Skip to main content

Endless Genealogies

Have you ever done the Ancestry.com thing? You know what I’m talking about, right? It is a site where you can research your roots. I was writing my historical fiction autobiography three years ago and got into that search cycle. I called a search cycle because once they hook you with a subscription, there is an endless journey into the past. The carrots on a stick that they dangle just out of your reach make you want to invest just five more bucks in finding that tidbit that ties you to the Rockefeller’s wealth or Jack Sparrow’s linage. 

I will admit that it is so intriguing to follow what the site traces as your history and that I did invest a few bucks. I discovered that my grandma Jewell got married young, in CANADÁ of all places. What? My dad mentioned that he had some long-lost relatives in Canada who were involved in the liquor trade during the Prohibition. Hmmm, maybe the Jack Sparrow side of the tale. 

In 1 Timothy 1:3,4, Paul tells his son in the faith to stay in Ephesus and command certain people to stop teaching false doctrines and “endless genealogies.” Is that where Ancestry.com started? Nah. 

I found fascinating insight on this subject from Dr. Henry Morris, founder of the Institute of Creation Research. 

Since all Scripture is profitable for everyone (II Timothy 3:16,17), these fables must refer to a far more serious and permanent danger than that. The myths of which Paul warns in the first verses of this letter must be the same as the “profane and vain babblings of science falsely so-called” which he condemns in the last verses 
(I Timothy 6:20). In light of both the evolutionary paganism of Paul’s day and the evolutionary humanism predicted for the last days (see for example II Timothy 3:1–13), it becomes clear that Paul’s reference to “fables and endless genealogies” is merely the first-century terminology for the twentieth-century mythology of multibillion-year particles-to-people evolutionism.

The tragedy is that many 20th-century Christians and Christian leaders have indeed “given heed” to this renewal of ancient evolutionary pantheistic paganism, and their teachings have “ministered questions,” which lead many into apostasy. If the Christian life is to become a “godly edifice,” it must be established on a godly foundation.

Good advice, Paul and Dr. Morris. Does that mean that I shouldn’t research my gene pool? You can if you like to spend a lot of money to discover that you came from thieves or theologians. However, beware, because it can become addictive and it is an eternal hobby. If you could ever get to the end of that trail, you would discover that you came from Adam and Eve. So, just go to Genesis 1 and 2. You’ll save a ton of time and money. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tottering!

I was watching my one year old grandson, Brandon, today. He had on some baggy little shorts, weird flip-flops over his socks, and he was tottering. It made me think about how I often feel these days. Funny how that when we are little and "innocent" and tottering in our baggy pants, with our little potbelly sticking out from under our t-shirt we look precious. When we are older and tottering in our low slung trousers and the same potbelly, we looks pathetic! I guess that the two drastically opposite points of view are based on the viewer's chronological perspective. Brandon is growing and I'm dying. He is cute because the little guy has a lot to learn and we love to see him progress. The old guy has already had his chance at learning and what he is progressing toward is not quite so much fun to ponder. When I have these weird thoughts I praise my God because He never lets go of my hand whether a tottering little guy or an old one. And I found this verse to prove my po...

What Are You Worth?

What are you Worth?  Have you ever thought about what you are worth? In investing circles there is a term used to gauge this exact question, it's called Net Worth. You take all of your assets, like property owned, funds in your bank account, clothes, jewelry, car, etc.. You total all of these things. You then take everything you owe, like mortgage, car loan, and credit card debt, and you subtract these items from the first total. This gives you your net worth. That number represents where you are financially. Most people never stop to think about this number because they don't understand anything about it. They never have two nickels to rub together. They live from hand to mouth and know (or at least believe) nothing will ever change so, they fall into the "daily grind" mentality. Psalm 49 should be a great encouragement to such as these. The sons of Korah write about them. These sons write about all of us. They call all people everywhere to listen to their wisdom. Bo...

Church Isn't a Place

  Many times we say, I'm going to church on Sunday. What some fail to understand is that "church" isn't a building. I remember our pastor saying, "the church is an organism, not an organization." He was teaching us the Bible truth about the church. Jesus Christ is the head of the body, and the church is his body on earth. Another pastor once said, "God's hands have human fingers." This is a difficult concept for some to grasp, pun intended. However, it is important to understand that God accomplishes his work through human beings. He uses us, the church, to do his will and work. It's not that if we don't do his will that he is stymied. But he does use willing servants. To be in the church, one must be a part of the family. You cannot be in the church if you don't have the Savior. The church is not for the lost; it is for the edification of the saved. The lost can come and hear the message of salvation. But the church is made up of t...