One Voice for Public Policy | November 2019

Dear Public Policy Advocates,

I think we can all agree that the cultural challenges to the proclamation of the Christian faith in the public sphere have multiplied and intensified significantly in recent years. But I have some hopeful news for you today. One of the key underlying motives for these cultural challenges is being called into public question and, indeed, is being quickly discredited.

The underlying motive of which I’m speaking is the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution.

Mounting evidence against evolutionary biology

In recent years especially, the scientific evidence disputing the grand claims of evolutionary biology (the macro-evolutionary tale of “microbes to men”) has been steadily mounting. Indeed, the potent nature of this new evidence has prompted numerous high profile agnostic and atheistic intellectuals to publicly announce their abandonment of Darwinian theory, including David Gelernter, Thomas Nagel, and Antony Flew. In response, several recent international gatherings of leading evolutionists have been trying, quietly, to salvage the evolutionary project by coming up with plausible alternatives to current evolutionary thought (e.g., the multiverse theory) to avoid having to admit the obvious: the designed nature of living organisms.

As one more piece of evidence that we have reached a tipping point in this long-running creation / evolution debate, I want to call your attention to a new 5-minute video PragerU released last week. It features Dr. Stephen Meyer of the Discovery Institute presenting two of the most stunning examples of this new evidence. I urge you to watch this video by clicking on this link. Share it with friends and, perhaps, your local high school biology teacher. These PragerU videos typically receive multi-million views.

Interested in reading more on the mounting evidence against evolutionary biology? I recommend the following:

1.      Signature in the Cell by Stephen Meyer

2.      Darwin Devolves by Michael Behe

3.      Evolution News at evolutionnews.org

Mounting hope for the proclamation of the Gospel

Just this past week, I returned from a very encouraging gathering at the Discovery Institute and can attest to the fact that we appear to be reaching a pivotal moment when the old Darwinian model will be forced to give way to a new paradigm. Which is to say we have reached a point when new scientific evidence compels more and more evolutionists to admit that the most rational explanation for the elegance and complexity of living systems is that they had an intelligent cause. They are the product of an Intelligent Designer.

This impending change will have immense and positive implications for the proclamation of the Gospel, since Scripture and common sense both attest to the fact that the degree to which a person can confidently confess God as Creator directly influences the degree to which that person will confess God, in Christ, as Redeemer. This is especially true for young adults as they go about formulating their own personal worldview.

Mounting hope for our young brothers and sisters in Christ

The cultural challenges to the Church’s ministry are many and varied, but I think it is safe to say that each is animated and amplified by the fact that so many people now carry around a worldview that accepts evolutionary theory as true. I hope you’ll agree with me that taking the opportunity that modern science is providing to expose the logical and scientific shortcomings of this theory needs to be an intentional part of our catechetical training.

Obviously, this is not to suggest that such apologetic efforts are sufficient to bring people to faith. That, of course, is the work of the Holy Spirit acting through the Gospel. However, eliminating the cultural clutter of macro-evolutionary theory will remove a major obstacle to the hearing and acceptance of the Gospel and should be encouraged by pastors and teachers in the Church.

To help get this important word out to as many of our members as quickly as possible, I’ve developed an hour-long presentation titled “Creator of All Things, Visible and Invisible” intended especially for young adults—though it is also suitable for general congregational use. In it, I convey some of the most striking pieces of new evidence which call evolutionary theory into question, and I alert our young members to the fact that they are actively being “recruited” to embrace a secular worldview which flows from evolutionary thought.

If you are interested in scheduling this presentation for your youth group, adult class, or any other appropriate setting, please contact me via email at fred.hinz@mnsdistrict.org or via phone at 507-317-9634.

Blessings to you as you continue to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a world in desperate need of good news!

In Christ,

Rev. Hinz

Rev. Fredric Hinz
fred.hinz@mnsdistrict.org
LCMS Public Policy Advocate
Minnesota South and North Districts