Good Reads
- Success That Exceeds Sanctification: And so I ask the Lord not to give me success that exceeds my sanctification. And then I ask that he will make me increasingly holy, that he will grow my Christian character, sanctify me in greater measure, that I may have more success and steward it wisely and for his glory.
- Evolution Is a Lousy Story: While admitting that human existence is bursting with plot and story, the grand scheme of scientific naturalism is plotless, or perhaps better the plot is anchored in futility. We exist as sentient beings constrained by the laws of physics and in some 7 or 8 billion years the earth will die as the sun dies. More than this, the expansion of the universe will eventually reach a point where life anywhere will be completely impossible. Not only will each individual die along the way, but life itself will simply vanish – no more sentient beings to wonder about the plot.
- More Ways Social Issues Will Shape 2012 Election (Besides Same-Sex Marriage): here are five ways faith-based politics could shape this presidential contest, drawn up with help from religion reporter friends who gathered this week to talk about God (and godlessness) and politics.
- Desmund Tutu: ‘We need to be able to listen’: Because we live in a pluralistic, global world we need to be able to listen to other viewpoints, place ourselves in the shoes of others, and respond fairly, magnanimously and pragmatically.
Other Info
- Crush the “I’m Not Creative” Barrier: Did you know that if you think you are creative, you’re more likely to actually be creative?
- Here are some interesting theology student bloopers.
Just for Fun
- Man vs. Goose (now with lightsabers). Lightsabers make everything better.
Thanks for the links!
The “Evolution is a Lousy Story” description was a bit misleading, though. The quote you gave was in a larger context:
“While admitting that human existence is bursting with plot and story, the grand scheme of scientific naturalism is plotless, or perhaps better the plot is anchored in futility. We exist as sentient beings constrained by the laws of physics and in some 7 or 8 billion years the earth will die as the sun dies. More than this, the expansion of the universe will eventually reach a point where life anywhere will be completely impossible. Not only will each individual die along the way, but life itself will simply vanish – no more sentient beings to wonder about the plot.
But this isn’t evolution – it is a narrative wrapped around the empirical observations. It may be true or not – but it contains implicit metaphysical assumptions about the nature of all reality.”
He goes on to argue,
“evolutionary creation is not at odds with the plot of the story. God’s creation grows and unfolds – not in a purposeless and random fashion, but in accord with God’s plan and purpose. There is a plot in the unfolding of creation from big bang, to the formation of earth, through the development of life, to the appearance of the first humans. The natural explanations alone, whether accurate or not, will always be incomplete because they leave out the author of it all.
Evolution alone is a lousy story, but evolution as God’s method of creation makes a great story.”
Putting the article in context greatly changes its meaning from what your quote implied.
The force is strong with that goose.
Eluros, my apologies if the excerpt that I chose gave a misleading impression of the article. I certainly didn’t mean to suggest that the post was anti-evolution – it’s clearly not! I just thought this paragraph did a nice job of explaining why he thinks that scientific naturalism (i.e. evolution w/out God) is plotless. So I’m glad you went on to read the post itself.
Marc,
Thanks for your kind response. I definitely appreciate the link, and am glad that you responded. It was certainly a good read.