{"id":3791,"date":"2008-12-11T00:30:55","date_gmt":"2008-12-11T00:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2008\/12\/origins-a-resource-rjs.html"},"modified":"2008-12-11T00:30:55","modified_gmt":"2008-12-11T00:30:55","slug":"origins-a-resource-rjs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2008\/12\/origins-a-resource-rjs.html","title":{"rendered":"Origins – A Resource (RJS)"},"content":{"rendered":"

As those who read this blog
\nregularly will know, I (RJS) am a scientist and a professor – at a secular
\nUniversity, not a Christian college.  This perspective and expertise plays
\na major role in my view of scripture and creation.  The question often
\ncomes up, however, of how to introduce a discussion of science, faith, and
\ncreation into a local church or a small group.  This is a hard question,
\nbecause emotions run high on all sides and most pastors and church leader feel
\nill-equipped to deal with the topic.  Experts who have carefully
\nconsidered the issues are seldom available (and some experts are not as tactful as one might wish).<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Perhaps we need to take a deep breath; find a calm, sheltered place; and reflect…<\/p>\n

\"100_4122<\/span><\/p>\n

In many cases the best initial approach is not to advocate a specific view, but to
\nintroduce into conversation the wide range of views taken by sincere Christians.  <\/span>Information download and
\ndueling experts are counterproductive as many, perhaps most, people have a hard
\ntime knowing who to trust or how to evaluate the experts.  <\/span>A recent book by Deborah B. and Loren D. Haarsma, Origins: A Reformed Look at Creation, Design, and Evolution<\/a>\"\"<\/strong><\/em>, is a nice resource to facilitate a discussion of the issues providing time and space for calm reflection and critical thinking.<\/p>\n

Deborah and Loren Haarsma are both physics
\nprofessors at Calvin College in Grand Rapids MI.  <\/span>Deborah did her graduate work at MIT while
\nLoren did his graduate work at Harvard – both reputable schools (almost on par with UC
\nBerkeley – where I did my graduate work). 
\n<\/span>Together they have written a book designed for use in small groups or Sunday
\nclasses exploring the science and theology of origins – creation, evolution,
\nand intelligent design.<\/p>\n

The pros of this book are an
\neven-handed presentation of the range of views, thoughtful observation, and excellent
\ndiscussion questions.  <\/span>The book also
\npoints the reader to online resources and contains a useful list of additional resources at the end of each chapter.<\/p>\n

The con is the “reformed”
\nbias.  <\/span>This book was written for and
\npublished by Faith Alive – the publishing ministry of the Christian Reformed
\nChurch.  <\/span>For most of us the emphasis on
\nthe Belgic Confession and the various statements of the CRC are a
\ndistraction.  <\/span>But this drawback is minor,
\nconfined primarily to the introduction and a few appendices.  <\/span>The book should prove a useful resource for a
\nmuch broader audience.<\/p>\n

Has anyone used this book for a group discussion?  Are there suggestions of other good resources available?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As those who read this blog regularly will know, I (RJS) am a scientist and a professor – at a secular University, not a Christian college.  This perspective and expertise plays a major role in my view of scripture and creation.  The question often comes up, however, of how to introduce a discussion of science,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":297,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science-and-faith"],"yoast_head":"\nOrigins - A Resource (RJS) - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2008\/12\/origins-a-resource-rjs.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Origins - 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