Our name | Mission | Vision | Leaders Ministries | Schedule | Directions | Contact Home   Gateway Church gathers for worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Location: 6425 Jefferson Rd. (Hwy. 129) in Athens, Georgia. For directions, click here. Ministry of the Word: Recent sermons Our quarterly e-magazine Gateway Today For the Gateway family Pastor Jerry's Weekly E-Mail A GATEWAY SERMON SUMMARY AUDIO Origins (Third in the series, 'A Christain worldview') Jerry Varnado, pastor Gateway Church, Athens GA August 22, 2004 Main Scripture text: Genesis 1:1-2:1. A Christian Worldview Sermon Series Aug. 8, 2004 • The Power of Perspective Aug. 15, 2004 • The Holy Bible: Our Guide for Faith and Practice Aug. 22, 2004 • Origins Aug. 29, 2004 • Will the Real God Please Stand Up? Sept. 5, 2004 • The Spirit World Sept. 12, 2004 • A Warfare Worldview Sept. 19, 2004 • War Stories: Invasion and Liberation Oct. 10, 2004 • War Stories: At the Front Oct. 17, 2004 • The Enemy's Battle Plan Oct. 24, 2004 • Personal Defense Oct. 31, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Sword of the Spirit Nov. 7, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Name of Jesus Nov. 14, 2004 • Our Weapons: The Blood of Jesus Nov. 28, 2004 • Warfare Worldview: The Real Star Wars What is the origin of the universe? Where did it come from? Where did we come from? These are key questions -- and how we answer them will become the foundation stone of our worldview. The Biblical answer is found in Genesis 1 and 2: God created the universe and everything in it, including the human race. That used to be the prevailing view in American society, until the 20th century. But now Charles Darwin's theory of macro-evolution is the accepted answer to the question, "Where did we come from?" Darwin's theory basically teaches that through random chance and natural selection (i.e. no supernatural intervention), complicated life forms on this planet evolved from lower life forms, which in turn had their beginnings with simple one-celled organisms. Some Christians have tried to reconcile the Bible with Darwin and other related non-creationist recent theories. But we should not forget that evolution, at its root, is an attempt to explain the universe without reference God. There is no need, however, to try to reconcile the Bible with evolution. Instead, we can look to the growing field of "intelligent design" theory for scientific research that buttresses the basic biblical argument that a Supreme Being designed and formed the universe. For example, in his award-winning book, Darwin's Black Box, Dr. Michael Behe, Professor of Biochemistry at Lehigh University has shown that macro-evolution is a completely inadequate explanation for complex cell structures. In Darwin on Trial, Dr. Phillip Johnson, a professor of law at the University of California at Berkley, has exposed the many logical fallacies and inconsistencies inherent in Darwinism. This kind material helps us equip ourselves to defend our faith -- not so we can smash and humiliate the opposition, but so we can win people to Jesus. Many people, because of what they've been told by so-called science, won't even consider Christianity. To be effective witnesses today we need to be knowledgeable about what is going on in the debate over origins. Supporting text: 2 Timothy 2:15 | 1 Peter 3:15 | Jude 3 A mp3 audio file of this sermon is here (38:00). (Download to a PC by right clicking on the link and choosing "Save Target As." Mac users: click, hold, and choose "Download Link to Disk." Depending on your connection speed, the file may take several minutes to download.) An audio tape of this sermon is available free of charge (U.S requests only). Request a tape by calling or writing the Gateway Church office. Please specify tape number 040822a: Origins. © 2004 Gerald R. Varnado To the Gateway Church home page How to contact us