the blog of Jerry Bolton
Posts tagged The Language of God
…bake me a pie
0Current Tunage: Casting Crowns – East to West
Probably the only really “CCM” artist that I truly enjoy, unequivocally.
Finished Francis Collins’ The Language of God. Really enjoyed the first half (very interesting stuff), and elements of the latter half. Didn’t agree with his conclusion (theistic evolution). Collins is definitely a scientist and not a theologian – Theistic Evolution just isn’t an option if you move beyond simply the first two chapters of Genesis and into the doctrines that are built out of it (ie. gender, marriage, death/sin, etc). As soon as we postulate a traditional evolutionary model, those doctrines (which I would contest are vital) collapse. Theistic Evolution (or “BioLogos” as he prefers to coin it) simply takes liberties that the biblical authors and figures (ie. Jesus and Paul for starters) don’t take.
(Challies has a good review of the book and the key problems with it here.)
My thoughts: The wildcard in the question of origins is twofold: Human fallibility and God’s ability to transcend the natural limits of the world he’s made.
Let me explain, though it may come off a little farfetched because, well, it is a little farfetched. Here goes: I don’t think Time is a constant. Some of this line of thinking I owe to studying Jacques Derrida earlier in the spring, but the point is this: I think time hasn’t always been progressing at a constant rate. In fact, if we measure time by earth’s revolutions around the sun, time actually IS progressively passing slower since earth’s revolutions around the sun are gradually taking longer (I believe we lose about 4 seconds a year at present). So, extrapolating this idea backwards, and injecting a little “God is God”… here’s my hypothesis: “Billions of years” (or at least the effects thereof) in six literal 24-hour days. How? Well, although time may be getting slower, it seems to me that human perception of it may still be a constant. This solves a few problems: the literal six-day young-earth God-made-it-all Bible-intact interpretation of Genesis gets by alright, and it explains the evolutionary phenomena we see (the stipulation being that the process happened much “faster” than previously thought – and yet at the same speed if that makes sense).
Admittedly, this is pretty makeshift, but it’s a start, and poses some really unique thought problems:
What if time isn’t, or hasn’t always been constant?
Big thoughts today. Enjoy.
…when i see myself whole (it makes me shiver)
1Current Tunage: mewithoutYou – Paper Hanger
From whence today’s blog title cometh.
I’m Schwenty-Fore. Grin.
However, I’ve been up since Stupid O’Clock again.
I’m listening to Beat Rabbi & Deepspace5′s “Deepspace5oul”. It’s making me shuck & jive.
Steph got me some great birthday presents. She is awesome.
Also, I am now a card-carrying adult. (inside joke?)
Below this post you will find my first music review since JANUARY. Yes, I have been swamped. Can ya blame me? Can ya?
In the meantime, Psalm 51 has been rending my heart lately, thanks in large part to Jon Foreman’s treatment of it on his Winter EP. Gah, so gorgeous.
Furthermore, here’s my quote of the day, from Francis Collins’ The Language of God:
The existence of the Big Bang begs the question of what came before that, and who or what was responsible. It certainly demonstrates the limits of science as no other phenomenon has done. The consequences of Big Bang theory for theology are profound. For faith traditions that describe the universe as having been created by God from nothingness (ex nihilo), this is an electrifying outcome. Does such an astonishing event as the Big Bang fit the definition of a miracle?
The sense of awe created by these realizations has caused more than a few agnostic scientists to sound downright theological. In God and the Astronomers, the astrophysicist Robert Jastrow wrote this final paragraph: “At this moment it seems as though science will never be able to raise the curtain on the mystery of creation. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”
What a beautiful picture. I can just see them sitting there, with lengthy beards twirled in thoughtful, callused fingers (callused from studying sacred pages), and eyeing this strange geekish fellow up-and-down. In fact, I think I lol’d at this mental image.
More importantly, it reminds me of why I love philosophy & theology – ultimately everything else in life boils down to them: What we think about God, and what we think about the foundations of our existence (what are thoughts? what is reality? etc). Not to say science isn’t worth diligent study by any means, but rather to say that all disciplines are vitally necessary. Some must necessarily study medicine or science or language or what-have-you, and some others will study what undergirds all of the above: philosophy & theology.
On that note, it’s my birthday. Party time, baby. ^_^
(I am now in my “deep late early twenties”.)
…show us the way
0Current Tunage: Beat Rabbi & Deepspace5 – Deepspace5oul
I <3 DS5.
Month and a half left. Sanity compromised.
Tomorrow I enter my “deep late early twenties”. I hardly noticed it coming… too preoccupied.
I’m just chillin’. Rockin’ some DS5 (its beautiful).
I recently finished up Mark Driscoll’s “Vintage Jesus” and was very happy with it. It was refreshing, and full of reminders I needed to hear.
Next up: Francis Collins’ “The Language of God”, which three chapters in is quite promising. After that, Timothy Keller’s “The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism” – a “done third year” gift from Steph. Very much looking forward to it.
Otherwise, it’s been work, Starcraft (lol), and fighting. Fighting for survival, for us, for life, for redemption… fighting against as much as fighting for? It’s all I can do not to lose my mind right now.
…abolish honesty
0Current Tunage: Thrice – The Messenger
Here I am – Send me.
Back, safe + sounding.
Gas = stupid expensive.
Body = stupid worn out.
Mind = stupid tired.
…
Trip = bliss.
(Loot = generous + remarkable.)
Currently reading: Vintage Jesus (Mark Driscoll), The Language of God (Francis Collins), Beyond Opinion (Ravi Zacharias).
Mother-in-Law-to-be + Zao album as a gift = epic win.
Current project = Review of Braille’s “The IV Edition”.
But first: TF2. <3