Glenn wrote many words, among which were: "Now tell me how do I say that
about "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"? I can't say,
I don't know if God created the heavens and the earth but I am sure that the
story is true. It simply doesn't compute to me. If you can tell me how to
make that one both real and not real, then y'all might be able to convince
this obstinate fellow."
My take on that is that not only is that statement true, but that it is one
of the three main "messages" in the myth that is Gen 1-11. Elsewhere I
mentioned the other two messgaes).
"I would prefer to call it (my mindseet) the scientific mindset. My job is
...to listen to 'concordistic' stories about the data at hand. I have to
spot the flaws."
Interesting. I had not thought about your particular profession in that
light, or that "concordistic stories" might play a part.
Of course, I'd also like to think I have a "scientific mindset," and whether
or not I do, that mindset leads me to different conclusions about Gen 1-11
than yours. But, I hasten to add, if I were to select which of the many
theories about Adam, etc. were most likely true, given that I shared your
concordist views, I'd have to say the ideas presented by one Glenn Morton in
his two books are in first place.
"I think my bosses would have every right to fire me if I told them that we
should drill prospect X even though the geologic history is false. It
wouldn't matter that I told the boss that the geologist came up with a
wonderful geologic story which made me gasp in awe and wonder at his/her
creativity, and that it even left tears in my eyes at the beauty of this
story. I couldn't tell them that it was a wonderful morality tale about the
conflict of great forces in the earth. I couldn't tell them that I don't
know if the history is true, but the story is. That simply won't cut it."
Do you really expect me to disagree? No, you are obviously doing the right
thing here.
"... Yet, when it comes to spending our souls (betting our souls) on a given
theology of salvation, we think it is appropriate to base that bet on
standards which are less stringent than I use to spend a mere $20 million.
Frankly, my soul is worth more than what I spend in the oil industry. I
absolutely refuse to settle for a lesser
standard of truth."
Here is where you and I, probably, differ the most. I do not "bet my soul"
on any particular "theology of salvation." To do so misses, I think, the
great message of Xtianity. It is Christ who is my salvation, and not any
particular model or theory or theology of Christ, or of God, or of the
Bible, etc.
When I said you still had the YEC mindset, I meant only that you would
agree with Duane Gish that "getting Gen 1-11 right" in terms of historical
and scientific coincidence was of great importance to one's salvation. It is
that mindset that we do not share. OTOH, getting Gen 1-11 right in terms of
its central three messages IS important. But those three messages have 0 to
do with either history or science.
Hoss (aka Burgy)
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat May 04 2002 - 17:02:46 EDT