RENEW International Assists Parishioners and Parishes of Trust Globally Connect to the Caring Community

RENEW International

RENEW International curricula serve the needs of parishes and people. Parishioners discover how to implement their faith and the foundations of Catholicism to daily life and be connected to the greater Catholic community. RENEW International shows people how to live the Gospel and find religious strength in their revitalized dedication to themselves and God.

RENEW International is a non-profit Catholic organization, which is based in the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ and reaches followers in spiritual need all over the world. It originated from the compassionate vision of Msgr. Tom Kleissler and Msgr. Tom Ivory. They had the idea of a revived Church with laypersons deeply involved and committed to parish, civic, and global issues. The leadership of RENEW International believed people would be better supported if divided into small communities and this model became the foundation for many highly successful curricula. Small groups supply the opportunity for people to study to live the gospel, as individuals and together as a community.

Through RENEW International, individuals ascertain to trust and support one another as they gather to study, reflect, and pray. Participants of RENEW International curricula experience a rejuvenated spirit. They become more committed, fulfilled Catholics with a stronger kinship with God.

A Romp Through The Garden Of Eden: And Other Religious Misconceptions

People are so nave. Who in their right mind can possibly believe that the earth began with two Hebrew speaking adults and a talking snake? Come on folks get real. And how about Adam who was standing next to a naked woman and was tempted by a piece of fruit. I’ve been around a long time and I don’t know a single man, who given the choice, would choose an apple over a naked woman, unless he was gay. But that refutes the Christian movement’s belief that homosexuality is evil.

When it comes to religious beliefs we have all been sold a bill of goods. Someone did a great marketing job as various religious organizations continue to rake in the dough. Their moneymaking schemes are all based on fear and mind control. The mass population has been manipulated into thinking they will go to hell if they don’t go to church every Sunday and tithe at least 10% of their annual salary. Many of their fundamental beliefs are dogmatic and inflexible. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

What scares me is the fundamentalist’s own fear and control issues as they judge other people. Rather than seeing the good in people, these insecure people prefer looking at a person’s dark side. We are not perfect people because we live in an imperfect world. This is what makes us human beings. We work on our imperfections in the hope that some day we will aspire to something greater than the sum total of ourselves.

My pet peeve is people who judge others as evil because of differing religious beliefs. Whatever happened to the first amendment, which clearly states the right to religious choice? Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, and Pat Robertson revealed their ignorance when they attacked Islam and declared Allah as a false God. They should have been content to proclaim the truth of their understanding of Christianity.

Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Fifteen million Christians who live in the Middle East today pray to Allah; people who speak German pray to Gott. Claiming people who worship differently than you, are worshipping a false god is irresponsible. It reveals how woefully uninformed religious leaders can be and how easy it is to become misled and enslaved in inflexible truth claims about God. It is unconscionable for not only prominent leaders; but any self-proclaimed prophet to use the pulpit to fuel ignorance and bigotry.

Jews, Christians, and Muslims are talking about the Same Deity. Jesus is mentioned 93 times in the Qur’an (Arabic)…Koran as we know it. The book is composed of sacred writings and accepted by Muslims as revelations made to Mohammed by Allah through the angel Gabriel. Islam then, is the religious faith of Muslims including belief in Allah as the sole deity and in Mohammed as his prophet. I think it would be interesting if it turned out that Jesus and Mohammed were one and the same.

The sacred text of the Jewish faith is the Torah. The Torah consists of the five books of Moses constituting the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch consists of the first five books of Jewish and Christian scriptures. Christians use various forms of the Bible consisting of the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Bible was written in Hebrew and Greek. There are two dozen contemporary English translations thus pointing to the challenge of communicating the meaning and intent of the original text. If you think about the number of centuries and the amount of people involved in writing both The Old Testament and the New Testament in two different languages, both of which are open to various translations, you have to wonder if any of the decoding is accurate.

I see the abuse of sacred texts all the time. Shakespeare’s poignant observation, “Even the devil can cite scripture for his purpose”, further elucidates the manipulative exploitation of revered texts for financial gain and mind control in religious groups. The frightening part is that mind control can lead to violent zealotry.

