Thnak you to you all for praying. It was a very poignant meeting with Will Provine who though he holds a most unusual set of views (famous for his view concerning no free will) was a very warm personality and seemed to be genuine in saying that he really appreciated debating both myself and Dennis Sullivan (the latter on the free will issue).
I really felt the supporting hand of the Lord as I did final preparations in the morning, and in the debate itself. The presence of the Lord Himself with me and Jay Lucas (who debated Ed Buckner on Morality and Atheism / Christianity) and Dennis Sullivan (who debated Provine on free will) through the prayers of Gods people were so evident to us all.
As expected Will spent much of his time in my debate denigrating the Young Earth Creation position and attacking the age of the earth rather than the evidence for the evolution of birds. I said I stood by all that I had written in Genesis for Today which he quoted back to me in the debate.
My main argument was the exquisite design of feathers in birds, and the articulated rib cage connected to a 2 stage breathing system. He sought to argue that the avian lung was already present in dinosaurs which were forced to breather in a sparse oxygen environment at the end of the (supposed) Permian extinction event. I stressed that evidence of the breathing mechanism of dinosaurs was not yet conclusive, and that even if it can be proved, there is no fossil evidence for 1/2 way lungs or feathers, I then pressed him concerning the impossibility of new information arising in any creature which was not there potentially beforehand, and that the laws of thermodynamics can never allow this without intelligence involved. I ended on Romans 1:20 and John 1:1. I said that the evidence was a huge signpost pointing to the God who has made us. To this he said 'I just cannot see this' - he was the epitomy of someone so lost and yet with a brilliant intellect.
Will is certainly passionate and spoke with great lucidity - but when pressed for the precise development of feather evolution, he did not have an answer. What was particularly poignant was Will's health. He has had a cancerous tumour removed from the brain, and he knows it will only be a matter of time before he succumbs to the inevitable. There was some opportunity to interact with him privately. Pray for him still. Pray that the Lord will use the influence of being exposed to true believers over these last two days, to convince him even at this late stage of the truth of the Gospel.
You can order DVDs of all 3 debates at the debate web site http://debatesummit2010.blogspot.com . Pastor Lucas who mounted these debates, was much encouraged both by teh attendance and the spirit of courtesay between opponents.The atheists Ed Buckner and Will Provine may not hav ebeen convinced but they will have seen the robust defence of the faith and the spirit of Christian love shown to them this weekend by Grace Community Church in Washington Court House. Christians also went away strengthened in seeing the intellectual coherence of the Christian position. I will do the Sunday SChool at the church tomorrow and David Menton will do his excellent talk on 'the seeing eye and the hearing ear'. I also had the privilege of meeting John Whitmore on Friday at Cedarville University who had me speak on Thermodynamics and Information to his class which was well received.
May I also thank you for praying for the Plymouth and Liskeard meetings 3 weeks ago - what particularly sticks out from that visit was the wrapped attention of 3 teenagers Brett, Dan and Kyle who came to meetings on the Saturday and Sunday and who were evidently seriously weighing up the cost of becoming believers. It was a joy to share fellowship with Richard Clarke and with Peter Isaacs and John Hollins of Liskeard on the Friday.
Kind regards to you all - I am due to do the meetings shortly in India - I fly out on Saturday 20th having got back to the UK this Tuesday. I do not presume on strength and would ask that you pray also for Jyoti Chakravartty who has not been well himself. We will travel across India with many meetings inclusing NE India (Sikkim - where I was 2 years ago) and Mumbai / Hyderabad and Bangalore. The list is below.
INDIA March 2010
Sat 20th March - Thurs 1st April - India Creation meetings : Mumbai (Bombay) / Kolkata (Calcutta) / Gangtok / Hyderabad / Pune / Bangalore. Contact Jyoti Chakravartty jyotipc@gmail.com
Sun March 21st Mumbai (Bombay) PM preaching New Life Fellowship - Dr. S P Matthew
Mon March 22nd Mumbai AM Pastors and Christian leaders and Teachers Meeting - Dr. S P Matthew
Mon March 22nd Mumbai PM Evening meeting for larger audience "Science vs Evolution" - Dr. S P Matthew
Tues March 23rd Kolkata (Calcutta) PM Christian Education Centre Lower Circular Rd Baptist Chapel - Mr. Samip Baruah / Mr. Tanay Das / Mr Jyoti Chakravartty
Weds March 24th Travel to Gangtok, Sikkim, NE India near Nepal / Tibetan border.
Thurs March 25th Gangtok 10 Am - 4 pm Creation vs. Evolution Day long seminar - Mr. L B Rai, Mr. Sanjay Tigga and others.
Gangtok is where I went with Jyoti 2 years ago and Sanjay Tigga as leader of the group of churches in that district, made a public statement as a result of the ministry, stating that it was important not to think in terms of theistic evolution..
Sat March 27th Hyderabad (Time to be decided) Evolution and Creation - Secuderabad Bible Fellowship Rev. Dr. Subrata Fullonton
Sun March 28th Hyderabad preaching at Secunderabad Bible Fellowship - Rev. Dr. Subrata Fullonton
Mon March 29th Pune Disciples Community Church evening meeting - Pastor Sandy Samuel
Tues March 30th Travel to Bangalore
Weds March 31st Bangalore Local meeting
Thurs April 1st Bangalore Meeting with CEO and Business leaders Pastor Panner Williams
Thank you again for your prayer.
