Thoughts in a Haystack

Via the highly recommended Eye on the ICR ... where Peter reads creationist bullhockey so you don't have to, at least until he uncovers a particularly bizarre intellectual train wreck that simply has to be seen to be believed ... comes this little gem by Rhonda Forlow, Ed.D. That it is authored by a Doctor of Education only increases the jaw-drop factor.

Young children approach life with refreshing innocence. They assume that spoken words are truth because they have no reason to question the trusted adult who spoke them. But as children grow older, they begin to question adults and situations—they want evidence of truth as they encounter unknown people and new circumstances in their world.

Adults are no different. They want proof that a new product does what it claims to do, or that a doctor received his credentials from an appropriate place, or that the latest technological gadget is truly going to make life easier. But with all our evidence-gathering, we too often overlook the importance of providing evidence to our children concerning faith issues. Shouldn't we diligently look for ways to teach our children, in ways they can understand, the evidences of their faith?

As a Christian, I don't question the evidence of creation—it's simple for me because it's outlined in God's Word. What is there to question?

Well, for starters, how do you know the Bible is the word of God? Weren't you just talking about "evidences"?

But it gets, believe it or not, worse, because, you see, the "evidences" for the Bible being the word of God come from (you guessed it!) the Bible:

But I know my children need to be taught those evidences, and it's not always as simple for them to grasp the meanings of some Bible verses.

When we talk to our children about the evidence of creation, the best place to start is the Bible. Then we look for ways to make it understandable for our unique children, taking into consideration their ages and developmental levels. As parents, we possess the privileged information about our particular children's learning needs and abilities—we know our own children best. And so, we can figure out how to clearly present the truths of Scripture and to make the evidence simple for our children.

"Simple" is a word I'd use for this ... but probably not in the sense Dr. Forlow does.