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.

Album of an Era...

Over the past week, I've had the opportunity to enjoy a rare treat. Twice while driving, I have listened through the entire Beatles' White Album, which was released 40 years ago, on Nov. 22, 1968.

I remember that year well as a time when I was beginning to come of age. On the other hand, many thought the world itself was beginning to come to an end. 1968 was a year of profoundly painful birthpangs in the U.S. and around the world...

• In Viet Nam...it is the year of the Tet Offensive, the Battle of Saigon, and the My Lai massacre. President Johnson orders the cessation of bombing in North Viet Nam by November. However, in the same month, 3 million tons of bombs are dropped on Laos. Student protests grow around the world.
  

• Presidential politics...Lyndon Johnson announces he will not run for re-election, Bobby Kennedy is assassinated, it's Nixon/Agnew for the Republicans and Humphrey/Muskie for the Democrats after a famously riotous convention in Chicago. Nixon is elected.
  

• Civil rights battles explode...Dr. King is gunned down. America's cities are on fire—sit-ins, riots and scenes of frightening urban chaos proliferate. The issue even shows up at the Mexico City Olympics with "black-power" protests.

• Near year's end, Apollo 8 orbits the moon and for the first time in human history, people see the far side of the moon and a complete view of Earth from space. The astronauts read from Genesis.
  

The mood and atmosphere of such a tumultuous year could only be captured musically by the immense talent of the Beatles. Fresh off the success of their groundbreaking Sgt. Pepper album in 1967, sequestered for a season in India to meditate under the guidance of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and with serious personal and creative tension and discord growing among them, the Beatles put together a wide-ranging, imaginative work that captures the prodigious skills of these four musicians at the height of their talent.

This record shares similarities with Sgt. Pepper, and it takes even greater advantage of the musical variety and technological advances that made the earlier record so innovative. In fact, I think of the White Album as Sgt. Pepper gone to seed—a further experimental "concept" album more like an encyclopedia of ideas rather than any one focused concept. As with Sgt. Pepper, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, although, unlike Sgt. Pepper, which has only a few exceptional songs, many songs on the White Album are true classics—and have no trouble standing on their own to this day.

Critics have asserted that this album represents the work of four individuals more than that of a cohesive band, that it is uneven, that it includes debatable material (e.g. "Wild Honey Pie," "Revolution #9," etc.), that it is pretentious, overblown and would have been much tighter as a single record, and so on. However, the simple fact is that musically and culturally this is one of the greatest albums ever recorded, that both its flaws and strengths work together to create a magical world in the listener's imagination as only the Beatles could, and that when the White Album is listened to as an album, it stands as a work of musical genius that enables its hearers to journey through the crazy-making, mind-bending days of the world that was in 1968.

It blew me away back then and it still does 40 years later. I encourage you to take some time and listen to it at one sitting and see if you don't agree.

Franklin Flooding...

We had 8 inches of rain in a 4-hour period this morning. And this after severe weather on several other occasions recently. This led to the worst flooding anyone can remember in Franklin and other communities throughout central Indiana south of Indianapolis. We will be looking for opportunities to show practical love to our neighbors in days to come.

Stormy Weather...

Some local news shots of the damage caused by storms and tornadoes over the past few days in and around Indianapolis. A couple of the shots are from Camp Atterbury, about 25 miles south of Indy, where 40 buildings were destroyed and millions of dollars of damage done.

Off to the DR!

Our son Isaac left with a group from Franklin Community Church to work with Go! Ministries in the Dominican Republic for a week. He will be in our thoughts and prayers all week, and we solicit your intercessions as well.

Grizzly Cubs' season over...

The Franklin Grizzly Cubs varsity baseball team lost in the sectional semi-final to the Southport Cardinals, 12-2 yesterday. An eight-run 5th inning sealed the deal for Southport. Franklin pitchers walked in five of those runs and another scored when a batter was hit by a pitch. Southport loaded the bases seven times in the 5th and the Grizzly Cubs just could not get the final out.

Special congratulations and best wishes to the Franklin seniors: Brad Hook, Matt Cochran and Allen Sewell. Hook, a Mr. Baseball candidate, had a home run and a scorching single through the box in his final high school game.

