SA国际传媒, St. Louis, will host its fall 2009 Lay Bible Institute from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, October 7, 14, 21 and 28, in Sieck Hall on the Seminary campus. 鈥淢ankind鈥檚 Origin: Monkey or Messiah (Implications for Christian Witness in the 21st Century)鈥� will be presented by Dr. Robert Weise, professor of practical theology and The Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis Chair in Pastoral Ministry and the Life Sciences.
We live in a world that continues to believe that mankind鈥檚 origin is from ape-like humans. Throughout 2009, scientists and laypeople who fashion their lives and decisions after this fact are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Darwin鈥檚 The Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Darwin鈥檚 birth. This Theory of the Origin of Mankind from 鈥榤onkeys鈥� was used by Karl Marx, Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler to purify the human race in their drive for world domination. In addition, it was incorporated by the United States from the early 1900s through the 1970s to cleanse the American population of so-called 鈥榝eeble-minded鈥� less productive people. And today, Darwinism enters through the back door of biomedical research to promote stem cell research, sex selection of children (family balancing/Social Darwinism), and the destruction of human embryos that are determined to be defective via special genetic testing.
All of this and more has profound implications for the biblical foundation of Creation, Family, Procreation and the Stewardship of the created Universe. Dr. Weise will discuss these issues as they relate to Christians living the life of Christ in this world. He will include the political issues that have arisen from the public emphasis of Darwinian Evolution in Public and Private Educational Institutions, especially as this centers on the Evolution/Intelligent Design Controversy. Lastly, Dr. Weise will include discussions on other theories on the origin of mankind such as Panspermia and Theistic Evolution using Hollywood movies and their聽influence on society鈥檚 mindset regarding the Origin of Mankind. There will be plenty of time to express concerns with questions and discussion, both individually and in groups.
Weise has served on the Seminary faculty since 1992. Previously, he served as pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church and School in Springfield, Ill. (1985-1992). He received the B.S. Ed. degree (1967) from Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Ill.; the M.S. degree (1970) and the Ph.D. degree (1973) from the University of Illinois, Urbana, Ill.; and the M.Div. degree (1982) from SA国际传媒, St. Louis, Mo.
To register for the Lay Bible Institute, please call 314-505-7486 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or e-mail [email protected] [1]. The cost is $30 per person and includes all handouts and refreshments. SA国际传媒 is located at 801 Seminary Place, in Clayton, Mo.