{"id":657,"date":"2010-10-30T14:13:00","date_gmt":"2010-10-30T14:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2010\/10\/sometimes-it-takes-an-atheist-to-see-the-truth.html"},"modified":"2010-10-30T14:13:00","modified_gmt":"2010-10-30T14:13:00","slug":"sometimes-it-takes-an-atheist-to-see-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theatheistrabbi\/2010\/10\/sometimes-it-takes-an-atheist-to-see-the-truth.html","title":{"rendered":"“Sometimes It Takes An Atheist To See The Truth”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In order to get to the good part of this post, I have to introduce you to some people first.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll start with Karl Giberson, a biology professor at Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts.\u00a0 He\u2019s an evolution-friendly Christian, supporter of religion and science being BFFs and highly critical of both the Gnu Atheists<\/a> and Christian fundamentalists.\u00a0 He is a founder of BioLogos<\/a>, \u201ca group of Christians who are committed to promoting a perspective on the origins of life that is both theologically and scientifically sound.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of Giberson\u2019s favorite targets is Jerry Coyne, atheist, scientist and member of the tribe.\u00a0 Coyne writes the blog Why Evolution is True<\/a> and is the author of an outstanding book of the same name.<\/p>\n

Now comes Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.\u00a0 He wrote an article attacking Giberson\u2019s assault on Coyne.\u00a0 (Coyne, by the way, loves it<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Okay, that was exhausting, but now that you know who all the combatants are, I can get to the good part.<\/p>\n

From Mohler\u2019s blog<\/a>:<\/p>\n

In a recent article series responding to atheistic scientist Jerry Coyne, Professor Karl Giberson of Eastern Nazarene College rejects Coyne\u2019s insistence that evolution precludes theism. Coyne, one of Darwin\u2019s 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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You have to understand that to Mohler\u2019s crowd, Darwin is Satan.<\/p>\n

More good stuff:<\/p>\n

[Coyne] wrote of \u201csome theologians\u00a0with a deistic bent,\u201d 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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Because we see so well through the bull-hockey of \u201csophisticated\u201d theology:<\/p>\n

[Coyne] sees those who argue for an accommodation of evolutionary science and religious belief as either dishonest or delusional. \u2026\u201cAttempts to reconcile God and evolution keep rolling off the intellectual assembly line,\u201d he laments. \u201cIt never stops, because the reconciliation never works.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2026Coyne argues that religious ideas are ancient and resistant to correction, and he identifies science as the only qualified correction. \u2026Giberson retorts that religious beliefs change from within religious communities\u2026.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which, of course, is how we get religious people who accept science.\u00a0 Now I\u2019m not one to get all excited when theists happen to get something right about the universe.\u00a0 Mohler, however, is enraged that they would even make such an attempt:<\/p>\n

At this point, Giberson\u2019s argument gets really interesting \u2014 and really dangerous. \u201cI am happy to concede that science does indeed trump religious truth about the natural world,\u201d Giberson writes. \u201cGalileo and Darwin showed this only too clearly, even if it is completely lost on Ken Ham and Al Mohler.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oooh\u2026you can see why Mohler jumped in.\u00a0 Here\u2019s more:<\/p>\n

\u2026Giberson made the argument in more striking words: \u201cEmpirical science does indeed trump revealed truth about the world as Galileo and Darwin showed only too clearly.\u201d That statement, with its reference to \u201crevealed truth,\u201d is even more shocking than the first.<\/p>\n

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 \u2014 as a direct attack upon biblical authority.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The most common retort to the Gnus is that they are attacking a god that no one believes in anymore.\u00a0 Mohler does!<\/p>\n

Giberson\u2019s theological \u201cprogress\u201d is to deny the Bible\u2019s 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: \u201cModern theology has moved past this view of God.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Christian \u2013 and increasingly Jewish \u2013 fundamentalists do not want to hear about moving past this view of God. \u00a0This is just like when Haredi rabbis attack the few modern Orthodox rabbis who kinda, sorta accept evolution.<\/p>\n

One commenter at Coyne\u2019s site quoted the title of an old Popeye cartoon:\u00a0 \u201cLet\u2019s you and him fight!\u201d \u00a0It\u2019s definitely more fun to be outside of the ring.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In order to get to the good part of this post, I have to introduce you to some people first. We\u2019ll start with Karl Giberson, a biology professor at Eastern Nazarene College in Massachusetts.\u00a0 He\u2019s an evolution-friendly Christian, supporter of religion and science being BFFs and highly critical of both the Gnu Atheists and Christian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,12,25,38],"class_list":["post-657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blogentries","tag-bible","tag-fundamentalist-christianity","tag-liberal-religions-and-theologies","tag-science-and-reason"],"yoast_head":"\n"Sometimes It Takes An Atheist To See The Truth"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In order to get to the good part of this post, I have to introduce you to some people first. 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