[Re:]ally Trailer

The Enzyme group has posted the trailer for their DVD [Re:]ally. The video appears to be a Christian apologetic work answering the questions of a skeptic. From a video production standpoint, it looks very impressive. I hope to see the full video someday. I recommend it in confidence of the team behind it, several of whom are known to me personally.

There is such a stream of atheistic and anti-religion materials coming out these days, I am happy to see The Enzyme tackling this subject. The sad part is that much of the attack on religion is deserved. There have been major abuses of religion over the centuries. But I won’t dwell on that. For their own part, atheism and naturalistic materialism are sorely lacking. I was recently reading a review of the book Letter to a Christian Nation [edit: this is a book written by an atheist, attacking Christianity; it made the New York Times best-seller list], as well as comments by people defending the book, and so much of the argument is made of straw. But all this reminds me again of several Biblical principles: (1) Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. (2) No one can obtain truth unless they receive (are given) it. (3) Do not cast your pearls before swine. (I say that with humility, but it is an important principle.)

Francis Collins: The Scientist as Believer

The February 2007 issue of National Geographic included an interesting featurette, “Francis Collins: The Scientist as Believer.” Francis Collins is the leader of the Human Genome Project (and a Bible-believing Christian), and he was interviewed by John Horgan, an author on religion and science issues (who happens to be agnostic).

The interview, although brief, covers some important topics, such as miracles, religious extremism, suffering, free will, and neurotheology. The questions are candid, and the answers are simple. Well-read Christians who have an interest in science or theology will probably not learn anything new, but for me the article was significant in two ways: First, the fact that it appeared in National Geographic is remarkable in itself. Second, it suggests that in 2007 the doubts about basic Christian teachings are the same as, and as shallow as, they have always been.

While I’m talking about it, here are my own additions to the dialog (these will make more sense if you read the linked article above first):

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May 12 Lesson Study: The Bible and Science

I taught one of the adult Bible classes at my church this morning. The topic was “The Bible and Science.” It almost seemed funny to me that the study guide devoted one class to this topic, which has raged unabated around the world for the past couple centuries. But I accept the choice of the editors of our study guide to handle it that way, since it is only one facet of a topic we are studying for 13 weeks, “The Bible for Today.” Still, to wrap up centuries of argument and counter-argument in a 45-minute class is a bit daunting!

Since many of my friends reading this blog are following the same study guide, I won’t go into all the points here. But here is a basic outline of our discussion:

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Rick Warren on Engaging Culture Relevantly and Biblically

The website ChurchRelevance.com has had some great posts recently. Often it seems popular Christian thought is hopelessly muddled with pop psychology and post-modernist thinking. And among more theologically grounded Christian groups, culture and relevancy are topics that seem scarcely thought of. For that reason I am deeply encouraged to read someone clearly present a sound explanation of how the church should relate to culture.

The recent post, “Rick Warren on Engaging Culture Relevantly and Biblically,” is worth reading. I really like their posting style: bite-sized and “salty.” Definitely recommended reading.

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