Today while I was subsituting and teaching about Pangaea and Plate Tectonics, our principal came in and assisted in a discussion about old earth vs. new earth, and how Christians have differing opinions and beliefs. She made some great points that I wanted to blog, if for no other reason than for ME to look back and remember her wisdom and knowledge...
First know that she is an "old earth" Christian and taught Science in a Christian school for many years. She also loves Jesus and finds it of most importance to present the gospel above all else. She was gentle with my students who were asking questions like, "Do you think he (Alfred Wegener...) went to hell for believing that?" She gave some very good explanations dealing with creation and whether a day was really a "day", and whether the flood really covered the entire earth, etc...
But something I did not know was this:
There is a website for the Institute of Creation Research which she said ridicules those who believe in the old earth. She said the site and the people supporting it have made rude and assuming comments towards those with different views than them.
On the contrary, the website for the opposing group, Reasons to Believe, presents its views in a way that points people to Jesus and salvation. She said that many scientists, science professors, and liberalists have come to know Christ through the ministry of this website and its presentation of the gospel.
I couldn't help but be drawn towards exploring the website that has produced obvious fruit. I'm not sure what I am, but I'm no scientist, and I'd like to have trustworthy, Christian, science-minded friends help point me towards less-ignorant responses when it comes to these matters.
Are these matters of major importance in the Christian faith? Some would say no, and others would beg to differ, saying that sometimes, they are the KEY matter in keeping certain people engaged in discussion about Jesus, and the validity of the Bible.
Dr. T also mentioned that unanswered questions are OK to have, and that one of the greatest gifts God gave us was mystery. He loves our searching and curious hearts and also loves concealing parts of Himself for the sake of the search, the mystery. She quoted a scripture that said Kings search and God conceals...I searched BibleGateway and found nothing. :) Cool idea, though. Like a parent keeping a secret from their child for the sake of a surprise, or just for the sake of the mystery.
She reminded the students that throughout life, they will encounter Christians who are afraid of unanswered questions, and will take defense when their answers are challenged. She encouraged the class to be "thinking Christians", and to be slow to respond with defense, and quick to consider the mystery of God and the occasional unanswered question.
I felt like I was the student today! I liked it. :)
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2 comments:
very thought provoking indeed :)
It is God's privilege to conceal things and the king's privilege to discover them.
Proverbs 25.2
love this blog! i have yet to look at those websites, but i have done extensive research on this matter in presenting an argument for creationism in my anthropology class at ASU 2 years ago. God, me, the bible, and ken ham spent many hours together, and here is what i have found (and i'm not claiming this as fact, but only what God has revealed to be)...
it is a fact that if the earth were any closer (in inches, i think) or further away from the sun, we'd either burn up or freeze up. it is a fact that if the earth stepped out of its rotation around the sun, we'd be "thrown off." so because God is so amazing and he intricately placed us in this delicate balance of life, i believe that the earth has always been in the same rotation. in believing that, you must believe the sun has, does, and will shine on certain places of earth at certain times consistently, which creates a day according to [beginning in] genesis 3. to believe that a day was longer than a day during creation, you must believe that nightime was longer and the daytime was longer, which isn't physically possible :) but that's just me!
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