Our son Isaac played third base for most of the game and played well on defense.

One of the joys I had in this game was watching several of the players I used to coach and coach against at Southport Little League play in this game. Way to go, Isaac, Shawn, Chris, and Jordan!

Best of luck to Southport as they play Center Grove in the sectional final on Saturday.

Top Ten Songs, part one...

I've been trying to make a CD of the best 25 popular songs from my lifetime. What a task! I've gone back and forth a number of times and ultimately gave up on the original idea.

My criteria was going to be this:

• They have to be from my lifetime, that is, from the time that I really started listening to music (around age 10—1965 or '66).

• They have to be pop/rock songs. I have to place some limit on type of song. I'm talking about Top 40 kinds of songs, not genre-specific songs like heavy metal, or obscure FM tracks, folk music, jazz, etc.
  

• Only one per artist. (I had to do this or I might have 25 Beatles' songs!)
  

• They don't necessarily need to be my favorities; I might recognize some as great songs even though they are not my personal faves.

I may keep trying to boil things down, but for my first pass I ended up with a CD of 23 that only got me to 1971!

Here are my top ten...

10. For What It's Worth, Buffalo Springfield

9. You've Made Me So Very Happy, Blood Sweat & Tears

8. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones

7. Light My Fire, The Doors

6. I Heard It Through the Grapevine, Marvin Gaye

5. You've Got a Friend, James Taylor

4. Good Vibrations, The Beach Boys

3. Blowin' in the Wind, Bob Dylan

2. Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles

1. Bridge over Troubled Water, Simon & Garfunkel

Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your list.

Practice makes perfect...

Austin getting in some swings in the front yard.

Updates on Genesis Blog...

Marc Chagall, "Creation" 1960

I have posted updates on the Genesis Studies blog, including edits of former posts as well as a couple of additions. If you are interested in this study, I encourage you to go back and read the early posts so that you can review the flow of my argument.

ITEM: Coach survives first T-ball game...

I'm happy to report that the Dodgers (and their coach) survived our first T-Ball game last night. In fact, it was better than that with regard to the kids. They did great! For the most part, they listened to instruction really well, stayed in their positions, hit the ball both from the T and from the coach's pitches, and seemed to have a great deal of fun.

As for the coach, well the word "survival" does apply. Picture him rushing home from work to get ready on time, then suddenly realizing as he approaches the house that he forgot to pick up his grandson for the game! No time to go get him. Can't get hold of anyone on the phone who can. Frantically making calls, and as he does, he locks his keys in the car! Picture him trying over and over again to call his wife to find the location of the spare key. Picture him tearing apart the usual places and finally finding it. Then watch as he talks to the babysitter again and she agrees to bring the grandson, except he will be late. Oh well, at least this incident won't go into the "Bad Grampas" Hall of Fame. Then watch as he pulls out only to notice that the back door is standing wide open. He runs up and shuts it and quickly drives to the field, only to realize that he forgot all his papers—the schedule, the roster, the sign-up sheet for snacks.

By the way, as you are picturing this, gently put your fingers in your ears. You don't want to hear some of the words being uttered against the chaos!

As the coach gathers his team for the pre-game talk, he asks, "Have you ever had a bad day?" and confesses his loony behavior. Confession is good for the soul. The kids are unfazed, have a great game, and Austin arrives for at least half of it.

An inauspicious debut for the coach...

Blogs update...

In the ebb and flow of blogging, I guess I'm flowing again.

I've added a blog called "Loving the Church, Questioning the Organization." I find myself with many others in our culture at the moment on the outside looking in when it comes to the organized or institutional church. The purpose of this blog is to capture insights from others who are standing with me out here, and to personally work through my own thoughts and feelings.


I will also be reviving my Genesis Studies, as I prepare to preach a series of messages on Genesis 1-11 for our church.

These texts have held a continual fascination for me since the days of seminary, when I studied Hebrew and OT under John Sailhamer. Much of what you will read here will reflect the approach (though not necessarily the details) he takes in his stimulating commentary on Genesis, his work on the Torah called The Pentateuch as Narrative, and in his specific study of Genesis 1-2, Genesis Unbound.

