- Feb 21, 2007
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I wrote this little essay for the benefit of a few friends and thought I'd share here.
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The other day, my wife asked me to watch a clip of Beth Moore on the TV. Beth Moore, evangelist, author, speaker. I admit, I dont listen to many of her lessons as they tend to be directed towards women, but have always respected her as an intelligent woman who speaks the Word of God powerfully. This lesson was no different she spoke on the power of our words for good or evil, and how we can do better by using Gods words over our own; after all, God is words are omnipotent and ours our merely potent. I enjoyed her teaching, and heartily agreed with its message.
As an illustration of her point, she discussed how God created: God said, let it be, and BAM! It was! She expanded (and I paraphrase): God said, let there be light, and BAM! There was light! Nothing can resist the powerful words of God when there is nothing and He makes the command, it appears immediately. No mistakes, no need for second tries, no need to go back and fix it it is simply done, and that is the end of the matter.
The above statements made me realize how deeply those feelings are embedded in mainstream evangelical thought; when the Genesis account is read, the immediacy of Gods actions appears to be so clear. Doesnt that immediacy express Gods power dramatically? That He could utter words and massive objects and unlimited space just appear? That he says let the land produce vegetation, and trees, flowers and other plants immediately rise from the dirt into fullness of life, forming forests, jungles, plains and fields? That he molds the form of a man from the dust of the ground, breathes into its nostrils, and immediately it comes to life? How could God possibly express His power and authority more strongly than through an instant response to His command?
However, this idea exists in complete contrast to the scenario presented by science. Tens of billions of years of slow, ponderous creation, leading to creation of a planet on which emerges a simple, microscopic, one-celled organism which, over a time period of around 4 billion years, evolves into man - who we believe to be God's ultimate goal. What purpose would God possibly have in taking this long to accomplish His intent? Why would God take such an indirect path if He were capable of doing it instantaneously? If God did achieve Creation in this way, what does it mean to us theologically?
What if there was no BAM?
I am reminded of a Looney Tunes cartoon, where Bugs Bunny finds himself in a conflict against a construction foreman. Near the end of the cartoon, Bugs is at the top of the work-in-progress high-rise building and sees the foreman (who hes been getting the best of for the entire clip) abuse his tiny co-worker. In a fit of righteous anger, what does Bugs do? Well, this is a Looney Tunes cartoon; its likely he could grab an anvil that just happened to conveniently be sitting close to him, drop it from anyplace on the roof, and it would inevitably land on the foremans head. Instead, Bugs studies the buildings architectural diagram for a moment, grabs a smoking-hot rivet with some tongs, steps over a few paces and drops it down a pipe. Over the next twenty seconds you see it wind an improbable route down the building; it bounces down stairs, falls off the edge of girders to be caught and redirected by whirling or turning equipment; even the abused worker gets in the act as the rivet falls on a load of bricks he is carrying, only to be propelled along its way when the worker discards the load. Eventually, the rivet lands on a rope that is suspending a trailer directly over the hapless foreman; it burns through the rope, dropping the heavy trailer on the foremans head.
Why did the creator of the cartoon decide on the latter option rather than the simpler, more immediate former? Both would accomplish the purpose of smashing the foreman on the head. The latter was more efficient and certainly consistent with other Looney Tunes cartoons. It required fewer cels (and thus, less work). However, the option he chose was far funnier; while the former displays Bugs uncanny luck, the latter shows that he is so smart that he can glance at the schematics and devise an overall path that not only takes advantage of the buildings structure, but of random elements as well, that would lead to the inevitable result. It is funnier because it implies that the end result is NOT due to pure luck, but to a definite, predetermined and seemingly impossible plan.
Exactly.
When God created the universe, He created the laws by which it operates. He is so intimate, so familiar with those laws that He can kick off the process and know where it will inevitably lead. When you attribute the scientific view to Gods power, it is amazing in that it demonstrates not only Gods incredible power and knowledge, but also His subtlety and patience. Most any Christian will admit that God is unlimited by time and space; this is demonstrated in a great way by sciences revealing of the true nature of exactly what God accomplished and how He accomplished it.
