Bradley G. Green

During my recent sabbatical I found myself enjoying reading a variety of things on the question of origins--as in the origin of man and the world.  One of the most fascinating persons I discovered was Steve Fuller.  Fuller teaches Sociology at the University of Warwick (remember--in the UK it is pronounced "Warick" :)).

Fuller is a fascinating man.  Not a confessing Christian, he nonetheless argues that the Christian faith has historically been an impetus, not a hindrance, for science.  Indeed, Fuller ultimately argues that contemporary science (on the whole) can no longer justify its own existence, at least in the sense of providing some sort of captivating and compelling reason for why someone would want to spend a lifetime exploring the traditional domains of science: man and the created order.  Fuller argues that (1) the traditional evolutionary/Darwinian mechanism (random mutations and natural selection) cannot ultimately account for the nature of reality as we know it, and (2) that it is traditional Christianity (or what Fuller sometimes calls the "Abrahamic faiths"--a broader category) which provides a compelling justification for the scientific quest.  The book I read of Fuller's was his Dissent Over Descent: Intelligent Design's Challenge to Darwinism (Icon Books, 2008).  Another book by Fuller, Science Vs Religion? Intelligent Design and the Problem of Evolution (Polity, 2007) is perhaps a tad less provocative and punchy in its tone and presentation, but it is perhaps a bit clearer.

Fuller is interesing for lots of reasons, not the least being that he testified in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District court case (2005), and he testified on behalf of the Intelligent Design folks. This was the case where the judge parroted the "Intelligent Design is creationism, and is not science at all" line.  Fuller offers a compelling criticism of the judge's thinking and decision.  Fuller is prolific, and has a number of additional books in the works.

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One of the most fascinating issues facing Christians today is contemporary environmentalism.  It is an issue fraught with all sorts of potholes, and the potential for poor thinking is significant.  Most of us do not have the time to wade through all of the scientific literature, in an attempt to come to terms with the various claims being made.  However, it is probably helpful to at least get the basic theological issues correct.  I have been helped by the good folks at Cornwall Alliance (cornwallalliance.org), particularly the work of Cal Beisner over the years.  There are at least a few theological issues that might help Christians think through these things:

1.  The world is a good and created reality (Genesis 1).

2.  God rules over this world and governs it, and is bringing the world to its appointed end or goal.  All things hold together in Christ himself (Ephesians 1; Colossians 1:17).

3.  Man was created in the image of God, and was given the responsibility to rule over the rest of the created order under God (Genesis 1; Psalm 8).  While man is a created being, he is indeed the pinnacle of creation, and even the Sabbath was created for him (Mark 2:27).

4.  While Christians love what God has made, the created order is not divine and is not to be worshipped (Exodus 20).  The non-human creation is indeed also created, but it is important for man not to shirk his duty to exercise dominion.  This dominion can take many forms, and should always be done under God and to His glory, but it is dominion nonetheless (Genesis 1:27ff.).

5.  Christians should be as wise as serpents and innocent as doves as we interpret scientific data, listen to philosophical/theological/ideological truth claims, and listen to various voices calling for this and that legal/political/social action related to the created order (Matthew 10:16).  Consensus is not always consensus, and consensus is often not true.

Have a great day!

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This book is scheduled to be published by InterVarsity Press-UK (United Kingdom) in June 2010 (http://www.ivpbooks.com/).  I am contributing to and editing this volume, . . .

which consists of eight chapters which look at some of the central theologians of the ancient and medieval eras.  While writing my dissertation--doing lots of reading of Augustine--I found that I was learning to think theologically by "watching" Augustine think theologically.  From this experience of learning how to think theologically by reading Augustine came the idea for the book--a book that would look at key ancient and medieval theologians, and that might help readers to learn how to think theologically by seeing how key theologians think and theologize.  I edited the volume and contributed the chapter on Augustine.  Other contributors are Brian Shelton, Bryan Litfin, Gerald Bray, Carl Beckwith, Robert Letham, David Hogg and Mark Elliott.  It is due out on June, and now shows up on Amazon.

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The Gospel and the Mind: Recovering and Shaping the Intellectual Life is my attempt to wrestle through the issues of the relationship between the Christian faith and the intellectual life.  It is centered in an observation and a question.  The observation: wherever the cross is planted the academy follows.  The question: why?

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