To Be Unaware

Now that I have shared some quotes from The Incomparable Christ by J. Oswald Sanders, from the Moody Classics series, let's dig a little deeper into some of the concepts put forth in this work.

One of the realizations I had while reading about the birth of Jesus is just how easy it is to be totally unaware of what God is doing near us. We could be in the midst of a miraculous work of God, an extraordinary act, and not even know it.

Sanders says this about the Roman empire at the time of Jesus' birth: "The astounding fact is that with all its magnificent system of communications, 'the great Roman world remained in absolute unconsciousness of the vicinity of God.' The entrance of the Creator into the world seemed a matter so insignificant as to warrant no notice being taken of it" (p. 38, emphasis added).

I wonder how many times a day that God performs supernatural interventions in my life, my family, and my work to which I pay no attention. Am I so conditioned by a worldview that does not expect such divine things to happen?

Is life sometimes too natural? Too ordinary? Are there "laws" of the physical world and human relationships and economics that I trust in above my God to run everyday life?

While I would like to point fingers at the Romans long ago and criticize them for not "getting it," I am left with the very strong possibility, no, reality, that I am too often "unconscious of the vicinity of God" myself.

May we all become a little more conscious of the presence of the Messiah today and from now on.

Colossians 3:1-4

Monkey Madness (part 6)

Okay, so let's look at some questions that students could bring up in a science classroom that would further a scientific discussion. Notice I didn't say "religious" discussion. Remember, my concern here is with the science that is taught in the classroom. In fact, I encourage students to be the ones to help redirect teachers away from discussions that focus on religion when it comes to this topic.

• Did Charles Darwin believe that there would be evidence in the fossil record to substantiate the theory of evolution? Is that still the belief among most scientists today? If so, what are some examples of the evidence? If not, why not?

• What sparked Stephen Jay Gould's desire to devise a "punctuated equilibrium" (or equilibria) theory? How does this position contrast with Darwinian evolution? Who supports/opposes it?

• Generally, does the fossil record show transitional species or intermediates (so called "missing links"), or does it show fully-formed, complex creatures?

• Would you explain how some "missing links" have been shown to be frauds, like "Nebraska Man" and "Piltdown Man" and the "Archaeoraptor"? Why do you think some scientists feel it is necessary to make up evidence to prove evolution?

• How would the fossil record differ from what we see now if a global flood had actually taken place and evolution between species did not occur?

• Ernst Haeckel's drawings illustrating "embryonic recapitulation" in the 1860's were exposed as frauds by university science professors the same year they were fabricated. Still, well over a century later, prominent evolutionists, textbooks, and other publications promote his drawings as "proof" of evolution despite knowing they are false. Why? (Again, why is it necessary to fabricate evidence if there is abundant proof for the theory of evolution?)

• When similarities in genetic makeup are noticed between species, what makes a common ancestor more plausible than a common designer from a "quantity of evidence" standpoint?

• Biogenesis (life being produced by other life) is observable reality. Never has life been observed to arise from nonliving material. Doesn't the origin of life theory associated with evolution defy this scientific axiom?

• What role do genetic mutations play in the theory of evolution? Do mutations ever add information or make things more complex? If so, when and how?

• What is your position on the Anthropic Principle?

• What are your thoughts about the Cosmological Constant related to Einstein's work?

• Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Monkey Madness (part 5)

According to the National Geographic article by David Quammen in 2004 (to which I referenced in one of my previous posts), a staggering percentage of the American population do not accept the theory of evolution. The statistics were actually quite surprising to me, but they provide another opportunity for more questions.

A question I would love to hear students asking in response to these kinds of findings might be, Why do you think roughly half of Americans believe that God created people sometime within the last 10,000 years? This question isn't so much to make an argument against anything, but it is important to realize the underlying assumptions of both sides in this debate.

When teachers make any kind of statements about religion, the Bible, or creationism, it should be fair for a student to ask, What does taking the Scriptures (or tenets of said faith) literally teach us about creation and the origin of life?

