Nobody is "theologically neatral," not even when doing science. God
reveals Himself in Nature. How can you read the book of Nature without
taking that into account? I don't think that you can do it, nor anyone
else. You cannot split life in two parts: one part in which God works, and
another in which God is absent. The only difficulty we as Christians have
is: How can we read the book of the Bible and the book of Nature in a
consistent manner, doing justice to both.
Personally, I believe that we all often read Scripture as we read a
textbook. It is not intended that way. In the Bible we find poetry;
stories intended to get a basic "truth" to us, for example that God is
faithful: sometimes factual stories, for example the resurrection of our
Lord; sometimes prophecies to make us live a more Christian lifestyle;
sometimes prophecies to tell us what is going to happen; etc.
Unfortunately, we Christians do not always agree in which category a
certain chapter of the Bible belongs. But I repeat, the whole of the Bible
is God's Word. And nothing in Nature happens outside God's Providence and
Will. How everything hangs together only God knows.
One fact that is causing much difficulty in our thinking is that God is
outside time, since as Creator He created time.
Jan de Koning
Willowdale, Ont.