Lesson 7 Sociology: The Divine Imprint

Lesson 7 was one of the best.  I know, I've say that about all of them...but it really was.

 

Dr. Tackett began by looking at the chicken egg and explaining how intricate and well designed it is.  Then by means of subtle sarcasm he noted that the chicken egg has a problem (if it's really a product of evolution) because it suffers from "ORDER." This is because random, purposeless, mindless forces should produce a random, purposeless, mindless cosmos.  But the egg shows that this is not what we have. We have order, structure and lost of stuff that seems to have a purpose.

 

Dr. T quoted several Scripture's which were very applicable. These are from the NIV.  

Job 25:2 "Dominion and awe belong to God; He establishes order in the heights of heaven."   

1 Cor. 14:33 "For God is not a God of disorder..."  

James 3:16 "For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." 

 

The point is that God is a God of order and disorder and confusion are not in His nature.

 

Dr. Del said that Order is seen in the systems God created which are countless and incredible because of the perfect harmony, order & relationship both within the system itself and in relationship to the systems around it. Examples are The Atom, Cellular system, Skeletal system, Circulatory system, Photosynthesis, Coral reefs, Metamorphosis, Pollination, Water cycle, Lunar tides, the Solar system and on and on... He then drew our attention to God's social order which is found in Family, Church, Law, Politics, Economics, Art, Music, Literature and so on. These are not the results of chance but of a God who sets them in motion and maintains His creation.

 

Here are some good comments by Melvin in an email and my thought back to him:

 

Mike,

 

I found the comparison of the 3s interesting. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Husband, wife, and children.  Church, leaders, and members.  They all have the same relationships, privileges, and responsibilities. Take the relationships of any of these spheres and compare them to either of the other 2 spheres and they are pretty much the same.

 

Since the God head sphere is so intimate and unique it models a very unique relationship for the family and church. Neat.

 

Yet it also models a very significant amount of responsibility. We must “play our role” properly in both of the spheres in which we live and associate. Challenging.

 

Melvin

 

My Response:

 

Well said Melvin.

 

I agree, it is very neat. The idea of unity within diversity is certainly a Trinitarian theme. Seeing this in a variety of relationship is one of those wonderful theological quirks we can enjoy as we make sense of God's creation and rightly see His creative hand weaving all things together. 

 

I suppose we would want to be careful about thinking this way about every relationship in that the pattern analogy can go too far, but I do think that there are very many things which God has made to reflect who He is.  It seems to be one way he communicates important principles.  Typology, I think, is this sort of deep indirect communication to us; one where we can look back at what God has done and have that "Ah...ha!" experience. But also one where we can look at what God is doing in the present and be assured that his purposes are being sovereignly worked out.    

 

Michael 

 

By the way, I invited Dr. Tackett to our church for March 13th. I sent the invitation through Focus on the Family and here is their response: 

 

Dear Michael:

 

Warm greetings, and many thanks for your recent e-mail to Focus on the Family’s The Truth Project®.  We’re encouraged to learn of your participation in this endeavor, and you can be sure we will forward your kind invitation to Dr. Tackett’s office for follow-up.  Grace and peace to you!

 

Kathryn Lisle
Focus on the Family

 

Who knows, maybe he will make appearance.  I'll certainly see if I can remind him at the prayer breakfast on March 12th.

Lesson 6 History - Whose Story?

Lesson 6 was quite thought provoking considering how much historical revisionism we deal with in America today.

 

I received an email from Melvin and I want to share his insightful comments:

 

Mike,

This was an interesting presentation as all have been.  Lots of discussion matter.

One section I hadn't heard about was the fact the Pilgrims considered their colonization to be a stepping stone for the advancement of the Gospel in North America.  Wasn't stated exactly that way, but as Dr. Tackett presented what he did, they didn't come to America just to escape persecution but to further the Gospel.  They were willing to die to see that happen.  

 

The question is how willing are we to be part of God's Story even when it isn't comfortable?  Do we feel God owes us a comfortable existence or are we just as willing to give up some comfort to further His plan?  We probably all would say we're here to do His bidding, but may be very reluctant to give up our wants and desires when He asks us to follow Him through the rough spots.  Not an easy decision in reality.

 

Melvin

While thinking through lesson 6 this week I found this interesting comment regarding revisionism that I think connects well with this lesson.  This is from Probe ministries.  I don't know a lot about the ministry or the director Kirby Anderson but I think he did a good job of answering a question on his web site regarding historical revisionism. His comments are certainly applicable to what we heard from Dr. Tackett.

 

In Christ,

 

Michael

 

Dear Kerby,

I have heard you discuss the topic of historical revisionism on radio. I told my son about this, and he doesn't believe it. Do you have some examples of how our history has been revised from the original?

Many historians have wanted to secularize our founders. Take this quote from W.E. Woodward. He wrote that "The name of Jesus Christ is not mentioned even once in the vast collection of Washington's published letters." (1)

Anyone who has read some of Washington's writing knows he mentions God and divine providence. But it isn't too difficult to also find times in which he mentions Jesus Christ. For example, when George Washington wrote to the Delaware Indian Chiefs (June 12, 1779) he said: "You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do every thing they can to assist you in this wise intention." (2)

Other examples are also available. For example, a well-worn, handwritten prayer book found among Washington's personal writings after his death had the name "Jesus Christ" used sixteen times. (3)

Often historical revisionism is done by selective omission. Consider this famous quote from a book on American history by Kenneth Davis.(4) In 1775, Patrick Henry asked, "Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?" Davis then picks up the quote again with the final statement by Patrick Henry: "I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

Technically the quote is correct, but what is missing is very important. The entire quote should read: "Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death."

