"So, Justin," you say, "you have shown me that the Bible tells of an old earth where a great catastrophe of tremendous proportions wiped the Earth of life and new life, the divine jump of what had existed before, was created in 6 days. Very well. I understand that COULD be consistent with what we know about the universe. But really - is there any evidence that actually happened?"
If there was not, would I have posed the question? That's what we're here to talk about. To reference Alice in Wonderland, I will begin at the beginning, continue until the end and then stop.
The anthropic principle's claim is that the universe and the earth are both peculiarly designed for life. First, I would like to look at the fundamental fabric of the universe. Those constants which determine how the universe is built and which are stunningly finely tuned for life. I'm going to look at the best examples here, but wikipedia has a decent article on it, if only to see how painfully weak the 'scientific explanations' are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fine-tuned_Universe
Consider the strong nuclear force. When two Hydrogen atoms bond (forming Helium and powering the stars), .7% of the mass is converted to energy. Imagine a world where .8% or more of the mass is converted to energy instead. The rate of fusion would happen so rapidly that no hydrogen would have survived the Big Bang. No atoms would exist in the entire universe. Now imagine a world where only .6% or less of the mass is converted. Insufficient energy would exist for a proton to bond with a neutron. The Universe would consist only of Hydrogen and Helium. There would be no life.
If the ratio of protons to electrons changed as little as 1 part in 1024, the electromagnetic forces between them would either blow the universe up or crush it. In a more down to earth example coined by Richard Feynman, if two people were standing one meter apart on the Earth and each had 10% more electrons than protons, they would both be flung out into space past escape velocity. That is how finely electrons and protons are tuned for life in the universe.
If we increased the gravitational constant (big G) even slightly, stars would burn out so quickly that no light elements would survive. No life. If we decreased it, fusion would occur so slowly that we would all live on ice planets. No life.
If the universe expanded faster, galaxies wouldn't have time to form. If slower, the universe would overcome the acceleration and collapse before galaxies had time to form. STILL NO LIFE.
There are many other examples which are readily available that the universe has been fine tuned for life, some of which are simpler than these and some of which are too complicated for me to verify easily (I will therefore not repeat them). Searching 'fine-tuned universe' and looking at the God and Science website will yield numerous impressive numbers.
Most of the info here is taken from Big Bang Refined by Fire by Dr. Hugh Ross, 1998. But, of course, I have added my own knowledge and flair.
Philosophically, it is unbelievable that the Universe, in its one run (with oscillating universes fully discounted and no evidence for multiverses), has happened to create sufficient intelligence to observe it. Anyone who is not already deeply invested in the opposite position would conclude that an atemporal creator is the most like explanation.
"So, the universe itself does seem pretty specific indeed, even with the small list you have given. It appears a universe where stars may form is a rather improbable one and one which can last long enough to sustain life is even more so. That's actually kind of cool. But I'm still not convinced that you have proved a creator who is any more than some kind of deist figure, much less the God of the Bible. You have shown, at best, that the Bible doesn't contradict reality and that something or someone created the universe for life. Tell me you have something better than that."
I do, my skeptical friend. I do.
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Creationism pt 1
The Bible opens with a very bold claim: in the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth. For millenia the greatest minds dismissed such a notion. How could the universe itself have a beginning? Certainly the Bible teaches that God is atemporal (2 Peter 3:8), but the pre-Hawking philosophers couldn't grasp being outside time as a physical reality. We are so conditioned to the idea that the surface absurdity of a beginning of time misses us completely. Stephen Hawking's simple (in hindsight) idea of reversing a black hole and the induction of the Big Bang changed all that. Time and space did have an absolute beginning and a timeless region was now conceivable, if unobservable.
Despite the unanticipated redemption of this first verse, the rest of the Genesis story comes under constant scorn. I believe, however, that a careful study will reveal numerous evidences for belief.
I will go through a few quoted from the Scriptures to show my points:
Despite the unanticipated redemption of this first verse, the rest of the Genesis story comes under constant scorn. I believe, however, that a careful study will reveal numerous evidences for belief.
