Wednesday, November 29, 2006
radio land
I have friend who in a former life, did a stint as DJ on student radio.
He then left to become a student at Bible College. After a year or so of faithful study, learning all manner of vital theological information about the Bible, he returned to student radio, filling in for a week or two of breakfast radio. The breakfast show included a daily surf report. Vital information for students I guess 🙂
The DJ put through the regulation call, live, to the local surf reporter. Down the line came the local surf reporter; So Mr radio DJ, who made the dinosaurs?
How would you answer that, on the spot, live, on radio? It’s almost as funny as “So, Mr Pastor, what do you do with a dog who scoffs the communion bread?”
All this to say that you can ask me any question you want, live, on radio, this Sunday, 3 December. Between 9-11 pm, I am on the Green Room at Life FM. You can listen on the internet here.
My host is Frank Ritchie,
who blogs here. The show will include giveway copies of my Out of Bounds Church? book, kindly supplied by my publisher, Zondervan. Give me a during the show on 0508 LIFE FM. Or why not a few email questions from some of my overseas readers?
)
So, sorry to turn a lighthearted comment into a proper question, but you do bring up a good point? Where do dinosaurs come from?
If you’re interested, check out the latest entry in my theological blog ( http://mandygetsserious.blogspot.com ) because I’ve been thinking of similar issues. Is todays creation-believing-christians vs evolution-believing-secularists debate the same as the old christian vs scientist debate based on the earth being the centre of the universe? Because we “lost” that one when science proved us wrong, despite it being contradictory to the bible, same thing happening today…
Comment by Andrew Brown — November 30, 2006 @ 10:11 am
I thought that the whole creation vs. evolution thing was a hold over of modernism. In that sense, it really is an extinct discussion. 😉
Hmmmmm, here’s a question:
“How do you know when God is speaking to you? Does he ever speak without using scripture? If so, why and how?”
🙂
I would be eager to hear your answers or the answers of your friend. Might this not be a good conversation starter for a population that (I am told) has largely rejected God?
Comment by rich — November 30, 2006 @ 11:17 am
Good question Rich and one we addressed on the show not so long ago… but one I’m sure we can ask on the show with Steve.
After reading Out of Bounds Church I’m keen to looking into Steve’s and other’s thoughts on the changing interaction between Church and culture as we seek to engage a fast changing world.
Your question certainly fits as we look at what part the church plays in connecting people to the voice and creativity of God.
Looking forward to it Steve. You will be the first author I have had on for the whole show…. but the nature of your book and thinking fits the fluid dialogue aspect of talkback I think.
Comment by Frank Ritchie — November 30, 2006 @ 11:45 am
In some ways, my book is exploring Rich’s question from a church perspective rather than an individual perspective. How does the church know when God is speaking, what is the place of Scripture in discerning God’s future for the church. What is the place of creativity, intuition, other people, the circumstances of context.
Rich, I am also hoping we might manage to jump into U2 given their recent presence in New Zealand – God acting outside the church, how justice is being heard in our culture, how U2 contextualise and re-contextualise their message…
steve
Comment by steve — November 30, 2006 @ 11:58 am
Does anyone else get the feeling that while some organisations seem to think that if 6 day creation could be proved once and for all, then the world would come flocking back to Christianity?
Presuming that we are hanging off the every word of Scientists with bunsen burners who will tell us the objective facts on whether God exists or not.
Does anyone else get the feeling that most Post Moderns don’t seem to see Evolution as the big clincher on the God debate?
I hope noone from “Answers in Genesis” reads this…
Comment by Spanky — November 30, 2006 @ 1:02 pm
When postmoderns read Genesis 1, I think they are asking
– so why don’t all Christians recyle
– how can i encourage biodiversity
– if God told us to multiply what about overpopulation and the planet?
– give me a better word than “subdue”
– how the hell can i rest like God when i’m working crazy hours and technology never sleeps
are those answers in genesis?
steve
Comment by steve — November 30, 2006 @ 1:35 pm
You’ve got some good points steve, but I think it still is worthwhile determining (for personal understanding) what you think it says, after research..
And spanky, I’m sure people don’t see it as a clincher, but it’s still there as something for people to think about..
And personally, I hope everything to do with U2 just goes away, I hope people remember that there is a group of people that really can’t stand them.
“How do you know when God is speaking to you? Does he ever speak without using scripture? If so, why and how?”
How many times in the Bible did God speak to someone without audibly talking to them? About the same amount of times we can expect God to directly instruct us in our own lifetimes.. It does not make sense for God to do something different than happens in the scripture, for there would be no sure way of telling if it was God or just our over-spirtualised minds.
“How does the church know when God is speaking, what is the place of Scripture in discerning God’s future for the church.”
Do you believe in God as a Sovereign God, because if you do, then doing what you want, as long as it is righteous and lining up with scripture, is correct. It’s not like we, from down here, making small decisions could thwart God’s plan. As long as you’re teaching correct doctrine, and following Jesus’s commands, what can you be doing wrong exactly?
Comment by Andrew — November 30, 2006 @ 2:35 pm
hello hello Andrew,
its a beautiful day
(2 lines from U2 songs just for you :))
You wrote: “As long as you’re teaching correct doctrine, and following Jesus’s commands, what can you be doing wrong exactly?” — what about using the Bible to support slavery, or apartheid — all those churches teaching what they thought was correct doctrine, all following Jesus … and all the time oppressing other human beings. I reckon you gotta be careful how you use the Bible.
steve
Comment by steve — November 30, 2006 @ 2:57 pm
You can make the bible say what you want to really, which is kinda why I put in the part about correct doctrine, and it’s completely irresponsible to read the bible out of context and not following proper exegesis otherwise you end up with things like that.
Comment by Andrew — November 30, 2006 @ 3:07 pm
Frank and Steve, Oh so you’ve already addressed that question. Great! A friend of mine who recently has chosen to follow Jesus asked me that question, and so I passed it along to you. 🙂 For post moderns the question likely leads to very exciting places….like discussions of U2 (loved the icon btw, Steve).
There was a time when I was a rabid, fundie 6 day Creationist. And a frined of mine, John Jensen (now a Yank missionary in Melbourne, Oz with Forge) blew me out of the water about 8 years ago now . He sat on my couch and patiently listened to my exposition of “proofs” for a young Earth etc. After a pause, he simply said something like, “Very interesting. But I just don’t think post moderns care about that stuff.” My heart just sank in me. Since then, I have found he is right. But it was the beginning of a new way of thinking and being and exploring for me.
Steve, I loved your answers about what post moderns might get from Genesis 1. Can I quote that on my blog? Very cool.
Andrew, I hear you brother. And I do think there is still a place for the stuff your talking about. But I think we should realize that the way Genesis has been interpreted in say, the last 50 years is likely NOT the way it was interpreted in, say, the first 50 years of the faith. Or the first 1000 years of the faith. Changing times means changing emphasis. In the modern age and with the enlightenment, the stuff you are talking about probably meant something. I would have to mirror what my mate John said to me long ago, “Very interesting. I just don’t think post moderns care about it”.
Comment by rich — December 1, 2006 @ 3:49 am