Religions differ in many ways but they converge in teaching both an orientation toward God and transcendence toward compassionate constructive relationships with others in this world. Jesus captured the essence of this in response to a question about the greatest commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)

Christians who take the Bible literally are either self-deluded or ignorant. Converting others is no one’s responsibility, I am responsible for myself. The desire for clarity and guidance in an ever-changing world is what breeds fundamentalists. It is easier to know the truth than to seek it. We grow threw learning, unlearning, and change. The pursuit of religious truth is an ongoing process.

Authentic religion challenges the intellect as people wrestle with the mystery of living (why am I here; what am I supposed to do) and the challenges of living in an imperfect world. Conversely, blind obedience is a sure sign of corrupt religion. Authentic religion encourages questions and reflection at all levels. Doctrinal positions supporting otherwise unethical behavior must always be challenged. Intellectual freedom, personal integrity and common sense are indispensable in authentic religion as well.

Individual human beings are ultimately responsible for their own behavior. What one does during one’s time on earth is connected to a larger understanding of existence. We need to be centered on principals of justice, honesty, compassion, and humility.

Copyright © 2006 by Pamela Beers. All rights reserved.

Pamela Beers is a freelance writer. You may visit her website for ideas on writing, marketing, and education. http://www.pamelabeers.com

Pamela Beers - EzineArticles Expert Author

The Fruit, the Whole Fruit, and Nothing but the Fruit

Once we become a new creature in Christ, we are given a
special gift of “supernatural” vision. This is a gift of
discernment in order to protect us from the things we see in
the natural. This new vision takes us deeper to see the
things that are seen beyond the natural. We no longer trust
what our eyes see,we see what our heart sees. God knows
that our eyes can be deceiving so He gave us this gift in
order to protect us from the wolves in sheep’s clothing.
As an example,I would like to use my flower garden. Last
spring I was checking on my flower garden that I had
planted the year before.Much to my delight the flowers I had
planted seemed to be flourishing, but soon they looked as
they were taking over and nothing was blooming.

Although these imposters took on a similar appearance,
upon closer examination I soon realized that they were
weeds choking out the original flowers. My precious flowers
were being robbed of the essential sunshine and nutrients.
Then it came to me, I remembered an important lesson that
Jesus taught about discernment. It was simple really. He
said you can tell if something is good by the fruit it
produces.This not only applies to flowers, but people also.
Without hesitation I pulled these seemingly innocent plants
out by the roots, therefore giving the good fruit bearing
plants a chance to grow and flourish.

Just as I was able to recognize these weeds, our eyes have
to be trained to see others for who and what they really are,
not just by their outward appearance, but by the fruit they
produce.

In his affliction,Job asked of God, “Do You have eyes of
flesh? Do You see as a
man sees?” God is Spirit so therefore He sees in the
Spirit. But God taught Job a valuable lesson to open his
spiritual eyes, not only to see his own weaknesses, but to
also see God for who He really is. God sees us for who and
what we really are, we can’t hide from Him the fruit we bear
inwardly or outwardly. God also gave us this gift of seeing
clearly through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus came as the
Light of the world to teach us that we cannot be wise in our
own eyes.

With the newfound ability to see in the Light, we
are now able to see when others are in the dark about
situations. In this discernment we get a feeling of conviction
from the Holy Spirit that warns us of things that don’t always
appear as they seem.

John 15:8: When you bear,(produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show
and prove yourselves to be true followers of
Mine. (Amplified).

How are we to grow and bear good fruit? We must first get
rooted and grounded in love. The next time you see
someone or something with your ‘natural’ eyes
and it appears to be good, stop and ask yourself, “does it
bear good fruit?”

Vivian Gordon - EzineArticles Expert Author

Vivian Gordon

Has a calling in her life to write inspirational articles to
share with others in order to help them in their Christian
walk. Also is called to be used in the ministry as a teacher.
She has been instructed to be diligent and study the Word in
order to show herself approved.

Also a calling to write children’s books based on Christian
morals.
God has also blessed her with artistic ability. She makes
unique, one of a kind inspirational gifts on special order.

