Manny Silva reports:
Nazarenes Exploring Evolution: Spreading Evolution's Lies, Rejecting God’s Word
“These men are dried-up springs, mere clouds driven by a storm. Gloomy darkness is reserved for them.” 2 Peter 2:17
Evolution is a farce. It is unprovable. It is at best a hypothesis, and not even rises to the level of a theory. It is not based on the scientific method of provability. And one
of
its most amazing assumptions, that some living things amazingly transitioned to a totally different living thing (such as fish to mammal), does not have one shred of evidence and has never been observed to have happened.
The latest indication of a corrupted mind comes from a recent article written by Mark Maddix,Professor of Practical Theology and Discipleship at Northwest Nazarene University. In an article titled “Evolutionary Theory and Moral Development”, he gives further proof that the Nazarene universities are a breeding ground for false teaching, and are a “great” place to send your child if you wish to have his or her faith shattered by the time the graduate. Northwest Nazarene is clearly near the top of the list of the worst, along with Point Loma and the Nazarene Theological Seminary, yet we cannot recommend a single Nazarene university today that is holding true to biblical principles, and that has not fallen for the emergent ideology and the “spiritual formation” programs which are corrupting our youth.
Dr. Maddix is also known for his promotion of contemplative spirituality (the true name of spiritual formation). At General Assembly this year, he led a presentation which ended up promoting the usual forms of contemplative spirituality that has so infected practically all Christian universities today. When I stood up to challenge him on his premise that Roman Catholics believe the same way we do, we could tell that he was not only steadfastly defending that position, but that he and his colleague were wrong on the side of history, claiming that the Bible came from the Roman Catholic Church. These are the kinds of dangerous things being allowed by the General Superintendents and the board of directors at these schools.
In his article, Maddix says this:
“Growing up in a Christian home, evolution was only referred with negative connotations. I was taught that evolution was an atheistic theory which undermined the authority of Scripture in general and specifically Genesis 1 and 2.”
So in his early years, he was taught the right thing. Evolution is an atheistic theory, it has never been close to being proved and cannot be proved with any facts whatsoever. So what made Dr. Maddix change his mind? Was it compelling evidence from Holy Scripture? Sadly, no. His authority is not the Bible, as is evident now.
He goes on to say that when he went to a Christian university, that is where he changed his mind. He was persuaded, not by God’s word, but by the words of a professor. He believed the professor who said that “the author of Genesis, probably not Moses, (that created another anxiety) had no understanding of modern science and was writing to show God's relationship with God's creation.” So then Maddix explains that “His explanation changed the course of my understanding of the creation-evolution debate and helped me understand Genesis 1 and 2 as theological not scientific.”
He then goes on to tell how he subsequently became confused by a young earth creationist’s explanation of our origins. He then stayed confused until a biology professor “affirmed his belief in evolution by stating that Darwin's theory was the best way to explain how God created the universe.” He accepted the professor’s explanation that “"Believing in evolution does not reject Scripture, since Scripture was not written for such purposes." Dr. Maddix goes on the state that “My Christian liberal arts education provided me with a clearer understanding of a Wesleyan view of Scripture, particularly as it related to the creation accounts and a view of creation that could include In his article, Maddix says this:
“Growing up in a Christian home, evolution was only referred with negative connotations. I was taught that evolution was an atheistic theory which undermined the authority of Scripture in general and specifically Genesis 1 and 2.”
So in his early years, he was taught the right thing. Evolution is an atheistic theory, it has never been close to being proved and cannot be proved with any facts whatsoever. So what made Dr. Maddix change his mind? Was it compelling evidence from Holy Scripture? Sadly, no. His authority is not the Bible, as is evident now.
He goes on to say that when he went to a Christian university, that is where he changed his mind. He was persuaded, not by God’s word, but by the words of a professor. He believed the professor who said that “the author of Genesis, probably not Moses, (that created another anxiety) had no understanding of modern science and was writing to show God's relationship with God's creation.” So then Maddix explains that “His explanation changed the course of my understanding of the creation-evolution debate and helped me understand Genesis 1 and 2 as theological not scientific.”
He then goes on to tell how he subsequently became confused by a young earth creationist’s explanation of our origins. He then stayed confused until a biology professor “affirmed his belief in evolution by stating that Darwin's theory was the best way to explain how God created the universe.” He accepted the professor’s explanation that “"Believing in evolution does not reject Scripture, since Scripture was not written for such purposes." Dr. Maddix goes on the state that “My Christian liberal arts education provided me with a clearer understanding of a Wesleyan view of Scripture, particularly as it related to the creation accounts and a view of creation that could include In his article, Maddix says this:
“Growing up in a Christian home, evolution was only referred with negative connotations. I was taught that evolution was an atheistic theory which undermined the authority of Scripture in general and specifically Genesis 1 and 2.”
So in his early years, he was taught the right thing. Evolution is an atheistic theory, it has never been close to being proved and cannot be proved with any facts whatsoever. So what made Dr. Maddix change his mind? Was it compelling evidence from Holy Scripture? Sadly, no. His authority is not the Bible, as is evident now.
