Gimme Shelter ...

... since we're on the theme of blog posts with the titles of rock songs of the 70's. :-)

Is this the "I'm a Christian I can't wait to get to Heaven" thing or "I've had enough and I don't want to wake up ever -- even in Heaven -- when I feel like this" thing?

The latter. I'm not sure enough of my faith to yearn for Heaven like Paul writes in one of his books. For me, it's a yearning to simply escape the struggle. I envy those who seem able to accept life for what it is and go about relatively cheerfully. Though I have been blessed in many ways, there's something about my disposition that just finds everything a struggle. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. There are brief periods where the stuggle abates, but it always returns.

There was a time I had hoped the Christian faith might help in this regard. It may yet. But again, I'm not sure I've really tapped into it sufficiently to know.

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John Derbyshire, a writer for National Review Online, and a ex-patriot Brit, recently published a piece where he essentially recanted his Christian faith. It's not clear to me that he ever really was a Christian, in the more strict definition of the term. Still, I find it interesting that he has rejected -- or, perhaps more precisely, drifted away -- the faith due to advances in biology.

What I would like to see is a theologian approach the subject in this manner:

Let's stipulate that evolution and natural selection occurred, and occurs, as postulated. With that, let's now see whether the Bible, and traditional notions of creation and God, necessarily conflict with it.

I'm not sure there is a conflict there, but that's just me. I've read many things that say that faith and science are not mutually exclusive, yet none seem to tackle the question of evolution vs. creation head-on. For many people, Derbyshire included, there seems to be a sense that one must choose one or the other, but not both. My personal belief is that's a false dichotomy. But I'm not skilled enough in the ways of theology to explain exactly why I think that.

I suspect at its root the question will involve discussing the distinction between creation and development. Is it possible that God created the universe and life, and that the "in His image" part of the Bible has nothing whatever to do with physical appearance? Might it be that God, who is timeless, willed the development of man "in His image," though it took the slow forces of natural selection billions of years to realize the commandment?

Can such an argument be made without appearing as if one is force-fitting religion around science?

I just don't know.

In truth, it doesn't much matter to me personally. But it strikes me that if it's possible to provide an answer given my assume stipulation, it might be helpful to some.