“THE PREDICAMENT OF EVOLUTION.”

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18641, 19 December 1928, Page 15

“THE PREDICAMENT OF EVOLUTION.”

SYDNEY PASTOR SPEAKS AT SEVENTH DAY ADVENTISTS’ CAMP.

The daily programme at an Adventist Conference is fairly strenuous. Commencing at 6.30 a.m., a devotional meeting for adults is held each morning in the large marquee, and one for the young people in another pavilion. These meetings occupy about one hour. After breakfast, there are special meetings for the children and adults, followed by a Bible study. The remainder of the morning is usually devoted to conference business.

At yesterday’s session, the report of the Plans Committee was considered, and it was decided to adopt a new hymnal, which the denominational publishing house has just completed for use in the churches. A special effort to circulate 30,090 tracts dealing with Gospel topics was heartily supported by the delegates. It was decided to endeavour to raise a sum of £IOSO for foreign missions by a special collection during 1929. The afternoon yesterday was occupied by meetings for the consideration of the educational work of the denomination, and meetings for adults and young people. EVOLUTION. At the public meeting in the evening, Pastor A. W. Anderson, of Sydney, occupied the pulpit. His subject was, “ The Predicament of Evolution.” He said that evolution was always an unproved theory, but now it was a disproved theory. Unfortunately, many people accepted this disproved theory as if it was a demonstrated, fact. Although the evolutionary theories of Spencer. Huxley and Darwin were discarded because they had been disproved, their erroneous conclusions still exercised a potent influence. It seemed strange that so many eminent men should present the subject of evolution as founded on positive evidence. Scientists recognised that the ninety-two chemical elements which composed the earth and the things upon it were running down or disintegrating; but they could find no hint anywhere of anything like the reverse process. Under those circumstances, it was hardly to I>e wondered at that Dr William Emerson Ritter, professor of zoology in the University of California, should be led to make the following statement in “Science.” April 14. 1922: “If one •cans a bit thoughtfully the landscape of human life for the last few decades, he can hardly fail to see signs that the **hole battleground of evolution will have to be fought over again; this’ time *u>t so much between scientists and theologians as among scientists themselves.” In an article published in “ Nature,” April 26. 1924. Professor A. C. Seward, Cambridge University, declared that “ a who takes an fcnpartial retrospect soon discovers that tfee fossil record raises more problems than it solves.” Dr H. H. Newman, in “ Readings in Evolution,” stated: “ Reluctant as he may be to admit it, honesty compels the evolutionist to admit that there is no absolute proof of organic evolution.” After producing other evidence against the theories of evolution, the fcontende t God’s^word

! still stood impregnable to all the as- | saults of the sceptic and the unbeliever. He said that the orderly arrangements of the heavenly bodies, and the wonderful phenomena of Nature which invited our thoughtful attention on every hand, should be the result of blind chance, was too much to believe. All nature taught that a divine Mind was directing the forces that constructed and controlled the universe.