'Mediocre' or 'Momentum' March?

Can you believe that March 2014 is done? WOW!

It was an amazing month with my only complaint being the cold weather! But the Lord is good.

Yesterday was a special small blessing... in a paddle boat catching 10 or so small bass. Beautiful day!

March is always interesting- my motto for March is 'mediocre or momentum?' because typically March finds us weary of new year resolutions and a little bit of that 3rd quarter fatigue for those in the school business.

April is always a big year for me personally- it has my wedding anniversary and is the start of MY NEW year (more in line with Hebrew calendar and the support of creation i.e. SPRING)

So March usually finds me burned out..stagnant.. and limping into April kickstart.

But I had a very good March!

Bible Reading:

I am doing the McCheyne plan- keeping a google doc of notes. Each month is its own seperate document and I am sharing it with my wife and children. My goal is to have an entire year of notes from daily Bible reading and going through the whole Bible. So far so good!

Blog Posting:

I have made it 3 months into my goal of having an entire year of devotions. April will be on physical training- May is going to me 'Mission and Calling"- the sumer is going to be a Harmony of the Gospels.

My football site still continues to be my most visited site with 950 visits in the month of March.

Exercise and Eating:


This is all about to get serious "April is the cruelest month" but I am statistically better on March 31 this year than I was last year. But last year was not a good year in this area.

I conveniently skipped comment on the 'eating' but April should be 'better'.

MEMORIES FROM MARCH:

Enjoyed spiritual impact week

Teaching SS is always a blessing (Next Step- Song for the Climb)

Bass Tourney at Lake Guntersville

Ruffner Mtn visit on Spring Break (MCM in NYC)

Neat story:

Had a former student visit me to tell me he had given his heart to Christ. We had a super visit and I am thrilled to see his excitement... makes it worth it!

Melissa decided to go to UA for sure

I hope my next monthly report is positive- April is always important

Prayer:

Wisdom for my 'job'- having to make the right call on these things is impossible. I need the Holy Spirit.

Football spring training is approaching...plans

There is a family that I need to reach out to- 

Lisa and I will be married 26 years this Wed... what a blessed man I am!

God's Not Dead....And I Feel OK as Well

Went to the movie "God's Not Dead" last night.


I purposely look to give my presence and money to efforts like this. And I am very cautious to criticize any of these types of efforts in public forums. The boldness and work that it takes to produce a film in a culture where every headwind is working against you is admirable. Heck, who am I to be a movie critic?

What did I like about the movie?

(WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS)

I am always thrilled when ANY movie, play, you tube video, song, etc lifts up the name of Jesus Christ and presents the gospel without any reservation.

When the movie repeated Matthew 10:32-33 TWICE in the early stages-

[32] So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, [33] but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

to me that was important gospel proclamation.

Apologetics.

For the most part, the 'debate' in the classroom covered a good list of the many rational arguments used as evidence to support the existence of God.

I taught these for 7 years in a class called 'Apologetics' and I do see the value in being prepared to answer questions/issues like the problem of evil, is there absolute truth, is Jesus the only way, etc.

But it is so interesting that the Bible does not debate the existence of God. At Genesis 1:1, He is there and in Romans 1, Paul's basic point to the philosophers is that God is 'plainly evident' and those who cry that there is not enough evidence are blinded by the enemy or unwilling to see it.

The basic premise is that an atheist cannot find God for the same reason a criminal cannot find a police officer ... he doesn't want to.

Don't misunderstand me- apologetics is more necessary now more than ever in being prepared to proclaim the gospel in a culture who have been trained by people like Hitchens and Dawkins- apologetics is evangelism if done in the right way.

But I have written on the danger of apologetics emphasis as well: Christian Quarries and Apologetics

Should you debate professors?

This is a tough one. I used to play a role in my classes called 'Professor Skeptic' and, because I knew the arguments, I could take apart almost all of my students.

And we would talk about the scenarios of when to speak, when to stay silent, when to go private, when to be public.

In this movie, the professor does a full frontal assault and in that scenario a Christian would have to respond. The word for 'apologetics' is found in I Peter 3.

[13] Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? [14] But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, [15] but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, [16] having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. [17] For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:13-17 ESV)

This is such an important passage for the field of defending THE faith.

My advice to college students is to be wise. Don't go pick a philosophical fight.. but if it comes to you...don't back down, but let the audience see your demeanor and resolve... you may not win the argument, but you may win a soul.

