Happy Blogiversary, -V-!!!

That was this past Saturday, 9/27.  If you haven't been to Committee In My Head, stop reading my stupid blog and go read a real one.

Full Disclosure

We're friends, right?

I can share anything with you, no matter how embarrassing?

I was at that den of iniquity, County Market, when I came upon the cereal aisle, as I often do. There I noticed a new cereal in with the entertainment franchise product tie-in cereals. When marketers put that big yellow "New!" on the box, it's me they have in mind. I'm such a sucker for that stuff, especially related to cereal and pop.

I PURCHASED A BOX OF HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL CEREAL.

The saddest part? It's really good, and I might go get some more, as I think it's on sale 2/$5. None of those gross marshmallows - just yummy corn crunch.

While we're at it - what's the deal with High School Musical? I think it was a theatrical-release movie, and then there was a Disney Channel-only (or straight to video-only?) sequel, and I think there is going to be a third one coming up. Let me know if I have my facts wrong. Is it also a TV show or something? It seems to be quite a cultural phenomenon. Lately on Yahoo when you start typing, it makes a list of suggested searches that matches what you're typing. You only have to get out "h-i-g" before the top suggestion is "high school musical". Has anybody seen this thing? Is it any good? How old and out of touch do I sound?

Thank You, Current

I rarely turn on the radio, but this morning I ended up on the folk-y morning show of 89.3 The Current. After a little talk, Jim Ed Poole, etc., the first song I hear is . . . Over The Rhine! "Trouble" from their playful and seductive album "Trumpet Child." I believe this marks my first time hearing them on the radio. Looking back over their archives, it looks like the Current morning show has played almost every song from that record this year. Nice going! Just another reason to love the Current. The fact that OTR doesn't have major music market popularity is indicative of severe problems with the music industry. I can't believe in an artistic system that doesn't adore Over The Rhine.

Enday Tiger Cub

Check out this picture, taken by Andy Norquist at our house. Ha ha!

Our Fierce and Majestic Princess

Dear Dorel Juvenile Group

In order to take the padding off to wash it, you have to take the whole car seat apart?

Really?

Thanks.

Can I have my evening back please?

In ? We Trust

After the second email from Christian family/acquaintances about some atheist contesting the "In God We Trust" inscription on American currency and MSNBC conducting an online poll asking people if they are in favor of removing the inscription, I thought I might throw out a blog post with a couple thoughts:

1) It was refreshing to find that this story was real, and not a hoax like other things passed around via email.

2) It seems fitting to have that particular inscription on money, as in "we trust in GOD, rather than MONEY."

3) I don't think the inscription constitutes an unconstitutional governmental endorsement of religion, and I don't particularly think it needs to be removed for that reason. The whole separation of church and state thing is so that the government can't endorse one particular religion, and it was created in the environment of different areas of the colonies being dominated by different sects who were trying to discriminate against each other. Just the word "God" doesn't really single out any particular religion and could be accepted by just about any religious view (except for atheism I guess, which is the view of the person bringing the complaint).

4) Since I think you'd be hard pressed to argue that America is trusting God, especially with its finances, I guess the inscription is basically meaningless. In fact, it's sickly ironic the more you think about it. Is this a national-scale example of misusing the Lord's name (Exodus 20:7), and of a people who honor God with their lips but their hearts are far from him (Matthew 15:8, Mark 7:6)? I think it is an interesting question of how Christians should feel about the secular state talking about God on its money. I'd like to put some more thought into that. Perhaps Christians should be sending around emails advocating the removal of this inscription instead of its protection! I'm not sure I see why America should have this inscription on its money, and I don't think I would be that concerned if it was removed. America/Americans trusting in God will come about by the work of the Holy Spirit and by the church bringing the kingdom of God to the world (i.e., each of us bringing it to our neighbors), not by any laws or slogans from the government. The evidence will be not what is written on the money, but what we do with that money.

Dear Crims,

I kid you not. I don't know if this is just a coincidence or reflects astute cognition on the part of my daughter (I prefer the latter).

Out of the blue I asked Eva Prathibha at dinner tonight, "Who did you see at the beach today?" She immediately said, "Ethan."

Quote for the day

"Grown-ups do stuff for money. There are no other reasons."

- Teen skateboarder in the Gus van Sant film "Paranoid Park."

Play time

I'm happy with these from yesterday -

Counting with Eva

One . . . two . . . three . . . SEVEN!

The Caninity

Who would play the voices of Guffman and Duncan in a movie about our lives?

Stuff Christians Like

Huh, knock me over with a feather. Something that's actually funny.

Thanks, Tim and Brandy.

Eva's first piece of mail

She loved it, and the stickers immediately went all over her and papa.

Thanks, Annie, Jacob, and Truman!

Chillaxin'

This is pretty much what life is like around the Rankin house nowadays.

FeH

Stayed up late on iChat with a friend the other night talking about the periodic table and looking for elements that have Facebook profiles. There are a few, but none of them have accepted my friend request yet. Also, there is an application on FB where you can take a quiz to find out what element you are. Apparently I'm hydrogen and he's iron. You can also combine with friends to make reactions. I'm not sure if iron hydride is a real compound or not. I think I'll go Google it.

