Let's get this out of the way...Bill Nye won the debate with Ken Ham.
Ouch. In this debate, which was covered at least in some measure by major news outlets, Christians had an opportunity to take a crack at many atheists, but it ended in a bit of a flop. The pain of this failure is made worse by how rare these debates are. For the past few decades, in order to discredit creation and avoid the issues, atheists have made it clear that their tactic is to avoid debating creationists. This cowardly tactic is no secret or conspiracy theory, but is vocally promoted by prominent atheists such as Richard Dawkins and Eugenie Scott. Even in this case, many told Bill he shouldn't do this debate at all. So, I certainly respect Bill Nye for having the guts to stand up and argue for his position. Since I feel that Ken Ham's performance was poor, and in order to help bring about some good from this event, I'd like to offer some commentary and analysis. The point is not to slam Ken, but to learn from this experience to see what Christians can do better in the future when we engage with atheists.
First off, I'd like to explain why I say that Ken Ham lost the debate. It's quite simple really: he just didn't sell any of his points because of a failure to be assertive/aggressive. He made some good comments, but failed to hammer the point home. His initial 30 min. presentation was quite good, but he fell apart quickly after that. It's unfortunate because the rebuttal section is generally where debates are won or lost. Ken spent most of his first rebuttal talking about Christians who don't believe in creation, leaving Bill unchallenged and ignoring the topic of the debate, thus leaving a very weak impression. Bill Nye wasn't terribly on-topic either, but at least made a few clear points and drove them home. In the rebuttals, Ken lost because he just played defense and when he finally tried to make a positive attack on Bill's position, it was too little, too late.
Calling out Bill's bad arguments
I'd like to now analyze some things that Bill said and show how Ken should have called him out on it. As a reminder, let's clearly state the topic: Is creation a viable model of origins in today's modern, scientific era? In general, Bill's tactic involved bringing up a lot of irrelevant things and acting like they proved his point. For example, he spent a lot of time discussing advancements in medicine, engineering, etc. but these are irrelevant to the creation/evolution issue. Bill also brings up the cosmic microwave background (CMB) as evidence for his position, but this again is irrelevant. The CMB appears in creation models also. In light of this, Bills argument melts away. What is his point? How is the creation model invalid? He never says.
It was also clear that Bill wasn't familiar enough with creation models to even know what he's arguing against. Bill brought up several issues that have already been well-addressed by creationists: feasibility of the ark, ice core dating, radiometric dating, etc. Reasonable models have been presented on all of these topics. (To get an overview of some of these issues, see A short course in creation/evolution). Again, I ask, in what way is the creation model invalid? Where is Bill's argument?
This is a little off-topic, but I think it's also worth addressing Bill's ignorance of the Bible. Frankly, a lot of the atheists I meet are just as ignorant. They make the same claim as Bill, “Well, the Bible is unreliable because it has been translated so many times and it's kind of like the telephone game.” Seriously guys, get some facts before speaking. Want to know how many times the Bible was translated to get an English text? Once. From the original languages of Greek and Hebrew. By the way, those Greek and Hebrew manuscripts of the Bible are the most well-established historical documents. Long story short, If you have a Bible translated from the textus receptus (KJV), you can guarantee that you hold in your hands a translation of what was written thousands of years ago. The evidence is that sound. Now, I partly understand the confusion of the atheist due to the multitudes of Bible versions out there, but that's another topic for another time.
The attack Ken should have made
Now for some offense. Here's a short summary of what I think Ken should have said: Compared to evolution, creation is a far superior model of origins. Evolution survives in the scientific community merely because of an imposed absolute adherence to naturalism. Evolution predicts that organisms would be simple things, able to be generated by many small steps, evolved to be little more than sufficient for their environment. Creation predicts that organisms will display complex patterns and well-engineered forms that evidence the work of an intelligent creator. The prediction made by the creation model is true, and is the grounds of a whole multi-disciplinary branch of science called biomimicry. Evolution predicts that natural selection and random mutation can work together to generate creatures of increasing complexity. Creation predicts that natural selection and random mutation acting on an initially perfect creation will have a detrimental effect, causing loss of complexity and ultimately disease. Modern genetics confirms the prediction of the creationist, that if positive mutations occur, they are few and far between, and that they get “washed out” in the sea of bad mutations. Therefore, creation is not only a viable model of origins, but indeed seems to be the correct one. I could go on in this comparison, but I think you get my point.
The Christian reaction to the debate – driven by laziness?
