Exploring Evolution

From March through early June, 2020, I taught a class at my home church, Lancaster Alliance Church, on the subject of evolution. We discussed the worldview implications, and for the first several weeks I stressed the background beliefs that would influence a person, particularly Christians, to accept evolutionary theory.

Here are links to most of the lessons (please note - as time wore on I learned better how to edit them better). Also note that Lesson 1 & 2 were not recorded.

Lesson 3 - Greater God theology (part 1, part 2, part 3)
Lesson 4 - Intellectual Necessity and Summary (part 1, part 2)
Lesson 5 - Scientific Evidence: Fossils (part 1, part 2)
Lesson 6 - Anatomical Homology
Lesson 7 - Molecular Homology
Lesson 8 - Natural Selection
Bonus Discussion #1 - Discussion with JB Stump, vice president of Biologos and advocate of evolutionary theory
Bonus Discussion #2 - Discussion with Paul Nelson, senior fellow of the Discovery Institute and advocate of intelligent design

Let me know if you have any questions.

We're All Atheists Now?

When you atheists understand why a jury can convict one particular person for a crime and not any of the other 7+ billion people on the planet who are technically eligible suspects, then you will understand why I am a Christian believer. The available evidence points to the Christian God, not to Zeus, Thor, or Quetzalcoatl.

If one were to live by the logic presented in this uncompelling meme, our judicial system would collapse. A lawyer for a likely murder suspect could simply say to the jury, "Surely you would agree that all these other people in this courtroom are innocent of this crime. I'm simply asking that you go one suspect further and declare my client innocent of these charges."

We are confident in the Christian God because that is where the evidence points regardless of the other options.

[This response is adapted from the work of Andy Bannister in Chapter 3 of The Atheist Who Didn't Exist.]

Science and Observations of God

What is the message of this meme?

• Science improves our knowledge over time. We have better images now of things that were previously inaccessible to us.
• Science couldn't then nor can it now observe God.
• Therefore, God must not be real because science cannot see him.

How to respond?

1. Science is a wonderful enterprise that does indeed improve our knowledge, and Christians should embrace, rather than fear, it.
2. The traditional Christian conception of God is that he is not physical, so we should not expect to be able to physically see him.
3. This world is full of things that skeptics, atheists, and scientists in general have good reason to believe exist even though they cannot see them, such as magnetic fields, quarks, a mathematical point or line, past genetic mutations, past transitional forms for which there are no fossils, force carriers in physics like photons or gluons, and past historical events for which there are no records.
4. The epistemology (or way of knowing) of this meme and of the average skeptic is weak sauce. If we limited our knowledge to only that which we could see, then we would know very few things indeed.

If atheists and skeptics want to claim that they can be confident in their lack of belief in God because science hasn't observed him, then to be consistent they must also claim to lack a belief in many other things that are not controversial.

Russell's Teapot

The challenge of Russell’s Teapot is meant to say that Christians believe in their God without any evidence, just like there is no evidence for this teapot orbiting the Sun. We can’t prove the teapot isn’t there and so we’re free to believe in it, but don’t expect the rest of us to believe in it. The same goes for God.

My response to someone who brings up Russell’s Teapot  would be that, rather than accepting God’s existence by mere blind faith, I can think of several good reasons to think that God exists. 

1. The universe had a beginning a finite time ago, and things that begin to exist must have a cause. 
2. The universe is highly fine-tuned with an apparent design that points to a purpose behind it. 
3. Despite intense research, life began at some point on Earth, and there is absolutely no consensus on how this could have happened “on its own.” Stated more positively, the design of the earliest life and the information that is apparent in living cells point to an intelligent designer. 
4. The origin of human consciousness is a huge problem for materialists. How did this higher “ape” become aware of itself with all of our mental capacities? This is much better explained by personal Mind who is responsible for humankind. 
5. If the materialists are correct, then humans are creatures determined by our brain and body chemistry, and we are thus not free nor rational. 
6. The historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is strong and compelling.

