The Redemption of Science

I had an interesting time last night. I participated in a webex video/teleconference with Chuck Colson and 90 members of his Centurions program -- a program whose aim is to "develop and equip an ongoing fellowship of [Christians] to shape our culture by thinking, teaching and advocating effectively the Christian worldview as applied to all of life."

Last night's topic was Intelligent Design. This is a topic I've been interested in for some time, but have never taken the time to study. Our speaker last night was Jay Richards, Vice President of the Discovery Institute.

Presently there seems to be a bit of a rift in the Christian community between the Intelligent Design group and the Creationism group. The main difference I can see between the two groups is that Creationism purposes to prove a literal interpretation of the bible true. For instance, a creationist would believe in a literal six days of creation and therefore have a goal to prove the young age of the earth.

On the other hand, Intelligent Design seems to be more concerned with the underlying philosophy that drives science and from that base encourages well-founded science. Science is invariably affected by the worldview or philosophy of life that the scientist holds. For instance, Christianity was a great motivator for early science because Christian scientists felt that if the universe was created by God -- an intelligent, thoughtful being -- then the natural world was knowable. This philosophy drove scientists like Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal to discovery.

Things changed, however, with Charles Darwin and his work The Origin of the Species. Darwin's worldview or underlying philosophy did not include God. He was an atheist and as such required a science that excluded the possibility of an intelligent creator -- "chance" and "self" were Darwin's gods. His work subsequently gave credence to the theory of materialism. Materialism suggests that "physical matter is the only or fundamental reality and that all being and processes and phenomena can be explained as manifestations or results of matter".1 Famous Darwinist Ernst Mayr stated in his book Toward a new Philosophy of Biology, "It must be admitted that Darwinism has achieved acceptance less by irrefutable proofs in its favor and more by the default of opposing theories." In other words, Darwinists don't believe in a creator, and since there are now other options, evolution must be true.

That is a very telling admission and the primary reason that the underlying philosophy driving evolution must be addressed. Through a thoughtful challenge to evolution's underlying philosophies, science can become not an opponent of an intelligent designer, but a supporter. This revives for us Romans 1:20 which states, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

That's an exciting proposition. The idea that science can be redeemed has great implications. Currently a scientist who holds to theism is relegated to the periphery of science and rarely taken seriously. They commit professional suicide. If intelligent design is plausible and indeed possible a significant obstacle to faith in God will be removed and a scientist can once again recognize their creator without fear of reprisal. This may already be happening. It's interesting to note that the Director of the Human Genome project is Dr. Francis Collins. A once ardent atheist, he's been "surprised by joy". You can read a bit of his story on the PBS website The Question of God. It's a fascinating website, book, and video series and well worth a look.

Happy Birthday to Me

I'm a year older today.

We had a nice little party on the weekend with my family. My daughter and son gave me socks and a travel mug, and as usual, my sister picked out clothes for me that I would never pick out myself, but that always look good on me. My parents got me a book I wanted very much, and my wife bought me an amazing jacket.

I had a great birthday.

So what pearls of wisdom have I learned this past year? What has impacted me the most, you ask? Here's a little something that I've been mulling in my mind for quite some time now...

In evangelical circles we often talk of God meeting our needs, of God blessing us (financially, materially, etc), and sometimes we tread in the area of the Prayer of Jabez where we ask God to increase our territory, etc.

Phil. 4:19 says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."

So what is a need? I believe that there are two types of needs. There are actual needs, and there are perceived needs. Some actual needs would, for instance, be air to breath or a job to support your family. A perceived need is something that we create. We treat it as an actual need, but in reality it is not a need at all.

The economics of capitalism thrives on the idea of perceived needs. Since capitalism's ultimate goal is to make (and increase) profits, people must be convinced to purchase goods or use services. However, getting people to part with their money is not always easy. It is much easier to sell something to someone if they think they "need" it, rather than if they just think that they "want" it. Enter the world of advertising.

Advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry whose sole purpose is to create perceived needs for people. Advertising pervades every area of our lives. You cannot look anywhere without seeing some form of advertising. Advertising is also becoming very sophisticated. Data is being gathered by the truckload with the express purpose of allowing a company to market specifically to you in a very personal fashion.

