Whose Faith and Science Conference?
by Ervin Taylor
by Ervin Taylor, August 21, 2014
The website that contained information about the SDA General Conference Faith and Science Conference starkly reveals the narrow range of opinions held by the Seventh-day Adventists who were permitted to be presented at this conference. In no sense can the presentations made represent the views of a majority of Adventist scientists, as revealed in surveys obtained a decade ago. Those surveys showed that a majority of Adventist scientists did not support the idea that earth or life upon it was only 6,000 years old. It would be very surprising that such views could have changed so radically in just 10 years. Whether the theological views expressed at the conference represent those held by a majority of Adventist theologians is therefore open to question. If the titles of the presentations are any indication of content, what was permitted to be presented were only the most radically conservative viewpoints, bordering on explicitly fundamentalist.
In many respects, a more accurate title for the conference should have been, “The Brand-Davidsons-Chadwick-Zinke Faith and Science Conference.” Their multiple presentations dominated the schedule. Their names and how many times they made a presentation (in parentheses) is: Leonard Brand (12 times), Richard and Jo Ann Davidson (separately a total of 10 times), Art Chadwick (9 times) and Ed Zinke (7 times). Wilson II is on the program twice, speaking on: “God’s Authoritative Voice” and the last presentation of the conference, “God’s Final Message and Your Role.” From the titles, some might wonder how Wilson II receives his information—straight from God by some special supernatural means or does he obtain it the same way that other humans receive information?
Whose Faith and Science Conference is this? It is certainly not a Faith and Science Conference representing the wide spectrum of views held by Adventist scholars, both scientists and theologians. It is a conference to advance a highly focused rightwing theological agenda of certain members of the Adventist Church, an agenda which was first clearly articulated by the Adventist Theological Society more than a decade ago and is now being carried out.
If anyone would like to obtain a copy of the program, please feel free to email me at erv.taylor@atoday.org and I will be happy to email it to you.
Erv,
Your devotion to the topic of evolution vs. creation leaves me wondering if your devotion to arguing does not exceed your love for God and devotion to doing what Jesus told us to do, which is to go and make disciples. Can you show us where your endless arguing is creating disciples who love Jesus?
I'm thinking that those who are deeply and passionately committed to a 6000 year scenario are unnecessarily driving reasonable people away from Jesus and his love. Furthermore, they are teaching a seriously flawed view of evidence and the world and ultimately, a false view of what they think God the Creator made and did. Evidence is on the side of an older earth that is not explained by the details of the Genesis fable.
The uncomfortable fact is that Adventism is built on the concept of Scriptural inerrancy.
For some, viewing that verity through a different filter is emotionally unacceptable, hence the side effects of the impossible quest are ignored. In this scenario, facts don't matter. Silliness rules!
I have seen "proven and irrefutable science" disproven and turned on it's head a number of times in my lifetime. For example, I have seen the foundational concepts of astrophysics refuted and rewritten at least twice in my lifetime as new discoveries revealed the inaccuracy of the guesses and projections that were presented as fact. So I will not get into debate about the "proofs" used to support or refute one side of the argument or another. I choose to accept what the Bible says because my relationship with God leads me to trust what the Bible says.
My concern is that it is not the concept of a 6,000 year-ago creation that is the problem, but their passionate devotion to just arguing because it gives them a chance to strut and stroke their egos. Creation is often just one topic among several about which they will argue endlessly. Yet only rarely in their remarks will you read any expression about the impacts of a loving God in their life or the joy that comes from ministering that redeeming love to others.
Jesus said the "second commandment" was to love our neighbors the same way we love ourselves. Arguing to strut and stroke one's ego is not a good way to treat your neighbor. Not if you want them to know God's love.
It is the nature of the scientific process to change and refine understanding as additional information is obtained. If one seeks absolute certainty from science, one will be disappointed. On the other hand, one can choose an illusion of certainty by just making up the answers or believing what someone tells them or placing absolute confidence in the inerrancy of scripture. And, of course, one's "relationship with God" can be used as the basis for asserting anything. It is personal and unverifiable by anyone else. You could, in fact, be correct, and we all could choose to simply believe anything you tell us. But that would not make it so.
But you are right to bring this back to love, and the excellent ethical advice of Jesus to love others as we love ourselves–and to treat others as we would wish to be treated. In terms of our interpersonal relationships, we do not need to impose any time table on God–regardless of what we may believe to be true. So, for those who can believe the 6000 years, fine. Believe that. Just do not insist that others agree with you who find it unbelievable. Do you want to be told you are a fool? Then do not insist that others are fools. Just love them. Do not strive with them. And I should take my own advice.
joe erwin asks, "Do you want to be told you are a fool?" biblically, the most stupendous events in earth's history are yet to happen which appear to make a literal seven day creation look like a mere footnote. Jesus speaks billions of billions of humans back into existence instantaneously; drops a city down out of nowhere, cleanses the earth with fire, recreates a new heaven and earth in view of the righteous. what kind of fools are we anyway?