A word about the nature of this study...I am interested in the meaning of the text, not in its application to apologetics. Many modern studies of Genesis are undertaken in order to help Bible-believing people understand the relationship between Scripture and science. That is the realm of apologetics and it is not unimportant. However, it is secondary. My goal is different, and more foundational. I want to know what the text says and means in the context of the Bible, and what the author wanted his audience to gain from reading this text.

Hope someone finds encouragement through these efforts.

Soriano on a tear!

When we saw the Cubs in Cincinnati recently, Alfonso Soriano looked terrible at the plate. Coming off a leg injury, his timing and pitch selection was atrocious. But boy, how he has come out of it lately!

Here are this week's stats:

• A home run Monday
• A home run Tuesday
• A home run Wednesday
• Two hits Thursday
• Two home runs Friday
• A five-hit day Saturday (with two more home runs)
• A hit and an RBI sacrifice fly Sunday

I think it's safe to say he's back.

Good commentaries on Ephesians...

Peter O'Brien
Pillar New Testament Commentary

Good all-around commentary with excellent exposition.




Markus Barth
Anchor Bible Commentary

In my opinion, one of the greatest commentaries ever written. Incredible scholarship and insight.



Charles H. Talbert
Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament

A section by section study, this excellent commentary fills a need by emphasizing the "big picture" and the flow of the argument in Paul's letter.



Andrew T. Lincoln
Word Biblical Commentary

Fine, well-balanced, serious and thorough study of Paul's epistle.





Klyne Snodgrass
The NIV Application Commentary

In my view, one of the better volumes in this series. The exegesis is solid and the applications pertinent.




Tom Wright
Paul for Everyone

These handy little commentaries are fast becoming favorites of mine. Wright has a well-deserved reputation for insight and clarity, and that's exactly what you get here. Not detailed or comprehensive, but packed with nourishing nuggets.

Happy study!

Paul's Letter to the Ephesians

I just completed an Eastertide sermon series on Ephesians this morning. It's my hope that our small congregation has been blessed listening to the messages as much as I have in studying and presenting them. Here are a few of the things I learned...

• Ephesians may have been a circular letter, written to several churches in the region of Ephesus (modern-day western Turkey). Its teachings are more generalized than most of Paul's epistles; there doesn't seem to be a specific occasion or issue that he is addressing.

• The opening and closing of Ephesians are very brief. (1) Opening (1.1-2), (2) Closing (6.21-24).

• The Body of the letter is divided into two main parts. The first part (1.3-3.21) consists of prayers and extended meditations that grow out of those prayers. Instead of following the customary pattern of opening a letter and then setting forth one's business, Paul fills the early part of his epistle with a long blessing, a prayer that leads to two long meditations, a second prayer that is interrupted by an intensely personal meditation before being completed, and finally a doxology. Not only are Paul's words filled with the most profound truths, but his method of communicating them shows that true theology is never a merely academic or intellectual matter. Theology and doxology must go hand in hand. Knowing the truth must lead to devout meditation and prayer.
  

• The second part of the letter's body (4.1-6.20) is hortatory, built around the word "walk." Paul urges believers, blessed with all spiritual blessings (1.3) to "walk worthy" of their high and privileged calling. He speaks of walking in unity in the Body of Christ, using our diverse gifts to help the Body become mature (4.1-16). He speaks of walking in the way of Christ, rather than in the ways of their former, pagan manner of life, which includes walking in love and in the light (4.17-5.14). And he speaks of walking carefully, in wisdom and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, transforming their household relationships as they pursue them in Christ-centered ways (5.15-6.9).
  

• The Body of the letter concludes with what I call Paul's "pre-game pep talk" (6.10-20). In this final passage, he recapitulates themes from the earlier parts of the letter and calls his readers to "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power" as they take what he has written and apply it to their daily lives in the world.

• The ultimate theological theme of Ephesians is found in 1.8-10, "With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." The Gospel proclaims that God has invaded the world with his grace and salvation in Christ to overthrow the powers of evil, sin and death and inaugurate the final process of making all things right and new in him.

