Creationism repackaged?

Is Intelligent Design simply Creationism in disguise? This is a current debate in the science and religion subject I tutor. I'm curious to know what people think, and why. Even if you don't know much about Intelligent Design or Creationism, what's your gut feeling? What's the general message you get from the media, church, scientists, friends etc?

Caring for your introvert

It's an old article, but I like it, especially the conclusion:

How can I let the introvert in my life know that I support him and respect his choice?

• First, recognize that it's not a choice. It's not a lifestyle. It's an orientation.
• Second, when you see an introvert lost in thought, don't say "What's the matter?" or "Are you all right?"
• Third, don't say anything else, either.

Theological break-up lines

I like the Calvinist and Arminian ones the most.

• Calvinist: We were predestined before the creation of the world to break up according to God's good pleasure. I am, on my own power, unable to break up with you apart from the irresistible draw of God's sovereign grace which leads me to end this relationship. Those that truly break up will not get back together in the end.
• Arminian: While you love me and have a wonderful plan for my life, I have the power to resist your will. If I did not, love would not be possible. For our relationship to be loving it needs to include the possibility of breaking up--something I am doing right now.

Read the full list here.

I would also like to point out that I have absolutely no intention of using any of these in the foreseeable future!

Mind the Gap!

I've brought this post back up top because I find it strange that I've had two anonymous comments on it. It's about the history of science! Is that so controversial that people can't put their names to their comments? And if they're people I don't know (most likely), who are they and how did they find my blog? Strange.

---
At the 2006 BSHS conference* in Canterbury, the Cambridge historian of science John van Wyhe presented a paper entitled "Mind the Gap" which discussed the reasons why Charles Darwin delayed in publishing his theory of the origin of species. Contrary to the popular belief that Darwin feared the repercussions from the Church or from his religious wife, it seems that he just didn't have time, between dealing with ill health and studying barnacles.

I found it a fascinating paper. Of course, I'm interested in anything related to science and religion, particularly if it dispels popular myths about the Church suppressing science!

Dr van Wyhe's findings have been published in the Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, and have been reported by BBC news. Read about it here.

*If you click on this link, I'm in the photo!!

Praise the Lord!

Byron has had a scan to see whether his cancer is still active, and it has come back clear. He will still have to have regular tests to see how things are going, but for the moment, things look good.

You can read about Byron's experiences here, and see some cute pictures of him and his lovely wife Jess.

Byron has shared very openly about his experiences, and it has been a real privilege to read his posts. Byron and Jess are amazing examples of enduring suffering without losing sight of God's grace and eternity. I think they have been an inspiration and an encouragement to many people.

Praise the Lord!

A good point

Don’t automatically assume that when someone has left your church, it is an issue of faith. The primary issue may be breakdown in relationship with other church members. Some people may not be regular in attendance because anxiety or other mental health challenges arising from their experiences can affect daily functioning.

This is from an article on the Sydney Anglicans website about caring for people who have been through a divorce. I think it's a good point to keep in mind more generally as well.

Hurrah!

I have finally started writing the three conferences papers that I will be presenting in the UK later this year. Well, I have started outlining them, anyway. But this is an important first step for me - I always like to write from outlines. I have outlined the paper on the Boyle Lectures, and I am now working on the Cambridge Platonists. Hopefully I can also get a bit done on the paper for Christians in Science, as it would be good to discuss all three with my supervisor on Tuesday. However, it will depend on how much longer I can stay awake tonight. Tomorrow I have to finish my CASE lecture on Galileo, and tonight I am feeling very tired...

Thog likes puppies

#71 already. This is not good...

Surrender

"Surrender" has now become my favourite song by Kasey Chambers, taking the place of "The Rain."

It's not that I don't care
I know it's here somewhere
But it's more than I can bear to take
I lie awake at night
I never win the fight
It's an addiction I can't shake

It's overbearing me and
Growing, flowing, showing

I surrender, forever
I fold, I play the losing card
I'm under
It's over
I give it up it's all too hard

It's not I'm unsure
I've heard it all before
But I can't help wanting more to keep
You just don't understand
The way I really am
It's all I ever can be

But underneath it all
I'm breaking, waking, shaking

I surrender, forever
I fold, I play the losing card
I'm under
It's over
I give it up it's all too hard

And now I face it all
I'm falling, crawling, stalling

I surrender, forever
I fold, I play the losing card
I'm under
It's over
I give it up it's all too hard

Sparklies!

