John N Clayton Archives

October 27, 2026October 26, 2026

God’s Intelligence and Design in Apple Trees

The plant world demonstrates God’s intelligence and design. Plants provide food for all animal life on Earth, including insects and microbes. The nutrients found in plants vary from one species or variety to another, as do the needs of the animals, insects, and microbes that feed on them. Many plant-animal relationships are symbiotic, with each depending on the other for food, pollination, or seed dispersal.

For humans, plant variations provide dietary necessities and enjoyment. Most of us know that apples come in different varieties. We know that a Jonathan and a Fuji differ in appearance and taste, but they may also differ in nutritional value. Scientific American reported that there are about 2,500 apple varieties in the United States, but only about 100 are grown commercially, and just 15 are the most popular.

Here in the Midwest, different varieties meet the needs of various animals. Deer eat some apple varieties and shun others. The nutrients in these varieties vary, and deer are programmed to eat those that benefit them. As Americans’ diets have changed, so have the kinds of apples we eat. The chemicals in our foods affect what we like.

Humans have worked with apple trees over centuries to develop apples with the desired characteristics of taste, appearance, and disease resistance. This incredibly complex system is a great example of God’s design. We can call the development of new cultivars microevolution, but they are still apples. Enjoy the varieties you prefer, knowing they are not the way they are by accident. They express God’s intelligence and design in the genetics of apple trees.

October 26, 2026October 25, 2026

Questions Science Will Never Be Able to Answer

Scientific American magazine addressed an old argument between science and faith. The article asks whether there are questions science will never be able to answer. This will irritate atheists and skeptics who claim that religion was invented by humans to explain what they didn’t understand. That claim has been true in some past cases. When people didn’t understand volcanoes, they invented Pele or Vulcan to explain them. People invented Neptune to explain things in the ocean. Minerva explained rain, and Thor explained lightning.

When science could explain these things, people ridiculed the gods of the past, though in some cases people abandoned belief in them slowly. While I was in Hawaii, I picked up volcanic rocks to bring home. A local man chastised me for it and warned that taking the rocks would bring me bad luck and misfortune. He showed me a letter and a rock from a lady in Ohio who had taken a rock home and had disastrous fortune until she sent it back. I have brought back a dozen rocks from Hawaii over several visits to the islands, and my life has been blessed with good health and happiness.

Are there questions science will never be able to answer? Sarah Scoles, writing in that Scientific American article, addresses some possible ones. They include: “What came before the Big Bang? What causes consciousness? Why are we here? What happens when we die? How did life begin?” It is important to understand that scientists have opinions about these questions, but they are faith statements, not science. In our quarterly publication, we have a column called “Scientists and God” that quotes prominent scientists who have expressed their belief in God. We have literally hundreds of testimonies to choose from.

Romans 1:20 says that we can know there is a God by the things He has made, and 1 Peter 3:15 tells Christians to “be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope you have.” Our “Dandy Designs” columns, plus our booklets and Facebook page, provide strong evidence that intelligence is the cause of what we see.

References: “Impossible Questions” in the October 2026 issue of Scientific American, pages 28-37, and our Facebook page. You can see current and back issues of our printed publication on doesgodexist.org.

October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

“Do I Have To?” and Church Attendance

Our congregation offers numerous opportunities for members to get involved. We have a Bible class on Sunday morning, a worship service, another Bible class on Sunday night, and a Bible class on Wednesday night. We also have an area-wide devotional at another preacher’s home on Thursday night. Plus, we have a variety of work projects, including highway clean-up, food pantry activity, and phone calls when a member or their loved one is sick or has died. A member recently asked me, “Do I have to attend all services of the church?” I responded with an article by Steve Higginbotham that I think answers that question very well. We all need to consider this:

Do you have to hug and kiss your little children?

Do you have to remember your wife’s birthday?

Do you have to call home when you are going to be working late?

Do you have to buy Christmas presents for your family?

Do you have to attend programs your kids are in?

Do you have to attend the funeral of a close friend or relative?

Do I have to say “I love you” to my spouse?

We don’t have to do many of those things, but we are blessed to be able to do them. We get a great deal of personal joy and/or satisfaction from these things. The same is true of church activities. Steve comments, “When my relationship with God is based on what I have to do and what I do not have to do, I need to take a look at that relationship.”

September 30, 2026September 29, 2026

Profanity Is Increasing

“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been named by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:7-8). You have probably noticed that profanity is increasing in our society today.

An article in The Week (August 14, 2026) reported that the public use of profanity is increasing among politicians—something that should be obvious. Politicians have used public profanity in 692 instances, and all but 87 have occurred in the last decade. In the entertainment industry, profanity has skyrocketed. You now hear the “F word” in popular music, on TV, and in many movies. In the emails I received this morning, that word was used 72 times. Why does a person use the “F word”?