And I encourage students to be trained in apologetics... the Christian worldview EXCELS in these areas. Our narrative BEST EXPLAINS the condition of life because it is TRUE.

The key is our demeanor...look again at the passage - be wiling to suffer, don't fear... don't worry...Honor Jesus (this is not about us)- prepare- answer questions about the hope we have- do it with gentleness (this is one I mess up in all the time) and respect.

This does not mean we cower away... but it also doesn't mean we don't be so right we are dead right!

We are to present Christ.... and that message should be the only offensive thing about us. (and it is enough..believe me!)

I also ask students to go and speak to teachers they are concerned about in private (with a friend/witness) with a positive spirit. Let them know you are a believer, but are excited to learn in the class. Respect them as an authority even if you have disagreements in views. Be a great student- be attentive- do excellent work- learn.

If a professor is extremely attacking- listen to their arguments and learn how to research the counters.

In Acts, Jesus told his disciples to not worry about what to say- the Holy Spirit would grant the words- but this does not mean we do not prepare... we have to know the Word better and being trained in giving answers does help!

If the public debate happens- know what that is about.

You are not going to win over that opponent.. He/she is likely dug in if they are willing to challenge you in public. But you are really defending a reasonable faith in public and the goal is being faithful to your testimony. If you do it humbly, yet confidently. If you are skilled and articulate. If you are truthful (willing to say, I don't know). If you show a good knowledge of the gospel and Scripture- you will win- even if the entire audience votes that you lost. All you are called to do is stand for your Savior in a world that put Him on a cross- but do it with love- and plead for God's mercy on us all!

WHAT ELSE DID I LIKE ABOUT THE MOVIE?

I like how the movie depicts the power of social media to spread the message globally.

I love when we get positive messages about Christ trending. Don't get caught up in endless controversies on the internet... there is not enough space or time to flesh out all the Biblical balance. Tweet good news!

As Christians, I challenge all of us to let our social media speech to be a pleasing aroma to the love and joy of following Christ!

I like seeing Franklin Graham and Willie Robertson cameos!

I liked the music! (except for the same piano rift over and over- for some reason it sounded too much like Freddie or Jason was about to come out with a knife!)

ARE THERE THINGS I DID NOT LIKE?

Sure. But it does not keep me from being grateful that the movie is making an honest effort to entertain and inspire.

Josh Wheaton made a tactical error in the 3rd debate by attacking and challenging the professor. First of all, that professor is not going to fall into the 'God is not there and I hate Him for it' line of reasoning and it would not help in Wheaton's desire to win over the watching audience. Also, I wish only 2 or 3 students stood up at the end... that would have been just as cool without the cheese factor.

If it were me, I would not have used the Muslim characters in a movie unless the movie was about the theme of making a decision to follow Christ in a family deeply entrenched in the tradition of another.
There are too many nuances in this to adequately deal with it as a subplot. In the end, this scene hurt our dialogue with Muslims in our neighborhoods (in my opinion). The cross cultural tension was already adequately shown in the Chinese family. That one is easier to develop and pits a decision for Christ against the pressure of a government system and a family struggling under the weight of that.

I also cringed a little in the atheist professor getting run over by a car and having a deathbed repentance.

I know, I know.... in all movies there is a universal suspension of reality from the audience.. but that one threw me for a loop. Our Rev. Joe was actually smiling when the professor breathed his last breath..."Well, he knows now."

And I wish the 'attack journalist' had not been given a 'terminal' cancer diagnosis...it made the prayer scene at the concert almost as heartless as the last rites scene in the rain. Every scene where that poor lady was left alone- boyfriend walk in and out- Dr walks in and out- Newsboys walk in and out- always leaving that suffering person with no one. How about, 'Come out with us as we go and sing about God's not dead- and here is all of our support staff to be with you" . Been better to have her struggling with a potential deadly cancer ... but when you get to that stage, I doubt you are going to attack the Newsboys before the show.

I know... give them a break... it's only a movie.

I do wish we wouldn't make stories that seem to say- 'trust Jesus and you win state championships, get a new truck, have massive revival, your car starts, your wife starts making you coffee, and get to go meet everyone at a rock concert!'

I was so excited that my 9th grade daughter chose on her own to go see it. She liked it. Her comment? "They had too may stories going on for that type of movie. They could have done less and made it better."

Her review is spot on... and she did it much better than my rambling blog.

On a side note- as we finished the movie, I ran into some of my former students. One of them WALKED OUT of  the movie NOAH. "That movie was a bunch of bllpppp (he did a NY raspberry sound) but the meaning was clear.