You've got to have friends like that.

One down, one to go

No title needed

Thanks to Sarah for the awesome shot of Eva Prathibha at the bed & breakfast in Delhi on July 8, 2008.

Delhi II

Deja vu this morning - same nice breakfast at the B&B, pick-up by Mr. Singh for the ride to the embassy, security check-in at the embassy, more window 17 and forms and rifling through the paperwork we brought. We had to turn in the medical exam and pictures we got yesterday as well as a bunch of the forms and personal information we had brought with us, pay the fee, and fill out the visa application. This was different from the likely process that we were given by our adoption agency, so we were hoping everything was still ok to get done today. After we turned in the application, we had to wait for a while (maybe an hour) while they processed it. Then we had a short interview with an official (very nice) at window 14, who told us after the interview that everything would be completed today. I will go back at 3:30 today to get her visa, and the embassy stuff will be done! It went very smoothly.

We got out of the embassy at about 10:30, so we had Mr. Singh take us to the India Gate, which is a large impressive monument that also has beautiful parks surrounding it. In the park area is a large children's play park with several different sections of playground equipment. We thought Eva would be interested in some active play, climbing, etc., but she didn't want to leave physical contact with me. She is very clingy to me, and is often only comforted by me. I am enjoying it, but mom is getting the short end of the love. We think this makes sense with the chaotic life we have these few days - zeroing in on one person for security amidst ever-changing and foreign circumstances. In and out of the embassy, up and down streets, in and out of Mr. Singh's car, wild dogs roaming the streets (Eva is afraid of dogs). I keep telling her that this is not our real life, and things will stabilize soon. After the India Gate and the non-playground, we wanted to pick up lunch on the way home and kind of wanted American, so we decided on McDonald's. It is true that they don't serve beef, but they had good veggie burgers and chicken burgers, and the fries were the same. We got back to the B&B for lunch, and Eva and mommy are having nap time now.

Vonda is feeling much better (see yesterday's post about the doctor's visit and medication we got). She was greatly improved today, hopefully that will continue. It is very hot and humid; hydration is very important.


By the time Eva wakes up from her nap and I/we get back from the embassy, it will be well into the afternoon (4:30-ish) and probably no time or desire for sightseeing or shopping. Down time in the afternoon has been awesome after busy mornings. Eva is doing super great with everything, but the busy mornings being yanked around Delhi have been semi-stressful for her at times. With a whole day tomorrow with no plans, and Vonda feeling better, we are hoping to check out some shopping based on David and Sofi's recommendations, and whatever else we feel up for.

I'll comment again on all of your emails and blog comments - you have no idea the difference it makes for us to feel the support of our community of friends and family back home.

Delhi

This morning we did the first part of the U.S. embassy stuff in Delhi. We tried to squeeze in some breakfast before Mr. Singh picked us up at 8:00 am and we made it to the embassy a little after 8:30. Driving in Delhi is very different from, say, Hudson, and we are glad we do not have to do it ourselves. Everything went smoothly and we were back to the B&B shortly after noon. It's amazing how long you prepare for something, and how long you look forward to it, and how much paperwork it takes to make it happen, and then it's over like that. We were out of the embassy by 10:00, and went to do the visa photos and visa medical exam, which both went off without a hitch. The Indian man at the photo place heartily wished us well and made a point of telling me that he thought that adoption is the greatest, most noble thing one can do, including reference to close friends or relatives that had adopted years ago and it had turned out really well for the children.

Vonda felt pretty bad early this morning and wasn't even sure she was going to be able to go out, but it subsided a little by the time we had to leave and she barely found what she needed in order to do our errands with us. After Eva's visa medical exam appointment, Vonda also got an exam and some prescriptions from the same doctor. For about $25, she got an exam and a bunch of medicine that hopefully will make her feel better. I think she got: electrolyte powder mix to add to water to combat dehydration, antibiotic, something for parasites, something for nausea, and something for heartburn/stomach acid. Also, no more Indian food. That may be tricky, since we are in India! Hopefully all that will nuke whatever she has. We still have 2 (hopefully minimally demanding) days left in Delhi, but the trip home is not going to be fun for her if she's sick.

We are now back at the B&B and had some Italian food delivered from a nearby establishment (with a h.i.l.a.r.i.o.u.s. menu). The Italian was pretty iffy, but sufficed. Eva and mommy are having their naps, and all is right with the world. We are laying low at the B&B for the rest of today. Agenda: play, dinner, bed.

We will do the embassy again tomorrow, but it will be even easier. It should just be one stop at the embassy, and no doctor or photos or anything else. Then, if everyone is feeling up to it, we can see some sights and/or do some shopping. We also have a whole 'nother day after that in Delhi as well. There is a zoo nearby; I wonder if it's any good?

We are hanging on each encouraging email or blog comment from all of you. The prayers, support, and sharing of our joy mean more than you know.

