When was the last time you read a scientific article in Nature that made
reference to Cardinal Newman, John Milton, and C.S. Lewis? In a review
article (The habitat and nature of early life: Nature, 22 Feb., 2001, v. 409,
p. 1083-1091) Christian geologist Euan Nisbet and his co-author provide a
nice summary of current ideas on the topic with a number of allusions to
decidedly Christian sources. Don't get me wrong, this is not some attempt at
natural theology; it's strictly science. However the erudite allusions (such
as "a Perelandrian origin of life") will be appreciated by "those with ears
to hear".
The next-to-last paragraph is also of interest:
"The debate about life's origins has deep resonance in our society. Those
who work in this field frequently find their search challenged in assaults on
empirical natural science. Judaeo-Christian thought must accept convincing
evidence from nature; denial is both destructive of faith and dangerous to
science. To find the fragments of fact, and to attempt to understand them,
is a powerful response to the Creationist heresy. Not only fact and honest
interpretation, but also orthodox theological argument reject Creationism:
much Jewish and Christian thinking agrees with the anonymous writer of the
epistle to the Hebrews, Peter and Augustine in the view that the Biblical Day
is a wider concept than the 24-hour rotation of the Earth. The Seventh Day
is lasting. The author of Job and Parl both challenge us to search nature,
although we may not find the answer."
Not your everyday fare in Nature.
Karl
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Karl V. Evans
cmekve@aol.com
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