Some people think that they're not affected by advertising. The truth is, advertising has become so subversive that we don't even realize its impact on our lives, decisions, etc. We are, to varying degrees, constantly being manipulated. I think this has grave implications in terms of our understanding of "needs", especially with respect to Phil. 4:19.

If we believe that we have "needs" and yet they are not actual "needs" then we place inappropriate expectations on God. We may think that we need a car, but actually, we only "need" the bus. That doesn't mean that having the car is wrong, but we need to have appropriate expectations of God.

That's not say that we shouldn't be thankful to God for everything. However, we don't want to become like a child with too many toys—completely numb to the blessings around them. It's important to close the gap between our actual needs and our perceived needs. In doing that, I think we'll find that the true blessings in our lives are small things— things that we easily overlook if we're focused on the new boat, or the car, or the house.

It's sacramental living. That's what I'm taking with me into year thirty-two.

cheers,
greg.

Sagan and the Biersteker

The blog below was written by my friend Jaime as a journal reflection for his Christian Worldview program with Chuck Colson. I thought it was good and asked if I could blog it. He said yes, so here it is...


This week I am fixated on the ideas of Carl Sagan as I best understand them (particularly as evidenced through the movie, Contact). While differences in origins are a huge difference between his worldview and Christianity, it is interesting that both acknowledge that there is something wrong with the world.

In the case of Sagan, it would seem to be a predisposition to say that man has either misappropriated the technology he has at hand or a frustration with the fact that at present it doesn'’t provide the Nirvana so hoped for (in Contact Jodie Foster’s question about how the aliens survived the infant stages of their technology). In particular, this reverts back to a belief in Spaceship Earth, and the idea that the biggest problem we as mankind face is through ruining what they believe is the only hope and reality we as humankind have (environmentalists thus take on a religious zeal when it comes to protecting the planet). Realizing that they have a problem which may be beyond themselves, they do not turn towards God, but put their faith in a search for aliens, who they mistakenly believe hold the keys not only to the origins of life, but also for the answers for humankind to escape the torture that technology has inflicted on us (pollution). So what can we agree on?

First, we can acknowledge that there needs to be an answer beyond sinful, fallible man. Rather than aliens, and hope in the created cosmos, we look to an eternal creator, God for our answers.

Secondly we can acknowledge that there is something wrong in humankind. While they would attribute it to non-reverence for the earth, a Christian would certainly acknowledge that man'’s inner sinfulness is capable of great disasters, including that to the environment (though not beyond the scope of God’s power).

Christians need to get off the “Conservative” bandwagon and be willing to investigate that man’'s selfishness may in fact be having more of a detrimental effect then we are willing to admit. While there has certainly been untruth and propoganda within the environmental movement, there is also the possibility that we need to heed these people. They may be the vessels through which God is calling Christians to better acknowledge our failure as caretakers of God’s creation. This may be the way we build bridges.

I'm Worth More Than $6/hour

Pet Peeve #101

Last night my wife went out and had coffee with a friend. I stayed home with the kids. I mentioned this to a woman I know. Her response was, "Oh, you're babysitting tonight!".

For the record, I was NOT BABYSITTING. I was parenting. There's a difference. Babysitting is what you do for kids that are not your own.

Teenage girls babysit for money to buy silly socks (that is what our babysitter tells me).

I am not a teenage girl and I do not have a problem affording silly socks.

I hate the implication that, because I am man, I am so significantly disconnected from my family that staying at home with my kids without my wife is considered babysitting. I am a father and I'm worth a heck of a lot more than $6 an hour (so my wife tells me).

cheers,
greg.

PS. I've had a blog meter running for a couple of weeks now that measures activity on my blog. It looks like people are actually reading this stuff. Thanks to everyone who stops by. Feel free to leave comments with the comment feature attached to each blog. I'd love to hear from everyone. --greg.

Return to Sender

Here's a story that will break your heart...

"Fourteen years ago, Romanian-born Alexandra Austin was adopted by Ontario surgical resident Joseph John Austin and his wife Silvana di Giacomo. The couple is now divorced: he is a prominent doctor in Bellevue, Wash., near Seattle; she is a resident of Rome.

