Why Grief?

This past weekend, a college friend lost her 21 year old son very unexpectedly. As the family wrestles with the usual mechanics of a loss, notifying everyone and preparing for the services, there are several things that accentuate the intensity of this time:  his youth, the suddenness of his death, their first born, the ‘wrong-ness’ of a parent losing a child, the proximity to Christmas, and so on. I find myself trying to imagine myself in that situation. Has she already gotten his gift(s)? As she picks them up, and it brings fresh waves of sadness over her, what does she do with it? When they steel themselves to go through his things and find the presents he’d gotten for them, with sticky notes on them, saying “Mom” and “Dad,” ready to be wrapped, how do you begin to sort out the tangle of emotions that erupt unbidden from an already shattered heart?

They are going through a particularly brutal kind of hell. Those of us further in space and time from the rawness of the loss are faced with our own questions. Yes, we are mortal, and there are all kinds of theological reasonings for our mortality. We can even discuss how the Fall was God’s Plan A, and mysteriously draw comfort from that—how He was not and is not caught off guard by what we do, but planned for it, just as parents plan flooring and furniture options around the age and messiness of their children. When the mess, accident or violent tantrum happens, the clean up was included in the equation of what setting to live in.

But why grief? Why was that in the equation? When an ant is squashed, the other ants generally just step around it and go on with life, the vacant place filled by another with barely a blip in efficiency. Why does love have to have the negative aspect of grief instead of just the positives, so when Good-Bye happens, we can just move on?

Don’t be discouraged by the evil we see.

The very fact that we perceive it as evil, and despise it, rather than accepting it as just part of nature—hoof and horn, tooth and claw, is proof that it is unnatural, something other. If we were unable to perceive it as such, we would be truly lost—any belief in God would be merely a fantasy. Just as a fish doesn’t know it is wet, a world where evil was part of the intrinsic fabric of existence would be invisible to us. That we do see it and despise it tells us not only that it is not part of this world’s blueprint, but there is also a Good to which we can aspire and cling.

Indeed, by the same logic, the fact that we see and appreciate beauty, glory, joy, love and the other virtues tells us there is more to the world, and us, than mere survival of the fittest.

But is it mere dualism, just yin and yang, light and dark in an eternal contest, in conflicting balance, with us on the front line between them, with our blood serving as the lubrication of their machinations?

1 + 1 = 1.75±15.2

There’s a famous maxim in construction, “Measure twice, cut once.”

The unstated assumption is that you will cut straight. Otherwise it doesn’t matter how many times you measure. This came home powerfully today while making a wood box for work. The top and bottom are supposed to be 18” x 18”. In reality, no side has the same measurement, and the top is different than the bottom. In short, there should be one dimension occurring eight times, but I have eight dimensions once each. There’s joy in consistency. Or so they say.

The Power of Myth

According to Dictionary.com, a myth is “a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.”

Ancient myths endure and contemporary ones spring up because they are stories that reveal something about us and or resonate with our experience, usually lifting us to a higher level of awareness of what we can be, urging us on to higher, nobler things. That is why Christ taught in parables, because the medium of a story engages both the head and the heart.

A challenge exists that all such accounts with the appearance of myth must therefore be categorized as such with the inherent assumption that it is merely a story with little if any historical veracity, though culturally and morally valuable. Joseph Campbell is one of the most well-known advocates of this idea. He maintained that the similarities among the various mythologies spanning the many cultures of the world, both in form and substance, were indicative of a common human condition that inspired similar narratives.

The GID

Chances are you are reading this on some type of electronic device:  desktop computer, laptop, smart phone, PDA, tablet, kindle, nook, maybe even a giant plasma screen in downtown Tokyo (I can dream).

Electronic devices really only need a processor, memory storage and power supply/regulation. However, they wouldn’t be much use to us, because we don’t speak in ones and zeroes. In order for electronic devices to be suited for human use, HIDs, or Human Interface Devices are required. These may be keyboards, mice, screens, touch screens, or other input/output device. With HID’s we can work with electronic devices to do innumerable tasks, including writing and reading blogs.

Now, just because these are HID’s doesn’t mean that humans are the only ones who can then interact with the electronics. A cat can walk across the keyboard and input characters. (How many cats laying on keyboards does it take to produce a graduate thesis in probabilistic philosophy?)

A few years ago, researchers discovered certain areas of the brain, that when electrically stimulated, caused the subject to have ‘religious experiences.’ Aha! Proof that even religion is mechanistic, biochemical, evolutionarily derived phenomena.