I will go through a few quoted from the Scriptures to show my points:
'In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth'
The idea of a 'Prime Mover' has never, in my estimation, been well refuted. The idea of spontaneous matter generation prior to the Big Bang is just a religion of a different color. The idea that in a timeless world cause need not follow effect is only valid insomuch as neither could occur.
I have 2 tweaks to verse 2.
"And the Earth was without form and void"
The phrase 'without form' is the Hebrew word 'tohu.' The phrase 'and void' comes from the Hebrew 'wa-bohu,' which never appears independent of tohu. The word translated 'was' can be either was or became, depending on context. I seek to prove it should be became.
My proof text is Isaiah 45:18:
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else." (NASB)
Not very conclusive is it? But if you read it in Hebrew alongside Genesis 1:2, you would understand:
'He established it and did not create it in tohu, but formed it to be inhabited.'
'And the Earth was tohu wa-bohu'
See the issue? This implies with a subtlety lost in the English that the Earth was not created the way it is in Genesis 1:2. So, the Earth became without form and void, but was first inhabited. The (near) idol worship of the King James Version prevents many from seeing what the original Hebrew plainly teaches: an old Earth.
Young Earth Creationists (YEC) have several logical problems they are rarely, if ever, called to task over.
YEC Question 1: If there is no gap between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, when were angels created? Let's look at another passage.
God speaking: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7)
YEC Question 2: If God is not the author of confusion, why does the universe appear so old?
YEC Question 3: If your objection to OEC is that there was no death prior to Adam, do you call God a liar? Since God said that in the day they ate the fruit they would die, obviously it means spiritual death, not physical death.
The angels were there for creation.
Old Earth is the only logical and scriptural way to go. How old? The Bible doesn't tell us: fundamentally the Bible is a book of theology, not science. For inquiries into the old world, we can use only science and be confident it is not of spiritual importance.
The best argument, in my estimation, of what caused this great division in time was the fall of Satan and a third of the angels, what Jesus compared to lightning (which is rather destructive, don't you think?).
The passage which describes this event is here:
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north" (Isaiah 14:12-13)
Satan was cast down from his place and man was given dominion over the world in his place, during the six day recreation.
My first point is then that the Bible does not contradict the idea of an Old Universe and indeed, a plain reading (tohu, not tohu) would have shown the original readers a gap.
You say, that is all well and good, Justin. You have shown that the creation of the universe is consistent with the Bible and it could have happened that God recreated everything in six days, thus accounting for the missing link in evolution and reconciling all of science. You have challenged YEC on several points and shown that OEC serves better in every way - but enough that it COULD have happened that way. Building on this foundation, show me that it DID.
Stay tuned, my friend, for part 2.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
READ: Romans 12
KEY VERSE: Romans 12:21
DEVOTIONAL:
In Chapter 12 of the book of Romans, Paul abandons the lofty halls of theology and gets to the nitty gritty of Christian living. Because this chapter is relatively simple, there is little to expound upon. However, I will do my best to slow you down in an easily skimmed chapter so the entire thing may be appreciated.
The first verse is a bridge from the doxology of the last chapter - because God is so wonderful and has given you the Holy Spirit's power to resist sin, I beg you to offer yourself as an offering to God, this is your reasonable (or spiritual) act of worship. This is a very well known and a very important verse. In the Old Testament, when a sacrifice was offered, the parts which were useful for God's service (feeding the priests) were sliced off the animal and the rest was burned up. God commands us to give Him what serves his purposes and the destroy the rest. Verse 2 tells us to allow ourselves to be completely transformed, breaking out of the expectations of this world and forming to the shape He has for us, "that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God (KJV)." These are tall orders, but Paul commences to tell us how.
Verses 3-8 tell us to identify the talents God has given us, but not to allow us to place our gifts ahead of others. To employ a modern metaphor, the powerful, complex engine thinks he is the most important part of the car until the gas tank (just a dumb, simple bucket, really) skips town. The mighty brain was humbled when a tiny flap between the windpipe and esophagus decided to breathe chicken noodle soup. As different parts of the body of Christ, the prophet might have thought he was the most important member of the congregation until the cannon was closed. Today, we must understand God has given us all different abilities to work in concert.
