Common descent (also called ‘universal common ancestry’) is the hypothesis that all living species on earth are descended from a single organism that lived in the distant past.1 By logical necessity this means, of course, that species must have undergone major evolution throughout life’s history, and belief in some kind of evolution can be traced back to Ancient Greece.2 Evolutionary ideas, including the idea of common descent, gathered popularity in the first half of the nineteenth century.3 … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2015
The Simplicity of the Gospel
“But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3“For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.” 2 Corinthians 1:12These two verses (as taken from the King James Version) may lead us to … [Read more...]
Unity or Union?
One of the most challenging and awe inspiring verses in Scripture is Philippians 2:5 - “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”. The Apostle Paul encourages and exhorts us to have the same mind or way of thinking as our Lord Jesus Christ. Different versions put it in various ways as they endeavour to come to grips with the full depth of what Paul is trying to teach us. For example the CEV has “think the same way that Christ Jesus thought”, the TLV “Have this attitude in … [Read more...]