My New Life

She's so beautiful, everyone. You have no idea.

Oh boy, this entry got long. Earlier I had fantasized about giving regular updates on this trip via blog, but that didn't work too well. Internet wasn't as easy (or free) at the resort, and we didn't really have access at the orphanage. So now it's coming out all at once. I'll understand if you take it in shifts.

The journey to the other side of the world is a long one, as some of you know. We felt very fortunate to fly from Minneapolis to Amsterdam to Mumbai (Bombay) to Cochin on schedule and with all of our luggage and most of our sanity intact. We caught up with The Spiderwick Chronicles, Horton Hears a Who, and The Counterfeiters on the plane, and I even got a Mountain Dew at the Mumbai airport (I saved the can as a souvenir; it's from Dubai and is 300 ml instead of 355). We got to beautiful Cherai Beach Resort in Kerala without a hitch (except the driver from the resort wasn't at the Cochin airport to pick us up, so we had to give them a call). It was a really nice place to hang for a couple of days (and a half a day longer than we planned) to rest and relax. We slept a LOT. I've never been this jet-lagged. The setting is lush green palm forest and serene backwaters populated by simple fishing communities with a laid-back attitude. Kind of reminded me of Hawaii or the Caribbean or the South Pacific. I would love to convey in detail the beautiful surroundings, delightful people, and the excellent food and service of that place.

There happened to be a trucker's strike on the day we were supposed to get picked up at the resort, so when we called the orphanage to arrange it, we were disappointed to hear that we would probably be picked up the next day. During a strike, it is not safe to travel the roads, as people throw rocks or try to do other things to travelers. We ended up getting picked up later that same day (the day we were originally expecting) but got to the orphanage late that night and did not get to meet Prathibha. The drive to the orphanage was, I would say, a fairly adventurous 3-hour careen through small Indian villages and up into the Kerala hills. No motion sickness, thanks to our own hearty constitutions and a dose of Bonine. We were still very jet-lagged and fell into bed when we arrived there.

Elizabeth's and Rajan's house is beautiful. I hadn't properly gathered from the previous pictures and video we had seen, and I didn't realize it until we awoke the next morning and had coffee in the open-air courtyard in the middle of their house. They were very gracious hosts, especially considering that our visit happened to coincide with 1) a state-wide orphanage seminar that SKB was hosting and at which Elizabeth was scheduled to deliver multiple lectures, and 2) a visit from Elizabeth and Rajan's son, his wife, and their 16-month-old son. If we needed Elizabeth for anything we had to work around her schedule, but her team of maids and cooks prepared great meals for us, 3 meals a day. Steamed rice noodles with butter and sugar for breakfast, where have you been all my life?

It was a big day for us - to meet and hang out with our daughter all day long. We walked the brick road from the house through the mango, coffee, vanilla, rubber, and other trees down to the orphanage and went to a small waiting area while they got Eva. When one of the women carried her in, she was crying and didn't want to come to us, which was consistent with the range of negative reactions that we were prepared for. What I was hardly prepared for, and hadn't dared let myself hope for, was that when the woman set Eva on the floor 10 seconds later and Vonda began revealing tantalizing morsels from a goodie bag, Eva immediately sought refuge in my lap and began interested inspection of the gifts. We played with her a little on the floor in that room and then continued after-breakfast play time with her upstairs in the play room with several other children. She was not afraid of us or shy with us at all. We are hoping this isn't an indiscrimancy behavior indicative of any attachment issues. We believe it is largely due to the preparation she has been given by her caregivers at the orphanage. Throughout our stay we learned from various individuals, including her favorite person, pre-school teacher/child care goddess Deepa, that they have been talking to her for many months about her mommy and daddy in conjunction with the pictures of us she has. Not only who we are and that we exist, but that she was going to leave the orphanage to come live with us. Deepa even told us how she would tell Eva that we would fly on an airplane and mommy would sit on one side and daddy would sit on the other side and Prathibha would sit in the middle! Contrary to the worst-case scenarios we had been warned may occur, she warmed to us quickly and enthusiastically played with us and showed us her world at the orphanage. During the times we would take her up to Elizabeth's house to play, she would point back down to the orphanage, telling us that she wanted to go back there. There were times that she became sad and cried a little; she knew she was leaving (thanks to the preparation by orphanage caregivers) and was processing it in her own way. After a lovely handing-over ceremony the next day and some office/paperwork stuff, it was time to leave.

Remember the adventurous 3-hour drive? Well, we had to do it again with our little girl after a big lunch. Actually, it was a little shorter drive from SKB to the Cochin airport than it was from the resort to SKB (I think we made it in 2 and a half hours), but the first part of the drive, out of the hills of Kerala, was the same winding and bumpy terrain. Eva contentedly looked out the window at the interesting sights passing by, and then tried to get as comfortable as she could on my lap (she didn't have her own seat) and get a little shut-eye as it was during her normal nap time. However, after being shaken and jostled for an hour, little Eva's lunch came up all over the front of me. The long-suffering driver, Ashraf, pulled over for a costume change (Eva and daddy) and clean-up as best we could. All-knowing and all-seeing mommy had Eva's change of clothes ready, towels to wipe off with, a plastic bag to put the pukey clothes and towels in, and another plastic bag to use for more sickness. Throughout the rest of the ride we kept a sickness bag handy, and it was needed a few other times. Eva seemed mildly annoyed at how urpy she was feeling, but other than that she didn't fuss, cry, or anything.