Verses 9 is translated very awkwardly in the KJV, but the New American Standard Version translates it: "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good." If you have a very old dictionary, you'll see the King's English amounts to the same. Once we understand how simple it is, it ought to be a mantra for every moment of our lives. As Christians, Paul goes on to say, we ought to be devoted to one another in brotherly love and to cry out with joy at the privilege of showing the godly honor. We are to pray, to give financially, have a passionate spirit and to overcome tribulation.
Verse 14 is difficult to carry out, but it is plain. We are to bless even when cursed - a statement echoing Christ Himself(Luke 6:28). It begins another line of thought that we are to be what people need. We must sing with the happy and cry with the mourning, as Paul put it - we will become all things to all men (I Corinthians 9:19-22) so they might be saved. We must be humble so that we can go to those who need us without pretention. We are to do what is right in the sight of all men, so we do not cause them to stumble by violating their conscience (more on this in chapters 14 and 15) and we are to never take our own vengeance, trusting in God to repay the unrepentant according to their deeds. When the one we would like to hurt is in need, we are to fulfill his need so that we may keep ourselves innocent and perhaps prick his conscience into repentance.
Verse 21 is very hard, but serves as a book end to verse 9. With good we are to overcome evil - not by "fighting fire with fire" or reasoning that "he started it." With love we are to drown out hate and with kindness we are to repay cruelty.
QUESTIONS
(1) Do you struggle with any of these commandments? Have you prayed for God's strength to do His will?
(2) Write down the top 5 of the commands in the chapter which you struggle with and make a conscience effort to overcome those 5 through prayer and diligence. If you think 5 is too many to handle at once, do 3. If you can handle more, do 10. Systematically identify your greatest weaknesses and try to become more like Him.
(3) Think of somewhat you can't stand. This week, I challenge you to show them a large act of kindness. Pray for the strength to bring it from the right heart and see if you can make such deeds a regular part of your schedule.
KEY VERSE: Romans 12:21
DEVOTIONAL:
In Chapter 12 of the book of Romans, Paul abandons the lofty halls of theology and gets to the nitty gritty of Christian living. Because this chapter is relatively simple, there is little to expound upon. However, I will do my best to slow you down in an easily skimmed chapter so the entire thing may be appreciated.
The first verse is a bridge from the doxology of the last chapter - because God is so wonderful and has given you the Holy Spirit's power to resist sin, I beg you to offer yourself as an offering to God, this is your reasonable (or spiritual) act of worship. This is a very well known and a very important verse. In the Old Testament, when a sacrifice was offered, the parts which were useful for God's service (feeding the priests) were sliced off the animal and the rest was burned up. God commands us to give Him what serves his purposes and the destroy the rest. Verse 2 tells us to allow ourselves to be completely transformed, breaking out of the expectations of this world and forming to the shape He has for us, "that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God (KJV)." These are tall orders, but Paul commences to tell us how.
Verses 3-8 tell us to identify the talents God has given us, but not to allow us to place our gifts ahead of others. To employ a modern metaphor, the powerful, complex engine thinks he is the most important part of the car until the gas tank (just a dumb, simple bucket, really) skips town. The mighty brain was humbled when a tiny flap between the windpipe and esophagus decided to breathe chicken noodle soup. As different parts of the body of Christ, the prophet might have thought he was the most important member of the congregation until the cannon was closed. Today, we must understand God has given us all different abilities to work in concert.
Verses 9 is translated very awkwardly in the KJV, but the New American Standard Version translates it: "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good." If you have a very old dictionary, you'll see the King's English amounts to the same. Once we understand how simple it is, it ought to be a mantra for every moment of our lives. As Christians, Paul goes on to say, we ought to be devoted to one another in brotherly love and to cry out with joy at the privilege of showing the godly honor. We are to pray, to give financially, have a passionate spirit and to overcome tribulation.