So, while the Teapot is meant to demean the Christian faith and claim that there is no good evidence for it, the truth of the matter is that quite good evidence exists that points positively to an intelligent Mind behind life and the universe. Skeptics of religious faith may claim that they don’t find these reasons compelling, but what they cannot legitimately do is assert that there is no evidence at all. Conversation can then turn this evidence and to why so many people throughout the history of the world have found reasons such as these so convincing that God does indeed exist.

Do You Apologist Well?

I know that this is shocking, but some people are not followers of Jesus. (Insert sad emoji here)

In our neighborhoods and around the world, there are people who haven't heard about Christ or who are actively rejecting him. We have a responsibility, given to us by the Lord, to share our Christian convictions with these folks and to try to bring them to the faith.

So, what happens when you do this and the person you are speaking with asks you a question, or challenges your view?

Do you answer it?

If you do (or try to), then in that moment you are an apologist for the Christian faith. You are attempting to remove an obstacle that is in the way of this person coming to Christ.

The important question is: will you do this well? or will you do it poorly? Will you help this unbeliever think about Christianity in a better way or will you add to their confusion?

The heart of apologetics beats for these moments. It is a branch of theology that exists to help Christians share their convictions thoughtfully, meaningfully, and with relevance. Apologetics will give you the tools to get better at these conversations so that we can have confidence in sharing Jesus.

I suppose we could ignore their questions or challenges and just keep on talking to them as if they hadn't said anything. We could treat them as one evangelistic contact among many and write them off as too stubborn to follow Jesus.

Or we could treat them as a human being made in God's image who simply has an honest question or is repeating a challenge that they heard somewhere.

What if your thoughtful response was what made the difference in that person's journey to Christ?

A New Book that Demands a Verdict

If one McDowell was able to encourage Christians a generation ago with evidence for the truth of Christianity, simply imagine what two McDowell's could do!

Josh and his son, Sean, have completely revised and updated the hugely influential Evidence that Demands a Verdict that was first released in 1979. Josh wrote the original book after so many people kept asking him for his notes that he would use for his apologetics talks. I had my own copy of this book in the 80's as a young teenager, and I remember being astounded at the comprehensive information and level of detail that was available as a resource.

Fast forward to 2017. Josh's son, Sean, is a fully qualified professor and apologist in his own right, working now as Assistant Professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University in La Mirada, California. This father-and-son team came together to update this material for a new generation of Christians and seekers looking for evidence for the truth of Christianity.

Josh and Sean have accomplished their goal swimmingly by providing comprehensive evidence like it was their job. Actually, I think it was their job. They have a very full introduction that covers a lot of ground with the nature of what apologetics is, why it is important for the Church, and answering some objections and misconceptions that some will bring up.

Following this introduction, McDowell and McDowell offer a robust prologue which stands as an introduction to natural theology, that is, evidences from nature that point beyond the physical world to a Creator. It is here that Josh and Sean begin to target the philosophical idea of metaphysical naturalism, which is the reigning prejudice of our age, especially in the sciences. In simplified form, naturalism is the idea that all that exists is matter and energy operating according to natural law. Anything like a god or gods are denied to exist. They offer six evidences for the existence of God, including the origin of the universe, the fine tuning of the universe, the origin of life, the origin of consciousness, and the existence of free will and morality. These evidences then form the backdrop for the rest of the book since they offer good reason to think that something like the Christian God is reasonable. Given that it is entirely plausible that God does exist, we are now ready to explore the particular Christian evidences that take up the vast majority of Evidence.

Team McDowell has divided the book into four parts. Part I deals with the reliability of the Bible. Part II covers the evidence for Jesus, including his life, his unique claims and his resurrection. Part III offers evidence for the reliability of the Old Testament. Finally, Part IV answers skeptics and post-modernists with an exploration of what is truth and the possibility of miracles.

This book is a serious resource for all Christians. If you share your Christian convictions enough with others, someone is bound to ask you a question or to offer a challenge to Christianity. The only question is: will you answer those questions well or poorly? The updated Evidence that Demands a Verdict belongs on your shelf as a go-to in order to help you answer those questions well.

