Ian McNaughton considers what 'glasses' we wear when examining scientific evidence

Without knowing it we all absorb as a sponge absorbs water, the ideas of an evolutionary worldview as we grow up. A "worldview" expresses how we think about the world and how we see things around us. Are we thinking like an evolutionist or as one whose stance is shaped by God and his Word the Bible? Let us test this idea.

Did kangaroos live in the Middle East? I am pretty sure that most of my readers will hesitate before they answer, thinking it is a trick question! It is not a trick question, but it does test our understanding of the world's history. For most of us kangaroos are only found in Australia and nowhere else. Thus the obvious answer to the question, "Did kangaroos live in the Middle East?" is an emphatic no! However, is this a correct answer? Certainly not. When Bible history is read the answer is a positive one. How so? The Bible contains the history of the world infallibly given to us which records what the world used to be like (before it was cursed by sin and the fall); what it is now like (as understood by God) and what it will be like when Jesus Christ comes back again (a second time). In other words the history of the universe is given to us in God's Word.

The Bible tells the story of Noah and the Ark, but of course we all know this story:-
Noah built an ark and filled it with pairs of every type of land animal; God then flooded the world with water when it rained for 40 days and 40 nights resulting in the destruction of all life on dry land. This was God's judgment on the world because of sin and wickedness which was out of control. God did this because he had promised to save the world from wickedness through a Redeemer. The world needed a new start.

The story of the Ark is not a fable nor is it a metaphor to explain what God is like but rather a real history telling us the true story of God's dealings with his people. When the Ark finally came to rest (after about a year), Noah opened the door of the Ark and out came all the animals to re-populate the earth which had been destroyed by the worldwide flood. Kangaroos were in the Ark too and so out they popped to start a family who in time had their own babies who reproduced after their own kind. They came out of the Ark which had settled on Mount Ararat as the flood waters retreated. Ararat is in the Middle East! So let me ask the two questions again, "Are you revolutionized?" We can tell by our answer to the second question, "Did kangaroos live in the Middle East?" The answer to the latter is an emphatic, yes! See how easily we have been made to think in a non-biblical way?

The evolution/creation debate is a clash of worldviews. The battle is over the same evidence. Too many people think that it is a battle of sorting out different evidence, No! We have the same rocks, fossils, stars, the same DNA. It is the interpretation of the evidence that is in focus when these worldviews clash. Both worldviews have the same hardware (our brains) however, the operating systems (our worldviews) are different. Reading the Bible brings creation, the world and human existence into focus. To know why we are here (i.e. exist as homo sapiens) Christians believe that we need to put on new glasses - ones with Biblical lenses! This is done by reading the Bible regularly (some Christians read it every day) and trusting what it says about salvation, forgiveness, assurance and peace with God. In the New Testament we are taught that Jesus Christ is not only Saviour but Creator also.

What happened to the kangaroos which were in the Middle East and roamed the world after the flood? They were probably eaten for food by hunters as the human population increased and so their numbers were reduced until all were extinct, except in Australia.