Putting God First

When I was a new Christian, The Lord taught me many lessons
about putting Him first. I was raising my daughter, and I was
always so concerned about her well-being and education. It
seemed that my life was revolving around her. One day, The Lord
spoke to me that if I continued putting her first; He would have
to take her home to Himself. He told me that she was “His”
daughter, and that He had chosen me to raise her up in the way
she was to go. I was putting my daughter on a pedestal without
realizing it. Later, I was fixing up an old home, and it took me
three months to paint the home, plaster the cracks and to clean
it. I remember that I was just enjoying the home so much after I
finished the work, and I would often think of how much I loved
the home, the yard and the beauty there. The Lord again spoke to
me, and He asked me, “Would you be willing to leave this home
right now if I asked you to leave?” I thought about it for a
second, and I said, “Yes, Lord”. He then allowed me to stay in
the home for several years after that. God requires first place
in our lives as He did with Abraham when He told Abraham to
sacrifice his beloved son. We always talk about the blessings of
Abraham, but Abraham was totally obedient to God in being
willing to obey God. We will be blessed when we put God first in
every area of our lives. The Lord taught me about money many
times. I remember one day, when I was making plans to attend a
Christian Breakfast Meeting that would cost $6.00 for myself and
my daughter. At the time, I was going to school, and so it
seemed like an extravagance, and I decided not to go because I
needed the money for other things. The afternoon before the
Breakfast Meeting, my good friend came to my house, and she told
me that The Lord spoke to her to come to my home and give me a
specific amount of money. She then took six one dollar bills and
counted them out in my hand. My daughter and I went to The
Breakfast Meeting, and I learned that where God guides; He also
provides. Matthew 6:33, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God,
and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you.” Our main concern must be to seek what is important in
God’s Kingdom above everything else. Most of all He requires our
love for Him, and others, and to do His will in our lives. We
must always be willing to say Lord, “Not my will but Yours be
done”. If we are not willing to say and pray that wonderful
prayer; we need to ask The Holy Spirit to reveal what is
blocking our total surrender to The Lord. We are never to be
striving after the attainment of money, reputation, prestige or
titles because all that we should have will be given to us as we
seek The Lord first. Our love for Him is first, and all else
will fall into place when we love God above everything else in
our lives. Many ministries have fallen because their emphasis
was raising more and more money. They had gotten off of the
straight and narrow road which leads to the Kingdom of God.
Matthew 7:13, Many Christians have gotten off the straight and
narrow road in order to seek after the things of the world. The
love of the world lured them onto an insidious side road. 1 John
2:15, The Lord wanted the rich, young ruler to give up all of
his worldly goods out of love for Him. We will all be tested in
this area. God wants us to always care more for His commandments
and His will than we do for our money and possessions. We must
always be willing to give away all that we own if The Lord tells
us to do that. 1 John 3:17, God doesn’t need our money, but
money is a means of exchange, and when we refuse to use it
according to The Lord’s will and for His glorious purposes; it
can become an idol. Money is a common idol, but an idol can be
anything that separates us from putting God first in our lives.
An idol can be a husband, a wife, a child, our home, our
savings, our jobs, our title, our education, our ministry and
the list can go on and on. An idol is what we think about, talk
about and seek after more than we think, talk about and seek The
Lord, His Kingdom and His righteousness. An idol is anything
that has become a god in our lives. For those in sin, it could
be alcohol, sexual lusts and/or perversions, gambling,
pornography, adultery, fornication, lying, stealing and the list
can go on ad infinitum. We must always make sure that our source
of strength, wisdom, love, joy, hope and faith is based in The
Lord Jesus Christ. If we are looking to any other source for our
contentment; we must repent and get right with God. We must come
back to our first love of The Lord Jesus Christ. Today, He is
looking for those who will be sold out to Him and not to this
world. The world is everywhere, and it permeates every area of
our lives, but we must look beyond the world, and the things in
this world. We need to be like the five wise virgins, who were
instantly ready and prepared to meet The Lord. The Holy Spirit
in them was burning brightly. They had their eyes fixed and
their hearts focused on their Lord. They were ready. Are you
ready? Are you watching and waiting for Him? Rev. 3:3, None of
us know when our time will come to meet Him. Our breath is as a
vapor. (Luke 21:36),We are commanded by The Lord Jesus Christ to
“watch and pray”. Why? So that we will be accounted worthy to
escape all these things that shall come upon this earth, and to
be able to stand before The Lord Jesus Christ. We are not to
wait until a disaster comes, or to wait until we are ill or
