Perhaps the most significant life lesson I’ve learned in my young adulthood is that knowing all the answers isn’t as important as asking good questions. So every now and then I like to use Fridays to 1) link to other bloggers and writers who have asked compelling questions during the week and 2) open the floor for you to share whatever questions you’ve been wrestling with lately.
The blogosphere has a way of creating little conversation storms that seem to come out of nowhere and leave everyone talking about them for days. Last week’s storm centered around the role of women in the church, home, and society. This week’s storm centers around interpretations of Genesis 1-3.
It started brewing when Dr. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, gave a speech entitled “Why Does the Universe Look So Old?” insisting that Christians must interpret Genesis 1-3 literally and reject the science behind evolutionary theory or else begin the downhill slide to apostacy. He highlighted the BioLogos Foundation Web site as a hub for such apostacy, which of course grabbed my attention, as I’ve posted there myself and am a big fan of the organization. (The speech sparked responses from Darrel Falk and Karl Giberson)
Meanwhile, over on Scot McKnight’s Jesus Creed blog, RJS caused quite a stir by asking readers to respond to a letter from a seminary student who researched the science behind an old earth and evolutionary theory, found it to be sound, and now wrestles with the question, What is the basis for calling the Bible true? Even after 133 comments and a second post on the subject, the conversation continues. (My friend Justin wrote a short, helpful response here.)
Just when it looked like the storm had blown over, Pete Enns wrote an excellent piece for the Huffington Post in which he asks, Does God talk to us through fiction?
And finally, drawing from these conversations, Amanda Mac manages to combine last week’s storm with this week’s by wisely asking, Might we also be dishonoring the text by demanding that Genesis 1-3 address gender roles?
Lots of good questions. Lots of good comments.
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I’m happy to report that the skies are a bit sunnier in Monkey Town, as the book continues to get good reviews. Some highlights from the week include:
Review: Amanda Johnson – Sense and Nonsense-ibility
Interview: Brett McCracken – The Search
Review: Leon Bloder – Prebymergent
Interview: Tim McGreary – To the Tune of Tim
Review: Dianne – Unfinished Work
Review: Michelle – I Don’t Believe in Grammar
Review: Tiffany Lucus – The Broken Telegraph
You can read all the reviews here.
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So, what questions are you asking this week—on your blog, at your dinner table, in your head, in your heart? Have you been hit by any storms in the blogosphere recently?