An Argument for a Designer

Jonathan L. McCarthy

There has been a lot of ruckus lately about this issue of intelligent design. Interestingly, as Christian as you may think this theory is, it is still a far cry from our faith, but at least it seems to be a step closer to the right direction. When you consider it, though, teaching I.D. isn't going to necessarily put kids in contact with Christ. You can still be a pagan and believe in god (small 'g'). However, as I said, the theory is veritable and the intentions (in some) good. As simple as this article may seem, I think it is necessary because there are a lot of people out there who claim to be intelligent and yet deny this basic truth.

So, I simply want to show in logical formula that there must be an intelligent designer. According to Modus Ponens, one of several logical patterns, p implies q, and if one has p, one must inevitably have q. Now, this question entirely depends upon the premise. My premise is this, that a design, implies a designer.

Obviously, it would be easy enough to do the run-down of p implies q and finish this article, but that would be hardly fair. I need to prove my premise. First I need to define design. A design is an arrangement of anything that has enough complexity to it to demand an intelligent creator. Humans make "design judgements" every day of our lives probably hundreds of times...subconsciously of course. When we see a flight of stairs, we assume that someone with an intelligent mind created those stairs to bear our weight. We recognize a design. When we lay eyes on a computer, we assume that a thinking inventor pieced it together to boot up upon pushing the start button. We recognize a design. I could go on endlessly, but the point is clear.

So, subconsciously, we all recognize that once an object attains a certain degree of complexity, it had to be put together that way on purpose by a thinking being. Nature alone wouldn't attain that complexity. Let's say that this degree is 4c (4 complexity). A flight of stairs is 4c, a seesaw is 5c, and a computer is 900c. Anything at 4c or above implies design (p implies q). It is important to realize that your brain functions this way. Let me pose a question. Which is more complex, a flight of stairs or your cardiac system? Obviously, your cardiac system is more complex. If we therefore, carry out our Modus Ponens, we must determine that the cardiac system was designed.

The logic for this is: Premise 1: Anything greater than or equal to 4c demands design Premise 2: The human cardiac system is greater than 4c Conclusion: The human cardiac system demands design. The analogy goes all through nature.
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Like it or not, but this premise is established in each and every one of our minds. Once something attains that hypothetical 4c, it is no longer a fluke of chance. So, to deny I.D., you really must deny a principle that goes far more than skin deep.

In Rejection of Mediocrity: Christ is the Season!

David MacMillan and his father have put together a wonderful PowerPoint presentation about Christmas and the Gospel...I'd encourage you all to check it out at In Rejection of Mediocrity. The URL is http://standonbible.blogspot.com/2005/12/christ-is-season.html.

Grace, Peace, and Merry CHRISTmas!
David Ketter

Christmas Questions

Christmas Questions

Thought provokers for your Christmas devotions

-Jonathan L. McCarthy

Matthew 1&2; Luke 1-2:40

In the genealogy, why does the writer say, "Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham?" (NASB)

Jesus means Joshua. Of what significance is this?

How is it that Herod could recognize the authority of the OT prophets and yet believe that he could successfully frustrate their prophecies?

Luke 1:16-17 reflects Jesus’ mission, but what can we discover about His nature?
What can be learned from Zacharias’ response to the answer to his prayers?
How did Mary respond to the angel differently than Zacharias had?

Mercy and exaltation of the humble are the themes of Mary’s song. How do these tie in with Christ’s life and mission?

Is it possible that Zacharias’ prophecy in 1:68-69 outlines the story of all Scripture?
How did the shepherds respond to the news? How would you have responded?
What significant implication of Christ’s mission does Simeon uniquely predict in 2:32?

Summarize the mission of Christ as revealed by Zacharias, Mary and Simeon.

The Urgency of Our Mission

There are many Evangelicals among us who believe that we are living in the last days. Many have cited Jesus' statements about the "days of Noah and the "days of Lot" in support of that thesis. They have also pointed out certain prophecies from Old Testament prophets that have yet to be fulfilled, along with other signs that Jesus indicated as coming shortly before His coming. If their statements are to be believed (and there is a strong credibility there), then evangelism and outreach are at their peak point in urgency.