The verdict for this book? Buy it! (If you pre-order, you will be able to download and read two chapters now: "The Martyrdom of the Apostles" and "The Historical Existence of Jesus")

For more information, go to www.ReadEvidence.com.

When Disappointment Comes

I don't know if you've ever noticed something.

In Ephesians 3, Paul makes a well known declaration to God's power:

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (ESV; 3:20-21)

In a high and exalted prayer, Paul is clear that God is able to do anything beyond our wildest thoughts. We could do worse than to memorize and meditate on this truth regularly.

But notice this. In the very next verse (4:1), Paul, almost in passing, says, "I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called..."

Did you catch that? The very same apostle who is confident in a powerful God, is yet a prisoner for the Lord. Paul is still captive.

Why is he a prisoner if God can do anything? Certainly God could bring himself glory in other ways. Why does God's glory require Paul's captivity?

These questions are ultimately unanswerable by us, but please notice that Paul did not use his imprisonment to doubt God's power or care for his people. Quite the opposite. Paul rejoices in the Lord that he serves.

Further, in Colossians 1, Paul prays for the church in Colossae, and as part of that prayer in verse 11, Paul prays that they would be "strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy."

If God has all power, why do we need endurance? Why do we need patience? Because God's power is not to get us out of trouble, but to get us through it with joy.

Disappointment will come our way. Incomes will fall. Someone will die. Children will rebel. When these difficulties come, let's remember Paul's attitude. God's purpose is ultimately to make us like his son, Jesus (Romans 8:29).

Pray that God will use disappointment to make us like Jesus. That is what God's power is for.

Was Christianity Invented?

Many skeptics will say that most of the details about Jesus' life, particularly his miracles and resurrection, were added on later due to legend or crafted to make a viable religion out of their dead Messiah. But, ask yourselves, who was this new religion crafted for? Assuming for the moment that the resurrection was made up, the new Christians' message of a resurrected Jesus would not have appealed to Greeks or Romans. To them, our body was a cage, and the goal was for our souls to "fly away" (sound familiar - even some hymns have non-Christian influences...). No Greek or Roman would want a resurrection. For them, the body is crude and vulgar, and the soul craves freedom.

So, who's left? The Jews. Yet the idea of a crucified Messiah was appalling to the Jews. Their Messiah was a victorious ruler, not a dead-dog of a man hanging on a cross.

What, then, is the point of this new religion that focuses on a man come back to life? Why craft a new religion that makes no sense to or offends all of your potential converts? Oh, and preaching this new thing you just made up will get you beaten or killed by these people you've just upset. If you're going to make up a narrative about your Messiah, why that one?

No Jew would have made up a crucified Messiah, and no Greek or Roman would have wanted a resurrected one. 

Thus the best explanation for the birth of Christianity, rather than being an invention, is that this dead-dog Jesus actually got up again a few days later and appeared to his followers. Imagine the shock of seeing your Rabbi walking toward you a couple of days after you just saw him killed. That's the sort of thing the one doesn't forget.

The rise of Christianity must be explained in a way that makes sense of the historical realities.

On Standing for Truth in the Public High School

I am a public high school physics teacher. I am also committed to following Christ and to the idea that his reign extends to all of life. Yet in our culture it is inappropriate for a public educator to proselytize or to advocate for one's own religion. How then do I stand for Christ while not being able freely to discuss him in the classroom?

Consider this conversation between me and a student:

Student: Where is room 235?

Teacher: Where would you like it to be?

Student: [look of confusion] I don't know...

Teacher: Well, culture tells us that we can make up our own truth. What true for you is not true for me. So, what is the truth here?

Student: Well, I guess whatever makes us happy?

Teacher: Great. So where would you like room 235 to be to make you happy?

Student: I just want to get to my meeting!

Teacher: Oh, so room 235 can't be just anywhere?

Student: I guess not.

