I join George Murphy in the belief that more theology is needed. Just as ID
proponents have urged, *all* we know ought to be brought to bear on our
search for truth. Plantinga has argued the case well for using our
knowledge of God in constructing and doing our science. But as George,
Terry and others have emphasized, *for Christians* this must mean taking
the *whole* of biblical revelation into account, which (Phil) is by no
means the same as "theological speculation" or (Paul) "laying aside
possible modes of causation a priori".
George has emphasized the "hidden God" revealed in the cross of Christ.
Those of us who are not Lutherans may give greater emphasis to God's
sovereignty. All agree that the nature of God's Providence: governance,
preservation and cooperation/concurrence, needs to be understood. Many of
us are convinced by Scripture, theology and experience that only biblical
revelation will ever make general revelation (as a revelation of GOD)
intelligible. Some find the revival of natural theology in these times
quite surprising.
I commend to your reading the recently published ASA Press book "God Did
It, But How?" (2nd edn) by Robert Fischer for a patient and simple
explication of the way "God did it" in areas of *biblical history*. As Jack
Collins has recently noted, and as Phil Johnson pointed out in "Reason in
the Balance", it is not only in evolutionary science but in many academic
areas that naturalism now rules.
Combining our knowledge of God's character and modes of providence with a
"public" way of doing science or history or law etc. is not, as Plantinga
noted, a trivial matter, and represents a major intellectual challenge for
Christians in the "public square". But the Church is *NOT* the public
square, and how we deal with one another ought to reflect Whose we are.
There is no place *in the Church* for the 'ad hominem' attacks which have
come to characterize both sides of the ID debate (which I, to my shame,
have also contributed to here and elsewhere). Even the otherwise
illuminating postings here in the past few weeks have reinforced my gloomy
feeling that Christians haven't learned how to disagree without becoming
defensive, derisive or accusatory.
just as guilty...
Peter Vibert