I played Order of the Stick for the first time last night. This morning I looked up the web comic, and to my alarm and dismay, I found it amusing. I'm very scared that after playing the game once (and not even finishing it), I can already get some of the jokes. I started at the beginning of the comic and got to #32. Since the current one is #439, I think I shall have to find a way to avoid looking at it when I should be doing work. But I've found a new source of amusement and procrastination!

I am increasing in nerdiness by the minute. And it's all Matt's fault!

I'm in pain!!

I thought I was in pain after my Body Pump class at the gym this morning, but that was nothing compared to the side-splitting agony of watching clips from the Chaser on YouTube!

Good thing I'm at home by myself...

Click here.

Disclaimer: distractions such as this are an integral part of working hard. So in case anyone was wondering, I am working. I promise!!

It's hard to argue when you won't stop making sense...

I'm loving Snow Patrol!


Thanks to Donna and Liz for my iTunes voucher!!

Family

Here's my brother trying to crush me:


Here's my brother giving me a nice hug:


And here's my lovely sister-in-law Tegan giving me a nice hug:


I like hugs!

Easter tradition

I had a very nice, rather busy and family-filled Easter weekend. On Saturday, three generations of women spent the day cooking Russian yeast buns called bulochki - an Easter tradition in our family.

Here is my lovely sister-in-law Tegan making the bulochki:


Here is my Grandma supervising:


Here are the finished products of a long day's work (after about a dozen had already been eaten):


And here's one in the process of being enjoyed!

Yummy!!

Thanks to Tim for the photos.

Hmm.

A new theology blog - Sky's the Limit. He wants his blog to be the Augustine's Confessions and Calvin's Institutes of the blogosphere. Hmm...

Fantastic!

I wish I'd thought of this while I was studying piano!

Thanks Nick.

Oxford atheist ridiculed by Anglican theologian?

A short article on a debate between Richard Dawkins and Alister McGrath.

It doesn't seem to me that McGrath ridiculed Dawkins, and I would have been surprised if he had. McGrath's book, Dawkins' God, is incredibly generous towards Dawkins, though I haven't read his latest, The Dawkins Delusion.

My response to The God Delusion was to want to throw it across the room (although I refrained, since the book cost me $31.50 and I like to keep my books in pristine condition!), and to write a review outlining all the places where Dawkins shows himself to be incredibly ignorant of Christianity and deliberately distorting the arguments to make his points. I was going to title this review "Liar, Lunatic or 'Honestly Mistaken'? The Dawkins Delusion," in honour of Dawkins' response to C.S. Lewis' classic Liar, Lunatic or Lord illustration in which Dawkins suggests that Jesus might have been 'honestly mistaken' about being God. (By the by, I think Dawkins misunderstood the argument Lewis was making - he wasn't arguing that Jesus had to be either liar, lunatic or Lord, and that there weren't any other possibilities; rather, Lewis was arguing that it is not possible to claim that Jesus was just a good teacher.)

Anyway, it's probably a good thing that I haven't had time to write this article. It's also fortunate that the Christian community has people like Greg Clarke to provide much more loving responses. Previously, Greg has occupied himself with presenting talks and seminars about The Da Vinci Code all over the country. Perhaps the distinguishing feature of his response to Dan Brown was that he wasn't concerned primarily with pointing out all the errors that Brown makes, but with trying to understand why people are so receptive to conspiracy theories about the church. With Dawkins, Greg is extremely diligent to avoid responding in kind, and in attempting to appreciate what legitimate concerns Dawkins might have with religion.

You can find a lecture Greg gave at CASE a couple of weeks ago here. I am sure he will be in demand for this kind of talk, as he was for The Da Vinci Code, and he is speaking at my church (Narwee Baptist Church) on May 20.

Popping bubbles

Boomshine - a cute flash game. I finished level 12! Hurrah! I rock!!