I will not be seeing that one- the director helped me out by bragging that he had produced 'the least biblical biblical movie ever'.

I will choose instead to recommend you give your money to "God's Not Dead".

Of the entire genre (christian movies produced by christians and for christians) I still list "Courageous" as the best effort.

I hope I haven't seemed too full of myself or jaded... let's keep turning on all the lights. The gospel is that good!

This movie gets a thumbs up for me!

And even if it were bad?......... listen to what Paul says:

[18] What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, (Philippians 1:18 ESV)

Hike Into the Past- Ruffner Mountain

As a boy, I practically lived on Ruffner Mountain. In the days before cell phones- we would pack a brown bag lunch and walk off into the woods, only to return at dusk.

We had it all 'mapped out'- the limestone quarries, the iron ore mines, we knew how to get to..and climb the old fire tower.. and we knew that over the ridge was the Ruffner ball fields.

So it was good memories today, to go over to the Ruffner Mountain Park and hike some of those old trails.

The neighborhood is pretty rough now, though the parking on 81st street seemed fine.

We hiked to the quarry and them took the orange trail to the east trailhead and back.

I mapped from the quarry back, which was about 3 miles. Very tough terrain of up and down the ridge!

Some shots at the old quarry:

Here is the entrance on 81st St South.

Then the saddest part of the day was seeing how bad the old house was where I grew up in.
I guess I'm doing better at 50 than this old house is!

We had a good day on a cold spring break in B'ham.

Keeping Track of My Crazy and Odd Days

I'm here in Guntersville, AL- a place that has become a strong draw because of it's current place as a 'Mecca' of bass fishing. And a draw of future goals and dreams....... and inspiration!

And it is the first day of a Spring Break...one I desperately needed.

I am in an interesting time- excited about what I want to accomplish this year..my 50th

And I have the honor of being 100% convinced that I am exactly where God wants me to be and doing His work.... but at the same time- it is never where I dreamed I would be.... happy- but totally dependent on Him because I could not do this without Him.

Exhausted- but energized. Frustrated... but content. On the cusp of disaster in every decision- but totally at peace.

My job is one crazy gig.. and I am convinced that God has prepared me and provides and protects me..I wish I could write the daily evidence of how He has used me and saved me....in spite of me.

My goal is 'Zeal -2014' and only I know what I am crying to see happen- but I am seeing it and wrestling with it. The key is a heart for people... we (I) don't love people much anymore- we (I) don't admire human beings- we don't adore the inspiration of flesh and blood- I worry it is a unintended consequence of digitizing everything.

The decay of dust and the cry for renewal....  but I have so much to be grateful for!

So what exactly am I doing?

BIBLE IN A YEAR PROGRAM- 2014

I am reading God's Word everyday on the McCheyne reading plan and it is really good- I am including the D.A. Carson notes and making each month a separate google doc. I am sharing it with my girls as something they might enjoy having down the road and in 2015 will use the notes to write my own through the Bible in a year commentary/devotional... will re-arrange some- will split it up a little more.

BLOGGING

Jayopsis Devotions- this has been a challenge- but fun. My goal is to have 365 devotions at the end of the year..... keeping me busy- but excited to see it on the web!

Jayopsis Football- this has been crazy! Wow! I have been joking about how hard I work on spiritual writing to get readers in the 100's and I write football stuff and get readers in the 1000's!
Look at this as an example:

I am so honored and humbled to be included in a national network of online coaches through twitter and other sites.

The Best of Jayopsis- this site has been a good way to re-package some of my more popular posts. It has given me some great connections and a new audience.

TEACHING

I am currently doing my 'Song for the Climb' series at Briarwood. I am so prayerful regarding this cautionary duty!

So for a break in March- I am so thankful to the Lord- He has been so good to me!

On this site- I do have a lot of drafts in the works...LOL

But my next big project on jayopsis.com will be an exploration on attitudes toward authority and how it contributes to the corruption of our culture.

Thanks to all who encourage me in my desire to live out a transparent life in the beautiful grace of Christ. I am nothing..... He is everything.... and I am the beneficiary!

FAMILY

What can I say? Man! I am blessed!

JM- BBC- PTL- 

The Bachelor..... in 400 B.C.

To be honest...I am not a fan of 'The Bachelor'. I have seen a possible 30 minutes of programming in the history of the show.

I do have a household of girls and they watch it..some.

