Gregory Koukl's Blog, page 61
March 4, 2015
The Eye “Is Optimized for Our Vision Purposes”
We’ve posted before about the problem of atheists declaring that the design of this or that body part is sub-optimal (and therefore, isn’t designed). Electrical engineer Bill Pratt explained it this way:
Over the years, I have often heard young engineers, who did not design a particular [integrated circuit], criticize the design of that IC by saying it is sub-optimal, that they could do a better job. I have then seen these same engineers eat crow when they finally talk to the original designer and discover the constraints that original engineer was under when he designed the IC and the purposes for which he designed the IC.
It is impossible to judge a design as optimal or sub-optimal without knowing the purposes of the designer and without knowing the constraints the designer faced during the design.
Now an article posted on Science Daily reports that the “mystery of the reverse-wired eyeball” (a problem cited by atheists such as Richard Dawkins as being evidence of poor “design”) is “solved”:
From a practical standpoint, the wiring of the human eye – a product of our evolutionary baggage – doesn't make a lot of sense. In vertebrates, photoreceptors are located behind the neurons in the back of the eye – resulting in light scattering by the nervous fibers and blurring of our vision. Recently, researchers at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology have confirmed the biological purpose for this seemingly counterintuitive setup.
"The retina is not just the simple detector and neural image processor, as believed until today," said Erez Ribak, a professor at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. "Its optical structure is optimized for our vision purposes." …
Previous experiments with mice had suggested that Müller glia cells, a type of metabolic cell that crosses the retina, play an essential role in guiding and focusing light scattered throughout the retina. To test this, Ribak and his colleagues ran computer simulations and in-vitro experiments in a mouse model to determine whether colors would be concentrated in these metabolic cells. They then used confocal microscopy to produce three-dimensional views of the retinal tissue, and found that the cells were indeed concentrating light into the photoreceptors.
"For the first time, we've explained why the retina is built backwards, with the neurons in front of the photoreceptors, rather than behind them," Ribak said.
It’s funny how the writer refers to the “biological purpose” of this “evolutionary baggage.” There is no such thing as “purpose” in “evolutionary baggage”—there’s only what happens to survive. And yet, looking at things such as the eye, this science writer can’t help but use the word.
It’s also funny he would refer to the “mystery of the reverse-wired eyeball,” as if we should have assumed there was a secret to discover about why the eye is the way it is—why it ought to be the way it is. Why should anyone assume there’s a mystery to be solved here—that there’s a purpose waiting to be discovered, explaining why this setup actually is optimal? There’s no reason to assume the structure is optimal if it’s the result of random events (it certainly isn’t “built”), so there’s no “mystery.” Calling the structure of the eye a “mystery” would require an assumption of purpose and optimal design, and that’s not an assumption that can be supported by unguided evolution. Why use this kind of language?
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse (Romans 1:20).
(HT: Wintery Knight)
March 3, 2015
Links Mentioned on the 3/03/15 Show
The following is a rundown of this week's podcast, annotated with links that were either mentioned on the show or inspired by it:
HOUR ONE
Guest: Frank Turek – Stealing from God (0:00)
Stealing from God: Why Atheists Need God to Make Their Case by Frank Turek
I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist by Frank Turek
CrossExamined.org – Frank Turek's website
CrossExamined Instructor Academy – August 13–15
HOUR TWO
Commentary: Trip to Calgary (1:00)
Faith Beyond Belief website
Questions:
1. Personal experience with the New Apostolic Reformation (1:09)
Greg's interview with Doug Geivett last week on the New Apostolic Reformation (listen at 0:00)
A New Apostolic Reformation? A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement by Doug Geivett (the more academic version of his book God's Super-Apostles)
2. What is Satan's access to God? (1:29)
– Announcements by Greg
See upcoming events with STR speakers
Apologetics conference in Pensacola, FL – April 10-11
3. Does Hell demonstrate more intrinsic human value than annihilation? (1:46)
HOUR THREE
Commentary: New Apostolic Reformation Movement (2:00)
Questions:
4. How do you deal with moral dilemmas? (2:07)
5. God's punishment and judgment are fair. (2:23)
– Announcement by Greg
The Bible: Fast Forward is now available for HD streaming and download
6. How to evaluate different theological systems (2:43)
7. Are Christian wives obliged to obey non-Christian husbands? (2:54)
Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)
To take part in the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00–7:00 p.m. PT), follow @STRtweets and use the hashtag #STRtalk.
Homosexuality to Holiness
When I teach on homosexuality, I’m often asked about how a believer can bring up the topic of homosexuality with a friend or family member who identifies as gay or lesbian. I’m always puzzled by this question. It assumes we’re supposed to go through life and try to figure out non-believers’ sins and bring them up in conversation so they’ll consider stopping the prohibited behavior. But we can’t expect non-Christians to act like Christians. As my pastor often says, “Don’t put family rules on those outside the family.”
