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TechnoratiThe largest Lutheran body in the nation also caused a stir this year after controversially deciding not to punish homosexual clergy who are in sexual relationships.
At its annual assembly in August, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) passed by a vote of 538-431 a resolution urging bishops to refrain from disciplining pastors who are in “faithful committed same-gender relationships.”
Elsewhere, the Lutheran Church of Sweden – the largest church in the country, claiming 7.2 million members in a country of 9.1 million people – on Dec. 12 declared that it is in favor of allowing homosexual couples to have weddings in church. Notably, however, it recommended that the word “marriage” be used only for heterosexual unions.
5. Creationism vs. Evolution
The debate over creation and evolution picked up more steam this year with the opening of the controversial $27 million Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky.
The 60,000-square-foot museum, which depicts a literal six-day interpretation of creation from the Bible, is packed with high-tech exhibits designed by an acclaimed theme-park artist, animatronic dinosaurs and a huge wooden ark. The museum’s founder, like many other Young Earth creationists, believes dinosaurs appeared on the same day God created other land animals.
Both non-Christians and Christians who are against a literal interpretation of the Bible on life origins protested and spoke out against the anti-evolution display, worried that their children would be affected. The controversy garnered the new exhibit a large amount of media coverage.
“The argument we make is this: When you believe in millions of years of evolution and add it to the Bible, you actually have to change what the Bible clearly says,” explained Ken Ham, the founder of the museum and CEO of the apologetics ministry Answers in Genesis, in an interview with The Christian Post. “You have to reinterpret it. That unlocks the door to say that you don’t take this as written. You reinterpret it from outside influences, which means that you tell the next generation that you can’t take the Bible as written. So you just undermine biblical authority.”
Dr. Francis S. Collins, the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institute of Health, however, says he has no problem with looking at Genesis as being more of an allegory for how the world was created.
“As a born-again Christian, I regard Ken Ham as my brother in faith and I have no doubt of the complete sincerity of his position,” Collins told The Christian Post. “But as a working scientist who has studied the intricacies of human DNA as my life's profession, I have arrived at very different conclusions on the basis of the facts in front of me.”
Another project that has sparked debates over creation and evolution is the film ”Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed,” featuring Ben Stein.
The provocative film, to be released next year, is supposedly uncovering a conspiracy among educators to “expel” professors who question Darwinism.
“There are people out there who want to keep science in a little box where it can't possibly touch God,” said Stein in the film’s trailer. “Scientists are not even allowed to think thoughts that involve an intelligent creator.” Continue »
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