ATSS: Olive Hemmings, “Scriptures and Science: Same God, Different Subjects”
12 June 2024 |
“On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord, and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.’ And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.” Josh 10: 12-13
For hundreds of years, the church used this text to prove a “scientific” assumption that goes as far back as 380 BCE and was advanced by Aristotle. This assumption is that the earth is the center of the universe and all other objects including the sun, moon, and stars move around it. That this is wrong is a foregone conclusion. So, was the writer of the Joshua text divinely inspired? Is the source of Biblical revelation different from the source of scientific discoveries? What is the subject of the Bible and what is the subject of scientific inquiry? What is the extent of the authority of scriptures over the scientific discipline? Let us look at these questions as best we can to see if we can arrive at a hermeneutic that does justice to both sources of revelation.
Teacher:
Olive Hemmings is a professor of religion, theology, and ethics at Washington Adventist University.
Moderator:
How to join:
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Passcode: ADVENTIST
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The class is intended to last about 2 hours, though the conversation often continues to 4 PM (Eastern time).
About our class:
- The AT Sabbath Seminar is intended to be a courteous forum. We don’t accuse, get angry, put people down, or judge the state of their salvation.
- Stick to the topic in both comments and chat discussion.
- Make your comments and questions short—don’t dominate.
- Keep your microphones muted unless you are called upon to make your comment or ask your question.
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We look forward to getting acquainted with you!
YouTube channel:
You can see all of our previous ATSS recordings here.
Coming up:
- Horace Alexander
- Olive Hemmings
