Re: [asa] Almost Half of Evangelical Theologians Accept Evolution?

Yes. This is from his website... Cancer Update: Grateful for the Gift of Life At the end of August, just 6 weeks after Connie and I emerged from rafting through the Grand Canyon, I was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, with a large tumor in my spleen. Three weeks ago I began R-CHOP chemotherapy in Seattle. I'm to have six chemotherapy infusions over three months: every two weeks through the end of November. Then, if necessary, I'll undergo radiation or possibly surgery in December. Between now and the end of the year we're staying with dear friends on Whidbey Island who have an organic garden and orchard, lots of raspberries, and a great open view of the sky and the Olympic Mountains. All things considered, Connie and I could not be doing better... Even though, statistically speaking (given the kind and size of cancer I have), I'll be fortunate to be alive in three years, we are living an extraordinarily peaceful pace of life and Connie is getting lots of creative work done. I'm getting some creative writing and organizing done too, but mostly I'm just taking time to read, sit in the garden, walk with Connie, watch David Christian's amazing Big History course again, and otherwise nourish body and soul. I'm also starting to learn how to do webinars and Maestro-confereces, and planning a couple of online courses I'll soon be offering (more on these later). I began losing my hair last week so Connie shaved me bald. All in all, we're having entirely too much fun (read on for juicy details)... Even after only three chemotherapy infusions (the third was yesterday: Oct 15), which thankfully I've had no negative reaction to, my tumor has shrunk so much that I can hardly feel it anymore. I'm (obviously) rather ecstatic about this. I saw a physician in southern California in mid-June, prior to Connie's and my 300 mile, 8-day rafting trip down the Colorado River, through the Grand Caynon.  As he felt into my abdomen, the doctor said, "well, it doesn't seem like your spleen is enlarged at all" and only two and a half months later the tumor measured 13 cm x 13 cm x 8 cm and was very easily felt! So the fact that it's now so small I can hardly feel it at all, after only two R-CHOP infusions, gives me much hope. As another example of how well I'm doing, on September 24, only a week after my first infusion, Connie and I went to the North Cascade National Park (truly one of the most awesome places in North America, with the largest collection of glaciers in the lower 48 states!) and, while we had not originally planned to, ended up hiking 9.2 miles, with an elevation gain of 2,300 feet, from Colonial Campground to 4th of July Pass and back. I fully realize, of course, that just because my body had no toxic reaction and recovered fast after the first two infusions, this does not mean I will have quite as easy a time after my last few. Nor is anybody suggesting that there's a better than 50% chance I'll be alive in three years. Still, I'm hugely grateful for how things are going so far. ________________________________ From: George Murphy <GMURPHY10@neo.rr.com> To: John Walley <john_walley@yahoo.com>; AmericanScientificAffiliation <asa@calvin.edu> Cc: Mark Whorton <mark.whorton@yahoo.com> Sent: Wed, October 21, 2009 12:15:28 PM Subject: Re: [asa] Almost Half of Evangelical Theologians Accept Evolution?  Apropos this, Michael Zimmerman, in his most recent Clergy Letter Project update, reports that Michael Dowd has been diagnosed with lymphoma.  At this point he has "a very positive outlook."   Shalom George http://home.roadrunner.com/~scitheologyglm ----- Original Message ----- >From: John Walley >To: AmericanScientificAffiliation >Cc: Mark Whorton >Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 12:01 PM >Subject: [asa] Almost Half of Evangelical Theologians Accept Evolution? > > >From Michael Dowd... > > > >----- Forwarded Message ---- > > > ________________________________ >Almost Half of Evangelical Theologians Accept Evolution? >Posted: 20 Oct 2009 08:35 PM PDT >About a year and half ago I commented that evangelical theologians seem hesitant to engage in the science / faith dialogue. Chiding them as “timid”, I asked: > >If we [evangelicals] cannot speak to the issues of the day, how can we expect others to be interested in the gospel? If we aren’t answering the questions that are being asked, why are we surprised when people (including our youth) look elsewhere for answers? >> >>Evangelical theologians: This is not so much a complaint as a request for help.A few months later, I indicated that I might have been too harsh, and that evangelical theologians were indeed re-evaluating their reluctance to consider the implications of an evolving creation. In a post on the relationship between the leading evangelical scientific organization (the ASA) and the leading evangelical theological organization (the ETS), I shared how Bruce Waltke, a former president of the ETS, had come to accept evolution. I ended this essay by chiding myself and some of my fellow ECs with the remark that: > >Maybe we just need to be patient and let [evangelical theologians] think this [science / faith topic] through for awhile.By “awhile”, I was thinking years, if not decades. > >Well, maybe evangelical theologians are much, much further along in this process than many of us had ever imagined. In a survey that Waltke conducted for Biologos, he found that almost half (46%) of evangelical theologians that responded to his survey accept that God created through the process of evolution. (HT: David Opderbeck) > >You read that right: 46% of evangelical theologians that participated in Waltke’s survey, accept that God created through the process of evolution. > >I think there are some legitimate questions that can be asked about the methodological rigour of this survey. But even if the 46% number is somewhat inflated (and I suspect this is probably the case), evangelical theologians are not even close to being predominantly opposed to evolution. > >Now if only some of this theological thinking would translate into more theological discussion and theological action …. > >Patience, Steve, patience. >You are subscribed to email updates from An Evangelical Dialogue on Evolution >To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. Email delivery powered by Google >Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 >

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Received on Wed Oct 21 12:23:20 2009