A Sad Legacy

Proverbs 13:22 states, “A good [man] leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children.”

Six years ago, my father died. There were no newspaper headlines or TV and radio news reports. While family and close friends comforted each other, as far as the world was concerned, this was a non-event.

My father didn’t have much worldly wealth to leave his family as an inheritance-just enough to allow my mother to live out her days on this Earth. But, my father left his family a wonderful “spiritual inheritance”-something far more valuable than silver or gold. Because my father (and mother) loved the Word of God, and trained their children in spiritual things and imbued them with a desire to defend the Christian faith and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, millions of people have now heard the creation/salvation message through the ministry of Answers in Genesis. In many ways, the ministry I have been involved in for over 25 years, that has now spread around the world, is really the legacy of my father. Many have been won to the Kingdom of God as a result.

A few weeks ago, one of the greatest evolutionary scientists also walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Dr Stephen Jay Gould, one of the most influential evolutionists of our time, passed from this earthly life.

So what sort of legacy did he leave on this planet? From the world’s perspective, he was a hero.

His passing was reported in major newspapers and on television and radio. During his life, Dr Gould received numerous awards for his writings and contributions to the scientific world. He was an ardent evolutionist, Marxist sympathizer and, not surprisingly, anti-Christian. He vehemently spoke and wrote against those who believed the Genesis account of Creation.

What is the real legacy of one who had such a great mind and was truly an intellectual giant-who received in life and death the accolades of the world? I think it can be summed up by the following testimony from Mark Engblom in Minnesota that was sent to our AiG artist Dan Lietha. (Many years ago, Dan witnessed to this young man using our creation materials. )

It was Stephen Jay Gould who wrote an evolutionary propaganda book called Ever Since Darwin, which I used in a science course back when I was a college student.

As you can imagine, what little remained of my faith at the time was utterly shattered by this course and, chiefly, this book. Thanks to Gould and a host of other dedicated atheists, my faith in God was stripped away chapter by chapter until nothing seemed to be left.

It wasn’t until I became a parent and God sent YOU [Dan Lietha] into my life that I awakened to a vital life in Christ and finally understood the Gospel and the truth of God’s Word . . . . and am now able to defeat the bankrupt theories of Gould and his ilk to anyone who cares to listen. Thanks for being there for me all those years ago. You really helped to change my life, Dan. Never forget that.

-Mark

Which of the two is the most important legacy? More important, what sort of legacy are you leaving on Earth?