When I first set my mind to write this post, this section was not included. However, after reading so many Christian responses to the debate, I feel there are major issues that need to be addressed. I've seen many private comments that concerned me, but for now I'll focus on the response written by Al Mohler since it is a good representation of the problem. In general, many responses that I've seen from Christians intimate a dismissal of the whole debate, an attitude of “who cares” or “debates don't change anyone's mind/heart, so why bother?” This is particuarly ridiculous to me, because debates on the creation/evolution issue were helpful to me in coming around to a creation position, which then made me open to the gospel. If I determined 10 years ago that the Bible was merely a book of stories, I'm sure any Christian that tried to share the gospel with me would have a much harder time. In other words, I know this stuff is important because it was helpful to bring me to Christ.
Now, looking specifically at the article from Al Mohler, he expresses a sentiment that I see coming from many Christians when he says that the real problem is “autonomous human reason”. In essense, Mohler sees human reasoning as the enemy. He intimates in this article that human reasoning is corrupt and therefore only divine revelation will help the lost sinner. In other words, don't engage the sinner's reasoning because it can't possibly work. How silly. Mohler seems to imply that we should do nothing more than walk up to an atheist, deliver a monologue about the gospel, then expect God to save them. I've seen a lot of Christians saying similar things...or at least showing that they give up way to easily. What happened to pleading with the lost, reasoning with them (as Christ and the apostles did, by the way), working, and doing whatever it takes to bring them to an understanding of the cross?
Now, when sharing the gospel, there are certainly times to move on. If they stop listening and are merely mocking, don't waste your time, but find someone else. However, in my experience, that's only about 30% of atheists. The majority are willing to have a reasonable conversation, about creation, the gospel, etc. Oh, and don't think that apologetics aren't important. Yes, sharing the gospel is the most important thing, but using just enough apologetics to shake his naturalistic foundation is a wise move.
In all these responses, it seems that Christians have given up way too easily, so much so that we no longer expect dialogue or debate to do any good at all. I can only imagine that this is driven by laziness. There are so few Christians that share the gospel in the first place. So, to ask someone to go the next step and try to learn a thing or two in order to better engage with atheists...well, that's just asking too much, right? Is this how cold Christianity has become? Is our passion for reaching the lost so dead that we give up after a single half-hearted attempt? It's so much easier to just say, “well, he's entrenched, unreachable, etc.” than it is to examine ourselves and question if we are actually giving the atheist a compelling argument. If you have a desire to see people saved, don't fall into that trap. Try to put yourself in their position...if you were an atheist would you be compelled by the things Christians say? Try different things, learn, improve, find someone passionate about evangelism and learn from them. Eventually you'll get quite good at talking with atheists. But please, whatever you do, don't just act like it doesn't matter.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Christians need wisdom!
In this post I plan to tackle a subtle, but important point relevant to Christian living. Specifically, what role does wisdom have in our lives? How do we make decisions? Should we be worried about the “wisdom of the world”? As with many of my posts, my motivation for writing here comes from personal experience. I have run into too many Christians who act and speak foolishly and who refuse to learn, who are so afraid of “the wisdom of man” that they dive into folly. Even worse, I've observed “shepherds” who seem to encourage this fear of wisdom to keep the sheep in line. It's hard to describe in detail all the ways in which this thinking has weakened Christians. Let me start by using a fictional (but all too familiar) story to illustrate my point.
Hank is a bright high school senior. With graduation coming up, he's trying to decide what to do with his life. Hank was saved about a year ago and genuinely wants to please the Lord in everything. Hank has always loved working on cars, and there aren't any good mechanics in his town, so he's looking to become a mechanic. One day Hank discusses his future with his pastor, who warns him that although according to the wisdom of the world, becoming a mechanic would make sense, he should pray a lot about it, “lean not on your own understanding...and who knows, you might even be called to preach”. Hank agrees to do some serious prayer, but doesn't initially think that he'd ever be a pastor. Sure, he has grown spiritually by leaps and bounds since his salvation, but he has never considered being a pastor himself.
Over the next few weeks, Hanks prays much about his career choice. With consistent nudging and whispering from people around him, Hank starts to believe that these things are an answer to his prayer, that God is telling him to go into ministry. Hank has heard that you need a 'calling' to be a pastor, so this must be it. He doesn't know why, he just feels it emotionally (it's not hard to get those feelings when several men you respect are nudging you along with your ego). Hank goes on to seminary (which is, ironically, modeled after the world's education system.) and graduates with no job in ministry, despite a lot of looking. Hank is sure this must be a trial from the Lord. He struggles financially for years, working whatever job he can to make ends meet. Finally, he finds a job as an assistant pastor, then graduates to a full pastorate where he teaches other young men to make decisions in the same way that he did so many years ago.
Making decisions with wisdom
I've written already on the problems with the seminary system and modern church polity, so in this story I'd like to focus on the way decisions are made, and again, this question of wisdom. This story illustrates how, in most churches, the decision-making process has been hyper-spiritualized and feelings/nudges/promptings are held as the authority above common reasoning. I'm not saying that the Lord doesn't direct us, but that he directs us unequivocally. Most of the time this direction takes the form of wisdom. As James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). This doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit will immediately make you smart, but in my experience, this typically occurs by the Holy Spirit bringing passages to mind.