Teacher: So, truth isn't just what we make it to be?

Student: Nooo...[again, the look of confusioin]

Teacher: Room 235 is just around the corner.

What was my point of this conversation that the student probably thought was pretty weird? It was simply to show that reality does not bend to our wishes, that the things that we think in our heads must match the world out there if they are to be true.

Nobody can possibly live consistently with the idea that truth is what we make it, no matter how many times we are told otherwise. Room 235 is where it is and not where I'd like it to be.

Before a person can accept the truth about Jesus Christ and his work of redemption for mankind, and person must first believe that the Christian account of reality is true. Before they can accept the Christian understanding of the world as true, they must first believe that truth is true. Francis Schaeffer used to talk about the notion of "pre-evangelism," that is, that before we can meaningfully discuss the gospel with someone, we first have to prepare the soil, so to speak. They have to be ready to hear truth, and if they are not ready, then we will not be communicating what they first need to hear.

So I look for opportunities in the classroom to show my students that truth is true. The world does not stoop to me; I must stoop to the world. In lots of little ways like this I am proclaiming truth to my students. Then, maybe down the road in God's sovereignty somebody else will come along to meaningfully share the gospel of Jesus Christ and that person will be ready to hear and consider it.

Something to think about.

Putting God Out of a Job?

In my interactions with members of our local freethought society, it is simply assumed that science has displaced God. He has become unnecessary because our knowledge of physics, chemistry, cosmology, and biology have grown immensely. Our gaps of knowledge are being filled in, and therefore there is no need for God.

By way of response, I came across  this quotation from physicist Luke Barnes, co-author of the wonderful book, A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos. He speaks directly to this tendency on the part of atheists to assume that God retreats on the field of battle as scientific knowledge marches forward:

The relationship of God to the Universe is something like that of an author to a book. We won’t find J. K. Rowling in Hogwarts or Shakespeare in fair Verona. We can’t put the author out of a job by discovering a new character, or deciphering the plot, of finding the first page of the book, which reveals how the story started. This is not a hastily revised ‘modern’ God, retreating in the face of science. It predates the scientific revolution by a few thousand years, and for the most part was the worldview of the makers of the scientific revolution.

The Christian Philosopher of science and mathematician, John Lennox, makes a similar point in his book, God's Undertaker:

…understanding the mechanism by which a Ford car works is not in itself an argument for regarding Mr. Ford himself as non-existent. The existence of a mechanism is not in itself an argument for the non-existence of an agent who designed the mechanism. 

How silly would it be for a car mechanic to lift the hood and declare, "I don't see Henry Ford! He must not exist!" In the same way as our scientific knowledge progresses, we do not put God out of a job.

Christian theists do not hold to "god-of-the-gaps" theology that says because we do not understand something, therefore God did it. No serious Christian thinker has ever advocated this position. Rather, God is a necessary being who is the ground of all existence. This view of God has been dominant since Aristotle, who although was not a Christian, he understood the need for a different kind of being to ground all motion and change.

Ironically, even as atheists assert that they are the rational and educated ones, they operate with a view of God that historically no one has ever held. I have found this lack of interaction with serious Christian theism to be a hallmark of the thought of our local freethinkers, thus one of my goals for continuing to join them is to disrupt their echo chamber and to represent (as best I can) the stream of Christian philosophy that they have never interacted with.

You Can’t Live Like Truth Is Relative

Our culture tells us that truth doesn’t matter. Everything is relative.

That might be true for you, but not for me, they will tell you. Perception is reality is another common refrain. Find your truth within.

The problem with these sentiments is that no one can actually live this way. It is simply not possible.

For example, you might walk into your local bank to cash a check, and while there find out that some money is missing! Whereas your bank statement indicated that you had $450 in your account, your teller says, “Oh, we just send out those statements to make you feel good about yourself. We always add in some extra on paper so as not hurt anyone’s feelings. You only actually have $275.”

You expect the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, not just from banks, but from everyone in every walk of life. You expect truth from witnesses on the stand, your doctor, your financial planner, and your used-car salesman.

