Witnessing to Evolutionary Philosophers | The Institute for Creation Research

Witnessing to Evolutionary Philosophers

"And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. . . . Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them." (Acts 17:32, 34)

Today's verse describes the reaction of the Athenians to Paul's preaching on the resurrection. These listeners seem to have consisted mostly of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers: these were the ones who got Paul to come over to the Areopagus (near the famous Parthenon) to present his case there to an open-air gathering of curious spectators.

Now these philosophers, like most of our modern philosophers, were evolutionists. The Stoics were pantheists and the Epicureans were atheists: neither believed in a personal Creator God nor in a primeval creation. Paul began his message by stressing the fact of special creation. They had been worshipping many nature gods and goddesses, but Paul insisted that they must turn to the true Creator God, who had revealed Himself in Christ and had "given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead" (v. 31).

Paul seems here to be giving us the general pattern to follow when witnessing to people who neither know nor believe the Bible. That is, begin with the fact of creation, then climax with Christ's resurrection and the requirement to believe on Him for salvation.

Paul's audience reacted much as modern skeptical audiences tend to react today. "Some mocked" and others said they would consider it later. Most went away unsaved. But "certain men clave unto him, and believed." That's the way it is today with evolutionist hearers of the message. Many will scoff and others will say they may think about it.

But some will believe! HMM

The Latest
CREATION PODCAST
Water vs. Wind: The Controversial Coconino | The Creation Podcast:...
Welcome to the sixth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Fossil Fish Finally Filmed
The bizarre lobe-finned coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) “that flourished some 350 million years ago”1 continues to be a thorn...

NEWS
The Mosasaur: A Giant Sea Dragon
Mosasaurs (order Squamata) were massive marine lizards that were common in the pre-Flood oceans. Therefore, it is not surprising that their fossils...

DAYS OF PRAISE DEVOTIONALS
Summer 2025
...

NEWS
Was Life Detected on a Distant Planet?
There was celebration, albeit briefly, for the discovery of potential life on a planet called K2-18b, which is 124 lightyears away from Earth. The...

NEWS
Ichthyosaur Graveyard Explained by the Flood
Ichthyosaurs are marine reptiles that occur globally in the same rock layers as dinosaurs. Specimens with babies support the idea that they gave live...

CREATION PODCAST
What Do We Do With Geology's Unconforming Features? | The Creation...
Welcome to the fifth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old...

NEWS
Freshwater Fish Fossil in Australia
Yet another fish fossil has been discovered. This one was found in the Australian desert and was dated by evolutionists to be “15 million years...

NEWS
May 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans...

NEWS
Acoustic Communication in Animals
We are all familiar with vocalizations in the animal world. For example, dogs bark, birds sing, frogs croak, and whales send forth their own distinct...