A False Dichotomy

For those of you unfamiliar with the term “dichotomy”, it simply refers to the separation of a group into two separate, non-overlapping categories. For example, on your income tax return, you are asked if you are male or female - you must select one and only one option.

A “false dichotomy” occurs when people are under the mistaken impression that the groups must not overlap when in fact they can, or that there are more than two choices. A simple example of this is a survey that asks if you are a “cat person” or a “dog person”, and the survey requires you to pick one and only one option. This is considered a false dichotomy since not everyone will identify with either group – you might love cats and dogs equally, or you might not like either animal – but you are forced to make a choice.

A far more serious false dichotomy is often presented to us in the “science vs scripture” debate. Many people are under the impression that they must choose a side in this debate, and that choosing one side means we must negate the other. To put it another way, many people assume that if you accept the Bible as truth, then you must reject any and all scientific theories that are not explicitly in line with the Bible – and this often means that a career as a scientist is out of the question. Likewise, many scientists assume that anyone who is active in scientific research has already determined the Bible is just a myth and there is no reason to believe in God. This is a “false dichotomy” since we do not have to make this choice – we can (and should) embrace both science and scripture as they are God’s revelation to us about who He is.

As believers, we accept that the Bible is God’s revelation to us in written form, and is our ultimate authority for how we ought to live our lives. We continuously read it, study it, and seek to understand it better every day. It paints for us a bit of a picture of who God is, what He is like, and how we can model our lives after His Son. But that picture is incomplete. God has also revealed Himself to us in His creation – the universe in all its beauty and wonder. Science is the study of God’s universe, and it is through science that we can learn more about our Creator. The Bible contains many references commanding us to “seek the Lord” and one of my favourite verses is Psalm 19:1-3.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.”

God’s creation displays knowledge – we should earnestly seek this knowledge. Science (in its pure form) is simply the seeking of this knowledge. We don’t have to go too far back in history to realize that the first “scientists” were commissioned by the church to study nature – originally referred to as natural philosophy. Most of the older universities trace their roots back to the church, and some of the great scientific pioneers were members of these founding churches – Isaac Newton (physics), Rene Descartes (mathematics), Galileo Galilei (astronomy), and Max Planck (quantum theory) just to name a few.

Today, for most people, science has become completely disassociated with the church. This saddens me greatly since my faith in God has been strengthened and confirmed through my personal study of science. I think the split started over 400 years ago when science started challenging what the church had long held to be true. Galileo (and others) concluded that the sun did not orbit the earth but that the earth was in constant motion, rotating on its axis and moving around the sun. This was in contradiction with what the church understood scripture to be saying about the sun (eg. Ecclesiastes 1:5 “The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.”). Instead of engaging in a meaningful dialogue to determine how to resolve this apparent contradiction, the church expelled Galileo and forced him to recant. Today, we understand that the Biblical references to the sun moving across the sky are simply observations, not scientific explanations about how the universe functions, but this “knee jerk” reaction of the church to scientific theories continues to drive the scientists into the waiting arms of the atheists.

There are a few theories that contradict with some core fundamental truths that we can never concede, but in reality, they are few in number, especially when you peel away all the false conclusions that many people make about some of these theories. For example, the “big bang” theory is one explanation of how the universe began – at one point, all matter and energy was contained in a single dot in space and for some reason (still unexplained) this dot expanded and released everything we have in the universe today. Many people then conclude that this explanation proves the Bible is false and that God did not create the universe. But think about what God did – out of nothing, God created everything. Observing this miracle from a scientific viewpoint, it could easily appear that everything (matter and energy) appeared all at once from a single point in space. While there are some challenges about “when” this took place, we should be able to agree with science regarding the fundamental theory of the origin of our universe – out of nothing, God created everything.

I encourage every believer to engage in science to some degree so that you can learn more about our Creator God. I don’t expect everyone to put on a lab coat and start conducting experiments, but when the opportunity to learn about science presents itself, don’t turn away. This could be a newspaper article, television documentary, book, or DVD. Take in the information with the understanding that God is the Creator, and marvel at what He has made.

To encourage you to pursue science a bit more, I will be preparing a series of 12 posts about science. I will be reviewing what Scientific American magazine recently published regarding the “12 Events That Will Change Everything”. I will briefly present the science, then share my thoughts on what we can learn from the science as a believer. I hope to have these out once a week during the summer and I encourage you to ask questions in the comments section.

Remember, “the heavens declare the glory of God” – we just need to be willing to listen.

