Michael Roberts noted:
> Where in the Bible does it tell us that the Bible teaches us science? It
> uses the common language of the day to explain things in an everyday way. I
> remember Francis Schaeffer explianing this to some at L'Abri way back in
> 1971.
>
> The best comment on all this is found in Calvin's commentary on Genesis
> where Clavin tells those who seek Astronomy and other recondite arts to go
> elsewhere and that Moses wrote in every day language and accomodated himself
> to our babytalk so that the rude and uneducated could understand.
As one steeped in the Calvinist tradition, I am inclined to agree with
Michael's comments.
> We need to ask exactly what the Bible teaches and not regard it
> as a source of scientific information.
OK, that's a fair question. But let's be courageous and ask the larger
question: What is the actual basis for the common assertion that the Bible
"teaches" us anything--in the specific sense of providing us with
authoritative and final concepts that are beyond critical reflection or
revision on the basis of our continuing human experience of living in the
presence of a living God who interacts with us?
If we recognize that the concepts of the physical universe employed by the
biblical writers unavoidably reflected the limitations of the "scientific"
knowledge and the conceptual vocabulary of the time/place in which these
writers (and/or editors) crafted their contributions to the biblical text,
then on what basis could one rule out the possibility/likelihood that those
same human limitations of knowledge & conceptual vocabulary should be
present in biblical commentary on any other topic, question, issue, concept
of God, etc."
Please note that I am here only asking the question, not promoting one
particular answer.
Howard Van Till
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