---------------------------------------------------------
The other day, my wife asked me to watch a clip of Beth Moore on the TV. Beth Moore, evangelist, author, speaker. I admit, I dont listen to many of her lessons as they tend to be directed towards women, but have always respected her as an intelligent woman who speaks the Word of God powerfully. This lesson was no different she spoke on the power of our words for good or evil, and how we can do better by using Gods words over our own; after all, God is words are omnipotent and ours our merely potent. I enjoyed her teaching, and heartily agreed with its message.
As an illustration of her point, she discussed how God created: God said, let it be, and BAM! It was! She expanded (and I paraphrase): God said, let there be light, and BAM! There was light! Nothing can resist the powerful words of God when there is nothing and He makes the command, it appears immediately. No mistakes, no need for second tries, no need to go back and fix it it is simply done, and that is the end of the matter.
The above statements made me realize how deeply those feelings are embedded in mainstream evangelical thought; when the Genesis account is read, the immediacy of Gods actions appears to be so clear. Doesnt that immediacy express Gods power dramatically? That He could utter words and massive objects and unlimited space just appear? That he says let the land produce vegetation, and trees, flowers and other plants immediately rise from the dirt into fullness of life, forming forests, jungles, plains and fields? That he molds the form of a man from the dust of the ground, breathes into its nostrils, and immediately it comes to life? How could God possibly express His power and authority more strongly than through an instant response to His command?
However, this idea exists in complete contrast to the scenario presented by science. Tens of billions of years of slow, ponderous creation, leading to creation of a planet on which emerges a simple, microscopic, one-celled organism which, over a time period of around 4 billion years, evolves into man - who we believe to be God's ultimate goal. What purpose would God possibly have in taking this long to accomplish His intent? Why would God take such an indirect path if He were capable of doing it instantaneously? If God did achieve Creation in this way, what does it mean to us theologically?
What if there was no BAM?
I am reminded of a Looney Tunes cartoon, where Bugs Bunny finds himself in a conflict against a construction foreman. Near the end of the cartoon, Bugs is at the top of the work-in-progress high-rise building and sees the foreman (who hes been getting the best of for the entire clip) abuse his tiny co-worker. In a fit of righteous anger, what does Bugs do? Well, this is a Looney Tunes cartoon; its likely he could grab an anvil that just happened to conveniently be sitting close to him, drop it from anyplace on the roof, and it would inevitably land on the foremans head. Instead, Bugs studies the buildings architectural diagram for a moment, grabs a smoking-hot rivet with some tongs, steps over a few paces and drops it down a pipe. Over the next twenty seconds you see it wind an improbable route down the building; it bounces down stairs, falls off the edge of girders to be caught and redirected by whirling or turning equipment; even the abused worker gets in the act as the rivet falls on a load of bricks he is carrying, only to be propelled along its way when the worker discards the load. Eventually, the rivet lands on a rope that is suspending a trailer directly over the hapless foreman; it burns through the rope, dropping the heavy trailer on the foremans head.
Why did the creator of the cartoon decide on the latter option rather than the simpler, more immediate former? Both would accomplish the purpose of smashing the foreman on the head. The latter was more efficient and certainly consistent with other Looney Tunes cartoons. It required fewer cels (and thus, less work). However, the option he chose was far funnier; while the former displays Bugs uncanny luck, the latter shows that he is so smart that he can glance at the schematics and devise an overall path that not only takes advantage of the buildings structure, but of random elements as well, that would lead to the inevitable result. It is funnier because it implies that the end result is NOT due to pure luck, but to a definite, predetermined and seemingly impossible plan.
Exactly.
When God created the universe, He created the laws by which it operates. He is so intimate, so familiar with those laws that He can kick off the process and know where it will inevitably lead. When you attribute the scientific view to Gods power, it is amazing in that it demonstrates not only Gods incredible power and knowledge, but also His subtlety and patience. Most any Christian will admit that God is unlimited by time and space; this is demonstrated in a great way by sciences revealing of the true nature of exactly what God accomplished and how He accomplished it.
