The ‘Ideological Minimalism’ of Intelligent Design |
|
When the Intelligent Design movement appeared on the scene decades ago, many Christians hailed it as a great step forward in debates about the relationship between faith and science. Here, it seemed, was a compelling framework for affirming divine creation by appealing to science (and its revelations about the stupendous complexity of nature), rather than pitting the Bible against it. |
|
The movement, of course, still has energetic champions. And a good share of Christians would readily agree with many of its core claims. Yet scholar C. W. Howell—in his book, Designer Science: A History of Intelligent Design in America—argues that its influence has greatly diminished, in part because it never progressed beyond offering a negative critique of naturalistic blind spots in reigning theories of human origins. |
|
Reviewing the book for CT is Pepperdine University historian Edward J. Larson, whose 1997 classic Summer for the Gods gave a defining account of the Scopes Trial and its cultural aftermath. |
|
“When Howell and others refer to ‘ID,’ they do not mean age-old arguments for God rooted in the evidence of intricate, purposeful design in nature,” writes Larson. “Nor are they invoking the narrower natural theology of late 18th-century English cleric William Paley, best known for proposing that an ordered universe presupposed a ‘divine watchmaker’ who set it into motion. |
|
“Instead, the term ID encompasses specific ideas first advanced in the 1990s by American law professor Phillip Johnson, philosopher William Dembski, biologist Michael Behe, and others associated with the Discovery Institute think tank. ID theorists coalesced around the philosophical position that science should not arbitrarily exclude supernatural explanations for physical phenomena. Over time, they added arguments suggesting that ‘irreducible complexity’ in biology—systems too intricately arranged to be broken into separately evolved parts—points toward intelligent design in nature. |
|
“As such, Howell writes, ID became ‘a broad, ideologically diverse, and theologically accommodating approach to anti-evolution’ that at first drew an array of intellectual theists under its ‘big tent.’ According to Howell, however, the movement’s initial strength proved its ultimate weakness. As he suggests, the thin gruel of its ‘ideological minimalism’ could not sustain the allegiance of partisans for whom ideas carried deep meaning. |
|
“Whenever ID theorists sought to add meat to the broth, they alienated some faction. Without a robust scientific component, ID remained an ideological critique of evolutionary science that blurred methodological with philosophical naturalism to make its case that Darwinism went hand in hand with atheism.” |
The Economic World of Jesus |
|
Across the Gospels, Jesus says many uncomfortable things about money and its stubborn grip on our loves and loyalties. Keith Bodner, a religious studies professor at Crandall University in the Canadian province of New Brunswick, analyzes these sayings in a new book, Exploring the Financial Parables of Jesus: The Economy of Grace and the Generosity of God. |
|
Reviewing the book for CT, Michael Rhodes, a Bible professor at Carey Baptist College in New Zealand, credits Bodner with shrewd insights and engaging illustrations suitable for a non-scholarly audience. Yet Rhodes, also the author of Just Discipleship and a coauthor of Practicing the King’s Economy, believes he could have paid more attention to the uncertain economic contexts that framed Jesus’ words from the perspective of their hearers. |
|
“I suspect Bodner could have strengthened the book with more sustained reflection on the economic world of Jesus and his audience,” writes Rhodes. “In my experience, many Americans read the Gospels from a largely middle-class perspective. A great many people in Jesus’ day were barely scraping by, if not already slowly dying. By reminding readers of that background fact, Bodner might add more depth to his discussion of economic themes. |
|
“Consider, for instance, the way predatory debt wreaked havoc in the lives of Jesus’ listeners. Highlighting this dynamic would only enhance Bodner’s treatment of the parables about debt forgiveness. It might also underscore the connection between forgiveness of sins and the countercultural call upon disciples to give freely, without expectation of return. |
|
“At the same time, that background might also require further discussion of how Jesus’ audience would hear stories about, for instance, the ‘master’ in the parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30). Bodner’s depiction of that master is fairly rosy; others have suggested that, to Jesus’ average listener, he would have sounded like the consummate exploiter. Even if Bodner disagrees with that line of thought, acknowledging the underlying complexity would strengthen his argument.” |
|
Each summer students are given a back-to-school list of materials they need to start a new school year. Wouldn’t it be great if pastors could have a similar list of products and services to help keep their church and ministries running smoothly? |
|
Christianity Today has your church covered with the Annual Church Resource Guide, just what you need to feel equipped for the challenges and joys of a new ministry season. |
|
|
|
|
Like a brightly burning candle in the wind: That’s how C. W. Howell depicts the brief history of the American intelligent design movement in his new book, Designer Science. Howell,…
|
|
|
|
|
When students in my Old Testament courses contrast the allegedly messy world of the first testament with the allegedly simple, straightforward teachings of Jesus, I know for sure they haven’t…
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Christian story shows us that grace often comes from where we least expect. In this issue, we look at the corners of God’s kingdom and chronicle in often-overlooked people, places, and things the possibility of God’s redemptive work. We introduce the Compassion Awards, which report on seven nonprofits doing good work in their communities. We look at the spirituality underneath gambling, the ways contemporary Christian music was instrumental in one historian’s conversion, and the steady witness of what may be Wendell Berry’s last novel. All these pieces remind us that there is no person or place too small for God’s gracious and cataclysmic reversal. |
|
more from christianity today |
|
CHRISTIANITY TODAY WEEKLY: CTWeekly delivers the best content from ChristianityToday.com to your inbox each week. |
|
CT PASTORS: Each weekly CT Pastors issue equips you with the best wisdom and practical tools for church ministry. |
|
Each issue contains up-to-date, insightful information about today’s culture, plus analysis of books important to the evangelical thinker. |
|
Delivered free via email to subscribers weekly. Sign up for this newsletter. |
|
You are currently subscribed as npy7hz0ktx@nie.podam.pl. Sign up to more newsletters like this. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. |
| | |