The most positive thing I have ever heard about it, was the wedding of Shawn and Catherine, which I was told was extremely God honoring and good.

But I know enough of the bachelor to know that much of it is saturated with a world view consisting of luxury, passion, and little commitment to morality before marriage.

But just when you thought this was only a contemporary contest- remember the Book of Ecclesiastes  quote, 'There is nothing new under the sun."

Take time to read the Biblical version of the Bachelor and the 1st 2 chapters of the amazing Book of Esther! The end of each chapter is a cliff-hanger!

Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, 3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, 4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days.

AND WHAT A PARTY IT WAS!

 5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace. 6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and precious stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king.8 And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. 9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.

LIFE HASN'T CHANGED MUCH.......

10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.

THE KING IS COUNSELED...... MEN ARE ALWAYS LOOKING OUT FOR THEMSELVES.....

13 Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, 14 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom):15 “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” 16 Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen's behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's behavior will say the same to all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. 19 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she.

 20 So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” 21 This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. 22 He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people. 

After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her.

THE REAL SEASON 1 BEGINS..........

 2 Then the king's young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.

AND THE UNDERDOG WILL BECOME THE AUDIENCE FAVORITE!

5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8 So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women.

ESTHER IS LOVED BY ALL! SHE GAINS MOMENTUM!

 9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.

THE CUTS BEGIN, WHO WILL GET THE ROSE?

12 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women—13 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. 14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch, who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

ESTHER'S DATE.....

15 When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 

ESTHER WINS! THE RATINGS ARE THROUGH THE ROOF!

16 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther's feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.

Now, the cool thing is that there are still 8 more chapters of an amazing drama to be played out! Take some time to see why Esther is one of the great heroine's of history!

Her courage prevents a horrible holocaust!

SEE WHAT YOU ARE MISSING IN THE BIBLE?

IT ALSO MADE A GREAT MOVIE!

THE HAM/NYE DEBATE- Do I Really Want to Write This?

I have said "No" to this post for three days...... but here goes a fool rushing in where angels fear to tread.....

I watched the Feb. 4 debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye with concern about the format and what might be left in the wake of the process.

I was relieved and thankful that both men were fairly civil in the presentations AND I'm so grateful for the technology today that allowed both men to use keynote slides and videos.

In the end, there was nothing new... both sides are well documented in their arguments and my guess is that not one single human being was moved off of a settled position.

I do agree with some pundits who proclaimed Ken Ham a 'winner' in that he got the debate in the first place.

The thing I was MOST PLEASED with Dr. Ham was that he presented some great scientists to the audience who were solid believers AND he did not shrink back from presenting the gospel.

A FEW QUESTIONS.....

You can go back to the original publication of Darwin's "Origin of the Species" and find a dividing line that has forever changed the nature of the relationship of reason and faith. Both Christians and non-Christians have failed often in a reasoned response to this theory and document.

And the biggest problem is that the major philosophical pillars that must be put down BEFORE the arguments can actually take place takes a ton of time.. and we are too rash and impatient to ferret it all out.

The human condition is so interesting... two men can look at the same empirical evidence and come to totally different conclusions. Each one looks at the other and shakes their head as to why their opponent can't see that their argument is rock solid.

Here are the questions that I ask, and very few in this debate consider them valid...

Q1 "If God put into place a working creation...wouldn't it APPEAR to be older than it is?"
And again... a lot of assumptions here... but a tree in the garden of Eden that was 45 seconds old, if you cut it down and counted 45 rings.. is it 45 years old?... or is it 45 seconds old?

Q2 Young earth theologians talk about the problem of death before sin...but could the curse in Genesis be merely 'spiritual death' or 'God-kind death'? Man was already given 'dominion'...fish, livestock, creeping things- he was free to work the garden.. in the original mandate- did man have the ability to dig up trees, or did the livestock step on ants? Don't shoot me... but there is natural death and there is spiritual death... couldn't we have one without the other in theory?

Q3- Moses is writing Genesis as dictated by the Lord. Could it be that God is communicating to him TRUTH..but in an accommodated structure that communicates to the people at the time in parallel structures to how they understood the world at that time? Moses was trained with an ancient Egyptian education... could it be that God parallels that knowledge to communicate what is important without violating truth?

Q4- to the naturalists... no doubt that slight successful changes take place as environmental changes take place in living creatures...but is it rational to extrapolate that as proof for the variety and design of life as we now find it? To me, the least likely part of the evolutionary origin theory is the RANDOMNESS of it all. SO a cosmic lottery took place and we have beauty, variety, love, language, logic, and moral laws? To me, that takes more faith than to believe in a designer.... information from non-information and life from non-life is a greater 'miracle' if you ask me.

