A Lack of Words

I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't read it myself. It doesn't really surprise me, but at the same time, I wouldn't have believed it had you told me about it. Well, come to think of it, maybe I would have. See what you think.

In "An Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science," 10,000 clergy have signed their names indicating their agreement to statements such as the following:

"Within the community of Christian believers there are areas of dispute and disagreement, including the proper way to interpret Holy Scripture. While virtually all Christians take the Bible seriously and hold it to be authoritative in matters of faith and practice, the overwhelming majority do not read the Bible literally, as they would a science textbook."

"We the undersigned, Christian clergy from many different traditions, believe that the timeless truths of the Bible and the discoveries of modern science may comfortably coexist. We believe that the theory of evolution is a foundational scientific truth, one that has stood up to rigorous scrutiny and upon which much of human knowledge and achievement rests. To reject this truth or to treat it as "one theory among others"” is to deliberately embrace scientific ignorance and transmit such ignorance to our children. We believe that among God'’s good gifts are human minds capable of critical thought and that the failure to fully employ this gift is a rejection of the will of our Creator."

I really am at a loss for words here. The "overwhelming majority" do not take their Bible literally?

Evolution (which they accurately state as a "theory") is a "foundational scientific truth"? Maybe my logic is still at home in bed this morning, but how can evolution be a "theory" and a "scientific truth" at the same time?

I, too, believe that one of God's good gifts are minds capable of critical thought. Unfortunately, it appears that those who are in agreement with this document have not taken advantage of that gift in this case. I guess they are telling us to not believe in Adam and Eve, the flood, the tower of Babel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Ten Commandments.... Instead, trust science over your Bible. I'll bet that will please God.

While most of the signers of the letter are from "non-fundamental" backgrounds (sorry, that's the only term I could think of, even though "fundamental" is gaining ground as a negative word) such as Methodist, Lutheran, Episcopal, and others, there are, sadly, a handful of Baptists and even a professor of Old Testament from the same background as R.C. Sproul (Reformed Church).

Jesus believed in the truth of the Old Testament. I'll take His word over "science" any day.