Our hope for homosexuals is not heterosexuality, but holiness. We’re not trying to make them straight, but lead them straight to Jesus. In almost every case where I’ve seen a man or woman with same-sex attraction abandon a life fulfilling homosexual desires, it was because they first committed their life to Christ. Then, with the Holy Spirit in their heart, they were transformed from the inside out and began to live obediently to the standard of Scripture.
That’s why my advice to believers is not to focus on behavior modification of non-Christians. That’s only a band aid. If you really want to say something about your convictions that is also relevant to them, tell them about Jesus Christ. Homosexuals, like any other non-Christian, need to hear the offer to be pardoned from their crimes against God. Only then can there be true healing.
March 2, 2015
Why Is Suicide a Sin?
Alan explains why suicide is considered a sin in Christianity.
February 28, 2015
Memorizing the Bible Changes You
Joe Carter has a five-part series on memorization over at the Gospel Coalition that’s worth reading. I’m a huge proponent of memorizing the Bible:
When we have the entire Bible available as an app on our smartphones, it seems an unnecessary waste of time and effort to memorize specific verses or the grand narrative of the story. By relying on technology to do our remembering for us, we have forgotten the moral aspect of memorization. “A trained memory wasn’t just about gaining easy access to information,” says Jonathan Foer, referring to the ancient world, “it was about strengthening one’s personal ethics and becoming a more complete person.” Foer adds that the thinking of the ancients was that only through memorization could ideas truly be incorporated into one’s psyche and their values absorbed. “Indeed, the single most common theme in the lives of the saints—besides their superhuman goodness—is their often extraordinary memories,” Foer notes.
Oddly enough, in the post, Carter hit on the two things that motivated me most when I first started to work seriously on extensive memorization. Here’s the first:
“My philosophy of life,” says Ed Cooke, a British author and Grand Master of Memory, “is that a heroic person should be able to withstand about ten years in solitary confinement without getting terribly annoyed.”
Cooke has already memorized the bulk of John Milton’s Paradise Lost and is working on doing the same with the works of Shakespeare. “Given that an hour of memorization yields about ten solid minutes of spoken poetry, and those ten minutes have enough content to keep you busy for a full day, I figure you can squeeze at least a day’s fun out of each hour of memorization—if you should ever happen to find yourself in solitary confinement.”
Chances are I’ll never be in a concentration camp or zombie apocalypse without a Bible, but I was inspired by stories of Christians who were to be ready to bring the Bible to the people around me. Crazy? Maybe. But it keeps me going.
The second inspiration for me was St. Patrick. When I read his Confession, I saw passages from the Bible interwoven seamlessly into everything he wrote. The words just came naturally out of him because they had become a part of him. I wanted that to be true of me, too. Here’s how Joe Carter described this:
For church fathers like Augustine, memorization of the Biblical text helped to make Scripture function like a second language. It has been observed, says Mary Carruthers, that Augustine wrote “not only in Latin but ‘in Psalms,’ so imbued is his language with their phrasing and vocabulary.”
No other kind of study has done more for increasing my knowledge and understanding of the Bible than memorization, so I encourage you to read “How Memorization Feeds Your Imagination” and see the list of parts 2–5 at the end of his post.
February 27, 2015
Object to the Procedure, Not the Patient
A doctor in Michigan wrongly refused to take a lesbian couple’s baby as a patient. This is simply a misunderstanding and misapplication of the conscience rights people have been fighting for. No one should be forced to participate in procedures or events one objects to, but it’s a different matter to refuse to treat or serve someone because one objects to him or her personally.
The doctor’s stated reasoning for rejecting the patient was this: “After much prayer following your prenatal (visit), I felt that I would not be able to develop the personal patient doctor relationship that I normally do with my patients.” Either this doctor did not think carefully through this situation (not understanding the distinction between objecting to procedures and objecting to patients, thinking it would go against her conscience to serve lesbians), or she was basing this decision on her expected inability to connect with the parents because they’re lesbians.
If the second is the case, what a lost opportunity as a Christian! As ambassadors of Christ, it’s our honor to serve people in love, thereby demonstrating to others the mercy Christ showed us. How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear if we don’t allow them in our presence?
If the first is the case, we need to do a better job of informing people’s consciences. There’s a world of difference between not participating in a lesbian wedding by providing the flowers and not selling flowers to someone because she’s a lesbian. There’s a problem with gay activists blurring this distinction; let’s not add to this problem by making the same mistake.
