NO FINAL CONFLICT
Psalm 119:105
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
There has been a tendency among some evangelicals to worry about scientific opinion. For example, there has been a drive to reinterpret Genesis in the light of evolutionary theory, and, although that drive is decades old, it has accelerated among conservative evangelicals in the last ten years or so. The tendency seems to be to panic whenever a new scientific idea appears that seems to be opposed to the Bible.
Francis Schaeffer, although not a young earth creationist, nevertheless had some wise words on the issue. In his book, No Final Conflict, he said:
When we face apparent problems between present scientific theories and the teaching of the Bible, the first rule is not to panic, as though scientific theory is always right. The history of science, including science in our own day, has often seen great dogmatism about theories which later have been discarded. Thus there is no inherent reason why a current scientific theory should immediately be accepted. And there is no inherent reason why a Christian should be put in a panic because the current scientific theory is opposite to what is taught in the Bible.
Schaeffer reminds us that science has never been an overpowering magisterium, and there is no reason for us to consider it so today. He is basically asking whether or not we have the confidence to assert that, in the event of conflict between science and the word of God, it is the word of God that we consider to be of primary importance and against which we will judge other opinions.
You spoke the truth in Your word, Lord. We are sorry that some circumstances ever made us doubt Your word. Help us to have the boldness always to declare the truth of Your word. Amen.
Ref: Schaeffer, F.A. (1975), No Final Conflict, in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer Volume 2, (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books), p. 130. Image: Adobe Stock Images, licensed to author.
Psalm 119:105
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
There has been a tendency among some evangelicals to worry about scientific opinion. For example, there has been a drive to reinterpret Genesis in the light of evolutionary theory, and, although that drive is decades old, it has accelerated among conservative evangelicals in the last ten years or so. The tendency seems to be to panic whenever a new scientific idea appears that seems to be opposed to the Bible.
Francis Schaeffer, although not a young earth creationist, nevertheless had some wise words on the issue. In his book, No Final Conflict, he said:
When we face apparent problems between present scientific theories and the teaching of the Bible, the first rule is not to panic, as though scientific theory is always right. The history of science, including science in our own day, has often seen great dogmatism about theories which later have been discarded. Thus there is no inherent reason why a current scientific theory should immediately be accepted. And there is no inherent reason why a Christian should be put in a panic because the current scientific theory is opposite to what is taught in the Bible.
Schaeffer reminds us that science has never been an overpowering magisterium, and there is no reason for us to consider it so today. He is basically asking whether or not we have the confidence to assert that, in the event of conflict between science and the word of God, it is the word of God that we consider to be of primary importance and against which we will judge other opinions.
You spoke the truth in Your word, Lord. We are sorry that some circumstances ever made us doubt Your word. Help us to have the boldness always to declare the truth of Your word. Amen.
Ref: Schaeffer, F.A. (1975), No Final Conflict, in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer Volume 2, (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books), p. 130. Image: Adobe Stock Images, licensed to author.
ONE GENESIS BOOK
Genesis 12:3
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis is one book. That might seem pretty obvious to many of you, and yet sometimes we have given the impression that it is two books. The first book runs from chapter one through chapter eleven. The second is from chapter twelve onward.
In Genesis 12, we are introduced to Abraham – although he has been briefly mentioned in Genesis 11. Abraham is our great example of faith and righteousness, and most Christians trace the biblical life of faith back to him and, therefore, read everything about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph as historical narrative. But many Christians, and even many pastors, take an allegorical approach to the first eleven chapters because they cannot face the implications of those first eleven chapters being literally true.
As creationists, we have understandably concentrated on refuting the allegorical interpretation of the beginning of Genesis, and, consequently, a lot of our effort is aimed at those first eleven chapters. In doing so, we have neglected everything after chapter eleven and reinforced the appearance of two books.
It is my contention that Genesis is one book – a unified whole. Francis Schaeffer strongly supported this viewpoint when he said, “God… gave us religious truths in a book of history and a book that touches on the cosmos as well. What sense does it make for God to give us true religious truths and at the same time place them in a book that is wrong when it touches history and the cosmos?”
To have full confidence in the biographies of Abraham and his descendants, we need equal confidence in the unity of the whole.
Thank You that we learn so much from every part of Your word. Teach us to draw closer to You, please, Lord. Amen.
Ref: Schaeffer, F. A. (1975), No Final Conflict, in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer Volume 2, (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books), p. 124. Image: Adobe Stock Images, licensed to author.
Genesis 12:3
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
Genesis is one book. That might seem pretty obvious to many of you, and yet sometimes we have given the impression that it is two books. The first book runs from chapter one through chapter eleven. The second is from chapter twelve onward.
