Re: science & theology, part 1 resend

Bill Dozier wrote:

"God of the Gaps: God is only involved in things...of which we have no understanding. When you hear someone talking about God "intervening" to do something, you're hearing this...."

I'm repeating myself, but: The second sentence is often wrong. I talk about God's "intervening," but in no sense do I believe that God is only involved in things of which we have no understanding. Rather, I believe that God is involved in one way or another with everything that happens. I talk about intervening because I believe (1) God is distinct from the world, (2) the world's capabilities are limited, and (3) from time to time the world would not do God's will unless he manipulated it in such a way as to violate some of its built-in rules (e.g., Jesus' resurrection). If and when God finds it necessary to violate the rules, he "intervenes." Whenever he otherwise influences behavior, he simply "acts." God has room to influence the world without violating built-in rules and does so.

All Christians with whom I've discussed the matter believe God is involved in their lives. They have some limited understanding of their own lives. Therefore, they do not believe that God is only involved in things of which they have no understanding.

Don
Received on Sun Mar 13 04:14:30 2005