Some More Christmas Reading 2017

Another short volume in my Christmas collection is Stuart Burgess's The Star of Bethlehem which I read right through recently - it is not long. I had expected to get a lot of science but after a brief introduction dealing very briefly with that sort of thing it's application all the way, with 10 chapters all told. Sometimes the applications seem a little remote but it is all sound stuff and (as Peter Masters would put it) very suggestive!

I have also read this Christmas (possibly for the first time - it is so ubiquitous it is hard to be sure) Charles Dickens' inimitable Christmas Carol. Again, it is not long (under a hundred pages) but well written for the most part. It is pretty sentimental and quite man centred really but not without its lessons for all of us. It was a huge hit in 1843 when it was first published and has never looked back.

John Owen Centre Conference Day 01

It was good to be one of around 150 present at the John Owen Centre, Finchley, to hear this year's Dr Lloyd-Jones memorial lecture by Philip Eveson on Gospel and Creation - the significance of a theology of creation for preaching. A very full paper, it considered what a theology of creation should include (making some 12 points including the fact that there can only be one universe, that creation is the work of the triune God, who is also a relational God and insisting on the distinction between Creator and creation, creation and providence); the message of the gospel; the centrality of Christ and the significance of all this for preaching. Relying heavily on the work of Herman Bavinck, both creation and the gospel were expounded and asserted in the face of Muslim, Hindu, atheist and other deviant views to the contrary. It closed with an alliterative admonition to adore our Maker, appreciate his creation, understand the ache or groan that we presently know, anticipate the new creation and being active in making the message known.

The lecture came at the end of a busy first day of lectures and discussion under the title of Creation, the Bible and Science. About a hundred, mostly men and most of them ministers, had listened to three papers. The first was by Dr John Currid from RTS, Charlotte, Virginia, on Interpreting Genesis 1 & 2. This focused almost exclusively on Genesis 1 and was perhaps rather narrow as it simply sought to show that Genesis 1 is not poetry. Other interesting matters were raised in the paper and in discussion, however, and it was good to hear and discuss this paper.

Dr Robert Letham from WEST spoke next. Billed as Genesis 1 & 2 - the History of Interpretation this was inevitably boiled down to a history up until the Westminster Assembly and so did not interact at all with post-Darwin reactions. Indeed we may get through the whole conference saying very little about Darwin or Darwinism. Dr Letham's agenda was to suggest that there has never been much of a consensus on anything beyond the fact that the Bible teaches an ex nihilo creation by the triune God. He made a great deal of the popularity of Augustine's idea of instantaneous creation for hundreds of years.

The third paper of the day was Genesis 1 & 2 - a Scientist’s Perspective. Because Professor Stuart Burgess was the chosen speaker this was really an engineer's perspective. This was the most conservative, the warmest, the easiest and perhaps the most interesting paper of the day. He spoke of God's power, skill and goodness in creation and then spoke briefly in favour of "a young Adam" and a "young earth" and against the possibility of extra-terrestrial forms of life.

The day was a very stimulating one with lots of good questions and good answers and many expressions a genuine desire not to demonise fellow believers, seriously grappling with the biblical text and the scientific data but coming to differing conclusions to our own but within the biblical requirements. As ever, it was good to talk over the meals about these issues and others.

Hopefully tomorrow will be an equally stimulating day.

JOC Conference

Guy was just ahead of me - so I'll nick his page to remind you of this upcoming conference. (If anyone is into redaction criticism this good be a good place to start).

It's a two day conference at the John Owen Centre and the programme is as follows:

Monday 15th September

Interpreting Genesis 1 & 2 - Dr. John Currid

Genesis 1 & 2 - the History of Interpretation - Dr. Robert Letham

Genesis 1 & 2 - a Scientist’s Perspective - Prof. Stuart Burgess

7.45 pm The Martyn Lloyd-Jones Memorial Lecture:

The Gospel and Creation - the significance of a theology of creation for preaching - Rev. Philip Eveson. This lecture will be held in Kensit Evangelical Church and is open to everyone.

Tuesday 16th September

The New Testament and Creation - Dr. Stephen Lloyd

Design Arguments - stepping stones or stumbling blocks? - Prof. Paul Helm (*)

Authority: the Bible and science - Dr. Jason Rampelt

Looks very interesting. More info here.

* Prof Helm's paper is available in draft form here

Stuart Burgess

It was my privilege to be at the Westminster Fellowship last Monday and to hear Stuart Burgess. Dr Burgess is Professor of Design in nature at Bristol University and a leading light in the intelligent design movement. He is the author of three books on the subject and a number of DVD presentations. (See here and here and here). His classical argument is that from the knee joint in man. See the article here.

On this occasion he spoke less about the argument and more about the movement but that was interesting and useful in itself. He was particularly concerned about how to go about responding to the various attacks that have come his way. What a battle is going on.

Meeting coming up