“Man’s Narrow, Earthly Conceptions”

August 20, 2012 came and left without much fanfare; it was on that date back in 1858 that Charles Darwin first published his evolutionary theory of natural selection in The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London.

Who would’ve thought that 154 years later, Christian churches would be countering a varied form of Darwin’s theory within their own doors?

Instead of specifically speaking to evolution in this article, I want to briefly look at something else. Be it women’s ordination, a literal six day creation, or the issue of the Holy Spirit, it all boils down to the same thing:  people strive to bring God down to their level making it easy to characterize and explain Him. Although Ellen White is addressing creation in the following quote, her words can be applied to much more than just Darwin’s theory; it applies to any theory which attempts to bring God down to our level. The created trying to lower and explain the Creator.

There is no ground for the supposition that man was evolved by slow degrees of development from the lower forms of animal or vegetable life. Such teaching lowers the great work of the Creator to the level of man’s narrow, earthly conceptions. Men are so intent upon excluding God from the sovereignty of the universe that they degrade man and defraud him of the dignity of his origin.” (Patriarchs and Prophets, pg. 44.3, emphasis mine)

 I would also suggest that in such theories God is also defrauded and diminished!

But the good thing, if our hearts are in tune with God, it can work to His benefit. Great Controversy, page 599, reads “The language of the Bible should be explained according to its obvious meaning, unless a symbol or figure is employed. If men would but take the Bible as it reads, if there were no false teachers to mislead and confuse their minds, a work would be accomplished that would make angels glad and that would bring into the fold of Christ thousands upon thousands who are now in error.”

When the Word of God speaks clearly on a subject we should take it as it reads.

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