By Siamang
Over at Quintessence of Dust, Stephen Matheson has certainly got an intruiguing perspective.
He’s a Christian, and also an Associate Professor of Biology at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. His perspective is not one we hear very much. Sometimes we hear scientists who are also Christians talk about the science. It’s interesting to hear a scientist talk about his faith.
This is part of the conversation where I cannot contribute except by listening, and pointing his blog out to other people who want to listen.
Saturday’s post caught my eye. He’s writing about the difference between the natural history of the Earth as uncovered by science, and the narrative of creation as outlined in the Bible. But he also writes about this in regards to the “problem of evil” and how he thinks about these things.
Let me explain a little more about why I think evolutionary theory is no different from other science in its potential to undermine belief. Science, to me, is the rational exploration of God’s creation. This ongoing exploration has enabled humans to assemble reliable explanations for innumerable phenomena of interest: sunrise and sunset, moonlight, weather, growth and development of plants and animals, causation of various diseases. Some of these are phenomena for which biblical writers offered “explanations” that are either incorrect (on a plain reading) or are not natural explanations at all. In my view, various “scientific” accounts in the Bible are easily seen to be folk science or, more generously, what John Calvin called “accommodation.” This fact about scripture was known to many Christians long before anyone even dreamed of an ancient earth or common descent. Evolution came very late to that game, and it seems to me that those who claim to reject faith upon reading in Genesis about the “two great lights” in “the vault of the sky” are on better footing than those who reject Christianity because evolution falsifies “each according to its kind.”
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But I can offer this additional observation regarding “what makes me tick”: I see my faith and my reading of scripture as radiating out from the life of Jesus. His incarnation, life, death, and ascension are The Story. I don’t start at the beginning, with the ancient Near Eastern cosmology, then work my way through till I get to Pentecost. I really do focus on Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega.
As I explained before, my emphasis on Christ’s preeminence makes the academic issue of Adam’s actual home address a mere curiosity.
In the same article Stephen also makes some interesting points about the problem of evil. I enjoy the clarity with which Stephen describes his thinking on reconciling Genesis with the creation science sees around us, and reconciling a world that includes suffering with a God that is the author of Good.
It’s not my point of view… but I’m not going to argue that in this post. I just like Stephen’s ability to help me see his views.
I’m not doing it justice by quoting it in parts. Go read the entire piece.
-Siamang.
Posted in A Cacophony of Posts | 29 Comments »DANG!
This is some funny stuff.
From Here.
More after the break.
Read the rest of this news item »
Once again, my better half has provided this week’s topic for me. It’s a book review from the New York Times of Do You Believe? by Antonio Monda.
By the way, honey, I’m adding this to my Christmas list (Know what I mean? Know what I mean? nudge nudge? Know what I mean? nudge nudge? Say no more?).
Posted in A Cacophony of Posts, Mike O | 4 Comments »