Apologizing for Apologetics?
A lot of people not comfortable with the conflicts within and without the Church about the creation versus evolution issue will just say, “Oh come on and just get over it. The Genesis story just isn’t worth the fight. It’s a secondary doctrine. As long as they let us keep Jesus dying for our sins, then we’re okay.” Well, the people outside the Christian community know better. Our enemies of the faith know well how vital the concept of the Original Sin being a true and historical event is to the entirety of the Gospel.
Famed atheist evangelists as far back at Thomas Huxley, Aldous Huxley and H.G. Wells knew that the removal of Genesis would be lethal to our faith in the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Modern day atheists like Richard Dawkins also know of its importance. And they all put this point much the same way, both succinctly and powerfully.
It always goes with a logic flow something like this: If Adam and Eve weren’t real people in real history, then there was no forbidden fruit and the story of mankind selling out the salvation of all humans to ever live, in the future from that point on … then people wouldn’t really be born into sin, and so they wouldn’t need a Savior. And if all that was true, then Jesus’ sacrificial vicarious death on the Cross would – well, it just wouldn’t have been needed. Atheists know this … would violate the Prayer in Gethsemane. Jesus asked of God, “If there be any other way, then let this cup pass from me.” It didn’t pass from Him. So there wasn’t any other way.
Richard Dawkins pointed out how absurd it would be for Christians to take Jesus seriously while not taking Adam & Eve seriously. “Oh, but of course the story of Adam and Eve was only ever symbolic, wasn’t it? Symbolic? So Jesus had himself tortured and executed for a symbolic sin by a non-existent individual? Nobody not brought up in the faith could reach any verdict other than barking mad!” And I must quite agree with Dr. Dawkins on this point. What point would there have been to the Cross and the supposed need for an incorruptible One to take on corruption for us, if we weren’t already born into that corruption from very start of our own lives and also from nearly the start for the life of our entire human race? There’d be no point. And that’s why selling out Genesis is just as much “selling your birthright for a mess of pottage” as is selling out the New Testament historical accounts.
Keep thinking, DrJ