The car ride began our amazement at Eva's courage and resilience, and it continued at the Cochin airport and on the flight to Delhi. She was momentarily afraid of the big new strange place, clung to us, whimpered for a few seconds, and then was ok. As we got on the plane, we braced ourselves for her reaction to the new experience, including the seat belt. Other than one 20-minute fuss session related to her opinion about the seat belt (near the end of the flight, oddly enough), she took off, kept herself entertained for the 3-hour flight, and even landed with hardly pause or grimace. And that was after having been sick and with no nap. Hopefully this bodes well for the long flights at all hours that bring us home in a few days.

I am writing this from our bed and breakfast in New Delhi. We got here last night at 8:30-9:00 just in time for greeting and brief ropes from the earnest proprietor Ajay ("A.J.") before falling into bed. We all slept about 10 hours and awoke to a nice breakfast around 8:00. We spent all day today playing and cuddling and laughing together as a family. It was really great to have this day before the embassy red tape tomorrow.

We also saw a side of Eva that we hadn't yet experienced at SKB or on the trip to Delhi - hyper silliness! She hits a point (maybe sugary food related?) where she winds herself way up and laughs and makes faces and wants to play and cuddle in hyper mode. Like a kid. My kid. Even though it was sad to leave everyone she had known for a year at the orphanage, I think deep down she had been longing for the mommy and daddy that she had been told about, and had been needing the love and security that comes with, as all kids do. I think she is already beginning to suck up the love like a sponge, and she is also finding the security - clinging to us for comfort and protection in new or scary circumstances.

I can't express how in love with her I am. She is smart and beautiful and capable. She learns by example and emulation - she always wants to be shown how to do something, and then do it herself. She has very definite ideas about what she wants to play with during play time, but at the same time she is happy and content with her surroundings. Today she stood between my legs and looked at the screen for a half hour as I sat at the computer and typed part of this entry. When that got old, she told me to get her the plastic containers of coffee creamer and sugar packets from a shelf in the kitchen (where the computer is) and proceeded to count them and sort them and tell me all about what they were and her system for keeping track of them (I think).

Tomorrow and Tuesday we have the embassy/visa stuff to take care of, which is a fair bit of running around. We do have a driver all day who works with a lot of adopting families and knows what to do. I'll let you know how that went later, in a shorter entry.

The Truth Project

Something is going on, and I'm calling us on it. I know it's been going on for a while, but it's reaching a point that is alarming me. I'm past annoyed, and now I'm really concerned about this. It is exemplified by a blurb I just saw about something called Coral Ridge Ministries that did a survey in which 85% of respondents said that "Darwinism/evolution" is "very dangerous" to the spiritual health of America. We can't get enough of that false dichotomy that says that the theory of evolution is antithetical to God's creation, and we continue to tell each other and let ourselves be told that evolution is philosophically repugnant and must be fought against and proven wrong. I know this has been going on since the big trial in the 1920's, or before, or whatever, but I am now seeing really close-to-home ways that this is going to damage the church.

Focus on the Family is launching a curriculum called The Truth Project, which ambitiously tackles many aspects of worldview from a biblical perspective. This curriculum is going to be presented in a special seminar at our church this fall. One of the 12 modules is for science, and here is the summary from their website:

Science: What is True?

Science, the "systematic study of the natural world," brings to light innumerable evidences of Intelligent Design. But Darwinian theory transforms science from the honest investigation of nature into a vehicle for propagating a godless philosophy.

A careful examination of molecular biology and the fossil record demonstrates that evolution is not a "proven fact."

Meanwhile, history shows that ideas, including Darwinism as a social philosophy, have definite consequences – consequences that can turn ugly when God is left out of the picture.

Darwinian theory does not transform science into a vehicle for propagating a godless philosophy. Darwinian theory fits just fine in the "honest investigation of nature" category and provides a framework for scientists to understand the evidence about the development of life on earth that has been gathered by geologists, paleontologists, zoologists, and molecular biologists for the last century or more. Some scientists propagate a godless philosophy, which they feel is supported by the theory of evolution, but they are presenting their own philosophical viewpoints when they do that, not science. Logically, the fact that some scientists feel evolution supports their godless philosophy doesn't make the theory of evolution false for the same reason that Christianity is not made false by its misapplication by Adolf Hitler, the KKK, or Fred Phelps.

