Re: Conflicts and confrontation

I go along with Keith here though I was not brought up in a Christian household and have never seen any conflict between my geology and my faith and only get disturbed when people do!!

It's easier to see God in a thunderstorm, as I did at the age of 17 when I took my bike over the Welsh mountains and saw a thunderstorm passing over Snowdonia 20 miles in front of me.

Perhaps we need to imitate Jonathan Edwards the last great evangelical philosopher-theologian according to Noll and see the wonder of God reflected in all the natural world be it the New England countryside, a bird , spiders web or even the Grand Canyon. Calvin's good on this too. Who cares about flagellum which we cant see.

Michael
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Keith Miller
  To: American Scientific Affiliation
  Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 8:02 PM
  Subject: Re: Conflicts and confrontation

  Merv wrote:

  I am still trying to develop good and sensitive answers to YEC concerns about
  where 'evolutionary philosophy' will lead a person. Science aside, it seems to
  me their concerns remain well-founded. I've heard of a person's amazement at
  the 'order and provision' of creation inspiring them to seek out faith or
  enhancing their existing faith. But have any of you, because of your
  evolutionary beliefs, found your faith enhanced -- built up?

  Firstly, as others have stated, it is critical to distinguish between the methods and conclusions of science with regard to the natural world, and any philosophy or theology that is attached to those scientific conclusions. The natural world is what it is, and its history is what it is. How we interpret or understand it is a different matter. Science is about understanding the natural world on its own terms -- that is by appeal to natural causes and agents. It is a very limited endeavor, and is incapable of addressing our most important questions about meaning, purpose and morality. While the pursuit of scientific explanations may raise ethical and theological questions, it cannot resolve them.

  How we interpret nature is determined by our philosophical and theological commitments. Those interpretations must be argued and defended on their own terms. Our understanding of the natural world can, and should, be integrated into our larger worldview. However, that resulting integration is NOT itself a scientific conclusion.

  With regard to the impact of the evolutionary theory on faith -- I have never seen my faith and my understanding of the natural world to be in tension or conflict. My faith and my scientific understanding have matured in tandem. Growing up, I lived in an evangelical Christian environment in which my parents' faith was completely integrated with their lives. There was no sacred/secular dichotomy. Everything that they did just naturally flowed from their faith. I was not brought up to fear learning, but to pursue it. All of my interests, however fleeting, were enthusiastically encouraged by my parents. All Truth was God's truth.

  As I have grown, my growing understanding of nature has strengthened and deepened my faith, and my faith has given meaning and context to my pursuit of science. Understanding the tortuous process of Creation, with its embedded pain and suffering, has provided for me a very helpful way of understanding God's interaction with His people. I am understanding more how God is a God of process -- that the pathway is as important as the destination. God is revealed as we live and work out our faith in the face of challenges, disappointment, and even pain.

  The continuity of living things in time through the tree of life (descent with modification from a common ancestor) has also enriched my understanding of God as Creator and humanity as God's image bearers. We are connected to all of the rest of life on Earth -- we are all made of the same stuff -- yet we also are aware of God and chosen by God to be His image-bearers to the rest of Creation. I see this as enriching my grasp of what it means to be Creation's stewards. It also vastly enlarges my view of what it means for Creation to give glory to God. As humans we have only the privilege of seeing the tiniest portion of Creation. Nearly all of what exists and has existed, is forever removed from our view -- either by the vastness of space, or by the vastness of time. Most species that have ever lived have lived only for the pleasure of God, and have passed into extinction without ever leaving even a fossil trace for us to marvel at. All exists only at, and for, the pleasure of God and His worship.

  _________________________

  The following two paragraphs are taken from an essay on the web, and seem relevant to the topic.

      Miller, K.B., 2004, Evolutionary theory and continuous creation, Divinity School Publishing, Issue No. XI.
  http://divinity-school.com/authors/bio.html?authorid=2681

  " God is the Creator of all things and nothing would exist without God's continually willing it to be. Creation was not merely a past accomplished act, but rather is a present and continuing reality. The best term for this view of God's creative activity is "continuous creation." I also believe that God's existence can be known in the creation through faith. However, scientific observation provides no proof of the existence of a creator God, indeed it cannot. Neither does scientific description, however complete, provide any argument against a creator. Since God acts through process, evolution and the theology of creation are perfectly compatible. In fact, I see them as positively reinforcing. An evolutionary understanding of creation illuminates our theological understanding, and theology places our scientific discoveries in a more comprehensive context and provides necessary moral guidance in the scientific endeavor. "

  "One commonly held perspective that tends to reinforce a conflict view of science and faith is that God's action or involvement is confined to those events which lack a scientific explanation. Meaningful divine action is equated with breaks in chains of cause-and-effect processes. This view has been called a "God-of-the-gaps" theology. God's creative action is seen only, or primarily, in the gaps of human knowledge where scientific description fails. With this perspective, each advance of scientific description results in a corresponding reduction in the realm of divine action. Conflict between science and faith is thus assured. However, this is a totally unnecessary state of affairs. God's creative activity is clearly identified in the Bible as including natural processes, including what we call chance or random events. According to scripture, God is providentially active in all natural processes, and all of creation declares the glory of God. The evidence for God's presence in creation, for the existence of a creator God, is declared to be precisely those everyday "natural events" experienced by us all. Thus Christians should not fear causal explanations. Complete scientific descriptions of events or processes should pose no threat to Christian theism. Rather, each new advance in our scientific understanding can be met with excitement and praise at the revelation of God's creative hand."

  ____________________

  The testimony of Creation is understood by faith -- it is not something that can be concluded or proved through science. For those who by faith see nature as Creation, then nature becomes a rich source of inspiration for worshipping God. One way that I have stated this in previous writing is that if someone cannot see God in a sunset or a thunderstorm, he or she will not see God in a bacterial flagellum or strand of DNA. As I read scripture, God is revealed and to be worshipped through our everyday experience of the natural world. That is natural revelation. It is not dependent on some new scientific discovery -- it is not dependent on science at all. I see the role of science as informing our stewardship of Creation that is part of our mandate as 'Images of God." The understanding of nature provided through science enables us to better exercise our steward lordship, and to worship the Creator.

  In Christ,

  Keith

  Keith B. Miller

  Research Assistant Professor

  Dept of Geology, Kansas State University

  Manhattan, KS 66506-3201

  785-532-2250

  http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~kbmill/
Received on Mon Jun 5 17:30:11 2006