Jac

Anand Hegde

My plan for this week’s post was to introduce a series of posts I’m working on about science. But on Wednesday, I received the sad news that a friend and brother in Christ passed away unexpectedly, so I’ve decided to devote this week’s post to Anand.

For those who wish to attend the visitation and/or funeral, the visitation will be Friday, June 18 from 2-4pm and 7-9pm at the Francis Funeral Home in Tavistock. The funeral will be Saturday, June 19 at 2pm at the Francis Funeral Home, with Glenn Rider officiating. The funeral home is located on Woodstock Street (Hwy 59) just north of the Tim Hortons in Tavistock.

I can remember the first time I met Anand. Our family was searching for a new church to attend after relocating to the Stratford area, and we were checking out Faith Bible Church. Anand stood out because he was the only one wearing a jacket and tie while most others were much more casually dressed. He introduced himself and his welcome was warm and sincere. I got to know him as we became more involved in the church and I was asked to serve as an Elder. From what I was told, Anand had been serving as an Elder forever and he was a great source of wisdom and church history.

My wife and I joined a small group with Anand and Janet, and got to know them both even more. When our family moved to Tavistock, Anand and I would frequently share driving duties for meetings in Stratford. It was often during these 20 minute rides that Anand and I would chat about life, sharing stories of our pasts and hopes for the future.



After moving to Tavistock, we created a small group with Anand and Janet, Mike and Sue, and Andy and Margo. Our Wednesday night gatherings were something I always looked forward to and I never felt that leading this group was ever a burden. We shared each other’s joys and sorrows, ate lots of good food, and explored the Christian walk together. It was always a joy to hear Anand share how he came to be a Christian and to share a prayer with him.

Anand was never one to be up in front so you may not have heard him pray before, but during our Elder meetings and Board meetings, his prayers were always ones that were truly those of child speaking with his Father – reverent, passionate, trusting, and sincere.

I’m going to miss Anand terribly. Our Elders meetings, small group meetings, worship services, and social times will never be the same. My comfort is that Anand has completed his work on earth, and is now with our heavenly Father, experiencing Him completely and perfectly. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, as we adjust to life without him as a husband, brother, father, grandfather, and friend.

So long my friend. We will surely miss you. Your laughter and your smile, are gone but in a while - we will see each other once again.

Jac


You Alone Can Rescue
by Matt Redman

Who, oh Lord, could save themselves, their own soul could heal?
Our shame was deeper than the sea, Your grace is deeper still.

You alone can rescue, You alone can save.
You alone can lift us from the grave.
You came down to find us, led us out of death.
To You alone belongs the highest praise.

Meditation

I was recently reading through the Psalms and I noted the frequent use of the word “meditate”. For example, in Psalm 1:1-2 we read

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

So what does it mean to “meditate” day and night? For many of us, when we think of meditation, this picture comes to mind.



So if this is how you meditate, just exactly how can I do this “day and night”? I have work to do, a family to support, church events to attend, and maybe squeeze in some sleep.

Meditation is frequently associated with Buddhism and other Eastern religions where the practice typically has specific rituals requiring certain body positions and repeated words or phrases. The purpose of this type of meditation is to get oneself into a mystical state of relaxation and enlightenment during which truths about your true nature and purpose can be revealed. This type of meditation has been adapted for use by many people in non-religious contexts either in groups or personal pursuit of the meaning of life. To be honest, if I tried this approach, my conclusion would likely be that my purpose is to sleep.

Christian meditation is dramatically different not only in the approach but also the purpose. There are no specific rituals, body positions, or repeated phrases needed to meditate. And the purpose is not to discover something about ourselves, but to stimulate our thoughts and deepen our meaning about what God has revealed to us in Scripture.

So how should a Christian meditate? I’m definitely not an expert, but I think the following points should get you started.

First, meditation needs to be deliberate. It’s not daydreaming, or quickly racing through a daily Bible reading, or mindlessly singing along to some Christian music on your iPod. So set aside a specific time to mediate, don’t let it be an afterthought.

Second, meditation needs to be Spirit led. This means starting your time in prayer, asking God to guide your thoughts as you seek to know Him more. Do your best to keep distractions away from you, and don’t try to meditate if something on your mind is bothering you – you’ll inevitably find yourself focusing on the problem instead of on God.

Third, meditation needs to be Biblically based. You should plan to focus on a specific verse, chapter, or story from the Bible. Have the passage handy, or better yet, memorize it. You don’t need to know it word for word, but you should know it well. It could be the lyrics to a praise and worship song, or it could be a segment of video.