• Christ's coming, as one theologian put it, was like D-Day, the decisive event of WWII. When the Allied forces invaded France and gained a foothold in Europe, the tide turned and their victory was essentially secured. However, the battles continued for a year until VE-Day, when the Axis powers surrendered and the war was over. Even so, Ephesians tells us that, right now, all things are under Christ's feet (1.17-23). The decisive victory has been won, the outcome is sure. However, the battle is still on, and we continue to battle the powers in Christ's strength (6.10-20) until the final day of redemption.

• This all sounds very heady, but the reality of the battle is down-to-earth. It involves "walking" throughout our daily lives, relationships, vocations, and communities in the way of Christ.

"Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph 6.23-24)

Friends are friends forever...

Gail and I did a crazy thing Friday. We drove to Chicago at the last minute to see a group of our dearest friends, and then turned around and came back the same night! Because of the traffic, it took us six hours to get there, but it was worth every frustrating moment on the road.

This group of friends was together when we were all young adults, starting families and careers. We were together in a church in Waukegan, Illinois, learning to serve the Lord and function as adults in the real world. I was in seminary and also became the pastor of the congregation for awhile before we moved to Indianapolis in the early '90s.

Now one of the couples is packing up rather suddenly and moving to Cannon Beach, OR, to work in a Christian conference center there on the Pacific coast. They'll be pulling out next Sunday. Mike and Paula...Godspeed. We look forward to visiting a part of the world where we've never been before.

As for Terry and Cheryl, Jack and Sally, Paul and Lynette...we're really not that far from each other. Any of us could make it roundtrip in a day. However, at our age, I'm not sure I recommend it!

More rainy May day shots...

Except for having to miss baseball games, I love everything about these kinds of days.

Rainy May...

T-Ball practice and a bunch of games washed out today. Rain in the forecast for days to come. It's the month of May in Indianapolis.

My new favorite team

Go Dodgers!

Our T-ball team had its first practice this morning on a lovely sunny spring day here in Franklin. What a great group of kids and parents! Should be a fun season.

At the ballgame

Jesse and I trekked over to Cincinnati last night to see the Cubs play the Reds. Both teams have been in a bit of a swoon lately, and the Cubbies kept it up. Ryan Dempster, previously undefeated, pitched well, but fielding foibles led to five unearned runs early, and the Cubs couldn't come all the way back. The ninth inning was especially frustrating, as the visitors loaded the bases twice and couldn't score. Final: Reds 5, Cubs 3.

Oh well, we saw Geovany Soto and Adam Dunn hit tape-measure homers, Ken Griffey make a leaping catch of a possible Soriano home run, Felix Pie do the same with Griffey's attempt at #598, some good pitching, and a few nice plays in the field. Plus, it was a beautiful night, the food was great, and nothing's better than being with my son at the ballpark.

Why I don't watch the NBA

This is what passes for basketball now?

I realize that this has been one of the most exciting NBA seasons in recent years, with many new stars and more parity, especially in the Western Conference.

But come on, any game that includes this level of blatant thuggery is not worthy of the name "sport."

Sure you say, Marvin Williams was ejected for this flagrant foul. So what? This is assault and battery!

The NBA is gladiator spectacle, a wild chaotic circus of flying bodies and sucker punches. It's a game virtually without rules that only vaguely resembles what was once known as basketball.

Handsome guy attends prom

Our youngest son, Isaac, who is a junior at Franklin High, attended the prom with his friend Marci last week. They and a group of folks from the Jazz Band hung out together and, by all reports, had a great time!

OPENING DAY!

Opening Day at Wrigley: Brewers-4, Cubs-3 in extra innings.

As disappointing as the loss was, how about newcomer Kosuke Fukudome? Three hits, including a game-tying dinger in the bottom of the ninth! As always, however, pitching (or lack thereof) was the key, with Cubs' relievers Kerry Wood and Bob Howry struggling. On a positive pitching note, Carlos Zambrano was excellent. Let's hope he gets more support next time.