dying, but we need to get right with The Lord today. Now, during
our good days; we are to seek The Lord with all of our hearts,
and to put Him first in our lives. (Psalm 32:6), Some Christians
during these times, think that they no longer need God or His
wisdom, and some even think The Bible is old-fashioned, and that
the things of God should be modernized. They use Madison Avenue
techniques to raise huge sums of money, and they copy the music
and entertainment of the world in order to attract people who
love the world and its ways. (Matthew 7:21-23), These leaders
cannot make true disciples of Jesus Christ because they
themselves are not disciples of Jesus Christ. These “religious”
leaders are making their own disciples which are manipulated
into their own images. They are not making disciples of Jesus
Christ because those that follow them will not be able to know
or find the true love, fruit and character of The Lord Jesus
Christ in them. They will find a counterfeit Jesus that is
formed in their own image. Their main goal is to gain more and
more popularity which then produces more money, power and
prestige. They sacrifice the real truth found in the whole Word
of God in order to win many people to themselves. They find
Scriptures that entice their followers into believing that their
luxurious lifestyles are Biblical. People who are not grounded
in the true Word of God are easily deceived. Jesus Christ warned
us about these hypocrites repeatedly in His Word. (Matthew
7:15-17), These religious leaders are not putting God first or
His Kingdom because they are building their own kingdoms. All
that they are building through their own efforts will be burned
up as wood, hay and stubble. Only The Lord Himself can build His
church, and then the gates of hell will no longer be able to
prevail against it. These charlatans preach an easy salvation
without the conditions necessary for true conversion. These
religious leaders and those who think that their salvation is
easy and light need to have a fear of the living God. We have
heard about a God that is of our own creation, but we need to
study the Word and find the real Jesus Christ, and the real
Gospel message. (Phil. 2:12), The Word of God tells us that only
those who obey God and endure to the end will be saved. The
attainment of our salvation by Jesus Christ on the cross was not
easy, and our denying ourselves, taking up our crosses and
following Him will not be easy, but by The grace of God we can
finish the race victoriously. Tit. 2:12, Our blessings are not
automatic, but they are based on contingencies. These
requirements are clearly stated by our Lord throughout The New
Testament. Jesus commanded us to love Him first, to love even
our enemies, and He said that if we loved Him; we would obey His
commandments. 2 Tim. 3:12, Are you suffering persecution because
of your walk with The Lord Jesus? Many true Christians
throughout the world are suffering persecution because they
follow the Lord. Many are being persecuted by the religious
leaders and their many followers because they are preaching The
pure and holy Word of God. When you put God first; you will no
longer be a man pleaser. If you are still trying to please
people for your own purposes; you cannot be a servant of Jesus
Christ. Gal. 1:10, When we refuse to put God first and as Head
in His church; the church will not have its needed power,
authority and effectiveness. When we stop doing everything”our”
way, and we start doing everything in the church His way; we
will experience the magnificent, glorious power of God in The
church. When The church becomes one, and it becomes all that God
ordained it to be; the people of the world will know That Jesus
Christ is The Son of almighty God. When they see Him and His
love in His people; then they will believe and know The Lord
Jesus Christ. Many “religious” leaders want to make their own
doctrines, their own rules, and their own methods which are no
different from the ways of those who never knew The Lord Jesus
Christ. These are those who believe that they are rich,
well-dressed and they think that they know everything and can
see, but Jesus says that they are poor, naked, miserable and
blind. It is very sad because those who have so much of the
world’s goods, titles, prestige, money and power are unable to
discern or understand their true condition. Jesus says to them:
Rev. 3:17-18, Jesus is giving these “Christians” wonderful
advice, and He is even standing at the door of their hearts
trying to come into their hearts and lives. They have ceased to
put God first in their lives. Wealth, prestige, possessions and
power have turned their heads away from God. They think that
they no longer need Him or His Truth. They have become very
“prosperous”, but it is not the kind of prosperity that The Lord
honors. God honors the prosperity found in a soul that is
totally yielded to Him. God’s prosperity consists of having a
pure heart, a right spirit and clean hands before Him. There are
so many godly men, women and children who are humbly working out
their own salvations with fear and trembling. They are following
The Lord Jesus Christ every day, and seeking His Kingdom and His
righteousness. These are those who will go through much
persecution because they have chosen to live a godly life and
live righteously in a world that is completely opposed to living
a pure and holy life. Mat. 5:10, These are those who have put
God first, and they will be greatly blessed.