In response to this story, Wesley J. Smith reposted some medical conscience guidelines he created to help people evaluate situations such as this one:
– Except in rare and compelling circumstances in which a patient’s life is at stake, no medical professional should be compelled to perform or participate in procedures or treatments that take human life.
– The rights of conscience should apply most strongly in elective procedures, that is, medical treatments not required to extend the life of, or prevent serious harm to, the patient.
– It should be the procedure that is objectionable, not the patient. In this way, for example, physicians could not refuse to treat a lung-cancer patient because the patient smoked or to maintain the life of a patient in a vegetative state because the physician believed that people with profound impairments do not have a life worth living.
– No medical professional should ever be forced to participate in a medical procedure intended primarily to facilitate the patient’s lifestyle preferences or desires (in contrast to maintaining life or treating a disease or injury).
You can read the rest of his proposed guidelines here. As he says of this pediatrician story, “[T]his isn’t an example of the kind of case in which conscience protections should apply.”
February 26, 2015
February 25, 2015
Two-Story House | Chick-fil-A Cows
Brett’s and Alan’s February newsletters are now posted on the website:
Do You Live in a Two-Story House? by Brett Kunkle: “Most Americans divide their beliefs into two categories of truth—objective and subjective. Imagine this split as a two-story house. Objective truth ‘lives’ on the first floor. This floor deals with facts that are publicly known. These facts are binding on everyone, whether you believe them or not. They form the basis for how we live life in public. Segments of our society allowed on this floor are the sciences, medicine, law, economics, and government. Subjective truth ‘lives’ on the second floor. This floor deals with personal preferences that are private to individuals. These preferences are relative to individuals. There are no ‘right’ preferences. Instead, you’ve got yours and I’ve got mine, and we should live and let live. Things like family and hobbies live on this floor. But our culture relegates religion and morality here as well. The result is devastating.” (Read more)
Are the Chick-fil-A Cows on to Something? by Alan Shlemon: “By eating meat we are discriminating – we are saying that eating animals is permissible. That’s because our culture has been influenced by Judeo-Christian values. This worldview teaches that God made humans in His image, making them more valuable than animals. That’s not all it says, though. We are also stewards of creation, the environment, and animals. While using animals for food is permissible, abusing them is not…. If there’s no God, there’s no way to justify caring about animals. Where would animal rights come from if God doesn’t exist? A right is a just claim to something. It doesn’t appear out of thin air. Without a transcendent rights giver, you can’t ground the claim that animals deserve to not be eaten.” (Read more)
You can subscribe to their monthly newsletters via email here.
February 24, 2015
Links Mentioned on the 2/24/15 Show
The following is a rundown of this week's podcast, annotated with links that were either mentioned on the show or inspired by it:
HOUR ONE
Guest: Doug Geivett – The New Apostolic Reformation (0:00)
God's Super-Apostles: Encountering the Worldwide Prophets and Apostles Movement by Doug Geivett and Holly Pivec
A New Apostolic Reformation? A Biblical Response to a Worldwide Movement by Doug Geivett and Holly Pivec
Doug Geivett's Blog
HOUR TWO
Commentary: Destroying Speculations: Spiritual Warfare (1:00)
Does God Whisper? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Questions:
1. A family member is going to a medium (1:26)
2. Who are some examples of teachers in the New Apostolic Reformation? (1:42)
"New Movement" of the Spirit by Greg Koukl
Revival: You, However, Continue Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 (Video)
HOUR THREE
Questions:
3. Death before the Fall? (2:00)
Question Greg answered last week about the Fall (listen at 1:24)
Peril in Paradise by Mark Wharton (book discussed by caller)
– Announcement from Greg
The Bible: Fast Forward is now available for HD streaming and download
4. Can God choose not to remember? (2:20)
5. How can you start spiritual conversations with strangers? (2:32)
The Best Question to Ask When Starting a Conversation about God by J. Warner Wallace
Conversational Surveys (under "Other Resources") by Brett Kunkle
Ambassador's Creed
6. What do you think of Sam Harris's definition of evil? (2:43)
God, Evolution, and Morality Part 2 by Greg Koukl
7. Do you think we can argue/love someone into the kingdom? (2:54)
Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl
Listen to today's show or download any archived show for free. (Find links from past shows here.)
To take part in the Twitter conversation during the live show (Tuesdays 4:00–7:00 p.m. PT), follow @STRtweets and use the hashtag #STRtalk.
Challenge: You Shouldn’t Use Apologetics
Here’s a challenge you might hear from a Christian:
In 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, Paul says, “[M]y message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” If Paul didn’t use “persuasive words of wisdom” when he went to the Corinthians, wouldn’t it be wrong for us to use apologetics today?
What do you think about this one? Tell us in the comments below how you would respond, then Brett will answer this challenge for us on Thursday.