In Christ - Andy McIntosh
I really felt the supporting hand of the Lord as I did final preparations in the morning, and in the debate itself. The presence of the Lord Himself with me and Jay Lucas (who debated Ed Buckner on Morality and Atheism / Christianity) and Dennis Sullivan (who debated Provine on free will) through the prayers of Gods people were so evident to us all.
As expected Will spent much of his time in my debate denigrating the Young Earth Creation position and attacking the age of the earth rather than the evidence for the evolution of birds. I said I stood by all that I had written in Genesis for Today which he quoted back to me in the debate.
My main argument was the exquisite design of feathers in birds, and the articulated rib cage connected to a 2 stage breathing system. He sought to argue that the avian lung was already present in dinosaurs which were forced to breather in a sparse oxygen environment at the end of the (supposed) Permian extinction event. I stressed that evidence of the breathing mechanism of dinosaurs was not yet conclusive, and that even if it can be proved, there is no fossil evidence for 1/2 way lungs or feathers, I then pressed him concerning the impossibility of new information arising in any creature which was not there potentially beforehand, and that the laws of thermodynamics can never allow this without intelligence involved. I ended on Romans 1:20 and John 1:1. I said that the evidence was a huge signpost pointing to the God who has made us. To this he said 'I just cannot see this' - he was the epitomy of someone so lost and yet with a brilliant intellect.
Will is certainly passionate and spoke with great lucidity - but when pressed for the precise development of feather evolution, he did not have an answer. What was particularly poignant was Will's health. He has had a cancerous tumour removed from the brain, and he knows it will only be a matter of time before he succumbs to the inevitable. There was some opportunity to interact with him privately. Pray for him still. Pray that the Lord will use the influence of being exposed to true believers over these last two days, to convince him even at this late stage of the truth of the Gospel.
You can order DVDs of all 3 debates at the debate web site http://debatesummit2010.blogspot.com . Pastor Lucas who mounted these debates, was much encouraged both by teh attendance and the spirit of courtesay between opponents.The atheists Ed Buckner and Will Provine may not hav ebeen convinced but they will have seen the robust defence of the faith and the spirit of Christian love shown to them this weekend by Grace Community Church in Washington Court House. Christians also went away strengthened in seeing the intellectual coherence of the Christian position. I will do the Sunday SChool at the church tomorrow and David Menton will do his excellent talk on 'the seeing eye and the hearing ear'. I also had the privilege of meeting John Whitmore on Friday at Cedarville University who had me speak on Thermodynamics and Information to his class which was well received.
May I also thank you for praying for the Plymouth and Liskeard meetings 3 weeks ago - what particularly sticks out from that visit was the wrapped attention of 3 teenagers Brett, Dan and Kyle who came to meetings on the Saturday and Sunday and who were evidently seriously weighing up the cost of becoming believers. It was a joy to share fellowship with Richard Clarke and with Peter Isaacs and John Hollins of Liskeard on the Friday.
Kind regards to you all - I am due to do the meetings shortly in India - I fly out on Saturday 20th having got back to the UK this Tuesday. I do not presume on strength and would ask that you pray also for Jyoti Chakravartty who has not been well himself. We will travel across India with many meetings inclusing NE India (Sikkim - where I was 2 years ago) and Mumbai / Hyderabad and Bangalore. The list is below.
INDIA March 2010
Sat 20th March - Thurs 1st April - India Creation meetings : Mumbai (Bombay) / Kolkata (Calcutta) / Gangtok / Hyderabad / Pune / Bangalore. Contact Jyoti Chakravartty jyotipc@gmail.com
Sun March 21st Mumbai (Bombay) PM preaching New Life Fellowship - Dr. S P Matthew
Mon March 22nd Mumbai AM Pastors and Christian leaders and Teachers Meeting - Dr. S P Matthew
Mon March 22nd Mumbai PM Evening meeting for larger audience "Science vs Evolution" - Dr. S P Matthew
Tues March 23rd Kolkata (Calcutta) PM Christian Education Centre Lower Circular Rd Baptist Chapel - Mr. Samip Baruah / Mr. Tanay Das / Mr Jyoti Chakravartty
Weds March 24th Travel to Gangtok, Sikkim, NE India near Nepal / Tibetan border.
Thurs March 25th Gangtok 10 Am - 4 pm Creation vs. Evolution Day long seminar - Mr. L B Rai, Mr. Sanjay Tigga and others.
Gangtok is where I went with Jyoti 2 years ago and Sanjay Tigga as leader of the group of churches in that district, made a public statement as a result of the ministry, stating that it was important not to think in terms of theistic evolution..
Sat March 27th Hyderabad (Time to be decided) Evolution and Creation - Secuderabad Bible Fellowship Rev. Dr. Subrata Fullonton
Sun March 28th Hyderabad preaching at Secunderabad Bible Fellowship - Rev. Dr. Subrata Fullonton
Mon March 29th Pune Disciples Community Church evening meeting - Pastor Sandy Samuel
Tues March 30th Travel to Bangalore
Weds March 31st Bangalore Local meeting
Thurs April 1st Bangalore Meeting with CEO and Business leaders Pastor Panner Williams
Thank you again for your prayer.
In Christ - Andy McIntosh
