There are two main points of tension between the scientific account of natural history and the creation account in Genesis 1. In my last two posts I discussed the tension around the timing of creation events. In the next three posts I'm going to discuss the scientific view of the mechanism of creation. Then in several following posts I will talk about questions and tensions that Christians may have concerning the scientific view. The theory of evolution is the dominant scientific explanation for the history of life … [Read more...] about The Mechanism of Creation – The View from Science, Pt. 1
evolution
Book Review: Peter Enns Double Header
Bob Trube, Senior Area Director for InterVarsity's Graduate & Faculty Ministry in the Ohio Valley, is in the top 1% of contributors to Goodreads. Even before this announcement, I had been following Bob's excellent Goodreads reviews, Furthermore, inspired by The Best Christian Book of All Time, I had already asked Bob if he'd be willing to contribute reviews to the ESN Blog. AND Bob said, "Yes" :) In light of the recent conversation regarding the writing of Peter Enns, I asked Bob's permission to start with his … [Read more...] about Book Review: Peter Enns Double Header
Scholarship of the Bible and the Church
Recently, I read Peter Enns' book The Evolution of Adam. I found it to be a rather interesting read, and a helpful addition to the field. One idea that Enns uses in understanding the Bible is the calibration of various parts of the Bible so that we can know what to expect from that particular text. For example, Enns calibrates Genesis 1-11 with Ancient Near Eastern mythologies. He shows similarities and differences and uses these other texts to help us understand what we can rightfully expect from Genesis 1-11. I think … [Read more...] about Scholarship of the Bible and the Church
Science In Review — March 2013
The essay "Evolution and Existentialism, an Intellectual Odd Couple" by David Barash proceeds from the premise that evolution and existentialism appear to have contradictory answers about the meaning of life, and then attempts to reconcile them. I don't feel strongly about the conclusion, but I do find the premise to be faulty, for the reason that evolution does not tell us about the meaning of anything. If it does not speak to the question of meaning, then it cannot conflict with any particular framework that does … [Read more...] about Science In Review — March 2013
Week in Review: Weird Personality Types Edition
What are you reading, watching, thinking about this week? As usual, here's a few which have been on our mind. Let us know your thoughts on any/all of them. If you have items you'd like us to consider for the top five, add them in the comments or send them to Tom or Mike. 1. Continuing conflict over Creation: At the recent Ligonier Ministries national conference, Tough Questions Christians Face,Southen Baptist Seminary president Albert Mohler addressed the question, "Why does the Earth look so old?" (video) He … [Read more...] about Week in Review: Weird Personality Types Edition