Some things to ponder when considering source evidence:

• New discoveries and understandings lead to changes in the theory of evolution. The creation story as told in Genesis has never had to be revised due to new findings.
• The Bible is written by about 40 different authors over a 1500 year time span on three different continents from people of all ranks of society. There is simply no other work, sacred or secular, that has even close to such an incredible story of formation and preservation.
• The Bible is the best selling book in the world. Its historical accuracy is remarkable. Archaeologists uphold its claims time and time again.

Please note that none of these facts mean that the Bible is divinely inspired, or the "word of God." That belief still requires faith. However, it also makes no sense to entirely dismiss a source that is the most scrutinized, analyzed, and critiqued literary and historical work ever known to mankind. The time and careful process the Bible went through as it was developed and compiled through the ages is unmatched.

Monkey Madness - The Creation/Evolution Debate Rages On (part 4)

In case anyone wonders if this topic is still timely, here is one of the featured videos on the MSN website for today, August 4, 2012. Enough said!

You can't even make this stuff up. Watch this clip about the "randomness and nastiness of evolution" (their words, not mine) if you want and ask yourself, Does this sound like science or science fiction? By the way, the second video on the site is "Humans vs. Aliens." I have to give it to them. If they can't be scientific, then at least be entertaining. I guess that's what Morgan Freeman's voice is for. Maybe it is their attempt to add scientific credibility to their position. You know, because famous Hollywood movie stars do that.

The third video is just as fun. I wish I could have been in the room while Morgan Freeman was recording it so I could occasionally interrupt and ask, "Could you say that last sentence out loud again?"

Monkey Madness (part 3)

The following link is an article that launched a series I presented at my local church at the time (almost 8 years ago). It lays out a four-fold argument in favor of Darwinian evolution. What interests me about this article is that the points the author uses are rather easy to refute by merely setting out a few facts with only a small amount of research, which could be done by just about anyone, anywhere, anytime.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0411/feature1/fulltext.html

Besides the interesting selection of points, this article is also entertaining because of the "artistic" description of the theory of evolution. The sentences below offer one example.

"Evolutionary theory, though, is a bit different. It's such a dangerously wonderful and far-reaching view of life that some people find it unacceptable, despite the vast body of supporting evidence."

Dangerously wonderful? Despite the vast body of supporting evidence?
Students need to be trained to read critically and recognize the bias of authors, teachers, etc. If you read the article, then you will find many other not-so-subtle jabs that paint critics of evolution as religious nuts or ignorant fools with covert brush strokes. This is a common tactic of people that lack substance in their position on the real issue.


What makes a scientific theory "dangerously wonderful" anyway?

Monkey Madness - The Creation/Evolution Debate Rages On (part 1)

At one time, I was really big into Christian apologetics (defending the Christian faith). While I am still interested in some of the arguments out there on all sides, I'm just not as concerned now with the idea of having to "defend" Christianity. Christianity, as a religion, actually may not be all that defensible anyway. At least not anymore than any other religion. Jesus, on the other hand, is still worthy of worship and allegiance. I like Carl Medearis' book, Speaking of Jesus, on this matter.

There is, however, still one topic that has quite a strong hold on me when it comes to defending biblical history. The funny thing is that it is not so much about my desire to defend anything religious or spiritual as much as it is a preoccupation with simply standing for truth. When it comes to learning, people should be entitled to draw their own conclusions when presented with facts objectively. Granted, that rarely happens these days, but we can still fight for it.

So, what is the one topic? It is that hairy, controversial, highly politicized and grossly misrepresented debate of creation vs. evolution. It is hard to say exactly why this topic still matters so much to me. I believe it has something to do with how aggressively and pervasively the unscientific theory of evolution has been pushed on this generation. Personally, as a parent, I am simply hoping for one thing when my daughter enters a science classroom - that they will teach her science!

In our efforts to make a much greater place for the next generation to become free and fruitful, there must be assurance that children and youth will have the freedom and opportunity to explore science and history and other areas in an honest manner.

Along these lines, here is the start of a series of posts related to thoughts about the entire creation vs. evolution debate, how it affects public education, and questions that students may consider asking their teachers in a variety of settings when challenged with particular assumptions.