Seven Glaring Errors of the Warren Christian Apologetics Center

age of the earth, creation, evolution No Comments

The Warren Christian Apologetics Center under the direction of Charles Pugh III has been in existence for over a decade.  During this time, the Center (hereafter referred to as the WCAC) has proven through its publications and associations its true nature.  The WCAC is located at 850 Altman Ave., Parkersburg, WV 26104 and is currently housed in two trailers on a lot that once belonged to the owners of a Bob Evans restaurant which was subsequently sold and later donated by the new owner to the WCAC as a future location.  The director of the center, Charles Pugh III is largely responsible for the decisions made that give direction to the aim or purpose of the center.  The stated aim of the center is to “affirm and defend the Christian Worldview while challenging growing global influence of atheistic thought.”  The WCAC has been responsible for both publications and activities that do not uphold the Christian Worldview which can only be defined by God’s Word.  Consider the following seven glaring errors of the WCAC.
Error Number One:  Advancement of the False Theory of Theistic Evolution.  
The WCAC published a book by Nobie Stone, Genesis One And Lessons From Space (This book has been published twice by the WCAC. The first edition was published in 2014 and the second edition was published in 2017. I have written extensive reviews of each published edition and posted them under my Book Reviews page), in which the author affirms the Big Bang Theory and an old Earth view (both of which are tenets of theistic evolution).  Theistic evolutionists believe that God used evolution as His means of producing the various forms of physical life on this planet,including human life (Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, p. 233).  In five previous blogs, I have exposed the false concepts involved in the concept of theistic evolution.  Please refer to them for a thorough discussion of this topic.  In one of those blogs, I revealed that the old earth view (the view that the universe is 14 billion years old and that the earth is 4 to 5 billion years old) contradicts biblical chronology.  The WCAC by publishing and distributing a book that affirms a false view of the age of the earth (which contradicts plain statements in the Bible) contradicts its mission by compromising truth.  The Big Bang Theory has been proven both scientifically and biblically to be false.  Why would the WCAC use funds contributed to it by members of the Lord’s church and others to publish material that is blatantly false?
Error Number Two:  Errors of Epistemology
In the book by Nobie Stone, Genesis One and Lessons From Space, Stone affirms that we cannot know anything with certainty (see the second edition, p. 19).  He affirms probablism.  Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge, its presuppositions and basis, and the general reliability of claims to knowledge (Paul Edwards, editor, The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, vol. 3 and 4, p. 9).  Thomas Warren, for whom the WCAC is named, believed that we can know with certainty that God exists, the Bible is the Word of God and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  It is interesting to note, that Charles Pugh III, director of the WCAC is on record as stating that the WCAC is not a cookie cutter of the apologetics of Thomas Warren (first edition, 157).  Why name the center after Thomas Warren and not represent the apologetics of Thomas Warren?  Nobie Stone denies that we can know anything with certainty.  How can the WCAC affirm the Christian Worldview and at the same time publish materials that deny we can know that God exists with absolute certainty?
Error Number Three:  Elevation of Scientific Theory Over the Scriptures
In the book by Nobie Stone, Genesis One and Lessons From Space, the author affirms that the theories of science, the theory of evolution and the Big Bang theory take primacy over the Scriptures.  Stone wrests the scriputures in Genesis 1 to fit his bias toward these scientific theories.  The scientific theories have never been proven and, yet, they are elevated over the infallible Word of God.  This causes Stone to reinterpret the days of Genesis 1.  He affirms that each “day” was an indeterminate age and not a twenty-four hour period of time.  This is commonly referred to as the “Day-Age” theory.   Denis Lamoureux in Evolutionary Creation-A Christian Approach to Evolution, states, “The hermeneutical primacy of science certainly leads to a counterintuitive reading of the Bible” (p. 175).  In order to reinterpret the Scriptures to fit scientific theories such as evolution and the Big Bang, Stone must violate several hermeneutical principles including lexical meanings and grammatical forms of the Hebrew language in which the Old Testament was written.  I would like to affirm that the Scriptures are the final authority and not science.  God cannot lie!  (I Sam. 15:29, Titus 1:2, Heb. 6:18).  God expressly states, “For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:11).  Any theory that contradicts a plain passage of Scripture is a false theory (Thomas Warren affirms this principle in Logic and the Bible, 75,76).  The WCAC has affirmed that it will uphold the Christian Worldview.  How can you have a Christian Worldview without affirming the integrity of the Scriptures?
Error Number Four:  Practicing Ecumenism
Ecumenism is the false practice of fellowshipping denominational persons and errors without rebuke.  The WCAC is a parachurch organization.  The WCAC has attempted to legitimize its practices and open fellowship of false religion by stating that they are not the church of Christ.  They have accepted and will accept monies from any source that is friendly toward their stated purpose.  A parachurch organization is an organization that functions outside of the church but claims to be doing a work of the church.  Apologetics is a work of the church (I Pet. 3:15).  The WCAC is not the church, but claims to be doing a work of the church and so claims to help the church.  However, when the WCAC became involved in publishing and promoting religious error, it ceased being helpful to the church and became an enemy of the church.  When the WCAC began to openly fellowship those in religious error, they stopped being a friend of the church of Christ.  The open fellowship of religious error is a violation of Ephesians 5:11.  “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.”  And, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” (II Cor. 6:14-15). The WCAC demonstrated its willingness to openly fellowship religious error by hosting Devin Brown in the recent spring lectures.  Brown is a scholar from Asbury University (a Methodist school-specifically Wesleyan-Arminian).  He is an expert on C.S. Lewis.  C.S. Lewis was a theistic evolutionists who affirmed common descent believing that human beings evolved from lower life forms (monkeys to man theory).  C. S. Lewis is referred to by Brown and by Charles Pugh III as a Christian theist.  C.S. Lewis was never a member of the church of Christ. C.S. Lewis was a member of the church of Ireland which was Episcopal.  Robert Beasley in his book, Set Me Free, offers a suggestion on how members of the churches of Christ could fellowship denominational people.  He mentions parachurch organizations.  Beasley states, “There are a number of parachurch organizations that are intended not to replace the church, but to focus on particular issues confronting Christians in our modern world. The focus of these groups will be on the essential truths of the Christian faith, without delving into issues that divide denominations” (188).  Beasley suggests Promise Keepers as an example of a parachurch organization that members of the churches of Christ could fellowship.  Charles Pugh III is using the WCAC in a similar fashion.  Is there any person involved in teaching or promoting religious error that the WCAC would not fellowship?  If so, on what basis?
Error Number Five:  Misuse of Funds
The WCAC directors solicit funds from anyone who is sympathetic toward the stated purpose of the center.  They solicit funds from Christians and from churches of Christ and from non-members who are unbelievers.  This of necessity involves the attempt to combine together individuals who are both believers and unbelievers in a common religious cause.  It is an attempt to bring together the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God in accomplishing one cause.  This is a fundamental error of the design of the WCAC.  Jesus stated that, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matt. 12:25).  Does this principle apply to the WCAC?  If the WCAC upholds the truth about God, Jesus Christ and the Bible, would not that very truth destroy the denominationalists who were supporting the WCAC with their money and their resources?  The WCAC uses funds contributed to it to publish religious error (Big Bang theory, old earth view, false views of epistemology–all noted earlier).  For instance, $15,000.00 has been spent to publish Nobie Stone’s book, Genesis One and Lessons from Space in the two editions printed.  How many members of the church of Christ know that the money they have contributed to the WCAC has gone to publish religious error and promote false religionists?
Error Number Six:  Hypocrisy
The WCAC fellowships the unfruitful works of darkness in order to do a work of the church!  The WCAC director pays lip service to the Bible while publishing materials that contradict plain passages of Scripture in the Bible.  The biblical definition of hypocrisy is stated by the Lord in Matthew 23:3, “All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.”  Hypocrisy involves saying one thing and doing another.  Hypocrisy is also manifested in the fundamental error of the WCAC in its attempt to bring together the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God in order to accomplish a work of the church of Christ.
Error Number Seven:  Division
A sad state has developed in the churches of Christ due to the divisive nature of the WCAC.  Churches and brethren have been separated.  Lines of fellowship have been drawn.  Apologetics Centers have been pitted against each other.  For instance, Apologetics Press, in 2019 has printed five different articles upholding the young earth view which is a stated purpose of the apologetics center.  Most know that this center is closely associated with the churches of Christ.  The articles appeared in Reason and Revelation a publication of Apologetics Press.  The recent articles are:  21 Reasons To Believe The Earth is Young, Jeff Miller, Ph.D., Jan. 2019, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 2-5, 8-10.  How Long Were Adam and Eve in the Garden Before Sinning?  Jeff Miller, Ph.D., February, 2019, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 20-23.  Was the Flood Global?  Jeff Miller, Ph. D., April, 2019, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 38-47.  Behemoth and Leviathan Part I, May, 2019, vol.  39, no. 5, Dave Miller Ph. D., pp. 50-57.  Behemoth and Leviathan Part II, Dave Miller, Ph. D., June, 2019, vol. 39, no. 6, pp. 62-69.  The WCAC does not uphold the young earth view as noted above as evidenced by their publication of Nobie Stone’s book, Genesis One and Lessons From Space.  Apologetics Press has also published numerous articles refuting the Big Bang Theory which was advanced by Nobie Stone in his work (I have referenced these in my reviews of both editions of Nobie Stone’s book).  This clearly pits one apologetics center against another apologetics center which is ironic since both claim to be upholding the Bible.  No parachurch organization is worth causing division in the body of Christ.