I have seen an advanced screening of the film Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, and it is amazing!!! Every thinking person must see this movie! Not only is the information very compelling, but the way in which it is presented is engaging and keeps you interested. It is no secret that documentaries can be either boring – or – largely fictitious and contrived (as is the case with one very well-known “documentarian”); however, neither is the case with Expelled.
I am pleased to be able to reprint this article about the upcoming movie written by one of our great friends; Dr. Ray Bohlin – the President of Probe Ministries.
Editor’s (Probe) Note: In the land of the free, who would dream of well-reputed scholars—even tenured ones—being expelled from their own institutions? But those who dare to even cite evidence contrary to Darwinian evolution (www.redeeemingdarwin.com) are often pilloried, even terminated. A new documentary, featuring actor, lawyer, economist, former presidential speechwriter and author Ben Stein, blows the whistle on this travesty of academic and scientific freedom…
Most Christians would admit to feeling persecuted in one way or another. 
We may quickly add that, of course, it’s not like being thrown to the lions like the early Christians. But we see the culture undergoing decay and we perceive our perspective on ethical issues being marginalized. Occasionally we hear of people being harassed in their jobs for being a Christian.
But most of us would expect that in certain spheres of society, such viewpoint bias is quickly admonished and freedom is protected. Our universities are paragons of something called academic freedom. University professors need to be free to express themselves about wherever their research and thinking has led them.American society prides itself in allowing such ideals as freedom of expression, freedom of speech, and even religious freedom. That is a part of what has made our country a refuge for many over the centuries.
In the academic community this is even more highly prized because research is about discovering new ideas and testing them. Researchers need a generous amount of freedom to see where their ideas may lead without being restricted just because a department head doesn’t like their idea.
We tolerate even objectionable ideas like Communism in our universities precisely because it is in hearing all viewpoints that students can best discern the truth. Having been educated as a graduate student in biology departments in two different universities, I can tell you firsthand that not everybody gets along and there are frequent disagreements, both privately and publicly.
But this is seen as necessary because that is how we learn. Ideas need competition. That is how truth is pursued in our human context. During my time in the 70s and 80s as a biology graduate student I was even able to be free about my faith and my doubts about Darwin.
Such freedom is not available today. If a friendly professor learns of your doubts about St. Darwin, he or she will likely tell you to keep it to yourself if you want to graduate.
But what about professors and highly published researchers? Surely they are given a little more latitude? Guess again. Coming [April 18] to a theater near you is an explosive film… Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed starring Ben Stein which chronicles the persecution of highly trained and published scientists simply for doubting or denying Darwin.
A double Ph.D. in biology and evolution was locked out of his offices and all of his research privileges were denied. He was eventually terminated. When a U.S. Senator began asking questions, he was told it was all a mistake. Eventually, his superiors said he was making it up. When an official report came out documenting the abuse, they admitted it but claimed he deserved it.
A highly lauded university biology instructor was demoted and fired for simply including evidence contrary to Darwinism as well as evidence for it. She was told she was teaching creationism even though her lecture outlines were freely available online and the words Creator, Designer, or Higher Power never left her lips. Even the lawyer who volunteered to freely pursue a lawsuit was pressured to drop it.
A highly successful and well-published astronomer has been denied tenure even though he has published over four times the necessary peer-reviewed articles. The reason? He is open and receptive to the theory of Intelligent Design even though it has never been introduced into his courses.
Some are still fighting, some have taken early retirement. Some are blacklisted and can’t find a job. Clearly, some ideas are more tolerated than others.
Got your attention? This is really just the tip of the iceberg of these and other stories this film will explore. Plan now to attend when Expelled hits…
Stay Tuned!
For other great articles on this topic please visit www.redeemingdarwin.com
There are a myriad of books aimed at pastors that focus on the purpose of the church. What many of these authors do not realize is they are promoting their priority DNA type. Some of the titles include, “The Connecting Church”, “The Disciple-Making Church”, and “The Equipping Church”. With all of these biblically-based books on the purpose of the church, how can you effectively decipher what DNA elements are essential for your community?
I recommend we look at the life and mission of Christ to determine what our mission should be. The first thing that we can learn from the Gospel accounts is that our Lord Jesus Christ saw his primary task as that of Savior. Jesus says of himself in Luke 19:10, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” What does that mean for the church today? It means that we need to look beyond the walls of our church and find those in need of a Savior. Sadly, most churches today are inwardly focused. If they were evaluated in terms of the familiar parable of the lost sheep, they would be more interested in shepherding the 99 than “seeking and saving” the one lost sheep. We need to be what one author calls, “an outward-facing force”. If reaching the lost is a priority of Jesus then it should be our priority as the church.
One of my favorite selections from Scripture that encourages outreach and evangelism is found in Colossians 4:5-6: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” With God’s blessing we must successfully make the most of every opportunity to connect with our community for the purpose of encouraging to place their trust in Christ for their salvation. Build relationships with outsiders or unbelievers for the opportunity to minister to them, invite them to church, and share the love of Jesus in word and deed.
