I’m enjoying a class I am taking through Reasons Institute. The class is called ‘Creation and the Bible.’
One of the books I am reading, “Three Views on Creation and Evolution,” presents the different views of God’s involvement (or lack thereof) in the natural universe. Here is the overview: “On one end would be the atheists who deny that God has intervened because there is no God. Next to them would be the liberal theologians who deny that God has intervened because God is not the sort who would intervene. Then come the traditional deists, who admit that God intervened in creation, but deny that he intervened thereafter in history.” The authors then point out that somewhere in this area stand those who believe that God intervened at creation and then minimally since, specifically in redemptive history). “Then come the theistic evolutionists and both old earth and young earth creationists, who believe that God intervened miraculously both in creation and redemption, though they may differ of the number of such interventions. Finally, some charismatic and Reformed theologians who see God intervening in everything …”
Some deists have said, “Why would God need to intervene? If the Watchmaker made the watch well and made it self-winding, why would he need to intervene and fix the watch?” Good question. I like the response Robert C. Newman, the author of the one chapter in the book asks in response to that question: I paraphrase: “Couldn’t it be that the natural universe is more like a guitar than a watch? Maybe the guitar-make made the guitar to be strummed by its maker from time to time.”
Where am I? I’ve changed, and I could keep changing over time. I find the Old Earth Creationist views most compatible with scripture and I do believe scripture is without error. We have the Book of God (scripture) and the Book of Nature. I believe both books are in harmony and witness to a self-revealing God.