Concordia Seminary, 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. “Mankind’s Origin: Monkey or Messiah (Implications for Christian Witness in the 21st Century)” 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’s 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’s The Origin of Species and the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth. This Theory of the Origin of Mankind from ‘monkeys’ 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 ‘feeble-minded’ 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 influence on society’s 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 Concordia Seminary, 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 ce@csl.edu. The cost is $30 per person and includes all handouts and refreshments. Concordia Seminary is located at 801 Seminary Place, in Clayton, Mo.