Verse 14 is difficult to carry out, but it is plain. We are to bless even when cursed - a statement echoing Christ Himself(Luke 6:28). It begins another line of thought that we are to be what people need. We must sing with the happy and cry with the mourning, as Paul put it - we will become all things to all men (I Corinthians 9:19-22) so they might be saved. We must be humble so that we can go to those who need us without pretention. We are to do what is right in the sight of all men, so we do not cause them to stumble by violating their conscience (more on this in chapters 14 and 15) and we are to never take our own vengeance, trusting in God to repay the unrepentant according to their deeds. When the one we would like to hurt is in need, we are to fulfill his need so that we may keep ourselves innocent and perhaps prick his conscience into repentance.
Verse 21 is very hard, but serves as a book end to verse 9. With good we are to overcome evil - not by "fighting fire with fire" or reasoning that "he started it." With love we are to drown out hate and with kindness we are to repay cruelty.
QUESTIONS
(1) Do you struggle with any of these commandments? Have you prayed for God's strength to do His will?
(2) Write down the top 5 of the commands in the chapter which you struggle with and make a conscience effort to overcome those 5 through prayer and diligence. If you think 5 is too many to handle at once, do 3. If you can handle more, do 10. Systematically identify your greatest weaknesses and try to become more like Him.
(3) Think of somewhat you can't stand. This week, I challenge you to show them a large act of kindness. Pray for the strength to bring it from the right heart and see if you can make such deeds a regular part of your schedule.
The Olive Tree
READ: Romans 11
KEY VERSE: Romans 11:15
DEVOTIONAL:
Romans 11 is a beautiful metaphor explaining God's eternal destiny for the Jewish people, but has been widely misunderstood and misapplied. Before we can venture into an accurate understanding, we will need some background knowledge.
First, the word death literally means "separation" and to die is "to be cut off." It is then amply apparent why the expression "cut off" is a euphemism for death among the Jews and why our modern understanding of what it means to die often causes gross confusion. Death, or being cut-off, can mean spiritual death (Genesis 3 where God and man were separated), physical death (Isaiah 53:8 where body and soul were separated) and perhaps other kinds of division.
Second, the Bible describes us as branches off Jesus Christ, the true vine (John 15:1-6). In this chapter, the Apostle Paul is not speaking of something new, but reminding his readers of an illustration Christ had already used and expounding on it it with the following:
Third, the olive tree is used as a metaphor for the Hebrew people as early as Jeremiah 11:16. Since that verse clearly states that the people of Judah's branches were broken off when they were sent to exile and Paul says that they are cut off for their unbelief, we must understand that it is not the physical territory or genetic traits of Jews which make up the olive tree, but a relationship with the Lord of Hosts, the Jewish God (and only true God) YHWH (usually rendered Lord in small caps). The olive tree has been described, I believe well, as the Spiritual Commonwealth of Israel on Levitt.com.
Last, in a quick botony lesson citizens of ancient Canaan would be very familiar with, an olive tree was the cash crop of the day - cotton and tobacco rolled into one. There was little worry about if wild olives were safe: wild olive trees did not bear anything except small, poor-tasting fruit!
If you were unfamiliar with any of this, I ask you to reread the chapter, slowly filling in the metaphor. You will find the passage very plain now.
Paul opens with a question many have asked: What about the nation of Israel? Did God give them a covenant only to take it away? The scriptural answer is that God could not - in Genesis 15:17, God passes through cloven animals saying he must suffer the same fate as these if he were to break his covenant with Abraham. God offered an unconditional covenant and he did not lie. Paul's response is more personal than that, he cries out against it. He is a Jew, a former member of the Sanhedrin, no less! If God cut the Jews off, he cut Paul off also. But just as God kept 750 of his prophets out of harm's way when Jezebel was on her murderous rampage, he has now made sure that a portion of the Israelites were in a position to accept Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) as the long awaited Messiah. Of course, God could have allowed circumstances to prevent Israel from having any Messianic believers and destroying the remnant, but by his "election [choice] of grace (v 5)," God did not allow his people to be abandoned. Verse 6 echoes the basic salvation message: It is by God's grace that we have the opportunity to be saved at all; if it is our works we are bound by, we labor in vain.
