One of the blogs I enjoy reviewing out on a regular basis is by Tim Challies. He is the publisher of challies.com where his catch phrase is “Informing the Reforming.” I find many of his articles thoughtful, but I especially enjoy his regular “A La Carte” segment where he provides links related to an eclectic variety of interests. Recent links have included:
“Scientists are just beginning to believe what the Bible tells us
in Genesis 6:3. ‘Then the Lord said, ‘My Spirit shall not abide in man forever,
for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.’’ With that, God declared there
would be no more Methuselahs, and new research published in the journal Nature
is bearing that out.”
There is some stunning underwater footage in this
video from Indonesia.
Turns out previous estimates were kind of low. “For decades,
astronomers had put the number at 100 billion to 200 billion. But new research
using data from the Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories shows that
number is about 10 times too low. That means there are at least 1 trillion
galaxies out there ― and possibly as many as 2 trillion.”
This is incredible HD footage of an
Arizona Monsoon.
As a long-time listener to CCM, I tend to agree with
this article. (Which had this link to another article I found relevant: The Moment I
Began to Lose Faith in Contemporary Worship Music It was strange how it happened, the time I began to
lose faith in contemporary worship music.)
Back in May, Tim did a series of articles on “Why I Am Not…”
The first article was “Why I Am Not Atheist”.
After giving a brief description of his life’s belief, he provided two
answers. The second was a list with brief descriptions of four basic apologetic style
reasons: He sees evidence of God in existence, design, humanity and in the
Bible. But what
caught my attention was his first answer:
“First, according to the Bible, I
am not an atheist because God determined I would not be. See, it’s not that I
have any spiritual, intellectual, or philosophical inclinations within me that
nudge me toward God. Rather, I have all the makings of a very convinced
atheist—an inclination away from authority and toward independence, a
questioning mind, and a restless spirit. But God chose to reveal himself to me
and to draw me to himself. In his own way and for his own purposes he revealed
himself, his existence, his goodness, his power, and I responded with faith,
with belief. Ultimately, then, I am not an atheist because God showed
me himself.”
He then went on to state, “That is
the first answer and the second cannot be separated from it: I am not an
atheist because of things I believe and decisions I have made. God works
through, not apart from, human agency and ability. And in that way I am not an
atheist on the basis of evidence I have observed and conclusions I
have made.”
As one who is skeptical of some of the theological framework for Calvinism, I find statements such as,
“I am not an atheist because God determined I would
not be” somewhat troubling. If you are an agnostic or atheist, how do
you feel about such statements? If you are a Christian, what do you think? If God works through human agency and my response is on the basis of observations and conclusions I have made, then how does that correspond with God choosing to reveal himself and draw me to him because he previously determined it?
You can read the entire article for yourself here. Tim does
not have a comments section, but he does have a “letters to the editor” policy
if you’d like to address your thoughts to him.
Don’t take my word for it, read the article, don’t wait for
the movie.
Have a little hope on me, Roger
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