In 1975 Walter Lang produced a devotional guide based on the six books of Scripture which touch on the problems of science and evolution. These are Genesis 1-11, Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Romans and Colossians. This Guide is a revision of the devotions on Colossians.
 

In his book Evolution--A Religious Dogma, Philip Mauro demonstrates that the theory of evolution substitutes for the Biblical account of creation, an upward development of life forms over a billions-of-years timespan, plus the element of chance. Substituting for the love of Christ is the destructive survival of the fittest.

The apostle Paul condemns the science of his day among the Colossians which was "gnosticism." It combined Greek philosophy with Jewish asceticism. Life was divided into angel stages. By refusing to eat pork and by keeping the Sabbath and Jewish festivals, a person could graduate from one angel stage to the next, finally reaching the fulness, it was taught. Jesus Christ was merely a minor stage, not even the fulness. Not only did gnostics degrade Christ, but they improperly emphasized worldly things and Jewish religious exercises. In 1:20 we read that Jesus Christ also redeems things, but when we trust in "things," as is done in evolution philosophy, we are in trouble. Through Christ's redemption even material "things" in nature become a blessing.

This means that Christ must be total also in earthly things, including science, as well as in "things above" (3:1). In these devotions we emphasize that Christ must be total, or "preeminent," in all things (1:18). In 1984 we listened to a talk at a retreat center on the Rhine River in Germany, at Bierbronnen, across from Switzerland. Speaker was Theobold Beer, a 75-year-old Roman Catholic priest who had spent 50 years studying the works of Luther. He complained of Luther's criticism of Augustine, claiming it was due to Luther's paranoia over sin. However, when Luther demonstrated to Augustine there are two Gods (not one), two churches (not one), two righteousnesses (right and false), he was demonstrating that we ought not divide horizontally (spiritual matters above/material things below).

Rather, in a vertical division we find evil not only in material things but also in spiritual things, e.g., devils. The angel stages in gnostic philosophy were actually devil stages as chance plus billions-of-years equaling upward evolution is a devil-inspired philosophy. Thus, Luther demonstrated that we need Jesus Christ in our material life as well as in our spiritual life. The book of Colossians furnishes effective arguments against devil-promoted gnosticism and devil-inspired evolution. The book of Colossians provides an effective tool in opposing evolution theories. A science rooted in Jesus Christ will produce more effective results (2:7).

References 1 & 2 on (References) the last page.

Prayer: That a study of Colossians will lead to Jesus Christ becoming a total influence in our lives, both with regard to material and to spiritual matters.