And how are we to make decisions? Not looking for nudges, promptings and feelings, but with wisdom that is informed by Scripture! “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit” (Prov. 14:8) and again, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105) We are supposed to understand our path and scripture is intended to be a guide for us. If your path is darkened, it may be because you have neglected your lamp. “But what about decisions related to your job, relationships, etc. You know, stuff the Bible doesn't talk about?” Are you kidding? The Bible addresses every area of life! Of course, it doesn't cover everything in complete detail, but provides enough direction that you can use a little wisdom and apply the instructions to any situation. Herein lies the problem: many Christians lack the wisdom to apply Biblical admonitions to real-world situations.
This wisdom does not come by osmosis or a half-hearted search. “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.” In other words, don't expect to be wise if you're just doing your 'daily bread' devotionals. If you want wisdom, you must separate yourself from distractions and intentionally seek it as a pattern of life. The first step is to really desire wisdom, to value it above any money or treasure. This is easy once you realize how important it is. A foolish servant is of no use to his master, but can actually be a burden. How can a man without understanding please the Lord? Also notice that the call to wisdom in Proverbs is intended for all men, not just some special class (Prov. 1:20-24). In other words, if you're a Christian, you should be doing this, not relying on your 'clergy' to carry you. There are 2 books of the Bible specifically devoted to the topic and it is discussed in many other books as well, so I can guarantee it's important!
How do I avoid 'the wisdom of man'?
What about this matter of man's wisdom? We see in the first three chapters of 1 Corinth. That we are not to rest in the wisdom of the world. So, what exactly is 'good' wisdom and what is 'bad'? There are only a handful of passages that make a distinction about wisdom – either God's or man's, but from what I can tell, it seems that when the distinction is made, the Bible is talking about wisdom informed by a particular worldview. For example, in Prov. 23:4 laboring to get rich is identified as man's wisdom. Well, if you had a naturalist/materialist worldview...then laboring to get rich would make sense for maximizing your enjoyment in this life, it'd be wise. With a Christian worldview, we realize that trying to get rich is a bad goal, that we should lay up treasure in heaven and use our wealth to further the gospel, not to spend on our lusts. Not only does Scripture tell us this, but it just makes sense once you have the Christian worldview. Taking this perspective, the first few chapters of 1 Corinth. are easy to reconcile with the rest of Scripture. The “wisdom of man” is not a boogeyman that will bite the Christian who studies too hard, but it is the result of trying to obtain wisdom by starting from a worldview that rejects God.
Let's drive the point home by looking at some other passages. In 1 Corinth. 1:17-31 Paul blasts the wisdom of the world and says that God has chosen to work through foolishness, but is careful to point out that these things aren't actually foolish, but only seem so to the world (ie a person with a worldview that rejects God). We see this in v.34-35.
What about Proverbs 3:5-7? This verse is often used to support the idea that we should not use our own wisdom when making a decision. However, that idea contradicts the rest of the book. Instead, this passage is better understood as an admonition for the student of wisdom to have a Bibilical worldview. Of course I'm paraphrasing here, but read the passage both ways and you'll see what I mean.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have shown that wisdom is critically important for Christians. A lack or misunderstanding of wisdom is most dangerously shown in the hyper-spiritualization of otherwise obvious decisions. This corruption of the decision making process leaves Christians vulnerable to poor life choices and false doctrines that are emotionally satisfying. I've also explained the difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God, showing that a Christian grounded in a Biblical worldview can give themselves to a search for understanding and wisdom without fear of somehow mysteriously being infected with the 'wisdom of man'. Therefore, I strongly encourage everyone to diligently pursue wisdom. “Get wisdom, get understanding...wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Prov. 4:5-7)
Hank is a bright high school senior. With graduation coming up, he's trying to decide what to do with his life. Hank was saved about a year ago and genuinely wants to please the Lord in everything. Hank has always loved working on cars, and there aren't any good mechanics in his town, so he's looking to become a mechanic. One day Hank discusses his future with his pastor, who warns him that although according to the wisdom of the world, becoming a mechanic would make sense, he should pray a lot about it, “lean not on your own understanding...and who knows, you might even be called to preach”. Hank agrees to do some serious prayer, but doesn't initially think that he'd ever be a pastor. Sure, he has grown spiritually by leaps and bounds since his salvation, but he has never considered being a pastor himself.
