Call me a heretic

So, some of you may not like what I'm going to say today. I've been doing a lot of thinking (always dangerous, yes), and I've been finding myself moving further and further from the typical mindset of students at Spring Arbor. As some know, I'm looking at going into the sciences at MSU after I graduate from the Arb, specifically their environmental biology/zoology program. If you've read certain of my posts, you may also know I'm terribly sick of watching the generally bad interactions between the Church and scientists, particularly naturalists. Today in my doctrines class, we watched a video about a Christian man named Francis Collins who is also a geneticist, and learned about his coming to faith and attempt to reconcile science and Christianity. My professor, during the discussion afterward, said many theologians often make fools of themselves in trying to argue science when they really have no idea what they're talking about. On the flip side, people like Richard Dawkins end up being made out to be fools when it comes to talking about philosophy. He also said the overwhelming scientific evidence points toward evolution as being an accurate theory.

The thing is, I have very little issue with evolution at this point. *collective gasp*

The more I learn, even in my religion courses, the less I care about arguing this issue...heck, the more I think the evolutionary theory really isn't that bad. Certain philosophical principles people draw from it aren't compatible with Christianity, but the scientific facts pointing to evolution are. My professor said, in fact, science and Christianity are closer in beliefs than ever in the present time. Plenty of people I know would argue with this statement, but many Christians are realising the merits of the new scientific discoveries in genetics and physics, and many scientists are realising the merits of intelligent design theory in explaining the origins of the universe. This is huge. I want to be a part of the group working to reconcile scientists and the church, as I think this discussion has been too long in arriving. Scholars, sure, have been talking about it for a long time, but the Church in general needs to start practicing love and acceptance toward the scientists, especially the atheists and the naturalists which it has shunned for so long. I'm sure some people reading this will strongly disagree with my stance on evolution; go ahead and argue, but you're not helping.

And now, something completely different:

I was chosen to play Jesus for a short skit in a class today. I expressed some thoughts to everyone afterward about this. People who look like me (full beard, long hair, etc.) are often chosen to play Jesus, John the Baptist, Moses, and other similar characters because of how we look on the outside. I cannot think of an instance where someone was chosen to play Jesus because they truly look like Jesus, not in physical appearance, but in character. I may look like some depictions of Jesus, but I don't feel like my life looks like His.

Peace.