That is one possibility, but it is not the only one. Another is that those areas of the brain were created as GID’s, or God Interface Devices, and the researchers are cats walking across His keyboard. It is logical that if there is a spiritual realm, and there is a spiritual Creator that desires to interact with His physical Creation, this Deity would hardwire a means for doing so.

Is that the only other explanation? I don’t know. I suppose we could come up with a third alternative (or more), but the important point is that a naturalistic explanation isn’t the only possible one.

There is a big, immediate objection on the lips of most every atheist reading this. Come back tomorrow to discuss it.

SDG

Defeaters

In American culture, including the academy, there are actually very few unique objections to Christianity. It is helpful to understand six basic ones and recognize when someone is proclaiming a variation and then understand a humble but solid response.

Tim Keller, the author and pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City labels these objections as ‘defeaters.’ As academics of faith, I suggest we have a certain responsibility to be able to competently discuss these defeaters with both our students and colleagues.

Russia and the Resurrection

{My apologies--somehow the URL of the embedded link self-modified. It is corrected.}

During college, I had to have 3 semesters of either, French, German or Russian. I didn’t want to learn French, everyone else was taking German, so I took Russian and loved it. During the summer of 1991, I got to spend two months there for a Study Abroad program. It was an amazing experience. It was also a traumatic time for the then USSR. Later that year, Leningrad would revert to St. Petersburg and 5 days after I returned home, President Gorbachev was kidnapped in a coup that led to the rise of Boris Yeltsin, whom I nearly got to see mere weeks before.

I also took the opportunity to make it a personal missions trip, and took a lot of Russian New Testaments with me. As ‘coincidence’ would have it, my first day in Akademgorodok (the university town in Siberia where we studied) I met a Russian guide who was a Christian, and she told me of the imminent arrival of a group of Navigators to town. It turned out that one was the roommate of a friend from Austin! So in my free time, I worked with them.

I was open about my faith, but was never an in-your-face type, so all of the Americans in my study abroad group knew of it. (I think they all found out on the flight from Moscow to Akademgorodok. The Russian lady sitting next to me and I had a conversation about faith during most of the four hour flight. I found out later that I was talking louder than I thought in order to compete with the Aeroflot engine noise, and so it turns out I was sharing the Gospel with half of the plane. Oh shucks.)

One of my group, who nicknamed himself Sasha, and I had one of those late night conversations about faith and Christianity well into our time there. I don’t remember much of the conversation, except the end. We had been talking for hours, and he finally asked me, “But Robb, how do you KNOW it is true?” All of a sudden, my mind went blank. I had no answer. I began to pray desperately, reminding God of His promise in the Gospels that we should not worry ahead of time what to say for in that hour we would be given the words. I was informing Him that this was the hour, and I needed the words, so please deliver! Nothing. Our conversation ended, and I crashed in bed. The next morning was full of classes, so as soon as lunch was over, I rushed to my room and dropped to my knees.

The best way to describe the state of my mind at that time is that it was filled with static, like TV snow (which I’m afraid that only people over 25 will understand). All of a sudden, and it was very sudden, and very literally, clear text appeared across the snow, “Robb, the Resurrection.” At that instant, in a fraction of a second, all of the evidence for the historicity of the Resurrection of Christ flashed through my head like a dam unleashed.

Later that day, I saw Sasha walking with one of the Navigators, talking. A couple of hours later, I found the Navigator and asked about the conversation, and he replied matter of factly that he explained the Resurrection to Sasha. To my knowledge, Sasha never came to Christ, but it was a watershed moment for me. I have never forgotten it to this day, even going so far once as to quip that Christianity is the only faith built on an empty foundation—the empty tomb.

What is interesting about the setting of this story is that the Russian word for Sunday is “Resurrection Day.” (Voskrasenye) Even during the Soviet era, their calendars weekly proclaimed the Resurrection. The ironic rest of the story is that it wasn’t always called that. I’m not sure when the change was made, but the previous name for Sunday was, literally, “Do-Nothing Day.” (Nedyelnik) This legacy survives today in the name of Monday, which is, “Day After the Do-Nothing Day” or “Ponedyelnik.” What is the do-nothing day? The (Christian) Sabbath. But, to make sure people ‘got it,’ someone made the connection unmistakable by changing the name.