Finally, don’t expect life altering results every time you meditate. Sometimes God doesn’t reveal anything new to us, other times we experience breakthroughs in our understanding of Him. Sometimes the answer is one we don’t need to know. If it feels like meditation is not getting you closer to God, don’t give up – contact a friend to work with you.

There are no limits on when, where, or how long you meditate. Sometimes it just for a few moments, sometimes much longer. Sometimes it’s a planned event, other times it might just be taking advantage of a long wait at the doctor’s office.

We don’t talk about meditation very much in our church, and I don’t recall anyone giving me any guidance on how to meditate or why meditation is important. I think this may be due to the misconceptions people have about meditation being a “Buddhist” or “New Age” thing. But we will frequently remind each other to “listen for God’s voice” or “reflect on this message” or “wait for God’s answer to prayer”. If what we actually mean is that we should meditate, maybe we should start using the word “meditate” more often?

I think I’ll meditate on that for while.

Jac

An Instrument of Worship

As a musician, I have a deep appreciation for other musicians and I’m especially partial to guitar players. The other night, I saw one of the most talented guitar players I’ve seen in a long time – and this guy is just finishing high school! He did one solo performance on a classical guitar and later performed with a rock band on the electric guitar. It just blew me away how he could play so many notes so quickly and clearly, yet make each one truly musical with life and tone.

Most of the time, our musical instruments sit idle, waiting for someone to play them. They were created for the exclusive purpose of making music, and some, like my acoustic guitar, actually improve their tone the more frequently they are played. But not everyone can play every instrument. If I were to try to play the violin, I would expect you to run for cover and beg me to stop – I would be creating noise, not music. And the quality of the musician is more important than the instrument.

I can remember when I was in high school and I went with a friend who was shopping for an electric guitar. The local music store had a wide variety of guitars for sale, ranging from $100 for a no-name brand to over $2,000 for a high-end Fender. My friend was just learning to play, but his parents had said he could spend up to $750 for his first guitar. The salesman at the store knew a lot about guitars and he also played and gave lessons. In my opinion, he was a very good salesman because his first question was not about price but about ability and ambition. He asked my friend what music style he liked or wanted to play, and whether he planned to become a full-time musician or just a casual player. My friend was like me and just wanted to learn to play well enough to jam with friends and entertain himself. So the salesman grabbed a guitar priced around $175 made by a company I’d never heard of before. He quickly tuned it, plugged it into an amplifier and started to play. He made that cheap guitar sound amazing! After a few minutes, he took down a mid-range Fender priced around $500 and to our ears, it sounded pretty much the same. He even pulled down a high end Gibson, and again, there was not much difference that we could tell. After playing the Gibson, he went back to $175 guitar and played it some more. They all sounded great. But when my friend and I tried each one in turn, they didn’t sound as great. Even when I played that Gibson, I couldn’t make it sound as good as the salesman made that $175 guitar sound. So my friend ended up buying that $175 guitar and was very satisfied with his purchase. I give that salesman a lot of credit – he could have easily sold us a guitar priced much more and made a bigger commission, but instead he demonstrated how a talented musician can make beautiful music even with a mediocre instrument.

God has created us all to be His instruments on earth. Not just to make music, but to be His hands, His feet – to be His ambassadors and demonstrate His love to the world. We may think we are ill-equipped to do this work. But like that cheap guitar, if we allow our supremely talented God to use us – control us, direct us, support us - the results can be beautiful.

At the same time, if we allow others to try to use us (or we try to take control), the results are not so beautiful. Think about the numerous examples of people who have allowed greed, ambition, fame, power, pleasure, insecurity, drugs, alcohol, or other influences to control their lives. Even when I reflect on my own life – the times when I tried to take control and go my own way – those are the times when my life wasn’t the best it could be.

Before I play my guitar, I need to make sure it is still in tune. If it’s not in tune, no matter how well I play, it’s not going to sound right. We are the same way. We need to make sure we are “in tune” with what God wants us to do. If we’re not, and we try to let God work through us, the results won’t be as good as they could be.

So as you go about your week, ask yourself two questions. Am I going to allow God to use His instrument this week? Am I in tune with what He wants me to do?

Jac

“If we are the Body, why aren’t His arms reaching,
why aren’t His hands healing, why aren’t His words teaching?
If we are the Body, why aren’t His feet going,
why is His love not showing them there is a Way?”
Casting Crowns