In Genesis 12, we are introduced to Abraham – although he has been briefly mentioned in Genesis 11. Abraham is our great example of faith and righteousness, and most Christians trace the biblical life of faith back to him and, therefore, read everything about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph as historical narrative. But many Christians, and even many pastors, take an allegorical approach to the first eleven chapters because they cannot face the implications of those first eleven chapters being literally true.
As creationists, we have understandably concentrated on refuting the allegorical interpretation of the beginning of Genesis, and, consequently, a lot of our effort is aimed at those first eleven chapters. In doing so, we have neglected everything after chapter eleven and reinforced the appearance of two books.
It is my contention that Genesis is one book – a unified whole. Francis Schaeffer strongly supported this viewpoint when he said, “God… gave us religious truths in a book of history and a book that touches on the cosmos as well. What sense does it make for God to give us true religious truths and at the same time place them in a book that is wrong when it touches history and the cosmos?”
To have full confidence in the biographies of Abraham and his descendants, we need equal confidence in the unity of the whole.
Thank You that we learn so much from every part of Your word. Teach us to draw closer to You, please, Lord. Amen.
Ref: Schaeffer, F. A. (1975), No Final Conflict, in The Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer Volume 2, (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books), p. 124. Image: Adobe Stock Images, licensed to author.
THE SOULS OF HARAN
Genesis 12:5
“And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came
In Genesis 12:5, we read about Abram leaving Haran. Among his party were people acquired in Haran, as the NKJV, ESV, and CSB versions put it. The KJV and the earlier Geneva Bible refer to the ones taken from Haran as “the souls that they had gotten in Haran”. The Hebrew word being translated here is nephesh – a word that refers to the breath of life; an in-pouring of the Spirit. It is probably right to assume that these were, in fact, people but that Abram and Sarai had acquired their souls. In other words, these were converts.
Abram had come from a wealthy, pagan home. God reminded the Israelites, through Joshua in Joshua 24, that “Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.” Yet Abram had obeyed God’s voice while he was still in Ur. It seems likely to me that Abram’s faith in God was something he did not keep to himself. This may be conjecture on my part, but it seems to me that some people in Haran must have listened to Abram’s account of this living and true God, who he was serving, and also believed in the Lord; so much so that they accompanied Abram, their spiritual father, on his sojourn.
Salvation is found in You alone, Lord. Help us to proclaim to others the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that we might be those who acquire souls for Your kingdom. Amen.
Ref: Taylor, P.F. (2010), Itching Ears, (Castle Rock, WA: J6D Publications), pp. 189-210. Image: Ben-Peter Scotton, commissioned by the author, used with permission.
Genesis 12:5
“And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came
In Genesis 12:5, we read about Abram leaving Haran. Among his party were people acquired in Haran, as the NKJV, ESV, and CSB versions put it. The KJV and the earlier Geneva Bible refer to the ones taken from Haran as “the souls that they had gotten in Haran”. The Hebrew word being translated here is nephesh – a word that refers to the breath of life; an in-pouring of the Spirit. It is probably right to assume that these were, in fact, people but that Abram and Sarai had acquired their souls. In other words, these were converts.
Abram had come from a wealthy, pagan home. God reminded the Israelites, through Joshua in Joshua 24, that “Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.” Yet Abram had obeyed God’s voice while he was still in Ur. It seems likely to me that Abram’s faith in God was something he did not keep to himself. This may be conjecture on my part, but it seems to me that some people in Haran must have listened to Abram’s account of this living and true God, who he was serving, and also believed in the Lord; so much so that they accompanied Abram, their spiritual father, on his sojourn.
Salvation is found in You alone, Lord. Help us to proclaim to others the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that we might be those who acquire souls for Your kingdom. Amen.
Ref: Taylor, P.F. (2010), Itching Ears, (Castle Rock, WA: J6D Publications), pp. 189-210. Image: Ben-Peter Scotton, commissioned by the author, used with permission.
THE SCIENCE OF THE LAWGIVER
Genesis 2:1
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.”
An article in the New Scientist magazine suggests that the Reformation was a spur to scientific development. In their minds, Luther was a rebel, and it was this attitude of rebellion that led to the free-thinking required for modern science to develop. The article actually favorably compares the courage of Luther’s “Here I Stand” speech with Galileo’s easy capitulation on the subject of the Earth orbiting the Sun.
Many of today’s scientists have little truck with belief in God. Even those who do believe do not ascribe importance to God’s work, still believing that evolution has everything to get it started.
Scientific principles should, however, be repeatable, under the same conditions. There is a uniformity and predictability to scientific laws. Yet, evolution suggests that progress has proceeded by random changes. In practice, these sort of random changes do not happen.