A careful examination of molecular biology and the fossil record demonstrates that evolution is the scientific theory of the development of life on earth that is best supported by the evidence. Nothing in science is "proven" 100.00%, and I suspect that in this section they are going to be playing with the definition of that word, and/or highlighting the imperfections in what the theory of evolution can (thus far) explain. Science doesn't work by rejecting a theory if it can't explain absolutely everything. Science works by accepting the theory that is best supported by the evidence until a better one comes along to replace it. So far, evolution has withstood the test of time for 150 years. (Though as a Christian I believe that the universe was intelligently designed by the God of the Bible, I don't count Intelligent Design as a competing scientific theory.)

Historical instances of using Darwinism as a social philosophy with ugly consequences when God is left out of the picture have little do with science or the real theory of evolution. Natural selection means that the organisms that are best fit for their niche in the natural environment will be the ones to survive and pass on their genes, not that we should exterminate the weak or infirm ones or the ones of a race we don't like. The latter does not necessarily follow from the former, unless through the filter of a deranged mind that already wants to do the latter anyway. And yet, it seems The Truth Project intends to make this connection as an integral part of their position.

Since the whole name of the curriculum is TRUTH, I am disconcerted by the false and/or misleading statements that appear on the website to summarize the curriculum as described above. I haven't seen the curriculum yet, so you can cry foul if you want, but I think it's safe to assume the content follows from the point of view shown in these summary statements. I wonder what's in the other 11 modules, and if it's true or not?

If you were, say, a diabolical spiritual being bent on destroying Christians and Christianity, wouldn't it be hilarious if Christians would enthusiastically advocate and insist on views that are 1) not necessary to the truths of Christianity, 2) false, and therefore incongruent with the ostensibly truth-rooted Christianity and with Christ, who declared himself to be The Truth (John 14:6), and 3) known by onlooking unbelievers to be false, and therefore cause them to reject the real Christian beliefs such as Christ and him crucified?

You can't take it with you . . . so leave us access to it.

I'm sure this is legit and not a scam or something designed to make non-Christian onlookers all the more convinced that Christians are kooks.

Science and Scripture

St. Augustine on science and scripture - father of the faith or compromising liberal?

"In matters that are obscure and far beyond our vision, even in such as we may find treated in Holy Scripture, different interpretations are sometimes possible without prejudice to the faith we have received. In such a case, we should not rush in headlong and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if further progress in the search of truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it.  That would be to battle not for the teaching of Holy Scripture but for our own, wishing its teaching to conform to ours, whereas we ought to wish ours to conform to that of Sacred Scripture.

 

"On interpreting the mind of the sacred writer. Christians should not talk nonsense to unbelievers…..  

"Usually, even a non-Christian knows something about the earth, the heavens, and the other elements of this world, about the motion and orbit of the stars and even their size and relative positions, about the predictable eclipses of the sun and moon, the cycles of the years and the seasons, about the kinds of animals, shrubs, stones, and so forth, and this knowledge he holds to as being certain from reason and experience.

"Now, it is a disgraceful and dangerous thing for an infidel to hear a Christian, presumably giving the meaning of Holy Scripture, talking nonsense on these topics; and we should take all means to prevent such an embarrassing situation, in which people show up vast ignorance in a Christian and laugh it to scorn. The shame is not so much that an ignorant individual is derided, but that people outside the household of the faith think our sacred writers held such opinions, and, to the great loss of those for whose salvation we toil, the writers of our Scripture are criticized and rejected as unlearned men.

"If they find a Christian mistaken in a field which they themselves know well and hear him maintaining his foolish opinions about our books, how are they going to believe those books in matters concerning the resurrection of the dead, the hope of eternal life, and the kingdom of heaven, when they think their pages are full of falsehoods on facts which they themselves have learnt from experience and the light of reason?

"Reckless and incompetent expounders of Holy Scripture bring untold trouble and sorrow on their wiser brethren when they are caught in one of their mischievous false opinions and are taken to task by those who are not bound by the authority of our sacred books. For then, to defend their utterly foolish and obviously untrue statements, they will try to call upon Holy Scripture for proof and even recite from memory many passages which they think support their position, although ‘they understand neither what they say nor the things about which they make assertion.’ (1Tm 1:7)"

St. Augustine, the Literal Meaning of Genesis. Vol. 1, pgs 41-43 in the Ancient Christian Writers series (Vol. 41). Translated and annotated by John Hammond Taylor, S.J. New York, Paulist Press, 1982.

The best birthday ever!

I got a call on my cell phone, all alone in New Jersey, on my birthday, that we've been granted guardianship.  Verbal guardianship is first, the written guardianship will come in the next few days.  This means that we start planning the trip and we are going to be parents very soon!!!  We will probably go sometime the last week of June/first week of July.  It's the end of a long, hard process, but it's really just the beginning!  

Maybe not the best birthday ever . . .

By myself in New Jersey (sniff) trying to find something to do tonight, maybe go to a movie.

Although I did get 15 (and counting) happy birthday wishes from my Facebook friends, 2 spirited voicemails from family, a touching email from my mom, and multiple warm phone conversations and birthday wishes from my lovely bride. And I just discovered Mountain Dew has 3 new flavors to try.

I AM Keith Moon

The room doesn't have a fridge to keep the Dew cold, so I went to the ice machine and used the ice bucket to fill the room's two wastebaskets with ice and put the Dew in the wastebaskets.  Take that, Clarion Hotel and Towers, Edison, New Jersey!