Davis does the same thing when he cites the Mayflower Compact. "We whose names are under-written . . . do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine our selves together into a civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid."(5)

Some important points are omitted. The section should read: "We whose names are under-written having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our king and country, a voyage to the first colonie in the Northern parts of Virginia do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine our selves together into a civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid."

Some of the best documented cases of historical revision were provided by the work of Paul Vitz and funded by the U.S. Department of Education. He notes that "One social studies book has thirty pages on the Pilgrims, including the first Thanksgiving. But there is not one word (or image) that referred to religion as even a part of the Pilgrims' life." (6)

Another textbook said that "Pilgrims are people who take long trips." They were described entirely without reference to religion. One reference said the Pilgrims "wanted to give thanks for all they had" but never mentioned that it was God to whom they wanted to give thanks.(7)

Historical revisionism is a sad fact of American education today. Students are not getting the whole story, and often references to religion and Christianity are left out.

Kerby Anderson
Probe Ministries

Notes

1. W.E. Woodward, George Washington: The Image and the Man (New York: Boni and Liverlight, 1926), 142.

2. George Washington, The Writings of George Washington (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1932), Vol. XV, 55.

3. Manuscript Prayer-Book Written by George Washington (Philadelphia, 1891).

4. Kenneth C. Davis, Don't Know Much About History (New York: Avon Books, 1990), 61.

5. Davis, 21.

6. Paul Vitz, Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's Textbooks (Michigan: Servant Books, 1986), 3.

7. Vitz, 18-19.

Suggested Reading

David Barton, Original Intent (Aledo, TX: WallBuilders Press, 1996), Chapter 16.

Paul Vitz, Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's Textbooks (Michigan: Servant Books, 1986

About the Author

Kerby Anderson is National Director of Probe Ministries International. He holds masters degrees from Yale University (science) and from Georgetown University (government). He is the author of several books, including Christian Ethics in Plain Language, Genetic Engineering, Origin Science, Signs of Warning, Signs of Hope and Making the Most of Your Money in Tough Times. His new series with Harvest House Publishers includes: A Biblical Point of View on Islam, A Biblical Point of View on Homosexuality, A Biblical Point of View on Intelligent Design and A Biblical Point of View on Spiritual Warfare. He is the host of "Point of View" (USA Radio Network) and regular guest on "Prime Time America" (Moody Broadcasting Network) and "Fire Away" (American Family Radio). He produces a daily syndicated radio commentary and writes editorials that have appeared in papers such as the Dallas Morning News, the Miami Herald, the San Jose Mercury, and the Houston Post.     

 

Here is a web link to the March 12th visit by Dr. Tackett. http://www.blogger.com/ It would be great if a bunch of us could attend.  Let me know what you think.

Thoughts on Lesson 5 (Parts 1&2)

I held off a bit on this post because I wanted to get through parts 1& 2 of lesson 5 before I commented so I could talk about what Dr. Tackett had to say but all I can think to say is “WOW!”  There were so many things he covered in this lesson that I’m not sure where to start. I did get a few thoughts from Melvin Isaac that I want to pass on. 

Melvin had this to say: “It is interesting in Lesson 5 how Dr. Tackett used the statements of staunch Darwin backers to show that modern science can’t support evolution.  Darwin realized that if the fossil record didn’t prove it his theory wasn’t valid.

It was almost comical some of the statements the proponents made even to the extent they realize evolution isn’t possible but they will continue to champion it because they don’t want to accept creationism. 

While it makes one chuckle it is also sobering because they continue to push their bias on those who aren’t aware of the fallacies of evolution.  They try to maintain their upper hand by bullying others; in doing so they degrade the scientific method which is supposed to be so removed from personal bias.

The power of the world has blinded their eyes.”      Those are great comments from Melvin but even better, Melvin informed me that Dr. Tackett will be speaking in Boise on March 12 the 2011 (more information on that Sunday).   

Some additional thoughts: One thing that is important for us as Christians to understand is that when someone talks about evolution, we need to ask them what they mean by that word.  This is because there are several ways to use the word. If we say some idea or process evolved we are perhaps simply stating an obvious observation. But if we are talking about the Darwinian paradigm of macro-evolution this is very different for example from micro-evolution.  

Macro evolution (large Scale) represents the idea that living creatures went through a sort of trans-species’ migration over time (fishes to monkeys to humans) while micro-evolution simply means changes within species based on environment, adaptation, breading and other factors which respond to various demands for changes.  These micro (small scale) changes are evident not only in animals and attributes of animals, such as finch beak sizes and shapes, lions to kitties, monkey’s to apes etc, but also humans adapt in a similar way, as in very tall and very small folks, white, black and other shades of folks etc.  So Christians can say that they believe in the idea of changes within kinds (species) just not one kind changing into another kind.  

But why did Darwin and his followers want to embrace the idea of macro-evolution?   Well, as Dr. Tackett noted: “Darwinism’s theory of evolution is so influential and embraced so devoutly by people because it gives them a way to say there is no God, which is what the human heart (unregenerate) wants anyway.

If you want to read up on these sort things here are a few book suggestions: In the Beginning was Information by Werner Gitt, Intelligent Design by William A. Dembski, Signs of Intelligence edited by William Dembski & James Kushiner, Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds & Darvin on Trial by Phillip E. Johnson. For an easier read try the Case For a Creator by Lee Stroble, On Guard & Reasonable Faith by William Lane Craig and Signature in the Cell by Steven C Meyer.  There are a lot of other great books but these are good to start with.

See you Sunday,

In Christ,

Michael