Over the next few weeks, Hanks prays much about his career choice. With consistent nudging and whispering from people around him, Hank starts to believe that these things are an answer to his prayer, that God is telling him to go into ministry. Hank has heard that you need a 'calling' to be a pastor, so this must be it. He doesn't know why, he just feels it emotionally (it's not hard to get those feelings when several men you respect are nudging you along with your ego). Hank goes on to seminary (which is, ironically, modeled after the world's education system.) and graduates with no job in ministry, despite a lot of looking. Hank is sure this must be a trial from the Lord. He struggles financially for years, working whatever job he can to make ends meet. Finally, he finds a job as an assistant pastor, then graduates to a full pastorate where he teaches other young men to make decisions in the same way that he did so many years ago.
Making decisions with wisdom
I've written already on the problems with the seminary system and modern church polity, so in this story I'd like to focus on the way decisions are made, and again, this question of wisdom. This story illustrates how, in most churches, the decision-making process has been hyper-spiritualized and feelings/nudges/promptings are held as the authority above common reasoning. I'm not saying that the Lord doesn't direct us, but that he directs us unequivocally. Most of the time this direction takes the form of wisdom. As James says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). This doesn't mean that the Holy Spirit will immediately make you smart, but in my experience, this typically occurs by the Holy Spirit bringing passages to mind.
And how are we to make decisions? Not looking for nudges, promptings and feelings, but with wisdom that is informed by Scripture! “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit” (Prov. 14:8) and again, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105) We are supposed to understand our path and scripture is intended to be a guide for us. If your path is darkened, it may be because you have neglected your lamp. “But what about decisions related to your job, relationships, etc. You know, stuff the Bible doesn't talk about?” Are you kidding? The Bible addresses every area of life! Of course, it doesn't cover everything in complete detail, but provides enough direction that you can use a little wisdom and apply the instructions to any situation. Herein lies the problem: many Christians lack the wisdom to apply Biblical admonitions to real-world situations.
This wisdom does not come by osmosis or a half-hearted search. “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.” In other words, don't expect to be wise if you're just doing your 'daily bread' devotionals. If you want wisdom, you must separate yourself from distractions and intentionally seek it as a pattern of life. The first step is to really desire wisdom, to value it above any money or treasure. This is easy once you realize how important it is. A foolish servant is of no use to his master, but can actually be a burden. How can a man without understanding please the Lord? Also notice that the call to wisdom in Proverbs is intended for all men, not just some special class (Prov. 1:20-24). In other words, if you're a Christian, you should be doing this, not relying on your 'clergy' to carry you. There are 2 books of the Bible specifically devoted to the topic and it is discussed in many other books as well, so I can guarantee it's important!
How do I avoid 'the wisdom of man'?
What about this matter of man's wisdom? We see in the first three chapters of 1 Corinth. That we are not to rest in the wisdom of the world. So, what exactly is 'good' wisdom and what is 'bad'? There are only a handful of passages that make a distinction about wisdom – either God's or man's, but from what I can tell, it seems that when the distinction is made, the Bible is talking about wisdom informed by a particular worldview. For example, in Prov. 23:4 laboring to get rich is identified as man's wisdom. Well, if you had a naturalist/materialist worldview...then laboring to get rich would make sense for maximizing your enjoyment in this life, it'd be wise. With a Christian worldview, we realize that trying to get rich is a bad goal, that we should lay up treasure in heaven and use our wealth to further the gospel, not to spend on our lusts. Not only does Scripture tell us this, but it just makes sense once you have the Christian worldview. Taking this perspective, the first few chapters of 1 Corinth. are easy to reconcile with the rest of Scripture. The “wisdom of man” is not a boogeyman that will bite the Christian who studies too hard, but it is the result of trying to obtain wisdom by starting from a worldview that rejects God.
Let's drive the point home by looking at some other passages. In 1 Corinth. 1:17-31 Paul blasts the wisdom of the world and says that God has chosen to work through foolishness, but is careful to point out that these things aren't actually foolish, but only seem so to the world (ie a person with a worldview that rejects God). We see this in v.34-35.
What about Proverbs 3:5-7? This verse is often used to support the idea that we should not use our own wisdom when making a decision. However, that idea contradicts the rest of the book. Instead, this passage is better understood as an admonition for the student of wisdom to have a Bibilical worldview. Of course I'm paraphrasing here, but read the passage both ways and you'll see what I mean.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have shown that wisdom is critically important for Christians. A lack or misunderstanding of wisdom is most dangerously shown in the hyper-spiritualization of otherwise obvious decisions. This corruption of the decision making process leaves Christians vulnerable to poor life choices and false doctrines that are emotionally satisfying. I've also explained the difference between the wisdom of man and the wisdom of God, showing that a Christian grounded in a Biblical worldview can give themselves to a search for understanding and wisdom without fear of somehow mysteriously being infected with the 'wisdom of man'. Therefore, I strongly encourage everyone to diligently pursue wisdom. “Get wisdom, get understanding...wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” (Prov. 4:5-7)
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