Real Bible Rob
I am a Presbyterian USA minister who interprets the Bible in all of its messy and varied voices. I teach and preach spiritual growth to people who want an open and affirming Christianity. My social media tagline is "People say lots of things about the Bible that aren't really there."
My full-length sermons and live stream are available on YouTube: @robchrist8999 and @edmondspresbyterian132
Contact me at: epc-pcusa.org, pastorepc@frontier.com
Real Bible Rob
Newton, Darwin, and God - Ephesians 1:11 & Jeremiah 10:23
What does Newton and Darwin have to do with God? A whole lot. Newton represents the height and triumph of determinism, the idea that all things have a cause and effect. If you know all the inputs and processes of a system, you can determine every outcome. Calvin's writings underpinned this by saying that God has absolute control of the entire universe, which Newton used to generalize from earth to the cosmos. Newton was a very religious man. Darwin who was also religious, created a major fissure in determinism by describing how random events and natural selection are the basis for evolution. The rise of quantum mechanics and chaos in the following century obliterated any scientific foundation for determinism. For the believer, the argument isn't so much whether God is in control, but whether God plays by God's own rules. I touch on the leap of imagination that Newton and Darwin had to make to have the astounding insights they developed. I also mention Einstein's lifelong struggle with determinism. And how religious people have such a hard time giving up the control that determinism gives them.
#newton #darwin #einstein #determinism #faith #predestination #freewill #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa
Eph 1:11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will,
Jer 10:23
I know, O Lord, that the way of humans is not in their control,
that mortals as they walk cannot direct their steps.