In 2014 I debated Bill Nye at the Creation Museum.

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There’s no doubt that debate has had, and continues to have, a phenomenal impact. I’ve also heard from people who have become Christians as a result of the debate.

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As we were leading up to what some people had dubbed the “debate of the century,” “an historic debate,” and even “Scopes 2,” I want to share some personal thoughts that were going through my mind.

The Scopes trial in 1925 was a turning point in the history of America, and not just for the creation/evolution debate. The man representing Christianity (William Jennings Bryan), a fine man, sadly did a poor job defending the Christian faith as he went against the ACLU attorney Clarence Darrow. Bryan didn’t know how to answer questions like “where did Cain get his wife?” and he also compromised the Bible with millions of years.

Even though Bryan technically won the trial, in the whole scheme of things it was a win for the secularists. In a real sense, the well-publicized trial showed the world that Christians couldn’t defend the history in the Bible—and that they were willing to give in to the secular teaching of millions of years.

I truly felt inadequate. Yet I knew the Lord had put me in this position. As some bloggers and media reports were comparing this evolution/creation debate to that of the Scopes trial, I must admit I shuddered. You see, I thought of the heavy responsibility of representing Christianity to both the Christian and secular world who would be watching. I truly felt inadequate. Yet I knew the Lord had put me in that position.

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For Bible-believing Christians, another factor that drove interest in the debate was because biblical Christianity had been losing its influence on the culture over the decades—particularly since the election of President Obama and his pro-gay “marriage” agenda and pro-abortion stance.

And don’t forget how atheists had been successful in imposing their worldview (their religion) on the culture. They had successfully removed Christian symbols like crosses, Ten Commandments displays, and nativity scenes from many public places. And we had also seen that prayer, Bible readings, and creation had all but been eliminated from schools.