Scientific ApologeticsThe Creation/Evolution Debate

Kevin MaxwellIllustrative Presentation

Why the Scientific Debate?

National Study of Youth and Religion

Most common answer to why 1,000’s of youth are doubting their once held faith

32% claimed intellectual skepticism

What Our Students Are Taught

NaturalismSelf-

Contained System

Natural Laws

Chance and

Necessity

NaturalisticWorldview

Reason

Natural World Only

Empiricism

Evolution as Naturalistic Propaganda

Common Descent

Undirected Mutations

Natural Selection

Implications of Darwinism

Darwinism

Nothing Produces

Everything

Non-life Produces Life

Randomness Produces Fine-

tuning

Chaos Produces

InformationUnconsciousness

Produces Consciousness

Creationism

Belief in supernatural world

Intelligent design seen in world

Let’s Prove the Creationist Point

Creationism

Teleological Argument

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Irreducible Complexity

Anthropic Principle

Teleological Argument

Design impliesDesigner

Specified Complexity

Observed Universe Points to

Intelligent Design

The Amoeba –several hundred can be lined up in an inchHas as much information in its DNA as 1,000 complete sets of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. This is ordered and functional DNA.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Nature Tends to Bring

Things to Disorder

Amount of Usable Energy

Decreases With Time

Time Leads to Chaos Not Order

Irreducible Complexity

Removal or Modification

Affects Continued Functioning

Specified Complexity Required for Operations

Organisms Show No Signs of Gradual Evolution

Anthropic Principle

Evidence of Purposeful Design Seen in Universe

Universe is Fine-Tuned for Life

Intelligent Designer’s Fingerprints on the Universe

Final Questions Concerning Evolution

Transitional Forms

Where are the

transitional Forms?

Sudden Appearance

Stasis in the Fossil Record

The Truth about Mutations

Do Not Be Deceived…

• Small changes within a species

• Does not result in a new species

Micro-evoluti

on• Changes over time that result in a new species

• Typical Darwinian evolution or gradualism

Macro-evoluti

on

Conclusions on the Debate and Implications

• No conclusive evidence• Major difficulties to overcome

• Deceptive tendenciesEvolution

• Fits with observable evidence

• Best explanation• Intelligent Design Seen in Universe

Creationism

Bibliography

Behe, Michael J. The Edge of Evolution. New York: Free Press,2007.

Dembski, William A. and Sean McDowell. Understanding Intelligent Design. Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2008.

Geisler, Norman L. and Frank Turek. I Don’t Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2004.

Strobel, Lee. The Case for a Creator. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.

Wells, Jonathan. Icons of Evolution. Washington: Regnery Publishing, 2000.

_______. The Politically Incorrect Guide to Darwinism and Intelligent Design. Washington: Regnery Publishing, 2006.