No wife wants to hear from her husband upon returning home late, “Whatever makes you happy – that’s where I was.”

We expect college transcripts to faithfully report our progress (well, at least we don’t want them to be worse!).

Congressman Jones says that those funds were not donated by a racist group. The road sign says that it’s only 20 more miles to Albuquerque. The instruction manual says to turn the handle three times and then pull.

In every area of your life, you expect truth-telling. You demand it. You wouldn’t put up with lies or deception from any professional person, business, governmental agency, or news story.

Truth is basic to life.

So why do we pretend that it is any different when it comes to religion and ethics?

Christians contend that Jesus of Nazareth rose bodily from the grave three days after having been killed. Well, is it true or isn’t it? If it is, that changes everything, doesn’t it? If it isn’t, then I no more would want to be a follower of Jesus than a follower of David Koresh.Well, ok, I guess Jesus was nicer.

The next time that somebody says to you that all truth is relative, simply ask them, “Would you say the same thing of your bank statements?”

A Review of A Reasonable Response

I respect greatly the work that Dr. Craig does in providing a defense of the Christian worldview, so when I learned that his new book, A Reasonable Response, was coming out, I jumped at the chance to read it and to provide a review of it.

A quick scan of the table of contents reveals a fairly comprehensive list of topics. There are six parts dealing with the following topics:
·         Questions on Knowing and Believing What is Real
·         Questions about God
·         Questions about Origins and the Meaning of Life
·         Questions about the Afterlife and Evil
·         Questions about Jesus Christ and Being His Disciple
·         Questions about Issues of Christian Practice

Craig and Gorra clearly have in mind a target audience who are Christians concerned about dealing with atheists and skeptics. They are speaking into contemporary Western culture that is dominated by philosophical materialism and skepticism. While appropriate for any reader, the audience best suited for A Reasonable Response includes those in a university environment, those in contact with university students, or those interested in broader philosophical debates relative to the Christian faith. It is this type of environment where more weighty intellectual challenges tend to arise about which a Christian defender would want a “reasonable” response to challenges.

The range of questions and topics in A Reasonable Response will be interesting and of value to any Christian. The responses written by Craig, however, are largely written for an above-average reading level. This is a benefit for the reader because it is like taking our brain to the gym for a little workout when we read. Craig unapologetically expects his readers to think (imagine that!) while engaging with the material presented. The authors will be like personal cognitive trainers to stretch you to become stronger intellectually. Having said this, however, I do not think this book is out of reach. Any reader will be able to absorb the ideas from the vast array of topics presented.

The format of the book is such that you do not have to read it sequentially from beginning to end. Because the authors compiled it in a Question-Answer format, you can simply jump to a topic that interests you. This format makes the book very handy, and even though the print version contains 432 pages (this review is based on the Kindle version), you don’t feel overwhelmed.

In his introduction Gorra declares that one of their goals for this book was to provide succinct answers to tough questions, enough to “chew on.” They want us doing apologetics, not just studying and endlessly discussing it and never letting them escape out into the wider world where people need Christ. Craig and Gorra desire that this book act as a go-to manual to look up questions and issues as they arise in conversation. In fact, as an example of the usefulness of this book, recently I was discussing with a co-worker the reasons that I hold for the existence of God using the Kalam Cosmological argument – one of Craig’s signature arguments. I didn’t think that I did such an effective job of explaining why the First Cause of the universe had to be personal, as opposed to an impersonal force. When I got home I looked in A Reasonable Response  to see if it dealt with this issue. Lo, and behold!  I spotted an entry entitled, “Must the Cause of the Universe Be Personal?” I have been since studying this chapter so that next time the issue comes up, I will own it!

You will be introduced to a fascinating concept advocated by Dr. Craig called molinism. This review is not the place to introduce it –  I’ll let Craig and Gorra do that. Suffice it to say that they will present you with a view of how God can sovereignly control the universe while at the same time giving his creatures libertarian free will. While I don’t hold to this view, molinism is a fruitful philosophical and theological concept that is definitely worth thinking about!