Augustine's Advice to Christians Who Talk about Science

St. Augustine made the following remarks in his book The Literal Meaning of Genesis. This is excellent counsel for believers in our day who try to speak about scientific issues without adequate understanding.

Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other elements of this world, about the motion and orbit of the stars and even their size and relative positions, about the predictable eclipses of the sun and moon, the cycles of the years and the seasons, about the kinds of animals, shrubs, stones, and so forth, and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience. Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but that people outside the household of faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men. If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods and on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason? Reckless and incompetent expounders of Holy Scripture bring untold trouble and sorrow on their wiser brethren when they are caught in one of their mischievous false opinions and are taken to task by those who are not bound by the authority of our sacred books. For then, to defend their utterly foolish and obviously untrue statements, they will try to call upon Holy Scripture for proof and even recite from memory many passages which they think support their position, although they understand neither what they say nor the things about which they make assertion. [1 Timothy 1.7]

Let him who has ears to hear, take heed to this wise counsel.

What I'm Reading...Frank Schaeffer

Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back, Frank Schaeffer's memoir of life growing up in a family of fundamentalist "stars" describes a wild ride through the tumultuous world of cultural and religious change in the second half of the twentieth century. Schaeffer's parents were Francis and Edith Schaeffer, heroes to many evangelicals, who themselves lived out the stormy history of conservative American Christianity in the 20th century--from fundamentalism to schismatic fundamentalism, to a more culturally-aware and accepting evangelicalism, to political activism.

Schaeffer as a writer is, by turns, affecting, irritating, stimulating, and arrogant and distasteful. I found the memoirs of his childhood the more engaging and enlightening parts of the book, as he reveals his enormous respect and admiration for his gifted parents, while at the same time shamelessly exposing their foibles, blind spots, and eccentricities. The Schaeffer family must surely have been a "crazy-making" clan, especially when you consider how the "Work" (with a capital "w") grew in the midst of the turbulent, mind-blowing '60s and '70s. Franky grew up for the most part on his own through all of this and had to figure it out with little serious parental guidance.

The result of his well-earned insights is mixed bag. I've always considered the younger Schaeffer to be something of a smart aleck--mean-spirited and full of himself and his own opinions. To his credit, he owns up to that, especially when he traces the downward spiral of his adult life and career from evangelical wunderkind to failed filmmaker stealing from his local grocery. But that doesn't stop him from being brutally blunt in his frequent assessments and attacks on others. And he still has the annoying adolescent tendency to throw sexual comments around merely for shock value. Though I share his disdain for what evangelical Christianity has become in America, at times his vitriol comes across like a tantrum or bad dialogue from one of his "B" movies.

However, Frank Schaeffer does demonstrate that he has a genuinely wistful side, able to look at self and experience and an assortment of people in his life with more generous eyes. Descriptions of his mother, Edith Schaeffer, for example, are nuanced and complex, and the picture he paints of her as an elderly dancer is as lovely and heartbreaking as life gets.

Recommended, but watch out for the occasional craziness.

Understanding Science and the Bible

Today I want to recommend some videos on the internet that deal with the subject of how science and Bible relate. These are found on Gordon J. Glover's blog, BEYOND THE FIRMAMENT.

In three video slide presentations (found here), Glover deals with:

1. What is Science? What is the Bible?—Understanding the differences between these two ways of knowing lays an important foundation for maintaining a proper, intelligent perspective on both science and biblical religion.
2. What "Science" does the Bible teach?—Tracing the history of astronomy, Glover shows that the Bible tells its story in terms of the Ancient Near East model of cosmology, and that its point is not to teach this model as unchanging scientific truth, but to communicate God's timeless theological message to its first readers in terms of a worldview they would understand.
3. How should Christians relate to the natural sciences?—Modern science is at odds with the teachings of the Bible. Of course it is, since the Bible tells its story in terms of a 6000-year old cosmology! But it does so for certain theological purposes, not scientific ones. The key for a proper Christian view is to learn to distinguish between the timeless truths of Scripture and the time-bound models of language and science God used to deliver those truths to humankind.

Highly recommended.

