Those following these Pages find several vital repetitions: context (complexity) for life; divine (spiritual) and common (natural) grace(s); understanding and knowledge (wisdom incorporating both natural evidence and divine revelation in faith and practice); righteousness and sin as practical issues for both mortality and immortality; culture and Christ-likeness as factors (righteousness and service to others as major work) to be modeled in the Christian life; and, several other lesser, but important emphases, most of which are subsumed under the above areas for consideration and discussion emphases.
The age in which this is being written will likely be known, if history proceeds, as the Scientific Age. Science dominates both the educational/sophisticated world and the lives of ordinary citizens, many of whom could not define science if requested to do so. Those opposing science likely do not know it as procedure that moves from assumptions, to theories, to the analysis of known evidence, and offers conclusions. The tests of truth are in replication. In the natural (human) realm that seems impossible to beat. Persons of faith add a dimension they believe includes the nature in which science works, and that which is related to God, the precedent and source of what mankind has in life and nature. The great conflict between humanists and Christians is that secularists are unwilling to admit of anything that is not appearing in nature. The Christian is unwilling to accept only that which is addressed in nature. The limited view can’t prove there is no God, and, by the laws of science, we can’t prove there is a God. It is a stand-off that can sometimes become ugly, although conversations seem less vituperative than formerly.
There is overlap for both sides in many areas that give hope for discussion and debate. For humanists mystery may be paradox, much of which they hope will be resolved in future discoveries. For Christians the omission of God closes some doors to understanding, so makes the conclusions of secular science sometimes appear flawed to them. The difference is a vital one that seems unimportant to the earthbound student, but utterly vital to the person of faith. If the person of faith is correct in faith, the matter becomes of great importance to the secularist whether acknowledged or not. Hope (immortality) turns on faith.
Christians must acknowledge their limitations in providing conclusions related to spiritual truths that can be replicated by anyone following the same procedures as the scientist. Even so, much of the evidence is helpful in the broader discussion, in the overlap of the secular and the sacred. Some of the easiest to follow is that uncovered by careful archaeologists. To illustrate, an extensive dig has been made at the biblical site of Zoar. (Genesis 14). Lot and his daughters fled from Sodom to a cave there. The history of the area, just south of the Dead Sea, records the ebb and flow found in so many sites of the millennia. After Christ, it became a center for the church with an assigned bishopric, and a cathedral. It became a vast cemetery which has been uncovered by archaeologists. Christians and Jews were buried there in large numbers with graves marked with menorahs for Jews and crosses for Christians. Names, identity and dates, with some decoration, appear on the many grave stones found and translated. The evidence does not tell us much about the scene of Saul’s death, with his sons, but leaves the student wondering how the details might have worked out. The grave stones show that many persons died at a young age. The stones revealed that most women died between 15 and 24 years, most men between late 20s and early 30s. This evidence and much more, inform us about the lesser complexity in their lives than in ours. They also tell us about intensity of faith and tragedy. The historical narrative emerges so to make sense of some stories that, without physical evidence, might not be accepted, so making the faith story less persuasive. The murderous wars that were so frequent are found in the evidence of bones and rubble, of weapons and tools. With many wars, and the decimation of male populations we may understand the social appeal of ancient polygamy so to give some semblance of civilization to children. Women were made reclusive to escape the horrors of rapine and the loss of their children. Today, even with human follies, we have more of the benefit for life for the children, the genders, and for all nations. Our era has a better and longer human context. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020