I faithfully read Rev Dr David P Murray’s blog, Head Heart Hand. David is Professor of Old Testament and Practical Theology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
In his post, “What Dawkins, Hawking and Hitchens know about God“, he lists eight things the visible creation tells every atheist about the invisible Creator?
I like his approach, because he relies solely upon the claims of the Bible concerning these eight points. It is easy for believers to think that they need to be skilled debaters armed with scientific data to have any success in refuting the claims of ‘Dawkins-like’ opponents. But such debates are unnecessary. The truth is, God’s Word clearly states that such men know these eight things.
- God exists
- God is eternal
- God is powerful
- God is God
- God is angry
- God will judge
- God is good
- God is glorious
Read David’s entire post here for an elaboration of his eight points.
On the other hand, this video, featuring Dr. William Lane Craig, is one of the best ‘creationist’ arguments I’ve heard.
Don
Martin Pakula
James
Simon
Stu
HILLS BIBLE CHURCH BLOG 
Romans 1v21
The key to the progress of a regenerate soul is ‘thankfulness’ and ‘giving glory’ to God. All the teaching and persuading in the world that does not terminate in this key result is ineffective. We don’t combat tricky logic with even more tricky logic! God has chosen the foolishness of preaching to display his glory. Logic and science are crude instrumrnts in comparison, and rate a poor second best to what God has revealed in His word. Even the weakest newborn child of God sees well beyond anything that Dawkins et al could ever dream of.
Thanks for your observation, SDG.
You and other readers of this post may enjoy reading this long essay published in The New Atlantis, “Getting Over the Code Delusion” by Steve Talbot.
Concerning science’s quest for discovering the origin of life, it goes some way to put into proper perspective the scientific community’s exuberance surrounding DNA, molecular biology and the human genome project. According to Talbot, as marvelous as this research is, it has done nothing to progress man’s understanding of life. He writes, “The central truth arising from genetic research today is that the hope of finding an adequate explanation of life in terms of inanimate, molecular-level machinery was misconceived.”
He concludes his essay with this; “The hopeful thing is that molecular biologists today — slowly but surely, and perhaps despite themselves — are increasingly being driven to enlarge their understanding through a reckoning with genetic contexts. As a result, they are writing “finis” to the misbegotten hope for a non- lifelike foundation of life, even if the fact hasn’t yet been widely announced.”
Believers need not fear for a moment that science will “out their faith”.
I watched the William Lane Craig video, and then the series, and then a few other related debates, and it was interesting to note the positions taken by each side, and the unfolding arguments and counter arguments. You are absolutely right Don, the believer has nothing to fear from science. One of the points made by Peter Atkins is that science does not have all the answers, that it is continually changing and refining its position. He does however believe that science will SOON have all the answers!
After reflecting on all this, I was reminded of Jobs struggles with his circumstances, and the debate he had with his ‘friends’ following his personal tragedies. There was so much he did not know and could not know, nevertheless he struggled on in his argument for the integrity of his own character (which others had begun to question ….. ‘God must be punishing you for sin’).
We should note that Job did not ‘win the debate’, but God stepped in at the end to shut the mouths of these ‘friends’! And Job received the rebuke first: ‘where were you when I…..’?
It seems to me that there is a place for Christians to engage in proper debate on important subjects, but I have noted that there is a very natural tendency to ‘compete’ and score points. The ego loves it …. even the Christian ego!
Then it struck me how appropriate and effective is the wisdom of God in using the foolishness of preaching to save some. I have never heard of many (any) people being converted through debate, but the pages of scripture and church history show us numerous occasions where God has owned the preaching of His Word, through the weakness of human instruments to bring people to Jesus Christ.
Was there a greater intellect in NT days than Paul’s? Yet he preferred to be a fool for Christ’s sake, and to be abandoned, dismissed as weak and unimpressive, and finally submit to execution for his Master’s sake. Why? So that the Gospel might advance through his weakness, and Christ’s strength.
It is no different for us.There will be times when we are made to feel embarrassed and ashamed of ourselves in this world. We will feel the personal affront. We will hear the taunts and jeers, and see the sneers. But so did Christ. His response should be ours, if we truly are his friends and servants.
Our task is not to argue with people to get them to change their views, but to introduce people to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by helping them with the truth, and demonstrating to them the power of it in our lives.
I agree with your words, “It seems to me that there is a place for Christians to engage in proper debate on important subjects, but I have noted that there is a very natural tendency to ‘compete’ and score points. The ego loves it …. even the Christian ego!”
Isn’t it strange, this ego thing? As if we can ‘defend’ the very creator of the universe – as if he needs defending – how foolish we are in our wisdom!
Do we think ‘clever’ argument will change the minds and hearts of people? Rarely! I suspect such tactics have the opposite effect. If we are able to mount a ‘case’ by such means, the natural tendency is for those taking an opposing position is to go back to the drawing boards to re-draw their argument. It doesn’t change their position, it hardens it.
It is the Holy Spirit’s role to change the hearts of men, not ours. It’s the Holy Spirit’s task to apply the Word of God preached by His faithful, humble servants – not ours.
I was reading a friends blog last night, and he provided this link to David Robertson’s (he provided a response to Dawkins controversial attack on Christianity) ‘fleabyte’ videos. This is very much on topic, and I think you will find this encouraging.
Sometimes we need the perspective of men such as David: