Gaps in a Theory

If you’ve been following the story of the Dover, Pennsylvania School District and it’s battle over Intelligent Design, you may have heard that the school board voted last night to rescind its policy that was challenged in court by the ACLU and 11 parents of Dover School District students.

To clarify a few points…

First, it’s important to note that the media and the ACLU have called this a battle over teaching Intelligent Design in schools. Make no mistake – it was NOT about teaching Intelligent Design. The school district had agreed to allow a statement to be read, prior to the evolution unit in their 9^th grade science class. This statement indicated evolution is a theory and that there are other theories which some believe may explain some of the gaps in the theory of evolution. The statement offered the name of a book that children could check out of the library if they were interested in researching alternate theories to evolution. That’s it. The statement was not curriculum, nor did it offer any real educational value, other than to inform the children there was other reading material available. This is NOT teaching Intelligent Design.

Second, it’s important to note that 4 days after the trial ended, the residents of Dover voted every single member of the school board out – and replaced them with a brand new board made up of people who had campaigned against the policy. So, it’s not exactly “news” that the new and "improved", anti-Christian board voted to rescind the policy on the very first official vote of their terms.

Conservative Christians have had a lot to say regarding the people of Dover and what may or may not happen as a result of their anti-Christian decision-making. I’ve said before on this blog that I do believe in Intelligent Design and that I do believe our children should hear about it. I don’t believe it’s vital for the children to learn it at school because I think parents should be teaching their kids at home. I would be happy to send the Bible to anyone who is missing the textbook. However, and for what it’s worth, the likes of Pat Robertson and all those who have prophesied the doom and damnation of the Dover residents for “turning their backs on God” is just plain over the top.

Nowhere in Scripture will you find a place under the New Covenant where Jesus promises to turn His back on people…with the exception of Judgment Day. In fact, throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments tell story after story where God is merciful to people, even when they didn’t deserve it. God even offered to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if there could be found but a few believers.

What’s interesting is that many of the people who have fought against this policy in Dover are professed Christians, which if you ask me, sheds a whole different light on things. We’re not talking about a whole community of atheists here. We’re talking about professed Christians who have chosen to remove God from their public lives.

While I don’t believe that God is going to send the next Hurricane Katrina to Dover because of their sin, I do think there is something to be said for the shame that many of these people may feel in the end…and I’m not just talking about the end of the week.

If you’re an atheist…or agnostic…as if there’s really a difference relative to this subject…you could argue that it doesn’t really matter because there is no real Judgment Day. But humor me for a moment while I suggest to you what might happen as a result of Christians who begin to rationalize these types of arguments.

Romans 8:1 says,

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

No condemnation at all to those who are in Christ Jesus. Now, I’m not suggesting I know any other person’s heart, but it would definitely appear that those who opposed this statement (keeping in mind that it was merely a statement), professed Christians or not, may not be in Christ Jesus. (I know I’ll catch a lot of steam for that, but these are just some observations.) So, if you believe the Holy Scripture is literally true, as I do, you would have to assume that condemnation does await those who are not in Christ Jesus.

Condemnation: “The condition of being strongly disapproved of, wrong or morally culpable, reproof, damnation and shame”.

There are many instances in Scripture that back this up – not the least being Judas.

Judas didn’t live a happy life after betraying Jesus, in spite of his financial windfall. He turned his back on God and in the end, God didn’t have to smite him. It turns out he couldn’t live with the shame of his own actions.

I may not buy into the idea that God is going to smite the Dover residents, but the New Testament speaks of a day when many will stand before the Lord and profess their allegiance, only to be told, “I knew you not”. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…I don’t believe the Scripture is talking about the false prophets and fake faith healers of this world. They know they're fakes. They aren’t going to stand before God and try to pretend to be anything different. No, I believe it’s going to be people who have been so deceived by themselves and have rationalized Scripture to the point where it’s not recognizable. These are the people who will be saying, “but Lord!” The ones who preach a feel good gospel that draws in many, but feeds few. The ones who say, “I’m a Christian! But don’t you dare bring God into my child’s classroom”.

I guess we won’t know until that day comes. If I’m wrong – I guess these people have nothing to worry about. But if I’m right – well, I guess they just better hope I’m wrong.