Creationists expect scientific laws to stand firm. That is because we live in a universe created by God. It is this knowledge which has led thinkers down the ages to recognize scientific laws. C.S. Lewis says:
Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a Legislator. In most modern scientists this belief has died: it will be interesting to see how long their confidence in uniformity survives it. Two significant developments have already appeared – the hypothesis of a lawless sub-nature, and the surrender of the claim that science is true. We may be living nearer than we suppose to the end of the Scientific Age.
Thank You, Lord, that You have put scientific laws in place so that we can make predictions and study Your wonderful universe. Amen.
Genesis 2:1
“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.”
An article in the New Scientist magazine suggests that the Reformation was a spur to scientific development. In their minds, Luther was a rebel, and it was this attitude of rebellion that led to the free-thinking required for modern science to develop. The article actually favorably compares the courage of Luther’s “Here I Stand” speech with Galileo’s easy capitulation on the subject of the Earth orbiting the Sun.
Many of today’s scientists have little truck with belief in God. Even those who do believe do not ascribe importance to God’s work, still believing that evolution has everything to get it started.
Scientific principles should, however, be repeatable, under the same conditions. There is a uniformity and predictability to scientific laws. Yet, evolution suggests that progress has proceeded by random changes. In practice, these sort of random changes do not happen.
Creationists expect scientific laws to stand firm. That is because we live in a universe created by God. It is this knowledge which has led thinkers down the ages to recognize scientific laws. C.S. Lewis says:
Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a Legislator. In most modern scientists this belief has died: it will be interesting to see how long their confidence in uniformity survives it. Two significant developments have already appeared – the hypothesis of a lawless sub-nature, and the surrender of the claim that science is true. We may be living nearer than we suppose to the end of the Scientific Age.
Thank You, Lord, that You have put scientific laws in place so that we can make predictions and study Your wonderful universe. Amen.
WHAT PURPOSE FOR A PORPOISE?
Genesis 1:28
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.“
As I write this article, there have been reports about the imminent extinction of the vaquita, a little porpoise that lives in Mexico’s Gulf of California. In 2016, it was estimated that there were only 30 of these small marine mammals left, whereas 97 were counted in 2014. At this rate of population decrease, it seems likely that there will be none left within two years, unless something can be done rapidly.
The vaquita are dying out because of illegal fishing operations in the Gulf of California. They get caught in the gillnets used to catch totoaba, which are a similar size to these porpoises.
The plight of this endangered species has attracted the attention of some famous names, such as the actor Leonardo di Caprio. The World Wide Fund for Nature features the vaquita on its website. We can be grateful for such conservation efforts from those who believe in evolution, but we have to pause and ask why evolutionists would take such a keen interest. If evolution had really happened, it would have been a record of extinction. Herbert Spencer – one of Charles Darwin’s friends – famously referred to evolution as “survival of the fittest”. How do we know which species are fittest? Well, they survived, didn’t they? Are the vaquita fit to survive? Wouldn’t evolution benefit by the extinction of such weak creatures?
The Bible, by contrast, sets us up as stewards of creation. By our dominion over creation, we are expected to look after it. A creationist argument for conservation is therefore much more authoritative.
Thank You for setting us up in a beautiful world and giving us dominion over it. We pray that You might make each of us faithful stewards of what You have given to us. Amen.
Genesis 1:28
“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.“
As I write this article, there have been reports about the imminent extinction of the vaquita, a little porpoise that lives in Mexico’s Gulf of California. In 2016, it was estimated that there were only 30 of these small marine mammals left, whereas 97 were counted in 2014. At this rate of population decrease, it seems likely that there will be none left within two years, unless something can be done rapidly.
The vaquita are dying out because of illegal fishing operations in the Gulf of California. They get caught in the gillnets used to catch totoaba, which are a similar size to these porpoises.
The plight of this endangered species has attracted the attention of some famous names, such as the actor Leonardo di Caprio. The World Wide Fund for Nature features the vaquita on its website. We can be grateful for such conservation efforts from those who believe in evolution, but we have to pause and ask why evolutionists would take such a keen interest. If evolution had really happened, it would have been a record of extinction. Herbert Spencer – one of Charles Darwin’s friends – famously referred to evolution as “survival of the fittest”. How do we know which species are fittest? Well, they survived, didn’t they? Are the vaquita fit to survive? Wouldn’t evolution benefit by the extinction of such weak creatures?
The Bible, by contrast, sets us up as stewards of creation. By our dominion over creation, we are expected to look after it. A creationist argument for conservation is therefore much more authoritative.
Thank You for setting us up in a beautiful world and giving us dominion over it. We pray that You might make each of us faithful stewards of what You have given to us. Amen.
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