Re: What do I mean by the word "won?"

You're quite right, & this is not just a problem in more conservative churches. It also exists in the "liberal" churches you mention. Even if a pastor doesn't know that there will be opposition to OE or evolution in the congregation, he/she may not want to speak up about these matters. After all, they might create conflict and they don't seem worth spending time on in comparison with the "real" issues that should be dealt with - sin, salvation & Christian living.

Clergy may know from their biblical & theological studies that the Genesis texts need not be read as historical narratives & that they should not be read in that way,
but figure that there's no point in stirring up debate over such things. So when they do have to talk about Genesis they just slide over those questions and allow people to continue to think that Gen.1-3 is a single history of a recent creation & fall written down by Moses. I know for a fact that this is the attitude of many pastors.

That's one side of the story. Another is that pastors don't have enough enough confidence in their ability to deal with such matters. That's partly a result of not knowing the science - & with that they fail to realize that they can teach people how to read the Bible even if they aren't experts in paleontology &c. But they also don't know how to approach the topic - something that needs to be done with care & sensitivity. & they don't know how to find resources to deal with these matters.

The need for educational resources at appropriate levels is critical. But we also have to convince clergy, teachers &c to use them. I don't want to be too self-promotional, but helping the church to deal with issues of science & technology in general has been a large part of my work as a pastor for over 20 years. I've written a good deal in this area & am always open to opportunities to contribute.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Jim Armstrong
  Cc: asa@calvin.edu
  Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2005 12:27 AM
  Subject: Re: What do I mean by the word "won?"

  I would suggest that a big contributor to this situation and trend is the hesitancy by many pastors to define a position from the pulpit.

  One reason is simply a matter of being sufficiently personally informed so as to be able to state and defend an ancient world view with a measure of confidence.

  But there is also the issue of divisiveness. There is little pastoral hesitancy if one has a strong YEC position. You just follow the literal word with no acknowledgement of scholarship on the matter.

  But in many churches, were the pastor (or other leadership) to suddenly embrace publically an ancient creation, there will likely be a mixed response from the congregation with uncertain results. Some notables throughout history have spoken to the ultimate cost of this type of abdication of truth-speaking, but it happens nonetheless, choosing instead to fry other fish.

  This sort of volitional apathy is a strong and constant ally of the YEC cause, which is more organized and vocal.

  In our area, I am trying to launch an effort to bring to the attention of church leaders (at least some of them, for starters) the real and largely unrecognized costs of this lack of teaching and engagement. I'm open to any ideas. I think I posted the four principal costs I've identified on this list before, but will again if anyone is interested. Ideas anyone? I know that sound information and open conversation are part of the answer, but there is a problem in scaling up productive conversation effectively. Ideas?

  There are certainly (mostly pretty liberal, in my experience) denominations that are by and large comfortable with TE. But there are far more denominations and pulpits that are silent, taking no position, thereby elevating the stage and sound system volume for the more vocal YECs.

  It's a shame that there is a struggle for the media to even understand and articulate the non-YEC perspective. Perhaps we have a real opportunity to start there with a dispassionate offer to help clarify some of those considerations for specific people in the local media?
Received on Sun Mar 27 07:33:41 2005