In verses 7-10, Paul explains that Israel seeks salvation but has not found it, but the elect (the saved, as discussed previously) have. Those who rejected God were then hardened in their hearts, just as Pharaoh. If this unit of verses were taken alone, it might well be said to support predestination, but the next verse provides context.
The Jews have not fallen beyond recovery, the success of the Gentile Christians is God's way of making them jealous, so they will examine their faith again. But, Paul goes on to say, if their transgression brings the riches of faith to the Gentiles, what greatness will their faithfulness cause in the Millenium? "Life from the dead"! When the Jews are faithful, the spiritual death which has plagued the world for millenia will be replaced with spiritual life - a true relationship with the Holy One when he descends in New Jerusalem. When their foundation is the Lord, they cannot help but be holy (v 16).
In the next unit (17-24), Paul defends his people again. If the Jews were cut off for their unbelief, we should not look down on them. Because salvation is not of works, we know we cannot lose our salvation (see v 29 - by the principle "Analogy of Scripture" we use plain doctrine to interpret metaphorical passages) and so when Paul threatens us with being cut off, it must be something different than when the Jews were cut off. If it is not spiritual death, it must be physical (James 5:20). If we accept the premise, then Paul is saying: "Oh yes, the Jews were cut off spiritually, but God is anxious to take them back. If you fall into sin, you will be cut off as well - physically - and he will not be so eager to return you to your body. So do not look down on them, but fear for your own life!"
The nation of Israel as a whole ("all Israel" not meaning every single citizen, but the group rather than a small remnant), Paul proclaims, will be saved. Jesus Christ is ultimately the Messiah of the Jewish people and he will ride in and remove all ungodliness from Israel (Jacob - see Genesis 35:9).
God has allowed us all, Jew and Gentile, to continue in our sin rather than simply striking us down so that he might be merciful instead of just. Yes, the nation of Israel is now disobedient - but so were we, before we were saved!
This thought excites Paul so that he gives a beautiful doxology in verses 33-36, which is simple and true.
QUESTIONS:
(1) When reading the Scriptures, do you remember the basic principles of interpretation? Who was this written to? What is it meant to say? When was it written? Where was it written to? Why was it written? Or do you take the easy way out and assume metaphors are meant to say what they look like to a 21st century American?
(2) Are you in danger of being physically "cut off" because you hinder the Lord's work?
(3) Do you look and pray for the day that Israel comes to Jesus and He returns in glory?
(4) Write the doxology (vv 33-36) down a few times. Really pray and meditate on the grace of God that He would save such wretches as you and I.
KEY VERSE: Romans 11:15
DEVOTIONAL:
Romans 11 is a beautiful metaphor explaining God's eternal destiny for the Jewish people, but has been widely misunderstood and misapplied. Before we can venture into an accurate understanding, we will need some background knowledge.
First, the word death literally means "separation" and to die is "to be cut off." It is then amply apparent why the expression "cut off" is a euphemism for death among the Jews and why our modern understanding of what it means to die often causes gross confusion. Death, or being cut-off, can mean spiritual death (Genesis 3 where God and man were separated), physical death (Isaiah 53:8 where body and soul were separated) and perhaps other kinds of division.
Second, the Bible describes us as branches off Jesus Christ, the true vine (John 15:1-6). In this chapter, the Apostle Paul is not speaking of something new, but reminding his readers of an illustration Christ had already used and expounding on it it with the following:
Third, the olive tree is used as a metaphor for the Hebrew people as early as Jeremiah 11:16. Since that verse clearly states that the people of Judah's branches were broken off when they were sent to exile and Paul says that they are cut off for their unbelief, we must understand that it is not the physical territory or genetic traits of Jews which make up the olive tree, but a relationship with the Lord of Hosts, the Jewish God (and only true God) YHWH (usually rendered Lord in small caps). The olive tree has been described, I believe well, as the Spiritual Commonwealth of Israel on Levitt.com.
