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Faith in Science? An Interdisciplinary community discussion

Faith in Science? An Interdisciplinary community discussion. Montgomery Community College Silver Spring, Maryland February 21, 2006. Introduction. How do we discover and correct errors in our beliefs? Dr. Duncan McIntosh Pastor, First Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD.

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Faith in Science? An Interdisciplinary community discussion

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  1. Faith in Science?An Interdisciplinary community discussion Montgomery Community College Silver Spring, Maryland February 21, 2006

  2. Introduction • How do we discover and correct errors in our beliefs? • Dr. Duncan McIntosh Pastor, First Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD

  3. My Contribution to the Dialogue • The struggle: Evolution vs. Creationism • What I bring to the table • Personal • Biblical/Theological • Wishes • Conclusion

  4. The Struggle! • Co-existence of 2 fields of inquiry • About God • About Nature • Conflict since 1632 • Renewed in 1859 • Intensified in 1925 • Politicized in our era • Who are the victims and victors?

  5. What I Bring to the Dialogue • Religious background • Parental background • Pastoral background • Academic background

  6. A Literal Interpretaion of Genesis 1 • What is a “literal” interpretation? • Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 • A highly structured poem • 7 days in 2 sets of 3 + 1 • 4 actions in each set of 3 days • Moves from “...without form and void” (1:2) • To “...finished and all the hosts of them” (2:1) • Each set of 3 “days” “forms” or “fills” the universe • 7 declarations: “it was (very) good” (days 1-6) • Only 1 subject for every verb • Therefore, this poem is about God, not nature • Summed up in Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; The world and they that dwell therein..

  7. The Schematic of Genesis 1:1-2:3 DAY FORMING DAY FILLING 1(vs. 3-5) Light* 4 (vs. 14-19) Lights* 2 (vs. 6-8) Firmament 5 (vs. 20-23) Birds/Fish* 3 (vs. 9-13) Dry land* 6 (vs.24-30) Animals* Vegetation* Humans Day 7 (1:31-2:3) Completion/Rest God saw every thing that he had made**

  8. What This Means • Genesis 1 does not teach science • Science does not teach about God • There is conflict when either assumes to do the work of the other • The Bible posits a Creator • Science studies creation • Evolution explains “How?” • Faith affirms “Who?”

  9. I WISH... • ...we could affirm the value of theology and science • ...we could have more humility about our conclusions in either domain • ...we could value cooperation over competition

  10. Conclusions • There is a middle ground between • An atheistic scientific naturalism • An anti-scientific religion • “Intelligent design” is a faceless god that honors neither religion nor science • The questions of design and complexity merit investigation and dialogue, not debates and courts

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