The Lord came to earth with nothing, He didn’t have a place to
lay His head and He was of no reputation. He came to set the
supreme example for all of us as He said that we are to deny
ourselves and take up our crosses and follow Him. He had
nothing, but He accomplished more than all others by laying down
His life, and by putting His Father first. He only did what His
Father gave Him to do. He had given up everything in order to
fulfill God’s glorious purposes. We are called and commanded to
do the same. It is not an easy salvation, but it is a great
salvation that cost God and The Lord Jesus Christ everything.
Through God; we can do all things and nothing that He requires
will be impossible to those who believe and trust in Him. Real
success is putting God first in every area of our lives.

Serving

Some people may ask how do we serve God and am I serving God correctly? Well lets look at what the Bible says about serving God. Lets start by knowing what a Blessing it is to serve him. Look at the Book of John 10:27 it says My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand I and the Father are one. Now look at Jude 20 verse it says But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in you most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.

Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fearhating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.

Jesus wants us to be a living sacrifices. Look at Romans12:1 it says Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to Godthis is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this word, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will ishis good, pleasing and perfect will. Now look a verse 14 it says Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord.

Take a look at Ephesians 4:11 it says It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for work of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Now living as children of the light. It tells us at Ephesians 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves of the sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off you old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you.

Now look at Colossians 3:23 it says Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

Take a look at 2Timothy 2:1 it says You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.. And the things you have heard me say in presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairshe wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this.

Now take a look at 1Timothy 1:18 it says Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

Look at 1Corinthians 1:4 it says There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

It says in the book of Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

In conclusion, look at what Jesus said in the book of John 15:15 it says I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’ business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruitfruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

This is my command: Love each other.

Love Always,
Your Sister in Christ,
Mellody Davis

EzineArticles Expert Author Mellody Davis

Enjoy more reading at: http://www.hostinghelps.com/allaboutjesus/AboutJesus.html

Church Fathers And Creationism

One of the many things that I observe in the debate between
young-earth and old-earth creationists, is the constant appeal
to the works of past theologians. People are constantly
appealing to this church father, or that medieval theologian, in
the hopes that they will justify their belief in an old or young
earth.

Old-earth creationists have pointed to Justin Martyr, Origin,
Augustine, and others from the first four centuries after
Christ, as believing in an old earth. At the same time,
young-earth creationists have defended these past Christians as
believing in a young-earth. Both cases look strong, leading me
to believe that these men were seeking the truth, and may not
have reached a conclusion. Why Does it Matter? Why do people
seek out the beliefs of Christian that have gone before us? A
Christian who is struggling with these issues may need the
support, so that they can make up their minds one-way or the
other. Or, a person may simply be trying to be as thorough as
possible before committing to a choice.

People today have been conditioned to fully research their
beliefs. This is good. But in many cases, I get the distinct
impression that people will not commit to a belief, unless they
can find a crutch to lean on…fellow Christians, past and
present, who believe the same thing. We must move beyond this
“crutch” mentality, and decide issues for ourselves. Be
Decisive! But there eventually comes a time when the believer
must make a choice of their own. How important is this search
for support from the Christians that have gone before us? Not
important at all. In the end, we must rely upon our own
conclusions, based on the evidence that we have. In fact, with
advances in science, and new archeological discoveries, we are
in a better position to decide this issue than any of the church
fathers that have gone before us.

Geology as a science did not really get going until the 1800’s,
therefore none of this scientific data was available to these
past theologians. What would Justin Martyr have decided, if he
had the evidence we have today?

I’m not saying to ignore the church leaders of the past, but I
am saying that we have much more evidence than they ever had,
and can reach our own conclusions. Don’t be afraid to come to
your own conclusions about creation and the Bible.

I have concluded that the earth is 4.5 billion years old. If you
believe that the earth was created in six 24-hour days, great!
Hold fast to that belief. If you have evidence and believe that
the days of creation are each 3.76 seconds each, great!
Conclusion Each of us has the evidence in the Bible and God’s
creation. We don’t need to appeal to the theologians of the past
to support our belief…they didn’t have the same evidence that
we have, due to scientific and archaeological discoveries…why
then are we seeking to trust in their views which were based on
limited evidence?

You have the evidence yourself, and it’s up to you to come to
your own conclusions.