In conclusion, you will find this book to be a versatile and beneficial addition to your library shelves. With its wide range of topics aimed at an educated audience, there are very few common challenges for which you will be unprepared after having studied its pages. Craig and Gorra have done a service for the Church to give us a sword and a shield for taking our Christian convictions out into the world to make a difference for Christ.

This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

What Does God Promise Us, Really?

When I say that God has a wonderful plan for your life, what Scripture is the first to pop into your mind?

Chances are that Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”) was the first Bible verse that you thought of. My purpose in this short blog post will be for you to consider a new Scripture that gives a similar promise but has the advantage of being a promise that we should claim.

But first, a quick word about Jeremiah 29:11. Considering my purpose here, I will only do the briefest of overviews. More pillows, wall hangings, and Bible covers are stitched with this verse than any other selection of literature in the English speaking world. It has tremendous emotional appeal to many who have held on to this verse in times of difficulty, and some of you will question my Christian orthodoxy by what I’m about to write. But I’m convinced that if you give me a fair hearing, the Scripture passage that I replace it with will do more for your spiritual journey.

Jeremiah 29 was not written for you. Or me. Nor anybody alive today.

Let me explain. When I read Scripture I employ a rule that I learned from Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason (str.org). This rule is simple, significant, and enlightening. It goes like this: Never read a Bible verse (NRBV).

Never, ever read a single verse of Scripture. When you read the Bible, you should always read at least a whole paragraph – before and after the verse in question. Following this basic rule will give you more of the author’s flow of thought. The alternative is always to read verses out of their context and develop a meaning contrary to the author’s intent, and thus, in essence, to write your own Bible.

So when we employ NRBV to Jeremiah 29, we find that Jeremiah wrote this section specifically to the Jews who had been taken captive in Babylon. He wrote it as an encouragement to them that after 70 years of captivity, God would remember them and bring them back to the land. Why? Because he knows the plans that he has for them. Good plans for welfare and not for evil; plans that will give them hope.

You see, Jeremiah 29:11 is somebody else’s promise, and nobody today is now alive to claim this promise anymore. Now, it is very common at this point for some Christians to spiritualize the verse and say that, well, the point is that God has good plans for his people. I have two problems with this approach. First, it’s true enough that God plans well for his people, but why can’t we find Scripture more pertinent to us from the New Testament that speaks to us? Second, and more problematically, when Christians take this verse to heart, it gives the impression that God has only pleasant things in store for us in this life. God has plans for my welfare, after all. It is often unspoken, and we absorb it from our Christian culture in a hundred subtle ways. We expect that things will go well for us.

And then they don’t. The car dies. You develop cancer. A job is lost. But God, I thought you had good plans for me? Plans for a future and a hope! What happened?

Let me suggest a selection of Scripture that makes the same promise that we take Jeremiah 29:11 to be, but is more powerful, more encouraging, and is actually written for New Covenant Christians.

In Romans 8 (using NRBV) Paul asserts that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, that those who have the Spirit are led by the Spirit to put to death the deeds of the body, that we have been adopted as sons (and daughters), that all creation is awaiting our full redemption, and that that the Spirit intercedes for us. The apostle then says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers….if God is for us, who can be against us?” (v28-31). He goes on to proclaim that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing. Not tribulation. No power, no angel, no height nor depth. No job loss. No dead cars. Not even cancer will ever separate us from God’s love in Christ.

Now that is a promise that we can cling to! Jesus said that in this life we will have trouble, but that we shouldn’t worry because he has overcome the world (John 16:33). We will have trouble. God never promises us easy street. But none of this trouble will ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ. And this is not the general love of God for all people. Paul is specific that it’s the love of God in Christ. For you, Christian.

