Daniel Deen: Thank God for Evolution

[Ashwin_s]

@Philosurfer

Okay, this is a good point. I agree that the reasoning behind evolution to a scientist qua scientist will reject the supernatural. In the same way that a theologian qua theologian will reject materialism.

Precisely, and it is the adoption of this reasoning behind evolution that allows people to ignore the evidence for Jesus resurrection. In such a mindset, resurrection is not a possibility to be considered and the incompleteness of any natural explanation is explained by gaps in our understanding of the history.So, its important to point out that evolution is the inference to the best explanation, provided there is no God acting in the universe.
Since God exists, evolution is not the “inference to the best explanation” in all cases.

@Philosurfer

I trust Jesus’ experience more than my own…

Doesnt make any difference. You haven’t experienced “Jesus Experience”. Our belief in him is a product of the holy Spirit working in us to convict us of his reality.Hence every argument/witness is content for the Spirit to work with. Without Grace, no one will believe any way. The Gospel itself is a means of grace.

@Philosurfer

I agree, but there is an ordering that Scripture seems to reveal in how we approach or understand the different aspects of the Trinity – I’ll defend a Christocentricity where Christ is the norm in Scripture. This means, my epistemic foundation is always in and through Jesus. The Spirit works in me on account of Christ and for the sake of Christ, and it is in and through Christ that I know the Father.” Thus, you are correct that diminishing God, would diminish Christ. The only way I’d know God was actually diminished would be through the loss/diminishing of Jesus.

Do you actually think that diminishing the “supernatural” work of God will not diminish the fact of the resurrection or any of Jesus miracles? I also adopt a christocentricity where christ is the norm in scripture. And Christ is involved in creation. All things are created through him. apart from him nothing was created. If you want to see whether Christ is diminished, just approach the gospels with the same “zeitgeist” behind evolution.
In a certain sense using the word “natural” itself is wrong. Everything is from God. when we think of the “natural” as something that could exist of its own apart from God, we are in serious error. And this is a very clear risk with evolution. The idea that nature can create itself given enough time, props up nature as an alternate creator.
There is only one I AM… in whom and from whom all of us have our being.

@Jordan

They often see this idea of God usually working “through nature, rather than overriding nature” as God being “bigger” to them than if He were to use a constant de novo creation.

Except that when they explain exactly how this happens, God is behind the curtains. Hidden so that no one can detect a trace of his actions. So much so that, all life could be explained equally well whether there is a God or not. This is because the xplanation does not require Gods wisdom or power… All that is hidden behind contingency and “stochastic processes”.
IMHO they mostly over estimate the “explanatory power” of evolution.
Edit: This might be a good way fro scientist to approach biology. Its not a good way fro theologians to approach creation.