But, other than the fact that this happened 20 years ago this summer, why bring it up? Aside from the fact that it is Lent and we are two weeks from Good Friday, so what? I encourage all of you to find out about a man named Gary Habermas. He is probably the foremost scholar in the world on the Resurrection. He maintains, and my story testifies, that the Resurrection is THE central point of Christianity.

Wherever it is preached, the most fundamental expression of the Gospel comes from Romans 10:9. To wit, 1) Believe Jesus is Deity, 2) that He died, and 3) rose from the dead, and you will be redeemed from sin and death to eternal life.

Dr. Habermas makes his arguments about the historicity of the Resurrection using the data and interpretations ceded, accepted and even proposed by skeptic historians! He shows that what they see and accept from the historical record makes for a stronger case than even what most Christians use in their apologetics!

Using what is nearly unanimously accepted by the consensus of New Testament scholars (and many are far from evangelical and even antagonistic to the faith), he shows that the ‘legend’ of Christ’s resurrection can confidently be dated to FIVE years after it happened, and that Paul himself had the road to Damascus experience around TWO years after the Resurrection, and that some have argued that the first ‘creed’ of the new church dates from about SIX MONTHS after the Resurrection.

So what? One of the main skeptical arguments against the validity of the faith is that Jesus’ miracles and Resurrection are legends that sprang up over the centuries and can’t be believed in. Legends of that magnitude and importance simply don’t spring up in six months, especially when you consider the hostile opposition that would have been happy to disprove it by producing the Body from the tomb. (Yes, there are objections to this line of thinking, but there are solid answers to these—go to Habermas’ site, linked above.)

Prominent skeptical scholars have conceded that the textual evidence in Scripture shows that Paul (and Luke for that matter) were extraordinary historians for their era—they demanded standards of proof and evidence for their message that are comparable to today’s scholarly standards. Furthermore, the rigor of the evidence exceeds that of any other contemporary facts of that time period by orders of magnitude.

I thought about waiting until Holy Week to share this with you, but I wanted to give you the opportunity and time to read up on the topic for yourselves, so that if you are seeking, perhaps you will find this Easter to be your first in the faith, and if you are a believer, you can learn more about the Resurrection in time to share with those who ask you for how you KNOW your faith is true during this season.

There are many things in this world where God seems to have left ambiguity regarding Himself and His Hand in this world. This is one area where He has left nothing to chance, providing internal, external and logical evidence plastered across the historical landscape. He has left it so the only option for an informed person to not accept the truth of the Gospel is an act of the will. He wants to be found. He wants us to find redemption.

He paid too high of a price to let it be misunderstood.

SDG

The Gospel for the Scientifically-Minded

{RJW Note: I welcome TSR’s second guest blogger, John Weber. Last week, I introduced his new campus ministry to you, and now he’s here to tell us more about his vision and how it will be accomplished. Thanks, John!}

Although I have been studying the intersection of faith and science for a number of years, the credit for the above title belongs to a friend, Rich Lawson, for a talk he gave in 2009 in Austin at the local Reasons To Believe meeting. As a businessman, I am well aware of the increasing segmentation of markets as consumers have more information available to them for choices. Companies that can identify emerging segments and develop specific products that meet needs within a segment can be successful. The thought of creating a modified approach to a specific group of people is not new to Christendom. However we have usually considered going to a far away land, learning the language and culture, translating key segments of the Bible into local language, and teaching about Jesus.

As a technical person I have begun to see the advantage of using science apologetics as a methodology to appeal to the scientifically-minded person (SMP) right here in my own backyard, Austin, Texas. I believe an engineer or scientist has God-given neurological processes for the pursuit of objective analysis of observations prior to reaching a summary or conclusion. After 37 years with my bride, Linda, who is wired completely opposite of me, we can both testify that this difference exists. Reasons To Believe Austin (RTBA) is being formed to reach the SMP, on the University of Texas campus, by showing that good science and correct interpretations of scripture are extremely highly correlated and match the world around us. This will largely be done through weekly discussion groups, one-on-one meetings and referrals from professors and lecturers. Further and just as important, RTBA will serve existing campus ministries by providing a methodology and language that reaches students they are already serving, who may be scientifically-minded.

An apologetic approach, building a logical defense for the hope that is in us, will hopefully help many scientifically-minded students see that, from the exquisite nature of the universe to the delicate balances and complexities in earth’s systems to the magnificence of the micro-biological factory, the evidence for a powerful and loving designer and creator is overwhelming. The Apostle Paul writes in Romans chapter one that humans have this awareness just from observing the nature around us. Science apologetics will build on that to solidify a person’s concept of God the Creator as well as the logical purposes of God that follow, namely the need for reconciliation with fallen human nature and the death and resurrection of Jesus. It just makes so much sense.