Christmas card from a hooker in . . .

Tom Waits just announced the dates of his Glitter and Doom summer tour, none of which are in Minneapolis.  Accompanying the tour announcement is press conference footage highlighting why we love him so much.  By we, I mean me.

Sproul/Stein III

Which brings us to the R.C. Sproul/Ben Stein interview I listened to recently (thanks, Andrea!).

My limited experience with Sproul has been that he is an intelligent man and a good speaker, and I am aware that he has been a well-respected theologian and apologist for decades. And I had heard that Stein was an intelligent man, but honestly I had only thought of him as a character actor ("Ferris Bueller's Day Off") and former game show host ("Win Ben Stein's Money"). Through the hubbub surrounding "Expelled", it has been interesting to learn that he is an Intelligent Design and pro-life proponent, from which I surmise he may be a Christian of some type.

But darn it if they didn't both fall all over each other to twist the issues and perpetuate the confusion! Before the interview even starts, the announcer refers to the "church of Darwin," casually throwing in a phrase that conceals volumes of issues and questions, with no explanation. I'm sorry, I don't think there was any part of the interview, except maybe when Sproul was joking with Stein about his lines from "Ferris Bueller", that wasn't off the mark and contributing to misinformation and confusion. I'll try to hit the main ideas.

It is my understanding that the "Expelled" movie primarily argues against Darwinism or evolution, so I was confused to hear Sproul and Stein spend the bulk of their time discussing why the universe couldn't have come into existence out of nothing, which has nothing to do with evolution. They characterize the scientific view of the universe and evolution as "random," something that no scientist claims. So you either believe in a "random" universe, or you believe it was designed. You believe we came from a mud puddle or we were designed. I have yet to see or hear anything that tells me why it can't be both. (Incidentally, if you don't believe we were formed out of a mud puddle, when was the last time you read Genesis 2:7?) Stein goes on to quip that if you question where everything came from in a university setting, "you would probably be shot." Really? The universities that I know of have whole departments for those kinds of questions - philosophy and theology departments. The science departments don't receive that type of discussion favorably within the realm of doing science, because it's not science. If the beauty, complexity, or very existence of the natural world points you to something supernatural, then praise God, you are on the right track. But you have, by definition, stepped outside the realm of science and into philosophy. Therefore, philosophy and theology aren't allowed in scientific papers (I'm not sure why they should be), but Sproul and Stein insist that this is arrogant, closed-minded, suppressing free expression, and fearfully defending job security on the part of "Big Science." This gets at the definition of science and how it operates, which maybe someone should cover in a future post.

Another main topic was the supposed implications of evolution, and I guess it's related to the above. This argument starts with the mischaracterization that evolution has its "origin in nothingness, it's destiny in nothingness", gives human beings no significance, and is "the death blow to human dignity" (Sproul). These may be the philosophical conclusions of some, but by definition they cannot be part of evolution because it is a scientific theory. I cannot see why these assertions have any more validity or are any more necessarily derived from the theory of evolution than the assertion that evolution is how God created us and we have worth and human dignity as creations of God, but Sproul and Stein spew them and refute them as if they are given. They are refuting an amalgam of philosophical viewpoints as if they are evolution/Darwinism.

"If I were a scientist convinced of the theses of macroevolution . . I would have to accept it with tears. Why would I even bother to get up in the morning?" (Sproul)

"There's no hope for any kind of eternity"(Stein)

If evolution abolishes human dignity and significance, then it is responsible for all kinds of evils and immorality, including things like Hitler's holocaust. This is getting a little long, so I won't even go into the Hitler thing, which is misguided on multiple levels, and Sproul and Stein should know better. Of course we should be against a nihilistic world view that rejects the significance of human life and says there is no purpose in the universe! But that's philosophy, not evolution. If a scientist advocates that point of view, he is stating his own philosophical conclusions, not scientific truth.

Here is another quote that is neither here nor there, except why would you even say something so nonsensical that all it does is undermine your rationality and credibility?

"People go into academic life, in large measure, because they're frightened people." (Stein)

Anybody else listen and have any opinions?

Drive-in!!!!!!!!!!!!

This Friday night, May 2.  I don't care about temperature or weather.

Good line-up: Ironman, Drillbit Taylor, and a third one that doesn't fit on the marquis yet.

If you won't go with me, I will go by myself.  If you think I'm not serious, count the exclamation points.

The ache of unrealized possibilities

Two dear friends had their unborn babies die this past weekend.  After grieving the news of one yesterday, I found out about the other one today.  It's hard to understand why these things have to happen, and it's hard to know what to say.  I guess we can be reminded of the miraculous and fragile nature of human life and be sure to cherish the loved ones in our lives.

You may not know them, but you could pray for Jeremy and Abby Cashman in their loss of Harper Lee at 23 weeks, and for Chris and Jeni Smith in their loss of Hazel Irene at 31 weeks.  Jeremy is a longtime friend from back in the day, and Chris was my roommate and close friend in college (I was best man in his wedding).  Pray that they would be driven to deeper faith and find comfort in the questioning.

