"Our challenge is to find good ways to answer these people [the 'preachers
of positivism/naturalism' (hvt)] - there is apologetic work here to be
done. Apologetic in the sense of removing obstacles to belief in God."
Good point. One of the most common challenges to belief in a divine Creator
today could be stated (in my vocabulary), "If there are no gaps in the
formational economy of the universe, then what need is there for a
Creator?"
The proponents of all variants of episodic creationism, including ID, are
answering, in effect, "Well, then, there must be gaps in the Creation's
formational economy; there must be certain key self-organizational and/or
transformational capabilities missing so that occasional episodes of
special creation were necessary." (In place of 'special creation' one might
substitute the terms, 'extranatural assembly,' or 'intelligent design,' or
'divine intervention,' or 'fiat creation,' or 'injection of information,'
or ....)
But this strategy, it seems to me, plays right into the hands of the
'preachers of naturalism.' It allows them to set the two-choice agenda:
Choose EITHER episodic creationsm OR evolutionary naturalism. Only two
choices. And, ironically, the higher view of the universe's formational
capabilities is conceded to naturalism. Meanwhile the majority of
Christians are repeating their claims that evolutionary continuity is
impossible because atoms do not have the capabilities to do X, and
molecules are not capable of doing Y, and cells are not capable of doing Z,
etc..
Isn't it time now for Christians to say something more along the lines,
"Yes, as astounding as it might seem to our limited powers of
comprehension, the formational economy of the Creation is sufficiently
robust to make the remarkable phenomenon of biotic evolution possible. How
could that be, except as the outcome of the unfathomable creativity and
unlimited generosity of our Creator-God?"
Howard Van Till