Human evolution - myth or scientific fact? was the question the youth of six different churches in Washington State were looking for an answer to as they gathered at Good News Church, Tacoma on May 21 for an apologetics evening with Carl Kirby (Reasons for Hope).
Besides the youth from GNC, there were also representatives from the Evangelical Baptist Church of Kent, Spring of Life Everett, First Ukrainian Baptist Church, Word of Truth Church, and the Choose Life Church. According to the youth leader, Timothy Petrov, the main goal of the conference was to emphasize the importance of the fundamental understanding of existence as it is written in the first eleven books of the Bible, to assure the youth about the truthfulness of the Bible about creation, and to demonstrate the authority and truthfulness of God’s word which is affirmed by historical facts.
“As I travel, I always tell people that I am grounded on God’s Word. This is a truth that Christians can boldly use to answer the questions the world is asking. The youth should not be ashamed of their faith, but should be equipped to defend it, and be firm in their convictions”, said the speaker. The training and equipping of the next generation to be firm in their Biblical understanding while defending their faith is the goal of Reasons for Hope Ministry which is an organization that Carl Kerby is a part of.
Vasiliy Stupin who is the pastor of the Good News Church reasons that in today’s time and the information war, the youth must be taught to be confident witnesses of Jesus Christ and be able to defend their faith.
During the conference, they talked about the missing link on the example of the fossilized lemur and the Lucy fossil, which is foundational scientific evidence for the evolution theory. Facts were presented to refute this theory and make it clear that we are created in the image of God, and Christ is an exact imprint of His nature. Prayer and worship became an integral part of the evening of apologetics.
After the main teaching, there was also time for questions. Some of the questions were: “What does the Bible say about dinosaurs? How is the age of the earth supported by the carbon dating? How do you know that you are saved? How to overcome temptations?”, and much more. Approximately 150 young people were present at the meeting, who could be strengthened in their faith. Thank God for this opportunity and many thanks to speaker Carl Kirby.
Svetlana Iotko
