Re: [asa] Keller on Evolution

I was indeed focusing on 1 line but it was a pretty egregious line. The problem that I pointed out there was his dismisal of "theistic evolution" on the basis of a complete misunderstanding of what most who would be loosely characterized as "theistic evolutionists," & especially those who have written prominently about the subject, hold. & note that this has nothing to do with accepting "the complete evolutionary metanarrative."

II apologize if I seem to be too insensitive, polemical, arrogant, however you want to categorize me about this. But this is just one example of what I characterized as timidity about the matter, an attitude which at that is better than the recalcitrance, denial & obscurantism shown by large portions of the Christian community & its leaders about this issue.

Shalom
George
http://web.raex.com/~gmurphy/
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: David Opderbeck
  To: George Murphy
  Cc: Steve Martin ; Ted Davis ; asa ; Rich Blinne
  Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 11:16 PM
  Subject: Re: [asa] Keller on Evolution

  a) You are over-reading one line in an interview.

  b) "Evolution has happened" I think he acknowledged, for which I give him kudos. But we can make that acknowledgement with different gradiations, can't we? Do we all have to accept the complete evolutionary metanarrative in order to be intellectually acceptable? Or can some of us reserve some areas of agnosticism, or even push back a bit here and there, because of our theological commitments?

  On Mon, Feb 25, 2008 at 10:15 PM, George Murphy <gmurphy@raex.com> wrote:

    a) I would think that somebody who's going to say anything about evolution in a religious context would take the trouble to find out a minimal amount about the way it's been dealt with in the Christian tradition. You don't have to be "an expert on faith and science issues" or writing a doctoral dissertation on the subject to know that the great majority of "theistic evolutionists" aren't deists.

    b) Evolution has happened & timidity about it is still timidity no matter what one's denominational context. & if you'll note the direction of comment you'll see that my concern isn't so much that Keller does this as that too many ASA members & list participants seem to think that such views on the subject need to be taken seriously.

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Received on Tue Feb 26 07:15:45 2008