Re: statement on creationism?

George Murphy ("gmurphy@raex.com"@raex.com)
Thu, 18 Nov 1999 13:21:53 -0500

Wendee Holtcamp wrote:
.................................................
> George Murphy wrote:
> > A bit overstated. "If not us, then who?" The vast majority of Lutheran,
> Roman,
> >Anglican, Presbyterian - & other - theologians, for a start. & if there's
> anything
> >lacking in this regard it's that they regard a "young earth" position as
> being as dead
>
> Just because certain intellectually oriented theologians and certain church
> doctrine agrees with all this, doesn't mean the mainstream general public
> does. Just because the Missouri Synod Lutheran doctrine states that science
> and God's truth will not contradict, the head honcho happens to be a YEC so
> therefore he pushes it in the Lutheran Witness magazine, and therefore it
> trickles down. Not to everyone, obviously, but my goodness, the large
> majority of people in our country and Christians are not scientists. They
> are going to listen to what their Christian leaders and the mainstream
> Christian bookstores sell and what Dr. James Dobson tells them by hosting an
> anti-evolution (basically) radio show.

I did not say that argument against the YEC position or Johnson & his disciples
is unnecessary, nor did I want to deny that the ASA could play a useful role in doing
so (if so many of its members weren't infatuated with "intelligent design" &c). My
point was that there a lot of Christian theologians to whom Evangelicals could pay
attention with some profit. Part of what is needed is to end the isolation of
American Evangelical theology.
(Whenever someone says "science and God's truth will not contradict", hold on
to your wallet. There is generally the unspoken qualification "but I get to decide what
counts as real science." The Missouri Synod has declined badly over the past 30 years,
one low point being the Lutheran Witness's cover article last summer in which an
"apparent age" YEC position was viewed favorably. The ELCA has its problems but it
hasn't fallen for that!)

> It is absolutely necessary for
> Christians who also are also scientists that study evolution to present the
> truth in a well articulated statement.

Certainly. & it's perhaps even more important for Christian theologians to
point out clearly that there need be no theological objection to evolution. & this has
been done - Pope John Paul might be noted for a start.

Shalom,
George

George L. Murphy
gmurphy@raex.com
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/