In the last month, during my blogging sabbatical, God has been increasingly pressing upon my spirit the importance of the last days. Many of those who read The Account can tell you that I've been covering a host of topics like Church History, Christian unity, and Christian doctrines (e.g., Predestination, etc.) and I would love to continue them, and pray that I will receive that opportunity but, as I said, I believe this is what God is telling me to do.

The study of the last days is known in theological circles as eschatology. This is a field in which man has dabbled in for centuries - with very little success. Those who succeeded were the Hebrew prophets, the Apostles of Jesus, and some other early figures in the Christian Church - all of which had significant impact on the study. Jesus himself, however, had quite a few things to say about the Last Days. When one reads about it, a few things stick out:

1. "wars and rumors of wars" We live in a day and age when war is everywhere. The War on Terror, the War in Iraq, the civil instability around the world, and world war a constant threat with the hype about weapons of mass destruction.
2. "pestilences" The word used here refers to epidemics and mass spread of disease - often fatal. AIDS, HIV, cancer and many other diseases have swept whole continents (Africa, for instance) and are spreading further and further every day.
3. "they will hate you because of me" Even in the free countries of the world, Christians are no longer accepted and admired as they once were. Tolerance is preached from every secular forum in the world - tolerance for everyone but Christians, that is. We are not accepted because we are not of this world.

All of these things are becoming increasingly familiar to us as the days pass. After Jesus had told them these things, he said (Luke 21:29-31):

He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near."

For this reason, all Christians, not just Evangelicals, are on a mission from God to reach the lost of every nation, tribe, and tongue. We have our Lord's promise that His Kingdom shall not come until every nation has been reached. We are steadily nearing that goal thanks to the work of Christian missionaries around the world yet how many are the lost! All Christians must begin the work of evangelism that all may hear the Gospel preached. This is the urgency of our mission.
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For the Kingdom!

Aslan, Gandalf and Harry

Jonathan L. McCarthy

From what I understand, there have been three theatrical fantasy hits over the past few years - The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and now The Chronicles of Narnia are promising great things. As Christians, we need to dissect the differences and perhaps similarities of these productions in light of God's word before we donate ourselves carte blanche to indulge. Many of us, of course have already seen LOTR, but Chronicles of Narnia and HP remain untouched by some. I'll give you my run down, and then open the platform for discussion.

The Lord of the Rings: Some say that this has a lot of Christian symbolism, but I honestly wasn't struck by an over-abundance of hidden meaning. I did think something of Gandalf fighting with the balrog for three days and "rising" again, and perhaps one could interpret the Return of the King as symbolic of the Return of THE King, but again, ambiguity clouds the vision. Besides, Tolkien himself declared that he "detested allegory wherever I smell it." If the work isn't symbolic in any form and fashion, then the fact of Gandalf's being a wizard and using spells poses a Scriptural problem. How can one of protagonists be acceptably using undefined powers? Moreover, the words associated with Gandalf – wizard, spell etc. infer evil power. Even the name Gandalf means "sorcerer-elf". I have friends who believe differently on this, and have tried to explain the mystery to me, so I'm welcome to challenges/clarifications.

Harry Potter: I must confess that I know little about this, simply because I've kept a wide distance from it. I've skimmed one or two articles in a Christian magazine about it, but in general I've steered completely clear. I haven't heard good reports. I've been told that Harry is a sorcerer, which definitely is in contradiction to Scripture.

Chronicles of Narnia: I believe I'm most conversant on this series. I'm ready to give the thumbs up on this one for several reasons. 1) The symbolism is clear. Aslan = Jesus, Witch = Devil, Edmund = fallen humanity. 2) Therefore the power manifested by each of the characters is acutely defined. 3) Furthermore, while the lines of distinction between "good" and "evil" aren't so clear in LOTR, they are clearer in this book. Aslan is good because he represents Jesus and his perfection, forgiveness, sacrifice etc. The Witch is evil because she represents the Devil, hatred and usurpation. I haven’t seen the newest production yet, but if it follows the book, it should be good.
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Now that I've briefly drawn the lines, I'd invite you all to take part. Let me know what you think.