But after five months in the Austins' Ancaster home, Alexandra was driven to the airport and put on a plane for return to Bucharest. Shortly afterward, the Austins adopted a Romanian baby girl."

--------------

I blame this on Sears Canada's return policy.

As a culture, we've been conditioned to believe that everything is returnable if we're not 100% satisfied. I remember when I worked for Sears Customer Service, a guy brought back a 10 year old barbeque. He argued that, since it was still in it's original box and he'd never used it, he should be able to return it. Amazingly, he got his money back.

I think I'd be nervous having Dr. Austin as a surgeon. I'd like my surgeon to have a healthy respect for human life.


This is the link for the full story:
Toronto Star - "Rejected adoptee launches $7M suit"

g.

Graphic Design

I have nothing especially interesing to write about today. I am just blogging for blogging's sake. I worked almost every day and night last week and I worked all weekend...and here I am again...working (with the obvious exception of this blogging break). I've been a graphic designer for almost 10 years and every year I get busier and busier. That's good, I guess, since I'm a freelancer. However, some things do tend to wear on the nerves a bit. When people find out that I'm a graphic designer inevitably they will say "Oh, that must be fun".

Being Paris Hilton is fun.

Pouring all of my time, creative energy, and experience into a job in order to visually communicate a client's message is not fun.

It's hard.

But I enjoy it.

Really, I do.

Today I handed over three cover roughs to a publishing company I work for. I have spent hours upon hours slaving over these covers. Here is the reponse I got, "We really got a chuckle out of one of the covers..." Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be funny. Fortunately they liked the other two roughs.

I guess that makes today a good day.

BTW, I hate it when people think that they are graphic designers simply because they have a computer and some pirated design software. OK, I've said my piece...I feel better now.

cheers,
greg.

The Best Home Theatre Ever...

I got a phone call today at work from my three year old daughter. She said, "Daddy, you and I are going to watch a movie tonight—Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. And we're going to have popcorn and turn out the lights—it will be just like a movie theatre!"

And so we did. We curled up on the couch and ate popcorn, shared a Barq's rootbeer, and watched Snow White. I enjoyed that movie in a way that I never have before—the artwork, the score, the humour—because I was sharing it with my daughter. She ran for it when the Woodsman pulled a knife on Snow White and whenever the Evil Stepmother was on the screen. I coaxed her back and put my arms around her for comfort. It was hallowed time. Something special we shared that, in a way, sanctified our little homemade movie theatre.

I have no idea how my daughter knows what a movie theatre is like. In fact, she knows a lot of things that my wife and I didn't teach her. She's going to turn four very soon and her world is getting bigger. That's a scary thought for me. I want to be able to protect my little girl from the metaphorical Evil Stepmothers of the world. The other day she called me "her superhero". I want to always be her superhero.

However, I'm not naive. I realize that her world is getting bigger and she's going to have to make her own way. She's going to have experiences and be shaped as a person. She's going to make decisions and sometimes get hurt. She's going to fall in love and probably break a few hearts. She's going to find out that I'm not a superhero. Oh man that's hard, but it's real.

So I commit her to God and pray that she knows how much her mother and I love her. And I look forward to every chance we get to share a bowl of popcorn and a little piece of heaven.

Wisdom Teeth

My wife got her wisdom teeth out yesterday. She's feeling pretty rough right now. I've taken a couple days off work to be at home with the kids. I thought I might be able to get some work done at home—that is not going to happen. As it turns out, kids are a lot of work when you don't have any help. :) I once heard that a stay-at-home mom does the equivalent of two jobs worth of work per day. I have now tested that theory and believe it to be true.

I think I'll have to take my wife out for a really nice dinner when her mouth feels better—without the kids.

greg.

PS. Apparently I sent my daughter to preschool this morning with her pants on backwards. She wasn't complaining, but I may be out of the running for father of the year. :(

The New Mac mini

If you haven't seen the new mac mini, you need to. It's a great little machine and affordable (finally!). It's nice to see that macs aren't prohibitively expensive anymore. Now everyone can enjoy using a decent computer. :)

greg.