Harper, you get the coolest name award.

Harper and Irene, we look forward to seeing your perfection in another life.

The true signal of summer's return

By my watch, this is opening weekend for the drive-in.  The line-up is pretty iffy right now (Never Back Down, Superhero Movie, The Forbidden Kingdom) but let's get going soon!  (You know who you are, Paul Dopkins.)  Cold schmold - anybody going this weekend?

Eddies in the space-time blog-inuum

A weird thing happened - I just published a new post on evolution, and it appeared below the Einstein/Mariah Carey post (when was the last time you saw those names together?). This is beause it was already started and in draft form when I published the Einstein one last night. Just so you know it's down there.

You can't make this stuff up

I just heard this, and it is not a joke. Mariah Carey's new album is called E=MC².

I guess her talent is relative to the position and velocity of the observer.

R.C. Sproul/Ben Stein (cont.)

Here's my current viewpoint, so we're clear. I am a Christian and believe in the doctrine of creation and the inerrancy of the Bible. Evolution (the whole shebang, from single cells to man) could have occurred (in accordance with the scientific evidence and the consensus of the scientific community who studies that stuff) and is not necessarily contradictory to the idea that God created us. I wish we could all sit down and listen to this excellent lecture together. I have it on my iPod and I listen to it in the car like a (really long) favorite song.

Take a look at that word - evolution. I've already written it twice in this post, multiple times in previous posts, and will most likely continue to use it frequently. To our current brand of 20th/21st century Western evangelical Christianity, it's the e-word! Even just seeing or hearing the word, you have an emotional reaction, don't you?

We've fallen prey to the false dichotomy of evolution OR creation. At some point in the early 20th century (a study of this would be fascinating; I'm sure someone's done it and I just haven't gotten around to finding it), it began to be woven into the fabric of our thinking and belief system that evolution is intended to explain away God, and a naturalistic process (evolution) and God's act of creation must be mutually exclusive. To me, this is illogical if you stop to consider that you believe that God created you, while at the same time believing that you came from a single cell and developed by the well-known (but not yet fully understood, of course) natural processes of genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, etc. I've never heard:

"Well, if you believe that you came from a single cell and you're the result of two people having sex, and the natural process of developmental biology that follows it, then you reject the involvement of God and there's no basis for morality."

But I have heard the viewpoint that if we evolved from a common ancestor that we share with all other organisms on the planet (from the "primordial soup" as creationists love to put it), that leaves no room for the creative acts of God and no basis for morality. It seems to me there are multiple parallel ways of describing the same thing. I was healed of cancer* by medical science and by God - both at the same time, not medicine doing part and God doing part. I was created by God and by sexual reproduction. Life on earth developed by evolution, and was created by God. Believing in the doctrine of creation does not require one to believe that life on earth was zapped into existence a short time ago more or less like it is now, any more than it requires one to believe that a human baby is created by God fully formed and brought by a stork.

All you have to do is believe in that one false dichotomy, and of course Christians should reject evolution, because we know God created the world! From there we get the whole spectrum of creationist and Intelligent Design viewpoints and rhetoric we see today. Notice I haven't talked at all about science, or about the Bible. I haven't proven evolution scientifically, and I haven't defended it from a Biblical perspective. All I'm talking about is that one philosophical stumbling block. At the risk of oversimplification, almost all of what I've seen/read/heard from creationism and ID boils down to adherence to that dichotomy.

To further confuse the matter, we see atheists (many of them well-known scientists) glory in claiming that evolution explains away the need for God's creation and "makes it possible to be an intellectually satisfied atheist" (Richard Dawkins). By concluding that a naturalistic process precludes a parallel supernatural involvement, they subscribe to the same false dichotomy. In the process, our mental association of evolution with atheism/philosophical naturalism is strengthened and the false dichotomy gets perpetuated. I am somewhat ambivalent about the "Darwin fish" car emblem; on the face of it, I appreciate the humor, but I am also dismayed (though perhaps not for exactly the same reason that you are). To me, it's a statement that seems to say "not Jesus, Darwin" or "not Jesus, evolution," which frustrates me, not as a rejection of Jesus or Christianity (which we can expect from the world at any and all angles), but because it perpetuates the false dichotomy above.

So I feel that the dichotomy described above is a false one, and should not be a reason for rejecting the theory of evolution. What am I missing?

We are going to get to that Sproul/Stein interview . . .

*Really! 7 years cancer-free this Spring!

R.C. Sproul with Ben Stein on "Expelled"

The movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" is coming out a week from tomorrow, and I don't suppose the tension (to put it lightly) between both sides is going to get better anytime soon.  But it could be a good opportunity for some constructive dialog with my creationist brothers and sisters.  (We'll see - 

"constructive" is not something that either side has demonstrated very well.)

