Science and Faith: Part 1 - A Conversation

One of the most frequently asked questions is the question of how scientific discoveries affect our faith. Since we’re sticking to the “deep end” issues of the faith in the talks, we’re going to tackle this issue in the blog. I quickly figured out that one blog would not suffice for such a big issue. So it looks like we will get 3 blogs on the issue of faith and science. First, we’ll look at the big picture issue of how science and faith interact. Then we’ll move on to the questions of miracles and evolution.

For many centuries, there was not a clear divide between science and faith. Scholars were expected to study theology/science/math/philosophy all as one discipline. Then, during what we call the “enlightenment” people starting seeing science/math/philosophy as distinct from theology. Later science, math and philosophy would also separate into somewhat distinct disciplines. Since then, it has been a difficult question as to how science (or any other academic discipline) and faith should interact.

Ian Barbour has suggested 4 different ways they can interact (see Tim Keller’s Reason for God, chapter 6). On one end of the spectrum is all out war. In this view, faith and science are always in conflict. It’s always creationism versus evolution, faith versus reason, or scientific evidence versus religious belief. The assumption is that science and faith are enemies. On the other end is the idea that they have nothing to do with each other. People of this point of view think that religious beliefs and scientific information do not belong in the same conversation. Barbour proposes that a healthier response lies somewhere in between. Two other options include the idea that faith and science could either be integrated or at least that there should be a conversation between the two. I propose that one of these middle ground options is better. If God is the creator of the universe, then he is the creator of everything that scientists study. Surely faith and science are not enemies, and they cannot be wholly separate.

There is one more reason for there to be healthy interaction between faith and science. When Christians attack or ignore science, they often attack or ignore people who place their faith in science over Jesus. Though it is clearly untrue that all scientists are atheists, it is a community with many nonbelievers. Christians sacrifice a tremendous opportunity to have a healthy conversation about our faith with a people group who need such a conversation. Let’s quit attacking people who do not believe as we do, and let’s quit ignoring them. Rather, with a love of Christ and a faith in a Savior who is truth, let’s engage in a loving, grace filled dialogue.

More to come on science and faith…

For His glory and our joy,
nr

Hidden Thoughts

Canon and Apocrypha are two loaded terms that have significant meaning to our understanding of God’s Word. Canon literally means “a measuring rod.” God breathed scripture would be the “measuring rod” of which it is very important for us to listen and see what God is saying. When we read Colossians 1:17, it says, “God is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” By understanding this truth, the Canon of the scriptures meant that God was set before it all in order that He would give us clear truths. So, the Canon is a process in which God again used man to set His words and be placed in an order and bound book that we today know as the Holy Bible. There are several other writings that were left out of the Bible that had no need to be documented because it was evident that it was a writing that was not breathed of God as the other 66 books. These other writings are referred to as the Apocrypha. The word Apocrypha means “hidden” or “concealed” and we see them as “writings of unknown origin." Nowhere in these “other books” do we see the writers refer to the writing as inspired by God. These writings were not inspired by God, but simply the ideas and thoughts of man.
We must be able to answer questions of our own faith and when we face thoughts and discussions on how the scripture came to be, it is critical that we know answers. We trust that the work of the Holy Spirit will guide us as we journey through this mind series. Send us your thoughts and let us know what questions you may have.

From one follower of Christ to another,

Jarrett

Deep End/Shallow End

“If you dive into the shallow end of the Biblical pool, where there are many controversies over interpretation, you may get scraped up. But if you dive into the center of the Biblical pool, where there is consensus—about the deity of Christ, his death and resurrection—you will be safe. It is therefore important to consider the Bible’s core claims about who Jesus is and whether he rose from the dead before you reject it for its less central and more controversial teachings.” -Tim Keller (Reason for God)

Over the next several weeks as we discuss our inward series, we are going to be teaching about the “Deep End” issues such as: Inerrancy of Scripture, Goodness of God in Suffering, Predestination, Exclusivity of Christianity, and Sanctification. We will then be blogging about the “Shallow End” issues for your further research and discussion. We hope you are blessed by these critical conversations…we trust the Lord will use them as a key shaping season in your life!

