September 2010 Archives

Okay, so my blog is stuttering, as I expected it would, but is still more consistent than it has been at most periods in the past. Anyway, this is about two weeks worth of Stash. Away we go…

Jon Nelson of The Gospel Coalition has some good thoughts on why expository preaching is good for teens. “Adults in the church have pitifully underestimated the capacity of young people to grasp biblical truth revealed in the very structure of the biblical text.” Too true. I’m a major fan of expository preaching to the point that I think topical preaching is almost always a bad idea. It makes me happy to see someone arguing for it even for the younger men and women in church.

“No sinner is more lost than the religious sinner.” That sums up a great essay over at Pyromaniacs on the kind of religion that might look good to worldly eyes, but is ultimately damning. No one gets into heaven by being a good or spiritual person, but only by leaning on Jesus Christ.

Stephen Hawking has a new book coming out where he once again has decided to cross the line from mathematics and into religion. Al Mohler offers some great analysis. Hawking makes the assertion that suggesting that God created the universe just begs the question of “Who Made God?” He doesn’t realize that the exact same argument applies to his theory of spontaneous creation. As Dr. Edgar Andrews puts it, “It’s either God who created the universe or its turtles all the way down.”

Fred Butler points out a revealing video from National Geographic. Evolutionary biologists have a hard time acting like evolutionary biologists and make a critical gaffe about the design of the way a giraffe’s body works as a piston:

Ever have some unbeliever (or even someone claiming to be a believer) tell you not to judge them and tell you that they are quoting scripture? As usual, this is quoted out of context if they are trying to prevent you from judging some questionable moral decision they’ve made.

Justin Taylor has put together an FAQ on Mormonism and how it differs from the Bible.

Here’s an interesting fact. For all the media coverage of hatred against muslims, there are 10 times as many hate crimes reported against Jews. But this narrative in the media is upside down.

And to the funnies (HT: Brent):

This would really have hurt:

Cheers.

I keep beating this horse, but it keeps coming back to life. I’m going to keep it short and sweet this time. This is aimed at Christians who cannot decide whether you want to be a materialist or theist.

Delusion #1: You are too dumb or too uneducated to have a scientific opinion. Incorrect. It is the substance of the arguments that matter, not the experience of the person presenting them. This is a cheap shot to disqualify an person without actually confronting her argument. If you have made this argument, you cheated, but only against yourself.

Delusion #2: Evolution is not a belief system. Actually, it is. In fact, it is considerably more theological in nature than scientific. A scientific theory must be falsifiable, but every time a falsification is made a new tweak to the theory is made to account for it. Compare what is called “evolution” by textbooks today to what Darwin wrote over a century ago. Evolution is merely a popular form of experimental theology that will adapt as much as necessary to fit the facts. By the way, I have no argument with theology being paired up with science and see that as a perfectly legitimate and even unavoidable practice. I just want you to be honest about what evolution actually is.

Delusion #3: Evolution and Christian Theism are compatible positions. Not at all. There are people who try to hold to two diametrically opposed belief systems simultaneously. This is sometimes called post-modernism or relativism. When you compartmentalize your belief systems so that in one context (friends/family/church) you believe in one thing and in another context (work/school) you believe in something else, you are living a lie. Post-modernism is ridiculous and irrational because it considers this kind mental disconnect normal. It allows you to say contradictory things that still make you feel good.

Nobody can actually live her life this way, though. Rationality is the actual normal expectation everyone has and the default position to which everyone returns. If this incongruity describes you, then you will eventually try to harmonize these two contexts. Then, you will become confused. Finally, you will cause confusion for others because contradictory positions don’t harmonize (harmony is rational, belief in a contradiction is madness). Please, prayerfully, stop trying to be a walking contradiction and pick a context and a belief system. Be rational.

Christian theism and the standard model of scientific evolution are not compatible. There is no rational harmony to be had. Pick one and move on.

Cheers.