I believe this is the start of something substantial and covet your prayers. To learn more and how you can help, please email me at jweber14@austin.rr.com

John Weber

President, Reasons To Believe Austin

Chapter Director, Ratio Christi, University of Texas

SDG

God's Fingerprint

A friend sent me this YouTube link about how ubiquitous the Fibonacci Sequence is throughout nature, from floral patterns to the human ear to spiral galaxies. They call it God’s Fingerprint. I’m not disputing the claim, but the scientific skeptic in me wants more.

(It should be noted that this video appears to be produced by some Jehovah’s Witnesses, which is interesting.)

It is extremely well documented how many subtle effects there are in the universe, things that play out in unexpected ways that have a high correlation without having a causal relationship. I would be interested in knowing if there was some quantum or subatomic property that somehow, in effect, pre-codes for Fibonacci curvatures. Scientific apologists make a big deal about fine-tuning arguments for God’s existence, and some of them are compelling. Is there a feature of these fundamental physical constants that when arranged properly, provide for this behaviour in manifold environments?

If this is God’s Fingerprint, then, following the logic of the video, we should be expecting to find it in even more places and, in truth, be more surprised where we don’t find it than where we do. Is there a Fibonacci pattern found in neural pathways? In nerve branching? In the curve of the DNA helix? In molecular energy levels? If it is truly universal in its appearance, we should be looking for it and be able to predict behaviours and patterns that can offer new insights on discoveries remaining to be made.

As I watched the video, I wondered about music and art. The Fibonacci ratios are called Golden Ratios and the Greeks discovered it in that form. Where else does it occur in the arts, particularly music? It would seem that if it is God’s Fingerprint, musical scales would reflect it euphonically. As it turns out, one of the subsequent videos dealt with a tonal series, called Solfeggio frequencies. While this video sounds like pure New Age bunk (which is why I don’t link to it), it makes some obscure connection between the Solfeggio notes and the Fibonacci sequence, that I didn’t catch. If the music playing in the background is based on this, it wasn’t particularly euphonic.

Therefore, I throw this post ‘out there’ in the hopes that scholarly input can be offered on the questions I raise.

If we find the sequence in more places than we don’t, it is NOT proof of God, but in the first place an indication of unifying fundamental factors in the universe, and may, in the second place be a signature. (Remember, just because we know how Houdini got out of the straightjacket doesn’t change the fact that Houdini got out of the straightjacket—understanding a mechanism does not negate the concept of agency.) The philosophical naturalists will remain unconvinced, maintaining that it is just a function of the mathematical order of nature, while the theists will maintain that this order in itself is evidence of an intelligence behind or beyond nature. I don’t see it changing many minds, but even so, may offer real insights into future avenues of research and deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of all aspects of the cosmos (which by the way, comes from the Greek word for order brought out of disorder).

SDG

Dominion versus Stewardship

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”                                  Genesis 1:27-28

I, and many contemporary Christians have interpreted the ‘dominion passage’ as to basically refer to the idea of good stewardship, that the harsh ruling connotation of the words was just that, modern connotations of a more pastoral intention by God.

A Christian colleague of mine in the biological sciences has been studying the original Hebrew of Genesis, in preparation for a book he’s writing. He presented some of his thoughts to our faculty group recently. I learned from him that in fact, the original Hebrew is correctly translated, connotations and all.

According to him, the word for subdue is kabash. Yes, in the sense of putting the kabash on an idea. It does mean subdue as in putting down an enemy or a rebellion. This has an even more profound implication:  that Creation is harsh and an enemy in need of being subdued. But wait, it gets better—God declares that this harsh, untamed Creation is good, and that humanity’s charge to tame it is very good!

This awareness of the Hebrew has rocked my image of God. If you’ve read this blog for very long, I have often commented that our definitions of the words ‘goodness,’ ‘holiness,’ and ‘righteousness’ are far too tame. Yet here again is another indication that God is no mere benevolent grandfather in the sky, but something far wilder, far more…, well more, than we can possibly imagine. He is no urbane metrosexual, but a living Being of Power, who demands we conform to His image, refusing to conform to ours, even delighting in shattering our views of Him because they are too small.

