Calvin & Hops: March 2018

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Six Days: Does the Creation Narrative Matter?

“I have said above that six days were employed in the formation of the world; not that God, to whom one moment is as a thousand years, had need of this succession of time, but that he might engage us in the contemplation of his works."

-John Calvin (Commentaries on Genesis, 1554)

Thursday, 22 March 2018 from 1800-2000(ish)

Rotolo's (under 21 welcome)

"In the Beginning, God Created the Heaven and the Earth" are possibly some of the most recognizable words in Western Civilization but from there, things tend to go sideways. Did God really create, did he simply set in motion, or did he intimately design, breathe life into, and maintain every corner of the universe to his exact specifications? As Christians, the creation narrative lays the bedrock of our faith and presuppositions yet there is debate as to the mechanics behind the words we find in the opening chapters of the Bible. It is this foundation that our faith makes its first conflict with a secular worldview.

Questions:

Does our view of creation (Old Earth vs. Young Earth or Intelligent Design vs. Creationism vs. Evolution) matter?
Does holding a non-literal interpretation of Genesis create an opening for non-literal interpretations of any other portion of scripture up to/including undermining the gospel?
If there was death before sin (ages/millions of years per "day") and an abandonment of the historical Adam, is that a problem?
If God created man "in His own image" (Gen 1:26-28), is there an allowance for the evolution of molecules/monkeys to man?
But what about the dinosaurs?

Readings:

Why Shouldn’t Christians Accept Millions of Years? (Answers in Genesis: Dr. Terry Mortenson)
How long are the Days of Genesis 1? (BioLogos)
Theological Triage and the Doctrine of Creation (TGC: Samuel Emadi)
The Evolution of Calvin College (Bylogos: John Byl, PhD (astronomy))

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Why we're here

The Philosophy Behind C&H,

One of my all-time favorite quotations comes from John Wayne. “Life is tough…it’s tougher if you’re stupid.” Though not necessarily related to stupidity, there exists a common failure on the part of Christian men to humbly sharpen their reasoning skills and learn from one another. We, like much of the heathen world around us, fall into the trap of failing to ever challenge one another’s thinking either because of personal cowardice or for unreasonable fear of causing offense. While I do not advocate offense for its own sake, I do advocate the sharpening of one another in the bond of true Christian love, toward the end of excellence in spiritual warfare with the forces of darkness around us. Let us help each other “take every thought captive to Christ!”

Calvin and Hops is a monthly (generally) meeting of men from a variety of Christian churches in the Bossier City/Shreveport area in an informal setting to discuss a topic of general interest. Our primary objective is to grow in knowledge and wisdom and the ability to reason, for the sake of the gospel. Christ is Lord of all, and we need to be able to communicate that to others. This is true whether we are discussing Biblical canon or homosexual "marriage". But, I ask you, which is the more likely subject in your workplace? Which is the more likely "hook"with the unbelievers around you that you can use to lead them to the fear and wisdom of the Holy One?

I will establish the topic of the evening as indicated on this blog. However, the topic of the evening may be trumped by another “hot” topic if it seems appropriate. Please use information posted on this blog to prepare for meaningful discussion. Also, I’m always soliciting for topics of interest; just contact me using the blog contact form, email, text, phone call, carrier pigeon, or just telling me at church/work/other.

Please mark your calendars and feel free to pass this on to other men you think will be interested. If they want to be on the mailing list, they’ll need to send me an email address and a name.

In Him,

RTR

P.S. This is a men-only meeting, as we need to be free to discuss things as men, the way men do. However, for those of you with young sons, I highly encourage you to consider bringing them, as long as you deem it appropriate given their age and maturity level; we would also change the venue if this is an issue. I think that our sons can learn much from the accumulated wisdom of older men, teaching them to follow (and think about) Christ effectively).

How We Work

RULES OF ENGAGEMENT:

1. Don't bring it weak; participate, don't merely spectate

2) Have a thick skin

3) No personal attacks (ad hominem), either given or received

4) No sidebars...it's just plain rude.

5) No texting/phone use (unless you have young children/family that must reach you)

6) Define & clarify your terms - ambiguity serves both the speaker and listener poorly

7) Never, ever, walk out the door offended or offensive - keep short accounts and our spears aimed at the common enemy rather than each other

8) Always think about how this applies to you, your family, church, neighborhood, city, region, state, country, and world (roughly in that order)...change starts in the heart/head and works outwards.