But wait, there’s more meat to this promise that Paul is giving us. For those of us who love God, who are called according to his purpose, all things will work together for our good. What does good here mean? Does that mean everything will be hunky-dory in my life, all peaches and cream? No. He completes the thought in the next sentence. The good for which all things will work is that we will be conformed to the image of Christ. God is promising us that all things, all things, all suffering, pain, depression, anxiety, and sadness. All happiness, pleasantness, and sunshine. All things will work for our good to make us more like Jesus.

This is a promise that we can claim, hang on to, dig our nails into during our toughest times when life seems to have gone off the rails. We followers of Christ need to prepare for suffering. It will come. Many a believer has had her faith derailed because of unexpected trials. Don’t let this happen to you.

By the way, the more you mature as a follower of Christ, the more appealing the promise to be like him will become. When I was younger this promise felt like the booby prize at a third grade birthday party. But now that I’m approaching middle age, and about 33 years in the Lord, I desire more and more to be made more like Christ.

So in summary, I’m not telling you to throw out all your pillows that have Jeremiah 29:11 stitched on them. I simply want you to replace in your mind the promises that you cling to. Jeremiah is weak sauce compared to Romans 8, which is rich and deep with meaning for us in Christ.

Praise be to the Lord that he will work all things out in my life for my good so that I will resemble more and more the Lord whom I have chosen to follow.

Are We Investing our Talents for the Kingdom?

As I've written before, the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30) is one of the most challenging parables/teachings in Scripture to me. It is clear from this parable that the Lord will hold us accountable for what we do in life with what he gave us. He gives each of us resources and abilities to further his Kingdom, and there will be a reckoning.

Given this reckoning, I want to make sure that my remaining days in this life are devoted to Kingdom work. I am about to turn 38 years old in just a few weeks, and while this would not quite be considered middle-age by most standards, I am feeling more middle-aged than I ever have. Most people probably follow this natural tendency toward becoming more reflective as they age, and I am no exception.

Regardless of how much the Lord gives us (5, 2, or 1 Talents), we are expected to invest what we have. After almost 38 years I have come to realize and accept the abilities and gifts that the Lord has given me. I am not handy - my wife will attest to that. While I enjoy playing my guitar, I am no skilled musician. Stick figures are my idea of great art. While I greatly respect entrepreneurs and those that can successfully run a business, I don't think naturally in those terms. I run for (a perverse) pleasure and to get basic exercise, but I don't have any great athletic skill.

What I am is a scholar. I love to read, to learn, and to study. And I love to teach given the proper audience (as a high school science teacher, the "proper" audience involves those who are interested in the material - a situation relatively rare with the average American teenager). I teach in my local church when given the opportunity and have consistently received positive feedback from both adults and students.

This is how God made me, it is what I am passionate about, and how God will hold me accountable. I will not be condemned for not being able to do a slam dunk or paint the next Mona Lisa. But I will be held accountable for not being me. I am a learner and a teacher, and these are my passion. I will be judged accordingly.

Knowledge of myself causes me to act differently. I recently (in the last year) was accepted into Biola University's Master of Arts in Science and Religion (MASR) program, and I started taking classes last fall. The reason I did this was to increase my skill as a scholar and teacher. I can't teach what I don't know, and so if I want to invest my "talents" for God's Kingdom, I need to develop those talents. My long-term goal is a PhD in philosophy, probably specifically in the History and Philosophy of Science. Not because I covet being a "doctor," but because as a PhD I can have a wider impact for the Kingdom. As William Lane Craig often writes, the university drives our culture. All future politicians, business leaders, and even community organizers will pass through the university. This is a major mission field in our culture.

Self-awareness also causes me to pray differently. This last year, after beginning taking classes at Biola, at the same time I went from two jobs at my school (I used to run an evening classroom) down to just my daytime physics position. I did this to honor my family above the extra income I was making. But it also means my financial resources available for taking classes with Biola has greatly diminished. So I am praying to the Lord asking him to give me the resources that I need not only to take care of my family but also to continue developing my abilities for the Kingdom. Because I know myself and how God made me, I am simply asking him to give me what I need to be more effective at how he made me. If I were a farmer, I would pray for the Lord to bless my crops and farming abilities. I am a scholar, so I am asking him to bless my learning and to expand my opportunities for teaching what I have learned so far.