Then the word for rule (‘rule over the fish in the sea…”) is radah. This means to rule as a king. It has a royal connotation to it. In order to interpret it properly, we need to look at what God demanded of kings. Look up all of Psalm 72 on your own (homework), but here are the first seven verses:

Endow the king with your justice, O God,

   the royal son with your righteousness.

May he judge your people in righteousness,

   your afflicted ones with justice.

May the mountains bring prosperity to the people,

   the hills the fruit of righteousness.

May he defend the afflicted among the people

   and save the children of the needy;

   may he crush the oppressor.

May he endure as long as the sun,

   as long as the moon, through all generations.

May he be like rain falling on a mown field,

   like showers watering the earth.

In his days may the righteous flourish

   and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.

If this is indeed the kind of behaviour God expects from a king, then radah in Genesis 1:28 does convey the idea of lifting up, taming for better use, almost in the sense of bringing out the perfect gem hidden in the rough stone. Therefore, taken together, God’s commands for us to kabash and radah the Creation form a vastly richer picture of what our work on Earth is meant to be. It is no mere idyllic scene, neither is it merely survival of the fittest, but a great work, with meaning, purpose and reward.

{For a more thorough article on the Hebrew words, read this.}

As Christians, we need to stop making apologies for God as if He’s some quirky or misunderstood uncle. We need to understand what He says about Himself and get to know Him, proclaiming rightly all of His character. He says that He will offend people, that they will stumble over Him, and consequently set themselves over against Him.

But how can we give them the opportunity to make that choice in an informed manner if we ourselves don’t know Him? He is not a tame God. He commanded us to tame nature, and that He would tame us. Yet, instead we often try to have nature tame us (i.e. radical environmentalism) and then we try to tame God. That is the heart of paganism.

SDG

"The Case For Christianity"

Many folks have heard of Lee Strobel, the author of the apologetic “The Case For..” series. He started out as an atheist, trained in law and worked as a newspaper journalist on issues of law for many years before applying his training to study the Gospels. Upon coming to faith, he started writing about what he learned, eventually joining the staff of Willow Creek Community Church for a few years before writing full time. It was at Willow Creek that he got to know Mark Mittelberg, their evangelism director and co-creator of the “Contagious Christianity” curriculum that was so widespread in the 1990’s.

In the spirit of the Vibrant Dance Symposium about which I wrote extensively in the fall, I am excited to announce that Stobel and Mittelberg have teamed up for a live webcast coming up in March, “The Case For Christianity.” In an all day seminar and worship format, they will “present the latest scientific and historical evidence for Christianity—and answer the two biggest objections to the faith. Plus ask your own questions during this compelling interactive telecast.”

According to the website, “1 Peter 3:15 tells all Christians to be ready to defend why they believe what they believe - yet most Christians don't feel prepared to do so. This one day event will help participants walk away encouraged in their own faith and feeling more confident in discussing the claims of Christianity with friends, family members, and others.”

Here are the details:

March 12, 2011—Live via satellite & webcast:

8:30 am - 2:30 pm MST

9:30 am - 3:30 PST & CST

10:30am - 4:30 EST

Event format:

Several high-energy sessions featuring music, visuals, and easy-to-understand illustrations, as well as time for dealing with the provocative questions submitted by satellite viewers, including:

-Affirmative scientific evidence for God (note: the contents are appropriate for any church, regardless of their position on age of the earth.)

-Historical evidence for Jesus' divinity.

-Confronting why God allows pain and suffering, which is the biggest objection to Christianity that is raised by skeptics.

-How Christians can deal with questions raised by their seeking friends.

-Lee and Mark respond to questions from the satellite audience (via email, text messages,) and the studio audience.

Websites:

www.incastevents.com

http://caseforchristianitylive.com/

In my conversations with one of the promoters, I found out that they not only want churches to serve as hosts, but also schools, parachurch organizations, well, pretty much anyone. They see it as a great extra credit event for religion majors, seminary students and others in related fields. I will be sharing this information with pastors, campus ministers and our faculty fellowship, to encourage more opportunities to host this. If possible, I hope to post about it during and after.

This webcast has the potential to help shore up believers’ confidence in the reliability of their faith, and to reach out to folks still asking questions. While events like this are wonderful, mountain top times, their impact is limited unless the viewers act on and pass on what they learned. As many of you know, we really develop mastery of new material when we teach it to others.

Thus, I encourage you to help host the event, attend, and then share with those God brings to you.

SDG