Deconstruction and the Christian Faith

Gary discusses several recent (and not so recent) instances of individuals leaving the Christian faith after being in it for some time.

Materialists don’t like TV shows that showcase paranormal events, even if the shows are fictional. X-Files is criticized by the late Carl Sagan because it “is skewed heavily towards the reality of alien abductions, strange powers and government complicity in covering up just about everything interesting. Almost never does the paranormal claim turn out to be a hoax or a psychological aberration or a misunderstanding of the natural world.” Sagan would prefer an adult series similar to the Scooby Doo cartoon approach “in which paranormal claims are systematically investigated and every case is found to be” explained in common terms.

Notice Sagan’s operating presupposition. He begins by assuming that everything can be explained in terms of present naturalistic assumptions. This would go for any miracle recorded in the Bible, including predictive prophecy. There is no possible way that Jesus could have risen from the dead or performed any of His many miracles given Sagan’s presuppositions. A stolen body, yes, but a resurrection? Certainly not. Sagan’s presuppositions won’t allow it.

Pure materialists like Sagan have no trouble, however, explaining evolution in terms of unseen natural forces. “Natural selection is not random, nor does it operate by chance. Natural selection preserves the gains and eradicates the mistakes.” The author of this assertion is describing what a person with innate intelligence would do. How does this unseen force do these things? How does “it” know whether what’s evolved is a “gain” or a “mistake”? Never mind that no one has actually seen this process take place. Given the criteria of what constitutes the paranormal, evolution would be considered paranormal. There are mysterious unseen forces at work shaping and fashioning life forms into new life forms. Even so, evolution is believed with religious fervor. I wonder what Scooby Doo would think of that?

Thinking Straight in a Crooked World

The nursery rhyme “There Was a Crooked Man” is an appropriate description of how sin affects us and our world. We live in a crooked world of ideas evaluated by crooked people. Left to our crooked nature, we can never fully understand what God has planned for us and His world. God has not left us without a corrective solution. He has given us a reliable reference point in the Bible so we can identify the crookedness and straighten it.

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Gary discusses several recent (and not so recent) instances of individuals leaving the Christian faith after being in it for some time. Sometimes these deconversions are called “deconstructions” and Gary highlights some examples of these and what his views are on them.

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