This is a matter of trust for me and simply placing it before the Lord. The PhD especially would have to be a work of the Lord because I am the sole provider for my family. Not only would I have to be accepted into a program but I will also need funding from the school. If the Lord does not provide an open door for ministry in this area, then I will seek out other ways in which I can have an impact for the Kingdom.

So, what about you, dear reader? How has God made you? Have you spent a season thinking about this and asking the Lord for wisdom to discern your abilities? Have you taken steps to develop those abilities? Are you investing your skills in kingdom work? Have you prayed, asking the Lord to give you what you need to develop yourself and for the wisdom to use your gifts? No matter your age, it is not too late (or too early) to begin thinking about how to have the most impact and how to be the most effective for the Kingdom.

If every follower of Christ in our culture made a decisive effort to engage themselves and their abilities into kingdom work, this world would be better, almost overnight.

My Intelligently Designed Experience in Seattle

I have just returned from spending nine days in Seattle. Quirky, yet beautiful Seattle. Home to the Space Needle, Pike’s Place Fish Market, Puget Sound, Ivar’s Salmon House, and the Discovery Institute. Chances are that you may have heard of some of those places. I for one highly recommend going to the top of the Space Needle. For 20-odd dollars you can purchase a transcendent experience. Amazing.

But the reason that I left my wife and children, whom I have hardly seen this summer, for Washington state was to attend this year’s Seminar on Intelligent Design (ID) in the Natural Sciences with the Discovery Institute. Unless you have been in a coma for the last few decades, you will probably know that what I just did would be considered outright heresy in many circles. Subversive. Idiotic. Damnable.

The scientific establishment in the West, and particularly in our country, would assign a thoroughly dark and hideous corner of hell for ID proponents. If only they believed in hell. They certainly think they have the requisite power. It is completely acceptable in our country to “come out” as a homosexual or a conservative (although this particular unveiling will probably result in fewer invitations to cocktail parties). But the one thing that you must never do is admit to questioning Darwin. This is heresy of the first order, and it will not be tolerated.

I am a heretic. So be it.

Something like 45 of us heretics wore our little eyeballs out with piles of preparatory reading (they sent me two full boxes of books, articles, and DVDs) and then sat through nine full days from 9 AM to 9 PM with breaks for lunch and dinner. As a participant in the science track(they also had a track relating to the humanities), I had classes on understanding Neo-Darwinism, Cosmological fine-tuning, detecting design, philosophy, biochemistry and much more. We had great interaction with many of the leaders in the ID research community.

One of the greatest benefits for me was meeting and befriending like-minded design enthusiasts from all over the world. It was a fantastic experience for this community is so gracious and welcoming. Not everyone who came initially accepted ID at the same level – some were a little skeptical of various aspects of ID upon arriving. Not everyone was a Christian. All they asked of us is that we have an open mind.

I cannot speak for others, but my own experience was such that after departing I am even more convinced of the inherent design in nature. Darwinian evolution is so scientifically unlikely that few would believe it if it were not first motivated by strong metaphysical and psychological reasons to avoid a personal Creator.

ID provides empirical evidence, evidence from the natural world, that materialism is false. We are not just particles bumping together in the grim, dark night, but we have been purposefully designed. This inference is as far as ID will get you, however. You cannot reason from empirical design in nature to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For that you need other apologetic tools.

Though ID can be used in a properly restrained argument for theism, I am not just a theist. I am a follower of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob come in human form, Jesus of Nazareth. And the design that I observe and study in nature leads me to worship. This Seminar has, among many other things, brought me to my knees in awe of our Creator. In a different context Paul erupts in a doxology (Romans 11:33-36) that I think is appropriate as a capstone on my reflections:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable his judgments,
    and his paths beyond tracing out!
“Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been his counselor?”
“Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”
For from him and through him and for him are all things.
    To him be the glory forever! Amen.