The concept of Redeeming the Culture was born out of the relationship between the parachurch organizations EvanTell, Inc. and Probe Ministries. In 2006, when it was announced that Dan Brown’s novel The DaVinci Code was to be made into a movie starring Tom Hanks, believers everywhere were mobilized as a response to the controversy over how the history of Jesus and the Church was being misrepresented. One of the most excellent resources to address the issue was a study produced jointly by the two ministries. It was entitled Redeeming The DaVinci Code and it addressed the topic in a unique way with great impact.
Probe Ministries, under the leadership of Kerby Anderson, wrote and produced a study on the historicity of Jesus and the ecclesiastical development that followed His resurrection. Sharp contrasts were drawn that distinguished the historical truth from the fiction that had been written by Dan Brown. It was a terrific apologetic resource done with objectivity, thorough scholarship, and production excellence.
Recognizing that knowledge in and of itself without application is a fairly useless commodity, Probe partnered with the evangelistic organization EvanTell and their founder, Dr. Larry Moyer, to take the study to another level. The second part of the program was an equally thorough and excellent treatment of the subject from a different perspective. Rather than a historical, critical, apologetic defense, EvanTell’s piece provided sound Biblical and practical instruction for the Christian who sought to take the knowledge gained from the truth of the apologetic study and better understand how to share the gospel of Christ when engaged in conversation about the book and/or movie.
The unique thing about this particular endeavor was the approach that Probe and EvanTell took. Rather than attacking the people who enjoyed the book and the movie, the idea was to equip believers to respond—not react, when challenged about their faith. The overriding philosophy was and is one of “attract, don’t attack”. From this concept the overarching theme of “Redeeming the Culture” was born.
Redeeming the Culture is not about affecting change through social programs, governance or radical activity. Rather, it is a desire to see individuals exercise leadership within their own sphere of influence to change hearts and minds one at a time…
In this episode of the Evangelism Encouragement Podcast, host Mark Rae sits down with his good friend Daniel LaBry to discuss the state of evangelism in the church today and what EvanTell is doing to encourage and equip believers around the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ.[display_podcast]
Jesus Christ claimed He was the Messiah. But over 60 other people have done the same thing. How do we know He was not a phony or some kind of lunatic deceiving Himself?
First, Jesus was pre-announced. All the others who claim to be Messiah just show up. Over three hundred prophecies in the Old Testament in essence said, “He’s coming and here is what He will look like.” When He came, Christ fit the Messiah that had been foretold. He fulfilled these prophecies on every account.
Secondly, Romans 1:4 of the Bible says concerning Christ, “He was declared to be the Son of God.” And then it says, “By the resurrection from the dead.” No other claimed “Messiah” has an empty tomb.
Some years ago, a British agnostic, referring to the other miracles of the Bible laid out the challenge when he said, “Let’s not discuss the other miracles. Let’s discuss the resurrection. If the resurrection is true, the other miracles are easy to explain. If the resurrection is not true, the other miracles do not matter.”
The resurrection is a pivotal point in Christian history. This is a central element that unites the Christian church. Why is that resurrection so important? Jesus Christ offers the gift of eternal life to those who will simply receive it. No one has the ability to save someone else, unless he has conquered the grave himself. Jesus Christ is the only one who had an empty tomb the third day. This truth no atheist has ever been able to disprove.
As sinners, we deserve to be separated from God forever. Because of Jesus Christ’s love for us, He became our substitute and took the punishment for our sins, died and rose again. He now extends the gift of life eternal to all who will trust Him as their personal Savior. To those who trust Him He says, “Because I live, you will live also. (John 14:19)
Makes sense, doesn’t it? If the resurrection is true, the other miracles are easy to explain. If the resurrection is not true, the other miracles do not matter.
Therefore, if someone questions whether Christ was who He said He was, lovingly challenge them to examine fulfilled prophecy about Christ and investigate the resurrection. I’ve never met anyone who studied the resurrection objectively that did not eventually become a believer. And this week, remember – one way to thank God for the empty tomb is by telling your neighbor about it!
If there is one word in the Christian vocabulary that needs an extreme makeover it is the word “evangelism.” The attitude behind the word is one reason why only a small percentage of believers ever lead someone to Christ. The situation is compounded by the fact that even when Christians do evangelize, they often do it out of guilt – feeling that they have to, not that they want to. This begs the question: “Do you ever get to the point that you do evangelism out of grace, not out of guilt?”
The answer is found in a biblically sound perspective on evangelism. A careful study of scripture reveals that our God of grace wants us to witness out of grace. He wants us to approach taking Christ to the lost with excitement and anticipation. Evangelism can become an enjoyable experience, not an endurable episode. Join the conversation this week at Evangelism.net and offer your thoughts on the importance of doing evangelism out of grace and not guilt.