~Deep thoughts by a Shallow guy~
mn

When Questions aren’t asked

This past Saturday, at halftime of the Liberty Bowl (Go Hogs…especially Tejada), we launched our INWARD series: Loving God with our mind. For 6 weeks we will discuss on Saturday nights some of the biggest faith questions that plague us, keep us awake at night, and cause general blank stares when asked. We will also blog on this very site whatever you have specific questions about. On Saturday, right between your 2nd and 3rd piece of pizza, we asked you to text in your biggest questions regarding the Christian faith. To our amazement, although 100+ people were in the room, we only received 6 texts. After much conversation, we as a Mosaic students staff team decided this would be the perfect blog to start us off with. The lack of questions led us to a few potential reasons:
1) People didn’t know what to ask
2) People are afraid to ask
3) People could care less
4) People are more interested in their pizza then the topic at hand
5) People don’t text

Considering that the vast majority present were students, we are going to assume that it’s not number 5, hope that its not number 4 (but know that’s likely for us as well), and therefore move directly to 1-2-3. If your silence reflected one of these, we want to both challenge and encourage you in the weeks to come. When Jesus promises the woman at the well that one day, worshipers will come to Him in spirit and truth, we take that to mean in the heart, soul AND the mind (John 4:7-26). Knowing God is as much comprehending Him with clarity (at least attempting too) as it is experiencing him with emotions.

For some of you, this will mean wrestling with these questions for the first time and actually teaching you the issues, thus guiding you in the questions you’ll have. For some of you, these 6 weeks will relieve you that you don’t need to be afraid to ask. It doesn’t mean you are foolish to have questions, but instead will show we are becoming more like Christ even in our pursuit of knowledge. And for those of you who don’t care, hopefully this will act as the spark to turn you off of yourself and onto the vast ocean of wisdom, spirituality, and LIFE that will never be had outside of Jesus Christ.

We hope you respond the same way the well-woman must have to Jesus’ worship remark. “Wow…true worship happens in spirit and truth. I wonder how I can do both”.

~Deep thoughts by a shallow guy~
mn

Update from 2 weeks ago

Hey friends,
Two weeks ago I (nick) told you about a pastor in Texas named Matt Chandler. They had found a tumor in his right frontal lobe. He encouraged his church and all watching that he was blessed because he got to make much of Christ in the face of trials. He said that Jesus was greater than anything else he could lose. We talked about Romans 8:18-25 and suffering that leads to glory.

At the time doctors did not know if it was cancer until they had the chance to take it out. I wanted to update you. The tumor was malignant (that's bad news), and he will be starting chemo in January. I've posted links to a new video from his church, as well as the one we showed in service. Pray for his family (Lauren, his wife, and his kids Audrey, Reid and Norah), that they will feel the peace of Christ and His church. Pray for the Village Church as their pastor is suffering. Pray most of all that Christ be glorified. May we draw near to Jesus in our times of blessing and suffering.

New Video

The Video we showed in Service

Tiger

Anybody tired of hearing about Tiger Woods yet? I heard one reporter say that Tiger has now joined a fraternity of famous people who while on “top”, have still “fallen far”. I have heard more jokes, read more articles, and seen more sports center reviews on this one man that I could have ever cared too. Here is my issue: all awhile, we know exactly what is going to happen. It happened to Alex Rodriguez, it happened to Kobe Bryant, it will happen to Tiger. At the moment that he returns to an athletic achievement…his image will be restored and he’ll be a national hero once again. Unbelievable…

I have been dealing with how to draw spiritual implications and applications from this. I don’t know Tiger’s faith, but I do know that he lived a life of secret, hidden, patterned sin. Let’s assume for a second that Tiger is a follower of Jesus Christ. He would not be that different than many of us. While we may not be having affairs with multiple women, many of us do entertain secret, hidden, patterned sin. We think we are fooling everybody around us…and worst of all, think we are fooling God.

Rather than give you an opinion, I’d like to point you to a text. 1 Timothy 5:20 says:
“As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the
presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear”.
Lets go from end to start. First off…we are too live in FEAR. Fear of the Lord is a common theme that runs throughout scripture, and I think finds its climatic definition in passages like this. Our sin will find us out. A DEEP love relationship with God and a habitual life of sin cannot co-exist. One should and will cancel out the other. Our fear should also lie in that our sin will come to light. Therefore, when we see people fall…it should turn us inward and call us back to a fearful response of motivated righteousness. Our second response is active rebuke. This is tricky, and one that I find a lot of comfort in being a part of a community called the Church. The Church is an active mechanism of not just teaching us of righteousness, but holding us to it. One of the Churches key functions is the accountability of believers. In cases of secret sin, accountability looks like bold, public rebuke by Church leaders of the individual that the rest of the body can 1) respond in fear leading to righteousness 2) come around in hard love and support of the individual. Both are necessary…both are needed. Both are being the Church.

I wonder if Tiger is getting either. If the only spiritual take away is that we fear our own secret sin ….than I think some worthy good has come from it. Definitely will change the way I watch golf…

~Deep thoughts by a shallow guy~
mn

Spiritual Life

by Eugene Peterson

“Our Spirituality begins in Theology (the revelation and understanding of God) and is guided by it. And theology is never truly itself apart from being expressed in the bodies of the men and women to whom God gives life and whom God then intends to life a full Salvation Life (spirituality)”.