Last, in a quick botony lesson citizens of ancient Canaan would be very familiar with, an olive tree was the cash crop of the day - cotton and tobacco rolled into one. There was little worry about if wild olives were safe: wild olive trees did not bear anything except small, poor-tasting fruit!
If you were unfamiliar with any of this, I ask you to reread the chapter, slowly filling in the metaphor. You will find the passage very plain now.
Paul opens with a question many have asked: What about the nation of Israel? Did God give them a covenant only to take it away? The scriptural answer is that God could not - in Genesis 15:17, God passes through cloven animals saying he must suffer the same fate as these if he were to break his covenant with Abraham. God offered an unconditional covenant and he did not lie. Paul's response is more personal than that, he cries out against it. He is a Jew, a former member of the Sanhedrin, no less! If God cut the Jews off, he cut Paul off also. But just as God kept 750 of his prophets out of harm's way when Jezebel was on her murderous rampage, he has now made sure that a portion of the Israelites were in a position to accept Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) as the long awaited Messiah. Of course, God could have allowed circumstances to prevent Israel from having any Messianic believers and destroying the remnant, but by his "election [choice] of grace (v 5)," God did not allow his people to be abandoned. Verse 6 echoes the basic salvation message: It is by God's grace that we have the opportunity to be saved at all; if it is our works we are bound by, we labor in vain.
In verses 7-10, Paul explains that Israel seeks salvation but has not found it, but the elect (the saved, as discussed previously) have. Those who rejected God were then hardened in their hearts, just as Pharaoh. If this unit of verses were taken alone, it might well be said to support predestination, but the next verse provides context.
The Jews have not fallen beyond recovery, the success of the Gentile Christians is God's way of making them jealous, so they will examine their faith again. But, Paul goes on to say, if their transgression brings the riches of faith to the Gentiles, what greatness will their faithfulness cause in the Millenium? "Life from the dead"! When the Jews are faithful, the spiritual death which has plagued the world for millenia will be replaced with spiritual life - a true relationship with the Holy One when he descends in New Jerusalem. When their foundation is the Lord, they cannot help but be holy (v 16).
In the next unit (17-24), Paul defends his people again. If the Jews were cut off for their unbelief, we should not look down on them. Because salvation is not of works, we know we cannot lose our salvation (see v 29 - by the principle "Analogy of Scripture" we use plain doctrine to interpret metaphorical passages) and so when Paul threatens us with being cut off, it must be something different than when the Jews were cut off. If it is not spiritual death, it must be physical (James 5:20). If we accept the premise, then Paul is saying: "Oh yes, the Jews were cut off spiritually, but God is anxious to take them back. If you fall into sin, you will be cut off as well - physically - and he will not be so eager to return you to your body. So do not look down on them, but fear for your own life!"
The nation of Israel as a whole ("all Israel" not meaning every single citizen, but the group rather than a small remnant), Paul proclaims, will be saved. Jesus Christ is ultimately the Messiah of the Jewish people and he will ride in and remove all ungodliness from Israel (Jacob - see Genesis 35:9).
God has allowed us all, Jew and Gentile, to continue in our sin rather than simply striking us down so that he might be merciful instead of just. Yes, the nation of Israel is now disobedient - but so were we, before we were saved!
This thought excites Paul so that he gives a beautiful doxology in verses 33-36, which is simple and true.
QUESTIONS:
(1) When reading the Scriptures, do you remember the basic principles of interpretation? Who was this written to? What is it meant to say? When was it written? Where was it written to? Why was it written? Or do you take the easy way out and assume metaphors are meant to say what they look like to a 21st century American?
(2) Are you in danger of being physically "cut off" because you hinder the Lord's work?
(3) Do you look and pray for the day that Israel comes to Jesus and He returns in glory?
(4) Write the doxology (vv 33-36) down a few times. Really pray and meditate on the grace of God that He would save such wretches as you and I.
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