"Expelled" is narrated/hosted by Ben Stein (above right).  From what I understand, "Expelled" is basically an expose' about how some university professors have been shunned, harassed, fired, etc., for advocating Intelligent Design (ID) and/or questioning evolutionary theory.  One of the other major things I've heard about the movie is that it implicates the theory of evolution in things like the World War II-era Jewish holocaust.  [This is so outrageously offensive to scientists and anyone who may have a loved one or ancestor that was lost in (or survived) the holocaust that I can hardly believe it.  I'll comment more below.]

I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't comment directly, but I have done some thinking about the creation/ID/evolution topic and also have exposed myself to lots of audio and print material on the subject.   With such a large volume of words and skilled rhetoric (on both sides) flying around out there, it's actually a really hard topic to get a good handle on.  I'll try to give you my take on it real quick, but I most likely won't do justice to the issue and won't provide anything you couldn't get better somewhere else.  Also, in a real treatment of this issue, I would start with a large amount of ground work and defining of terms; we don't have that luxury here.

One thing I listened to recently was an interview of Ben Stein on R.C. Sproul's Renewing Your Mind program (thanks, Andrea!).  I'll use that as a springboard, as it hits on some of the major philosophical sleight of hand that this issue beguiles us with.  Actually, that's the interesting stuff, but there's lots of really tiresome stuff too, like the fact that many of the people on each side are intellectuals and/or academics and therefore LOVE to characterize the people on the other side as ignorant, illogical, unreasonable, closed-minded, etc.  At this point, both sides can put a self-satisfied smirk on their face and spin it to convince themselves (and like-minded onlookers) that the other side is as stupid as they want them to be.  This ends up just being a sophisticated version of "I know you are but what am I?" and gets us nowhere.  And, as Christians, let's not forget that how we treat people is more important than being right or winning an argument.

Back the philosophical stuff.  Time and time again, I hear the issue characterized in the following way: Evolution says that everything came about by random chance without supernatural involvement, so you can believe that or you can believe that everything was designed and created by an intelligent God, which is patently obvious as we look at the complexity around us, and is also stated in the Bible, which we know to be the inerrant word of God.  There are so many layers of interesting discussion wrapped up in that, but it gets chopped up (in some ways that I feel are inappropriate) and the sausage that gets churned out is - Christians believe the latter, and atheistic nihilists believe the former.  Can we delve more into the complexity?  I just realized this is getting long, so I think I'll start a new one to trick you into thinking you are reading multiple blog entries instead of just one really long one.  If only I could just keep it as short and sweet as some.

Hello, beautiful

The new iMac came on Friday and I finally got to play with it Sunday night after I got back from the North Shore with the high schoolers.  It does lots of really cool things really fast (like the high schoolers!).  It lovingly cares for all my music, podcasts, and photos.  It's screen is bright and beautiful, and it reads my mind.  What more could I ask for?  Well, video I guess.  That'll be soon.  I can't wait to edit video with iMovie.

Expelled

Looks like there's going to be a creationist/ID movie coming out next month, and it's already generating controversy.  University of Minnesota biology professor (and outspoken atheist) P.Z. Myers was refused entry to a screening, which he had legitimately registered for along with the other attendees, Thursday at the Mall of America.  (But traveling with him and allowed to enter with no problem was . . . wait for it . . . RICHARD DAWKINS.)  So, the producers of a film ostensibly fighting against the suppression of free expression of ideas denied entry to a professor, who appears in the film and is thanked in the credits, because his views differ from those advocated in the film.  The filmmakers also evidently deceptively requested interviews with Myers, Dawkins, and others under the false pretense that they were for an even-handed film about the evolution/ID debate called "Crossroads."  I am disappointed in these goofy and/or outright cynical tactics of the filmmakers (who presumably are Christians).  The film (and the buzz) are gaining a pretty high level of visibility, and therefore those involved have a responsibility to conduct themselves in a manner that positively represents Christians and brings honor to God.

I'll try to go with an open mind on April 18 (or more likely catch it on video), and will withhold final judgment until then, but you can already read quite a bit about the movie on the all-knowing world wide web.  If the things that I have read are to be believed, the film defines neither evolution nor intelligent design, equates evolution with atheism, and blames the theory of evolution for Stalin, Hitler, the holocaust, genocide, abortion, etc.  If so, this could be another foot-shooting exercise perpetuating the myth of the incompatibility of evolution and Christianity, fueling the hostility and suspicion of Christians toward science, and exacerbating the scientific community's contempt for creationists and other religious people.

I am alarmed that this seems to be only getting worse.  Greg Boyd (I know, I know...) has been doing some sermons on the demonic influence on this world (2 Cor. 4:4, Satan as "the god of this age," etc.), particularly the stupidity of humanity.  [One of his main examples is the fact that, despite how smart we obviously are in so many areas, we haven't figured out a way to stop killing each other.]  The confusion and division around science and religion is one insidious way I see this diabolical influence manifested.

Cancun

Me an' the Mrs. headed for more tropical climes last week - Cancun, Mexico. Yep, it was sunny and in the 80's, and we sat on the beach and read the whole time. Here are a few pics; the rest can be seen here.