Archive for the ‘Science’ category

The Triple Point of God

April 21st, 2009

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

One of my favorite college courses was Thermodynamics.  It was my strongest science class and–call me a geek–I still enjoy reading books on the stuff when I can.  One of the coolest parts of science is discovering how God reveals Himself through His creation.

The Trinity is one of the most difficult concepts of the Christian faith, (just check out Barth and Zacharias).  There are tons of analogies and models people use to try and comprehend this unity in diversity.  Without a doubt, the one model that makes the most sense is found in what thermodynamacists call “The Triple Point“.
In simple terms, the Triple Point is when the Temperature and Pressure conditions are in perfect balance so that a substance can exist simultaneously in all three phases.  For example, water exists in one of three primary phases; solid, liquid or gas.   But when the temperature and pressure are just right, water can be a solid, a liquid and a gas at the exact same time.   Here is a simple graphic illustration of the Triple Point.

Triple Point is the coexistence of all three phases in perfect equilibrium.

For me, the Triple Point is a beautiful picture of YHWH who exists in the balance of Time and Eternity as Father, Son and Spirit–each one with a unique phase, yet each one existing in perfect equilibrium that cannot be divided–one from the other.
Even if understanding the Triple Point does not answer every question about the Trinity of YHWH, it should at least demonstrate the possibility of the diversity in unity that is God.
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Posted in Christology, Paterology, Pneumatology, Science, Systematic Theology

Steven Colbert: Where Faith Meets Comedy

April 18th, 2009

Steven Colbert is known for his political satire (notice that I even posted his picture on the right!), but Colbert sometimes breaks out of the political box and offers a comedic look at his Christian faith.

Yes, Colbert is a Christian–at least that is his own personal confession from NPR back in 2007 where he shares his experience teaching Sunday School, his definition of God, and his view on Hell.

Okay, so now here is the part where comedy meets faith. Take this June 2006 “debate” between Colbert’s alter ego and Bart Ehrman while they discuss the history of the word of Jesus.
The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bart Ehrman
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

Ehrman came out looking pretty bad, but he had the guts to come back and promote another book in April 2009.

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Bart Ehrman
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest


  • So what do you think about this mix of faith and fun?
  • Is there a winner or loser, or is this just pure entertainment?
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Posted in Bibliology, Epistemology, Religion, Science

Blind Foxes and Rorschach Statistics

August 27th, 2008

Associate professor Bradley Wright from the University of Connecticut is talking again about Christians researches who focus too much on the negative in surveys about Christians. In his latest series on “The creation of a useful, but inaccurate, statistic” he writes,

In presenting these data, Barna emphasizes the low favorability scores for Evangelicals. He writes that non-Christians are “dismissive” of evangelicals, and that “one reason why evangelical churches across the nation are not growing is due to the image that non-Christian adults have of evangelical individuals.” One could make the opposite case just as strongly—while only 22% had favorable impressions of Evangelicals, only 23% had unfavorable impressions. These data could be spun either way, the cup being half-empty or half-full, and Barna chooses half-empty

He goes on in part 2 of the series to make the following observation.

Yesterday I recounted a study conducted by the Barna Group. This study can be summarized as positive, negative, or ambiguous in its portray of Christians. Positive in that born-again Christians were found to be well-regarded, negative in that Evangelicals were not, and ambiguous in that different reactions were given to what is essentially the same group (i.e., evangelical and born-again Christians).

As such, these data provide almost a Rorschach test in which people can see what they want about Christians. It’s informative, then, to see how commentators, both within the church and without, have used these data. Without exception, they emphasize the negative story, and each has different incentives to do so.

It’s a nagging question for me, “why do some Christian researches always seem to emphasize the negative which, in many cases, only serves to tear down the Body of Christ?“

Tell me, what do you see?

Check out more Blind Foxes cartoons

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Posted in Anthropology, Cartoons, Ecclesiology, Science

Algebra in the Church

August 9th, 2008

In every math class across the globe, right now, there is a kid asking himself, “where will I ever use this stuff in real life?”  The answer is–church!

When it comes to science and faith, not only can Physics teach us about leadership, but Algebra can teach us about relationships.

So let’s start with a simple Algebra equation:

a + b = c + d

In this simple equation we can see the life of the church and family.  On each side of the equation we have the unique functions (a, b, c, d).  Each part brings something unique, but added together they remain equal in value.

In the Church

Elder + Elder = Sheep + Sheep

Leader = Follower

In Life

Man  = Woman

Rich = Poor

In the Family

Father = Daughter

Wife = Husband

Brother = Sister

Mother + Father = Son + Daughter

God has created and equipped us for a diversity of roles within the church and within our families.  We must learn to embrace our differences rather than normalize them.  Mothers have authority over their sons, but each person is equal in value and purpose in the Kingdom of Jesus.  The husband is the head of the wife, yet they remain equal in worth to their families and to God.  Elders have authority over the flock, but each person is equal in value and purpose to the life of the Church.

The giftings of the Spirit, and our natural talents, set us apart for unique service to the Lord, but drawing us together is the shed blood of Jesus Christ which makes us equal at the foot of the cross.

I think there is a lot we can learn from using Algebra in the Church.

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Posted in Ecclesiology, Family, Leadership, Science