Reason #1 – The person is unsure about their position on the subject at hand.

Reason #2 – The person is verbally challenged and doesn’t know enough words to express their feelings.

Reason #3 – The person wants to get an emotional response from you.

Proverbs 12:18 says, “Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” James 1:19 tells us, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

When I was an atheist living with an atheist family and actively involved in organized atheism, profanity was commonplace. When I became a Christian, I was disowned by my parents and struggled not to use profanity around others. Seven years in the army didn’t help my speech habits. When I started teaching, I couldn’t use profanity around students. I know from personal experience how hard it is not to use profanity. Being around girls used to motivate me not to cuss, but now the girls are using profanity—even the “F word.”

As profanity is increasing, why not stand out from the crowd? Show you aren’t verbally challenged by finding words that let you vent without being profane. It will improve your attitude and how you feel about yourself, and it will earn greater respect from those around you.

September 29, 2026September 28, 2026

The Size of Animals in the Fossil Record

One question better answered by creation by God than by other explanations is why animals were so big in the past and so small today. In Smithsonian Magazine for September/October 2026, Dr. Floyd Shockley, the collections manager of entomology at the National Museum of Natural History, gives the traditional explanation for the size of animals in the fossil record.

The data on this issue involves two things. One is the fact that the level of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere was higher in the past than it is today (35% in the past as opposed to 21% today). The other is the fact that all major groups of animal life have become smaller today. We are all familiar with the fossil remains of huge dinosaurs. Less publicized is the fact that insects were also huge compared to their relatives today. Is an animal’s size related to how much oxygen it breathes? If so, animals living at higher elevations should be smaller than those at lower elevations. That is simply not the case.

Size is more directly related to diet than to a 14% difference in oxygen levels. The ecology of various environments is also a factor. Habitat design involves interactions between plant and animal life. Scientists have conducted interesting experiments in which they tried to design a closed habitat that would last for many years. Without external interference from the scientists, those habitats have collapsed.

The size of animals in the fossil record shows great intelligence in how animal and plant sizes interact. God was preparing the planet for humans and the resources we would need. No single factor accounts for how life was created, and no chance process can explain the facts we see. It reminds us of Romans 1:20, which tells us that “…since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”

September 11, 2026September 10, 2026

Insects Are God’s Tools

One of my neighbors is a mechanical genius – he can fix anything. The secret to his success is that he has a tool for every situation. It is one thing to have a tool, and another to know how to find it. When he needs a screw with a special design, width, and length, he can go to a drawer full of screws and a tool rack full of screwdrivers and have exactly what he needs to do the job. Insects are God’s tools.

Recent studies have shown that scientists have vastly undercounted insect species. Entomologist Laura Melissa Guzman of Cornell University, writing in Science News, says that previous insect species counts of six million are way too low and that the actual count is at least 14 million species and may be as high as 20 million.

The question is why so many species exist, and the reason is that insects are God’s tools to sustain life on planet Earth. Insects serve in many ways. For example, flowers must be pollinated to produce seeds that will grow into new flowers. To pollinate flowers of various sizes and shapes, insects of various sizes and shapes are God’s tools for that purpose. While some insects have particular jobs, others help control insect populations. Scientists have identified over 2,400 species of parasitoid wasps that do this.

Like my neighbor, who has the right tool for every situation, insects are God’s tools for every situation. Guzman writes, “It’s humbling how much we don’t know and how much we have left to know.” Everywhere we look in the world, we see a wonder-working hand has gone before. Insects are another of the things God has created to enable life to exist on our planet.

Reference: Science News, September 2026, page 26

August 31, 2026August 30, 2026

The UFO/UAP Issue and the Media

Yes, this picture is fake.

The media brings up old UFO/UAP stories, making it sound like we are being invaded by aliens. Sometimes the media attempts to relate this subject to biblical accounts. In 2 Kings 2:11, when Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind, some suggest that it was an alien transportation beam. Isaiah 66:15 says the Lord is coming with fire like a whirlwind, and some claim it describes an alien spacecraft coming to kidnap people for food or entertainment. The book of Revelation is heavily quoted as a picture of aliens. Revelation 19:11 says, “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.” This, they suggest, is the ancient humans’ understanding of aliens and their spacecraft. Some skeptics use the UFO/UAP issue to discredit the Bible.

Politicians who are not trained in science are very happy to open a hearing where economics and human rights are not involved. When the media resurrects the UFO/UAP issue, politicians jump in to get free media coverage. A classic example of media distortion of the UFO/UAP issue is a Time magazine article for August 17, 2026 (pages 50-54). Here are some common errors the media reports that appear in this article.

1) Sightings are not modern. Time’s leading claim is from August 11, 1948. Many old claims have either been disproven or cannot be studied.

