>ABSTRACT: I give a review of theological reasons for favoring "natural
>processes" over "supernatural intervention" in biological history.
[...]
LH>3. God usually provides for us through natural processes, rather
than
>supernatural events, in order to make our faith more deep and real, so
>that we see God in EVERY event and not just the supernatural. It
>would seem to work at cross-purposes for God to use repeated (detectable)
>supernatural intervention biological history.
What is the scriptural basis for this assumption that God usually
works through natural processes to increase our faith?
I do not claim that God's interventions in biological history must be
"detectable".
If God choses to work through "supernatural intervention biological
history" that is His prerogative. Whether we think this is "at
cross-purposes" is simply irrelevant:
Dan 4:35 "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He
does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the
earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you
done?"
LH>If God's providential care over our daily lives occurred via
specific and
>obvious supernatural acts, we would be strongly tempted to think of God as
>a "quid pro quo" god. (Job's friends seemed to think about God this way.
>This also seems to be the basis of most ancient and modern idolotries.)
>God did miraculously provide for his people's physical needs on certain
>occasions (manna for the Israelites in the desert, Jesus' feeding of the
>5000). While they rationally acknowledged the miracles as coming from
>God, their spiritual responses were hardly ideal. I wonder if we would
>have done any better. Rationality is only ONE important aspect of our
>human nature. By providing for nearly all our needs via the natural order
>of his creation, I believe that God is inviting us to realize that ALL
>things, big and small, come from him. He is inviting us to stop running
>after what we eat, drink, and wear, and instead to seek first his kingdom
>and his righteousness.
Agreed. But what has this to do with "Theological reasons for
macroevolution"?
LH>This is not the same as God "hiding" from us. While God cares for
us
>through natural processes, he also REVEALS to believers, in clear words,
>that he is acting through these natural processes. I believe that God is
>teaching us that he is present in _everything_ which happens to us, not
>just the obviously supernatural events.
I agree that "God...is present in everything which happens to us, not
just the obviously supernatural events." But again I cannot see what
this has to do with "macroevolution".
LH>If God repeatedly used scientifically detectable supernatural
intervention
>in biological history (e.g. to create new lifeforms and biological
>novelty), the temptation would be to see God as acting _only_ in those
>supernatural acts, rather than as sovereignly governing the entire
>process. (In the development of the galaxies, stars, and plantets, where
>we find no detectable supernatural interventions, we DO understand God to
>be sovereignly governing the entire process.)
Why the qualification "detectable"? PC does not argue that "the
development of the galaxies, stars, and planets" ocurred by
"supernatural interventions" whether "detectable" or not.
It is however debatable whether the Earth was developed in part by
"supernatural interventions". Hugh Ross has pointed out that if the
Moon was formed by a huge chunk of the Earth being blasted into space
by a comet collision, then this event and the subsequent capture of
the Moon as a satellite of the Earth requires incredible fine tuning
of the comet and its impact angle.
[continued]
God bless.
Stephen
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