Thursday, October 09, 2014
Debate?
A while ago there was this media event a debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye on creation/evolution. iMonk and Out of Ur both thought it a bad idea. My reaction? ***YAWN***
Both Paul Pastor and Chaplain Mike need to understand what was really going on here - media, media, media - by calling it an "exercise in rhetoric" they are giving it more importance than it really has. It's entertainment. I write about it now, well, well after the fact to avoid feeding the beast.
What is a fascinating comment to me is following the rhetoric charge, Mike says and Paul quotes, "...not a serious search for truth." This is, I believe, undeniably correct and important. Truth can be found by a variety of means, rhetorical argument is but one of them. But, by definition, such rhetorical argument is a matter of nature, not super-nature. Truth about super-nature cannot be fully discovered by natural means. When we attempt to do so, we ceded necessary and important ground in the discussion.
In my experience most people that raise intellectual, scientific and apologetic objections to the Christian faith do so specifically to fight the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Often, in engaging in debate on these maters with them we aid this diversion and hence fight the Holy Spirit. It is important to listen with more than our brain when such things arise.
Holy Spirit apologetics
Both Paul Pastor and Chaplain Mike need to understand what was really going on here - media, media, media - by calling it an "exercise in rhetoric" they are giving it more importance than it really has. It's entertainment. I write about it now, well, well after the fact to avoid feeding the beast.
What is a fascinating comment to me is following the rhetoric charge, Mike says and Paul quotes, "...not a serious search for truth." This is, I believe, undeniably correct and important. Truth can be found by a variety of means, rhetorical argument is but one of them. But, by definition, such rhetorical argument is a matter of nature, not super-nature. Truth about super-nature cannot be fully discovered by natural means. When we attempt to do so, we ceded necessary and important ground in the discussion.
In my experience most people that raise intellectual, scientific and apologetic objections to the Christian faith do so specifically to fight the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Often, in engaging in debate on these maters with them we aid this diversion and hence fight the Holy Spirit. It is important to listen with more than our brain when such things arise.
Holy Spirit apologetics