2) There is money in claims. The movie “Disclosure Day” grossed 93 million dollars worldwide on its opening weekend alone. The claims concerning Area 51 in Roswell, New Mexico, mentioned in the Time article, are fraudulent, including the museum with alien figures.

3) The American government continues to promote the UFO/UAP issue to distract Americans from the failures of politicians to answer the real problems facing American citizens today. Avi Loeb, a Harvard astrophysicist and cosmologist, was subjected to congressional questions, but he didn’t give the answers the politicians wanted.

The truth is that there is no credible evidence that aliens are controlling what happens on planet Earth. We need to solve our own problems, and Jesus Christ has told us how to do it. Soliciting alien help is not an option.

Reference: Time Magazine, August 17, 2026, pages 50-54.

August 18, 2026August 17, 2026

Octopus Mating Arm

Evolutionary theory assumes that all organisms are related in some way. Yet some life forms have a unique makeup unrelated to any other. One example is the octopus mating arm.

It’s common knowledge that an octopus has eight arms. What is less known is that one of those arms, called the hectocotylus, is the octopus mating arm. The male uses the other seven arms for hunting and exploring, but generally holds the hectocotylus close to his body when not mating. The female octopus has a mantle, a structure behind the eyes that houses all her organs. The male octopus reaches into the female’s mantle and feels around until he finds her ovary. He then slides a sac of sperm down his arm and deposits it.

It’s interesting that the male cannot see what he is doing, so the female helps by secreting enzymes that produce the sex hormone progesterone, which attracts the male octopus mating arm. The octopus is a highly visual animal in every other part of its life, but its reproductive system involves no vision. Each octopus species has its own chemical signature, so there is no interference in the reproductive system from other species.

As we learn about the octopus and its reproductive system, it seems that God has left His signature on this animal, showing that an engineer designed life. No chance explanation can easily account for how octopus reproduction originated. Romans 1:20 tells us that we can know there is a God through the things He has made.

Reference: Scientific American, June 2026, pages 16-17.

August 10, 2026August 9, 2026

Gender Dysphoria and the Church

A major challenge the Church faces is how to address young people with gender dysphoria. This issue has been complicated by medical experts and counselors who encourage young people to undergo drug treatments and surgeries for gender change. The American Medical Association and the Society of Plastic Surgeons have led the medical establishment in promoting sex-change procedures, and public-school counselors have encouraged primary and secondary students to change their gender identification and pronouns.

The long-term consequences of gender change are becoming more apparent. Males who choose to identify as women have dominated women’s sports. Men and women who have undergone gender-change surgeries are finding, years later, that they made a mistake. Recently, a New York woman sued her psychologist and plastic surgeon and was awarded two million dollars by a jury. She was pressured into a mastectomy at age 16 and put on hormone therapy. As an adult, she realized she wanted to live by her birth gender and was either not told or did not understand the consequences that would arise later in life.

The Bible makes it clear that God created man and woman with distinct gender identities. Undoing what God created is to challenge God and the biblical directives. It is essential for the Church to address gender dysphoria in young people. The cause is psychological and, in most cases, rooted in environmental problems.

The Church is not just a place to worship but a fellowship of Christ followers who must address all human needs. In Matthew 25:34-40, we see Jesus challenging those who want to enter “the kingdom prepared for them since the creation of the world.” Among the things expected of them was to take care of those who were sick. Gender dysphoria is a sickness, and like all of Satan’s attacks, it calls for loving care from His people.

Reference: The Week for February 26, 2026, page 12.

August 6, 2026August 5, 2026

A Reader’s Digest Joke

A Reader’s Digest joke on page 51 of the August/September 2026 issue conveys an important message. The joke goes like this: “An atheist is rowing on Loch Ness in Scotland when the Loch Ness Monster attacks him. The petrified atheist shouts, ‘God, help me!’ And suddenly the monster freezes. A voice from heaven booms, ‘You say you don’t believe in me, but now you ask for my help?’ The atheist shrugs, ‘Well, ten seconds ago I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness Monster either.’”

Modern-day atheists say they don’t believe in God because they haven’t seen Him and don’t see His activity in the affairs of this world. This ministry exists to show all who will look that there is evidence for God’s existence. Most people who say they don’t believe in God are unwilling to look at the evidence or admit that the Bible is more than just a human creation but came from God.

If you don’t believe in God or have doubts, please go to our website, doesgodexist.tv, and see the evidence demonstrated in the videos. Start with program #1 (don’t just skip around), and watch it. If you have questions, go to jncdge@aol.com or call 269-687-9426 and ask me. If you don’t have questions, go to program #2 and repeat the process. If we don’t have answers (and we certainly don’t have all the answers), we will send your question to someone who does. If you go through all 36 programs, you will see how much evidence there is. You can KNOW there is a God and that the Bible is His Word (Romans 1:20), but like the atheist in the Reader’s Digest joke, you have to look.