Valentine's Treat

As a special treat for Valentine's Day, Gail and I traveled up the road to Goshen for a concert at LVD's Concert Hall in the Old Bag Factory. On stage was our favorite folk singer, Bill Staines.

We've been following Bill for 30 years now, since we lived in Vermont and spent our TV-less early marriage listening to the radio together each evening. I particularly remember one show he did on a New York public radio station, guitar in hand. When he played "Roseville Fair," my heart melted, and I knew I had found a muse for life.

If you like storytelling, gentle love songs, winsome melodies, dry and insightful wit, and a wise seer who can share well-earned lessons about life, I'd urge you to give Bill a listen.

Clemens' Mindset

In the bottom of the sixth inning in the 2004 NLCS, Roger Clemens faced Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen with runners on base. To anyone viewing the game, it was obvious that the Cardinals' batters, at first blown away by Clemens' fastball, had caught up with it after a couple times through the lineup. Yet the Rocket continued to challenge the hitters, thinking he could put them away by sheer force of will with the high hard one. Didn't work. In that fateful sixth, Pujols doubled in a run, and Rolen hit a two-run homer that proved to be the game winner for the Cards, sending them to the World Series.

I had a chance to talk with Scott Rolen later that year, and the one question I had for him was, "What made Clemens think he could throw a fast ball by you at that point in the game, in that situation?" Rolen's answer was basically, "That's just Roger." What made Clemens great, and what sometimes cost him, was his enormous hubris. No matter the circumstance, no matter the odds, he always believed he had one good fastball in him that no one could catch up with.

Apparently, Roger hasn't learned his lesson. All this bluster and clenched-jaw determination that we've been seeing from him lately is getting blasted all around the Congressional and media ballpark. He's been tipping his pitches, and when good hitters know it's coming, they generally hit it hard. The Rocket's back is against the wall and despite his grit he is getting hammered and it seems very likely the game is lost.

Hope springs...

On the day when Roger Clemens died (metaphorically) and baseball lost its last semblance of credibility in the minds of many, I'm heartened by the return of pitchers and catchers to HoHoKam Park in Mesa, AZ, there to start tuning up for the 100-year anniversary of the Cubs winning the World Series.

A good friend of man actually died yesterday at age 83, and they placed a Cubs cap on his casket as part of the mourning rituals. This year, it's for you, Jack. I'm still believing, and if you have any pull with Providence where you are, put in a good word for the boys, will you?

And to you...yes, you--if you have an ounce of humanity in your blood, don't let the misguided "Rockets" of the world cause you to lose your childlike delight in what is still the greatest game.

What I'm Reading...N.T. Wright

N.T. Wright's revolutionary book on eschatology and the church's mission, SURPRISED BY HOPE, is now available. You can follow an excellent discussion about this book at Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed blog.

Wright sets the stage like this: "This book addresses two questions that have often been dealt with entirely separately but that, I passionately believe, belong tightly together. First, what is the ultimate Christian hope? Second, what hope is there for change, rescue, transformation, new possibilities within the world in the present? And the main answer can be put like this. As long as we see Christian hope as 'going to heaven,' of a salvation that is essentially away from this world, the two questions are bound to appear as unrelated....But if the Christian hope is for God's new creation, for 'new heavens and new earth,' and if that hope has already come to life in Jesus of Nazareth, then there is every reason to join the two questions together. And if that is so, we find that answering the one is also answering the other. I find that to many--not least, many Christians--all this comes as a surprise: both that the Christian hope is surprisingly different from what they had assumed and that this hope offers a coherent and energizing basis for work in today's world" (p.5).

PERFECT NO MORE

Tom Brady spent a lot of time in this rare position Sunday night. The NY Giants' defense looked like the '85 Bears as they shut down one of the most potent offenses in the history of the NFL.

Even so, Brady led the Patriots to a touchdown in the fourth quarter that would have won the game, were it not for the theatricsof Giants QB Eli Manning and his receivers. On one key third down, Manning somehow escaped the Pats' rush and fired a pass to David Tyree, who made a circus catch in heavy traffic to keep the drive going that led to the eventual winning touchdown.