I don’t believe everything that springs forth from the mouth of John Piper. Having not covered his positions on everything, how could I possibly do that. I am however an admirer of his passion for Jesus, the gospel and God being glorified more than anything else. It is that passion for Jesus that is so infectious that I enjoy giving him a hearing when I can.
So recently I came across this post put up about his view on the whole atheist/evolution argument versus theist/creation. This was on the same day that I read this entry on creation by Randy Alcorn. So to me this is more an issue on creation rather than the existence of God.
My upbringing led me to have a literal view of the Bible. By that I obviously don’t mean that everything in the Bible is to be taken literally – you’d get in a spot of bother with some of the imagery used throughout if that were the case. The issue, however, was to believe that if it was recorded in the Bible as a historical event it was to be believed as such.
That was my upbringing for the first 14 years of my life. I never questioned it and it wasn’t challenged by any of my experiences in life. When I did GCSE’s where I did one in Religious Education there was a hint of not everyone holding the same view as me. When I did A-level Theology that hint was blown out to be the fact that most of secular Britain considers the creation narrative in the first two chapters of Genesis to be a load of old cobblers. I remember doing an essay on Faith vs. Science and as we were taught making both amenable to each other, because after all it could get along – there were some things that science was good at which faith couldn’t cover and for the missing parts that science couldn’t touch faith offered a decent explanation. There it was – a safe essay not upsetting anyone.
When I finished my A-levels, though, and grappled further with what I believe it came down again to the bigger question of how to read the Bible and whether it is to be considered as authoritative on issues of life. As well as that the seeming complicity to the mighty word of science didn’t feel right at all. It almost felt as though the way people blindly followed religious rituals was the same way in which people accepted science. Almost as if science was the new religion (Science God forbid). Then the evolution argument itself was shown to be for all intents a purposes just a theory – how that theory could then go onto virtual sacred fact is something I’m sure a scientist could explain to me.
At the heart of the matter for me, though, beyond upbringing, education and questions was the issue of Jesus. The Christ obviously took the creation narrative seriously and not in a way to placate His audience. His followers afterwards including Paul also didn’t have a problem referring things to aspect of the creation narrative as if it were a historical event. Now I’m sure I could rationalise these positions away and just stick to something that would appease the scientific explanations for the origins of life, the universe and everything. I could look for the easy way out and look for some compromise position as if an intelligent design could suffice.
At present, however, there has been to my mind no reason to take on these options with any level of commitment whatsoever. I am happy to believe that the complexity and beauty of the creation around me came from the Word of God. I am also glad to accept and believe that the Genesis account does not offer specific minutiae detail on aspects of the process, but there is enough detail for me to believe that this just cannot be allegory.
I have some dear friends who follow Christ who don’t believe this. That’s fine. I don’t beat them up for their views. I do however consider the lyrics to the hymn How Great Thou Art and with the songwriter consider those majestic views and say How great God is to put all this together. Of course there’s the argument for the aspects of this creation that appear not to make sense or is ugly or deformed. Yet that very creation narrative and indeed the wider biblical narrative explains these and also invites us to join with God in waiting for and living out an appreciation for His creation in preparation for the day when He will make all things new.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
dmcd
Life With CD 
We are so much in harmony here dear brother. Yesterday we were introduced to a new song to the congregation at Newcastle Baptist. We were utilising some basic signing as we sang and the part that described God as creator has us pointing up then bringing both hands together around an invisible ball then twisting our hands in alternate directions. This was strangely powerful to me. I haven’t been reconciled to the part of the evolution theory that claims our world came out of some inescapable accident. As to the development of the diversity of species, I find it inconceivable that we should accept the ‘fact’ that D.N.A chages through environmental forces. I am more speciest then evolutionist, as my Biology teacher friend has said before now. Finally, I am in complete agreement that the Genesis narrative is not supposed to be a literal scientific guide book but a story that engages our minds to the bigger picture of how God relates to his supreme works and our frailties in the course of accepting his Lordship. Somethings don’t change (sorry evolutionists but that is the case).