Courtesy of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (FAIR USE).
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

“A healthy 24-year-old woman in Belgium made headlines recently when she announced that she was going to die by assisted suicide, not because of chronic pain or a terminal ailment, but because of her persistent suicidal thoughts. The woman, who gave only her first name, Laura, to the press is one of 50 people per year in Belgium who are allowed to get assisted suicides for psychiatric reasons alone. Belgium made history in 2002 when it legalized assisted suicide for people with unbearable pain, physical or psychological. Proponents of the law say it humanizes people with debilitating conditions by giving them the autonomy to end it all. Opponents of the law argue Belgian doctors often prescribe assisted suicide when the patient is not entirely out of other options. Since the law went into effect, about 10,600 people have taken their lives in Belgium via assisted suicide, about half of them between the ages of 70 and 90. But of the 1,924 people who were euthanized in 2014, about two to three percent were people suffering from psychiatric conditions, and many of them were younger, Professor Wim Distelmans, chairman of the federal commission for euthanasia, told Belgian publication Humo.”

“Thousands of people in Belgium,” Business Insider, Jul. 3, 2015

Colossians 2:8
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

When a well-respected scientist says anything that is critical of Darwinism, two things are bound to happen. First, evolutionists will put pressure on the scientist to retract his comments. The second thing is that creationists will quote the scientist to show that even some scientists understand the weaknesses of evolution. This is what we are doing on today's broadcast.

In his book A Different Universe, Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin, a professor of physics and applied physics at Stanford University, wrote that evolution is anti-science and actually impedes scientific investigation. Laughlin wrote he is concerned that much "present-day biological knowledge is ideological" and cannot be tested.

Here is an excerpt of what he wrote: "Evolution by natural selection, for instance, which Charles Darwin originally conceived as a great theory, has lately come to function more as an anti-theory, called upon to cover up embarrassing experimental shortcomings and legitimize findings that are at best questionable…. Your protein defies the laws of mass action? Evolution did it! Your complicated mess of chemical reactions turns into a chicken? Evolution! The human brain works on logical principles no computer can emulate? Evolution is the cause!"

Now, let me point out that Creation Moments is not saying that Dr. Laughlin rejects evolution. He is merely saying what we have been saying for many years. Evolution is an ideology that is simply assumed to be true. Rather than being a scientific theory, it is an anti-theory that clearly lies outside the realm of true science.

Notes: Robert B. Laughlin, A Different Universe (Basic Books, 2005), pp. 168-169. J. Bergman, The Dark Side of Darwin (Master Books, 2011), p. 53. Photo: Courtesy: Stanford News Service. (CC-BY-SA 3.0 UNPORTED).
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

“Scientists in Israel have created the world’s smallest Bible, a text so small that it could fit on the tip of a pen. CNN reports the Nano Bible includes 1.2 million letters of the Old Testament etched onto a minuscule disc. To read the Scripture, it would have to be magnified about 10,000 times. To create the Bible, scientists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology used silicon that was 100 atoms thick and plated it with gold. The characters were engraved with a focused ion beam. The Nano Bible is now being displayed at the Israel Museum’s 50th anniversary exhibit.”

“World’s Smallest,” Christian Headlines, Jul. 8, 2015

In a July 7 interview with HuffPost Live, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said: “I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else, and I don’t see that gay marriage damages anyone else. I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage. That’s just my own personal opinion.” Jimmy Carter is a longtime Sunday School teacher at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, though he doesn’t believe the Bible. In 1997, Carter rebuked the Southern Baptist Convention for targeting Mormons with the gospel. Carter loves modernistic theologians such as Barth and Brunner who denied the infallible inspiration of Holy Scripture, the virgin birth of Christ, and other cardinal doctrines. After his election to the presidency, Carter appointed pro-abortion activist Sarah Weddington to the position of assistant to the president. He has been promoting homosexual rights since the early 1990s. To say that Jesus would approve of gay marriage is ridiculous, since Jesus defined marriage as one man and one woman as “at the beginning,” referring to Genesis 2. “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” (Jesus Christ, Matthew 19:4-5).

(Friday Church News Notes, July 17, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Colossians 4:6
"Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man."

I could easily fill up today's entire Creation Moments broadcast by listing the scientific accomplishments and affiliations of Paul Davies. His research interests span the fields of cosmology, quantum field theory and astrobiology.

An opinion piece he wrote in 2010 for the New York Times angered many evolutionists when he argued that the faith scientists have in the immutability of physical laws has origins in Christian theology. Davies responded to their criticisms by saying, "I was dismayed at how many of my detractors completely misunderstood what I had written. Indeed, their responses bore the hallmarks of a superficial knee-jerk reaction to the sight of the words 'science' and 'faith' juxtaposed."

Well, what Davies wrote in London's Guardian newspaper in 1982 would have angered them even more. "Something strange is happening to the universe," he wrote. "In the words of the astronomer Fred Hoyle, it is as though somebody has been monkeying with the laws of nature. A once-popular argument with theologians was to point out how astonishingly well ordered the universe is, how harmoniously its components dovetail together. All this, it was reasoned, must be the result of design, and therefore evidence of a Great Designer. Yesterday's theologians would have been delighted with today's discovery of just how delicately balanced the cosmic order turns out to be."

Though Davies freely admits he is "not a religious man," he brings a calm and mature voice to the debate over origins that other evolutionists would be wise to follow.

Notes: A. "The Great Conundrum in the Sky", The Guardian, 9/2/82, p. 17. "Taking Science on Faith". New York Times. 10/2/10. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Davies. Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

Biomimicry, human engineering based on nature’s designs, is a rapidly growing field. Mercedes-Benz even built a concept car from its research into the tropical boxfish (Ostracion cubicus). They found that there is nothing clunky about the clunky-looking fish. It has a drag coefficient of just 0.06, “startlingly close to the ideal 0.04 of a water droplet” (“Fish-inspired Car,” Popular Science, Aug. 16, 2005). “Like the droplet, the boxfish’s face is small in proportion to its overall length, and its streamlined surfaces encourage air to move over it without creating the turbulence that robs aerodynamic efficiency.” John McMasters, an aeronautics engineer with Boeing, says that lessons learned from nature will play an increasing role in new aircraft (“Flying Creatures May Help Create Aviation of Future,” USA Today, Feb. 13, 2007). The very existence of this scientific field is a powerful witness to the fact that there is nothing “blind” about “nature.” The fact that so many scientists reject “intelligent design” is not evidence against design; it is evidence of willful blindness. “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

(Friday Church News Notes, July 10, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)