Death an “engineering problem,” according to a report in an article in New Scientist, 9 April 2005, p39, about a growing movement amongst scientists and lay people that modern biotechnology will be able to find a cure for the aging process and enable humans to live forever. Ray Kurzwell, an engineer and Gerry Crossman, a nutritionist have “mapped out the first three bridges to eternal life.” The first is to use currently available knowledge to keep yourself healthy. (They do this by taking 250 different dietary supplements per day.) The second involves developments in medical techniques such as genetic testing to enable diseases to be detected early and precise treatments designed for them. The third involves using nanotechnology to treat diseases, e.g. clear clogged arteries and deliver the right nutrients to different body tissues. When New Scientist writer Greg Klerkx asked Kurzwell how long he expected to live, Kurzwell replied, “Let’s just say I’m not planning on dying.”
Editorial Comment: This erroneous view of death as a biological phenomenon is perhaps the most significant way that evolution opposes the gospel of Jesus Christ. According to evolutionary theory death is the means of allowing survival of the fittest by eliminating the unfit. This is the opposite of the Gospel which states death came into the world because of Adam’s disobedience, and one man, Jesus Christ paid the penalty for it. Therefore, there is only one “bridge to eternal life” and it does not involve preserving and repairing our present bodies. Death is not an engineering or biological problem, it is a moral penalty. Therefore, the only solution to death has been provided by the Lord Jesus Christ who paid the penalty for human rebellion by giving His own life, then rising from the dead to give new life to those who repent of their rebellion against their Creator. The reward for trusting Christ for new life is not a repaired present-day body, but a new, eternal body after this life is over.
Kurzwell should be warned by the writer of Hebrews, who wrote it is appointed that all men die only once and be judged (Hebrews 9:27). (Ref. mortality, eternity, gospel)