I Was the 16-Year-Old Godfather of “Answers in Genesis”

Toe the line. And look, Wikipedia even notes how many people spell it wrong. “Toe the line” is often misspelled “tow the line”, substituting a familiar verb “tow” for the homophonic but unfamiliar verbal use of “toe.” “Tow” does not accord with any of the proposed etymologies, so “tow the line” is a linguistic eggcorn." (What is a linguisitic eggcorn, you may ask, I sure did. It’s “an idiosyncratic substitution of a word or phrase for a word or words that sound similar or identical in the speaker’s dialect” coined by a linguist who knew a woman who said “eggcorn” instead of “acorn.”) I think I’m done learning for the day.

This thought may be a little too frivolous but I’ll throw it out there anyways: I think the ID guy is the one on the top of the Christian castle who is aiming his cannon at thin air :slight_smile: .

2 Likes

But the guy at the top of the Christian castle is the guy who decides not to take part in the Creation v. Evolution debate, and simply be a Christian…

I tend to avoid the use of cannons in everyday life. But perhaps he is aiming his cannon at the spiritual realm “above”.

3 Likes

Yes, this is one traditional workaround. I’m just saying that even in antiquity, people struggled with this question.

You know, with your concerns, I might highly recommend In the Beginning by Henri Blocher. He makes a very big deal about needing to keep Scripture primary and not even allow science to dictate the conversation in such a way that Scripture would need to be reinterpreted. And he comes out in favor of an old earth.

It’s admittedly a bit dated because the genetic questions about historical Adam hadn’t yet broken when he wrote it, and he comes out unquestionably in favor of a literal Adam within an old-earth (or perhaps limitedly-evolutionary) framework. But in my opinion he does a great job helping people at least get from YEC to OEC without lowering the primacy of Scripture.

And @AMWolfe, I would like to recommend to you “In the Beginning God” (subtitled: “Creation from God’s Perspective”) by Rev. (and maybe Dr.?) Joel Heck. Rev. Heck is an LCMS pastor, and even commented on my website once. Anyhow, his book analyzes the Genesis account, and comes out strongly in favor of a historical interpretation. https://www.cph.org/p-18232-In-the-Beginning-God-Creation-from-Gods-Perspective.aspx. Dr. Heck is also the president (I believe) of the LCMS Society of Creation, which is an organization attempting to bring the LCMS around in favor of YEC: http://www.societyofcreation.org/.

That aside…
I am thinking about placing a link to BioLogos on the new links page of my website…What do you all think of that?

We promise to be nice to anyone who finds their way here. :slight_smile:

@Christy
Even if they are not (/do not appear) quite as tactful as I ;)?

I have lots of practice with those types. They just have to follow the rules like everyone else. Most people either enjoy the discussion or get bored and leave when they realize there aren’t going to be any flame wars here.

Too frivolous!??? Never! Some here might claim that the ID guy isn’t actually visible in the picture because he’s still inside the castle searching for some ammunition to put into his cannon.

Actually, I know where all the Biologos folks are – you can’t see them because they are busy digging tunnels to connect the islands and finding all sorts of interesting fossils in the process.

1 Like

Thanks.

I only made my recommendation because I felt it might help you think through these issues, since you seem to be working through them. I hope the recommendation did not offend, as it wasn’t my intent to bludgeon you with a long reading list — that’s never fun.

With no disrespect intended either to you or to Rev. Heck, I’m confident enough in my origins position at this point in my life (having struggled through these issues for most of my adult life, and feeling fairly at peace with the matter) that I’m not adding more origins-related books to my humorously long reading list (which I will probably get to when I’m an empty-nester at this rate :slight_smile: ). But if that should ever change, it’s good to have a recommendation in my pocket!

Blessings, brother!

@Mervin_Bitikofer
Fascinating. However, they find it hard to simply tunnel through the creationist foundation of “God’s Word,” and end up blasting away more and more of it without fulfilling their mission.(AIG sympathiser alert!)[quote=“AMWolfe, post:71, topic:37070”]
I only made my recommendation because I felt it might help you think through these issues, since you seem to be working through them. I hope the recommendation did not offend, as it wasn’t my intent to bludgeon you with a long reading list — that’s never fun.
[/quote]
@AMWolfe
No worries! If it is any comfort to you, Dr. Heck’s book is very short (under 80 pages!)

@Christy
That sounds positively terrifying. (I do not wish for these wars on my website either, that is why I spammed BioLogos with my website instead of my initial plans of Atheist Republic and Sensuous Curmudgeon ;)). Fear not, though! Thus far, practically all of my website commentators have been most gracious!

All the battle cartoons makes me reflect that to engage the world is not in the sense of to engage in battle as depicted in the cartoons, but to engage the world in meaningful ways to be salt and light. I am guilty often of stating the obvious, as my wife points out, lest you think I am unaware, but do it anyway.

@jpm
If you only state the obvious, nobody can get on you for getting something wrong ;).

Good to know! At this point in my life, even short books won’t get on my to-do list, but thanks for the info.

Actually – while we’re busy pummeling this poor analogy or metaphor senseless, we could say the Biologos folks are excavating into God’s Word too --trying to get through all the accreted layers that have been added on (for better or worse as far as understanding goes) by generations of tradition.

added edit: … excavating to get down as close to the real item itself as they can!

1 Like

However, like Schleiman at the excavation of Troy, they end up blasting through many layers that should have been preserved, and, when they think they have arrived at the original, find that they have bypassed it entirely (and may have destroyed it in the process).

@Mervin_Bitikofer
This little exchange has actually been pretty amusing ;).

1 Like

My favorite cartoon (well, one of 'em)

4 Likes

The arks are way too small, though. (!)
@heddle

(Wait…Arks should not be plural…)

Hasn’t the early earth model moved on from the ark animals as depicted in that cartoon, due to hyper fast speciation?

2 Likes