He goes on to say that when he went to a Christian university, that is where he changed his mind. He was persuaded, not by God’s word, but by the words of a professor. He believed the professor who said that “the author of Genesis, probably not Moses, (that created another anxiety) had no understanding of modern science and was writing to show God's relationship with God's creation.” So then Maddix explains that “His explanation changed the course of my understanding of the creation-evolution debate and helped me understand Genesis 1 and 2 as theological not scientific.”
He then goes on to tell how he subsequently became confused by a young earth creationist’s explanation of our origins. He then stayed confused until a biology professor “affirmed his belief in evolution by stating that Darwin's theory was the best way to explain how God created the universe.” He accepted the professor’s explanation that “"Believing in evolution does not reject Scripture, since Scripture was not written for such purposes." Dr. Maddix goes on the state that “My Christian liberal arts education provided me with a clearer understanding of a Wesleyan view of Scripture, particularly as it related to the creation accounts and a view of creation that could include evolution".
Thus he bought into the lie, and thus that is where he is now.
You must read on through his entire article in order to
understand the kind of thinking that is causing great harm to Christian students in our universities. A other quote by Dr. Maddix:
“In my search for understanding how persons grow and develop morality, I first asked whether humans are born with the capacity to know what is right or wrong (nature), or is morality shaped primary by our environments (nurture).”
He is searching for answers, but he seems to not search in the right place. His search for understanding can only fully be fully arrived at in the pages of the “great book” as John Wesley called it. As he and others distort the history of John Wesley for their purposes, they forget that John Wesley believed entirely in the complete inspiration of Scripture, and that it has no error whatsoever. And therein lies the problem. They do NOT believe that the Bible is God’s word. They pick and choose and decide for themselves what the Bible says, not what it really says.
Dr. Maddix concludes:
“Evolutionary ethics does not contradict a Biblical view of human persons.
Instead it provides a scientific explanation for how God created humans with the capacity to be moral, and through our environments, we grow and develop morally.”
How truly sad. How pathetically sad. Yet he will answer to God for the damage he is causing. But Dr Maddix is not alone; he is but one example of the many members of Nazarenes Exploring Evolution who are causing great harm today. One is a former professor of mine in Greek New Testament. Another is Tom Oord, also from NNU, who also promotes such false teachings as process theology and open theism. Another is Dr. Dan Boone, president of Trevecca Nazarene University, one of the most dangerous and influential men in the denomination today.
It is a long list of "learned men and women" who cannot seem to accept the plain taught facts of Scripture.
As I wrote in a previous article:
Believing in evolution means you must accept that, among other things:
-Adam and Eve were not real historical figures as described in Genesis;
-Jesus was not truthful when he talked about Adam and Eve in a historical context;
-You reject God’s account in Genesis that He created everything in six days;
-You reject the truthfulness of the genealogical account of the Lord in Matthew, which includes Adam;
-The account of the first 11 chapters of Genesis is only allegory;
-You accept that death came into the world many years before any Adam and Eve, contradicting Romans 5:12 and its explanation of how sin and death came into the world;
-You pick and choose what you want to believe, instead of accepting God’s historical account at face value;
-You choose to use your own intellect and human reasoning and philosophy to validate the Bible, instead of letting the Bible validate itself;
-You reject the inerrancy and reliability of Scripture as the sole and final written authority for our faith and practice, and instead accept that the Bible has errors and is written deceptively.
Quoting a friend who recently commented on Maddix’s article: “What was it someone said to Paul, "Great learning has driven you mad." This fellow, like many in our universities, has had Christianity educated out of them. So sad.”
Well, we know that Paul certainly was not mad, as he was clearly preaching and teaching the truth. He himself claimed that the words that came from him were “not man’s word, but God’s words.” Dr. Maddix and his friends do not believe the Bible is God’s inerrant word, and until they accept God’s word for what it teaches, they will be lost like a ship in the storm.
Related Articles:http://reformednazarene.
Manny Silva
Stand For Truth Ministries
"The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever." Psalm 119:160
Blogging at www.reformednazarene.
Podcasting at: http://
FaceBook group: Concerned Nazarenes
FaceBook group: Concerned Christians
Portuguese: http://nazarenoportugues.
Spanish: http://nazarenoespanol.
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
------------------------------
[Stand For Truth Ministries is a self-supporting ministry dedicated to fighting emergent church ideology and other false teachings. Your prayers are asked for more than anything else.]
To donate to our ministry, send a check to:
Stand For Truth
P.O. Box 532
Somerset, MA 02726
(Donations are not tax-deductible; we are NOT a non-profit)
Podcasting at: http://
FaceBook group: Concerned Nazarenes
FaceBook group: Concerned Christians
Portuguese: http://nazarenoportugues.
Spanish: http://nazarenoespanol.
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." 2 Corinthians 4:8-9
------------------------------
[Stand For Truth Ministries is a self-supporting ministry dedicated to fighting emergent church ideology and other false teachings. Your prayers are asked for more than anything else.]
To donate to our ministry, send a check to:
Stand For Truth
P.O. Box 532
Somerset, MA 02726
(Donations are not tax-deductible; we are NOT a non-profit)
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