I have written on this topic before: My Good Nature Views Are Evolving
And if I am honest, I always hold an openness to listen to competing philosophies

A FEW STATEMENTS....

• My position is that I side with a young earth model of creation but I urgently stress that a Christian can maintain alternate theories of time and still hold a high view of Scripture. I believe there is room to debate and implore honest science to help us in our understanding of time and scientific origin philosophy.

• It is an 'unfair' (reverse Scopes trial) position to deny intelligent design as a plausible scientific theory in scientific classrooms across the country. Darwinism and Intelligent Design are both 'belief' systems that look to apply empirical evidence to explain life as we know it.

• A person can do an excellent job of honest science regardless of their belief about the existence of God. The discrimination documented in recent years against scientists who believe in God needs to be stopped.

MY BIGGEST FEAR

Here was my greatest concern coming from the debate. Both men sought to undo the other sides argument as expected. Ham believes that allowing only a naturalistic view in the classroom is wrong and Nye believes that Ham's views are dangerous to children.

But did you feel the chill in the air from one side?.. I did

I got the impression that Ham believes the naturalistic view of origins are wrong, but I don't see him wanting to outlaw their right to be held or articulated.

I felt the chill of Nye's side... they want the ideas stamped out... Ham's views are dangerous... and I know that if that group of elites ever got the totalitarian power they want what the result would be... and that is what frightens me..... ideas have consequences......

Charles Hodge, B.B. Warfield and the Princetonians

To me..these guys got it right...but few in evangelicalism followed...

Princeton received “Origin of the Species” with great interest in 1859.

In 1862, Charles Hodge noted Darwin’s own admissions: “his frank admission of  the difficulties of the theory and in the absurdity of its conclusion”.

Hodge’s main problem with Darwinism was its commitment to random chance and not directed by God. 

According to Hodge, the fatal flaw of Darwinism is the denial of design in nature. “If you deny design,you in effect deny God. Darwin says he believes in a creator, but if the creator, billions of eons ago, called a germ in existence and abandoned its development to chance has pretty much consigned himself to non-existence. So what is Darwinism? It is Atheism.”

Hodge rejected Darwin’s views, with respect, in 1862.

CLOSING QUOTES

As I close this post... please take note of quotes I use when discussing the foundations of these issues:

IRREDUCIBLE COMPLEXITY:

In Origin of the Species, Darwin stated,

“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down. But I can find no such case.”

Darwin’s Black Box- Michael Behe

RELATIONSHIP OF SCIENCE AND THE BIBLE:

Hodge: “Science has taught us, the church, a lot about the Scriptures”

Archibald Alexander: “Science and the Bible are allies in establishing truth. God is author of both revelations. The truth has nothing to fear from the truth”.

Hodge: 2 FOLD EVIL

Evil of Science- Formulating theories that ignore Biblical truth

Evil of Church- Persisting in interpretations that conflict with well established objective truth

IF NATURALISM/ATHEISM IS TRUE:

“In the enormous scene of the universe- amid the whirl and hiss of jagged iron wheels- amid the deafening hammer blows- man, a helpless and defenseless creature, finds himself- not secure for one moment- any second an imprudent wheel may seize and rend him, a hammer may crush him to a powder- and worse- the sense of abandonment is awful.”  David F. Strauss

ADVANTAGES OF BIG BANG:

“If time's beginning is concurrent with the beginning of the universe, as the space-theorem says, then the cause of the universe must be some entity operating in a time dimension completely independent of and preexistent to the time dimension of the cosmos. This conclusion is powerfully important to our understanding of who God is and who or what God isn't. It tells us that God is not the universe itself, nor is God contained within the universe.”

Hugh Ross

WHAT EVOLUTION ACTUALLY PROVES:

M.I.T. physicist Geoffrey Schroeder correctly points out in his analysis of the impressive display and tribute to evolution that is found in the Natural History Museum in London. “It is all impressive. Impressive, until you are able to walk out and reflect upon that which they are able to document. Daisies remained daisies, moths remained moths, and cichlid fish remained cichlid fish”.

 (The Science of God pg. 31).

MY PRAYER IS THAT honest science and a high view of the Bible will continue to be allies and not divide us.

By the way- very pleased with the great tone NightLine used in reporting on this:

Nye/Hamm: In the Background