SWEEP! Cubs make Brewers look silly.

The Cubs finished a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers today, thrashing them 11-4. The Brewers fell into third place for the time being, and best of all, the Cubs proved to themselves that they could win big games away from Wrigley Field. They're going to need it at the end of the year, when they play 16 games in September and conclude the season back at Miller Park with three games against these same Brewers.

People of Faith Studying Science

Last weekend, we took our youngest son to Chicago to visit campuses to help him prepare to make a decision about college during his upcoming senior year. One issue with which Christian-based liberal arts colleges and universities must deal is how devout people approach the study of the natural sciences. Friends of ours, who are practicing scientists and people of faith, are in the college-search process too and in a recent email they lamented the poor quality and lack of emphasis on science in the Christian schools they have inquired about. This may be because Christ-followers are confused and conflicted about how to think about this subject.

While at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, I picked up a booklet that contains a thoughtful and well-stated summary of the foundations of their approach. You can find it online on the Wheaton College website here: Perspective on Natural Sciences.

Here are some excerpts from the statement:

In the contemporary academy, science represents a theoretical discipline that addresses natural phenomena; by its accepted standards and procedures, it does not go beyond the natural realm for explanations. The hypotheses and theories generated in scientific study are based upon empirically measured phenomena. Like all endeavors of disclosing truth, including theology, the practice of science is dynamic and the theories it generates are always in a state of self-correction as new data are evaluated. Although science uses a naturalistic methodology, the use of that methodology does not necessarily imply a metaphysical naturalism (a philosophical commitment to the idea that the material world is all there is), nor does it imply that the scientist who is a Christian believes that naturalistic factors can fully explain all phenomena.

...At Wheaton, special emphasis is given to integration of the Christian faith with all areas of learning and applied practice. This emphasis is, in turn, rooted in our deep commitment to the complete truthfulness and authority of the Scriptures. Nevertheless, we encourage the careful examination of all worthwhile ideas in our curriculum, including those that may seem to contradict our own institutional commitments. When we confront seeming contradictions between the "findings of science" and our understanding of the teaching of Scripture, for instance, we reaffirm our belief in an inerrant Bible. However, we also humbly realize that neither our interpretations of Scripture nor the "findings of science" are without error. Hence, we carefully examine all relevant evidence to seek resolution of the seeming contradiction, but we also are willing to accept uncertainty in matters where we have insufficient certainty, either regarding the teaching of Scripture, the findings of science, or both. We approach such matters in the confidence that our God will lead us into a deeper understanding of His Truth, and that the practice of critical inquiry - grounded in trust in the truthfulness of Scripture - will prepare our students to respond wisely to the challenges they will face. In all endeavors, Wheaton College remains firmly committed to structuring its programs in service "For Christ and His Kingdom."

Aspects of our institution's confessional stance are disconcerting to many nonreligious scientists, including our confidence that Christ designed and created the physical world, that this world bears the imprint of its rational Creator, that He is the author of all life, and, especially, that He directly created the first human pair. Yet our institution's confessional stance leaves certain issues open, issues which some in the Christian community regard as properly closed. The most notable of these issues are the age of the Earth, the age of the cosmos, and the methods by which God did His work of creation. Indeed, among our faculty there are a variety of interpretations of the age of the Earth and the age of the cosmos, as well as the means used by God to create the variegated array of life on our planet. The faculty are firm in their conviction that Christ created all of humankind through the direct creation of an historical Adam and Eve. As stated earlier in this document, and of such great significance that it bears repeating here, is that we hold fast to the truth that through one man (Adam) humankind fell, and through one man (Christ) humankind is saved. While all faculty believe in the complete truthfulness and authority of Scripture, some embrace or lean toward a creationism, of the Young Earth variety, others a punctuated or progressive creationism. Nonetheless, our faculty embrace Christ's creative design and action in the created order. They strive to treat all views charitably, respectfully, and intelligently as they lead campus discussion regarding these controversial matters. We believe that we honor Christ by taking precisely this approach, and we think that this is an academically honest way to impart knowledge to our students.

Charitable. Respectful. Intelligent. Deep commitment to the truthfulness and authority of the Scriptures.

Well said.

Grizzlies Get Pre-Season Recognition

The article below, from the Franklin College football site, shows that the last two years of hard work and success have earned some much-deserved recognition for Coach Mike Leonard's team.

We're only about a month away, and I for one can't wait!

FRANKLIN, Ind. (July 1) – Franklin College is ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Sports Weekly magazine pre-season Division III football poll for 2008.

The recognition marks the first time the Grizzlies program has been included in the national publication’s Division III pre-season ranking.

Franklin returns 16 starters from last year’s historic team that posted a 9-2 overall record, won its first Heartland Conference championship and earned its first berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Recommended Article on Interpreting Genesis

I'd like to recommend the following article by Clark Pinnock. It is called, "Climbing Out of a Swamp: The Evangelical Struggle to Understand the Creation Texts" [Interpretation 43 (1989) 143-155]

Pinnock argues convincingly (to me, anyway) for the importance of reading the Creation texts as they stand, in their ancient and authorial context first and foremost. In the end, he comes out at the position to which I have come, and I will therefore use the points made in this article when I make my case for a literary framework interpretation of Genesis 1.

He does not go far enough, however, in relating these texts to their literary context in the Torah and the Sitz im Lieben of Moses and the Israelites. I realize this may be beyond his purpose in the article, nevertheless, grasping this is essential for truly understanding the purpose and meaning of the text, and therefore arguing against those who would hijack it for other agendas, such as trying to prove a particular scientific viewpoint.

NEW BOOK STUDY...

For the next couple of weeks, I'll be blogging on this book, THE TANGIBLE KINGDOM: Creating Incarnational Community, which finally has shown me a picture of what a truly "missional" church might look like. The authors, Hugh Halter and Matt Smay, serve among a group of congregations known as Adullam, a network of missional communities in Denver.

Some of the material I've read on "missional" ministry is still grounded in the attractional, programmatic church model. This book is truly different. It is about Christians living out their faith in the world, in relationship with their neighbors, involved in their communities, taking part in real life as the sphere where we follow Christ.

I look forward to sharing my observations with you. Hope you'll comment too.