Atheists who are 'Scientists'

It amazes me how religious atheists can really be. Especially atheists who give reason for their atheism as 'science'. Scientists call creationists superstitious and primitive because we believe God spoke and created the heavens and the earth. “This is just another silly myth,” they mock, “like the Hindus and animists and other non-modern people hold to.” Of course they don’t see the clear difference between a hyper-intelligent being speaking the cosmos into motion in Genesis and a mud-coated giant tortoise shell earth in the Hindu origin stories. They think the belief in rain spirits is evenly paired with the impersonal description of nature in the Hebrew Old Testament.

Of course, don’t mention to them their own foolishness when they talk about random, impersonal, deterministic, chaotic nature [and then try to study and assign laws to this nature]. Especially don’t mock them when they assign to nature a will, a sex (her), and super-intelligence. Don’t tell them they sound almost theistic about the whole idea of her design and her will. Is it so strange that Christians should merely acclaim an additional quality exists to nature, namely personhood, and say “God” rather than “nature”? And yet we are so scorned by those who bestow on her [Nature] such infinite honors and intelligences, only to hear them say out of the other side of their mouths that she is only our perception of what is.

Who believes in the invisible god, the Christian or the Scientist? At least we claim genuine existence is an attribute of our god, whereas Nature exists only as the predilection of the inquisitive nature of humans. Even if God does not exist, just as she [nature] doesn’t really exist, our deity is at least a product of religion whereas the scientist’s god seems the product of an agreed upon professional delusion.

From Creation to Abraham

I am preaching through a series on Abraham during the Sunday night services at the church I attend. I have been very excited about the subject matter, and planned to teach on this ever since I took a Hebrew exegesis class of Genesis 12-36 last Spring. Abraham occupies such a central place in story in Genesis. The earth is created, people sin, murder, fill the earth with violence, God curses the ground and wipes the slate clean, only have to people refill the earth with the same indolence. Abraham is called out of the cursed humanity, bearing the burden of having a barren wife. Sarah at this point represents as a walking parable, the barren, hopeless state of humanity after Creation. Abraham is called out of his own family line, led to a new land, and given a great promise by God. "In you shall all families of the earth be blessed..." The 'good' creation from the garden which was 'cursed' when sin entered the world now finds a focal redemptive point in Abraham. Abraham's faith is not the cause of this blessing, however, as much as God's faithfulness to his own covenant. That is the central point of Genesis. God will be faithful to his intent for Creation, and faithful to his word as Abraham's God. God is created a new humanity, that will be gathered in Abraham for blessing even as he scatters them from Shinar in a curse of chaos.

In the Oven

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I don't think people read this so I guess I do it for myself mainly. I like to write and collect my thoughts so I can reference it later. Life has been hectic. I've had to adjust to a fiance, then a wife, then a pregnant wife, and all of the wonders and labors those things have brought. I need to write more, so I can remember later how this all felt; fearful and joyful hand-in-hand. That's my New Year's Resolution perhaps. Write more.