Re: Christ and Creation

Steve Clark (ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu)
Fri, 12 Jul 1996 13:07:56 -0500

>Steve Clark wrote on Fri, 12 Jul 1996:
>"David, how do you explain the change in how we understand the
>text where Joshua commands the sun and moon to stand still?"
>
>Steve, my basic understanding of such passages is that the Bible
>uses the "language of appearance". This does not take away from
>the miraculous element of the Joshua incident - but it does allow
>flexibility in attempting a technical explanation.

David,
I agree with your answer, but I want to re-emphasize that my question was
prompted by your earlier statement saying something to the effect that it is
inappropriate to use science to reinterpret the Bible. I think the
heliocentrism/geocentrism issue provides a relevant example of such
science-directed reinterpretation. Frankly, evolution may turn out to be
another example of this. The point is, both nature and scripture have the
same author and I do not feel that it is necessarily a bad thing to use
science to help us interpret scripture.
Cheers

steve
__________________________________________________________________________
Steven S. Clark, Ph.D. Phone: (608) 263-9137
Associate Professor FAX: (608) 263-4226
Dept. of Human Oncology and email: ssclark@facstaff.wisc.edu
UW Comprehensive Cancer Ctr
University of Wisconsin
Madison, WI 53792

"...a university is a collection of disparate academic entrepreneurs united
only by a common grievance over parking." Clark Kerr, former Chancellor
of the Univ. of California
__________________________________________________________________________