“Sometimes It Takes An Atheist To See The Truth”

In order to get to the good part of this post, I have to introduce you to some people first.

We’ll start with Karl Giberson, a biology professor at Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts.  He’s an evolution-friendly Christian, supporter of religion and science being BFFs and highly critical of both the Gnu Atheists and Christian fundamentalists.  He is a founder of BioLogos, “a group of Christians who are committed to promoting a perspective on the origins of life that is both theologically and scientifically sound.”

One of Giberson’s favorite targets is Jerry Coyne, atheist, scientist and member of the tribe.  Coyne writes the blog Why Evolution is True and is the author of an outstanding book of the same name.

Now comes Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  He wrote an article attacking Giberson’s assault on Coyne.  (Coyne, by the way, loves it.)

Okay, that was exhausting, but now that you know who all the combatants are, I can get to the good part.

From Mohler’s blog:

In a recent article series responding to atheistic scientist Jerry Coyne, Professor Karl Giberson of Eastern Nazarene College rejects Coyne’s insistence that evolution precludes theism. Coyne, one of Darwin’s most ardent defenders, seems to operate under the quaint idea that Christians are marked by belief in an interventionist God and a confidence that the Bible is true.

You have to understand that to Mohler’s crowd, Darwin is Satan.

More good stuff:

[Coyne] wrote of “some theologians with a deistic bent,” who insist that evolution and Christianity are compatible, but who are in no way representative of true Christianity. Sometimes it takes an atheist to see the truth in a theological argument.

Because we see so well through the bull-hockey of “sophisticated” theology:

[Coyne] sees those who argue for an accommodation of evolutionary science and religious belief as either dishonest or delusional. …“Attempts to reconcile God and evolution keep rolling off the intellectual assembly line,” he laments. “It never stops, because the reconciliation never works.”

…Coyne argues that religious ideas are ancient and resistant to correction, and he identifies science as the only qualified correction. …Giberson retorts that religious beliefs change from within religious communities….

Which, of course, is how we get religious people who accept science.  Now I’m not one to get all excited when theists happen to get something right about the universe.  Mohler, however, is enraged that they would even make such an attempt:

At this point, Giberson’s argument gets really interesting — and really dangerous. “I am happy to concede that science does indeed trump religious truth about the natural world,” Giberson writes. “Galileo and Darwin showed this only too clearly, even if it is completely lost on Ken Ham and Al Mohler.”

Oooh…you can see why Mohler jumped in.  Here’s more:

…Giberson made the argument in more striking words: “Empirical science does indeed trump revealed truth about the world as Galileo and Darwin showed only too clearly.” That statement, with its reference to “revealed truth,” is even more shocking than the first.

In the economy of a few words, Giberson throws the Bible under the scientific bus. We should be thankful that his argument is so clear, for it puts the case for theistic evolution in its proper light — as a direct attack upon biblical authority.

The most common retort to the Gnus is that they are attacking a god that no one believes in anymore.  Mohler does!

Giberson’s theological “progress” is to deny the Bible’s truthfulness concerning crucial Old Testament texts. Modern theology rejects any notion that God would flood the planet or rain judgment upon cities, he insists. His summary: “Modern theology has moved past this view of God.”

Christian – and increasingly Jewish – fundamentalists do not want to hear about moving past this view of God.  This is just like when Haredi rabbis attack the few modern Orthodox rabbis who kinda, sorta accept evolution.

One commenter at Coyne’s site quoted the title of an old Popeye cartoon:  “Let’s you and him fight!”  It’s definitely more fun to be outside of the ring.