We run our website the way we wished the whole internet worked: we provide high quality original content with no ads. We are funded solely by your direct support. Please consider supporting this project.
Thou Shalt Not Fear Science-Part II
Yesterday I called your attention to Bev Mitchell’s essay in which he integrated science and theology as he reflected on power and love. This is part II of his essay and it’s on the limiting conditions of creation. It’s a fascinating speculative reflection on why God’s creation is the way it is and what our role is in it. What I appreciate most about Mitchell’s reflections is that, at a time when most theologians and Christian scientists are hesitant to talk about Satan, let alone ascribe to him anything like the authority the New Testament and early church ascribed to him, Bev gets that we cannot reconcile nature as we now find it with the character of God revealed in Christ unless we accept that spiritual warfare is woven into the very fabric of the cosmos.
In this essay you’ll see a working out of C.S.Lewis bold statement: “At every moment, every inch of the cosmos is claimed by Satan and counter-claimed by God.” (my paraphrase).
Enjoy!
~Greg
Image by carulmare. Used in accordance with Creative Commons. Sourced via Flickr.
Category: General
Tags: Problem of Evil, Warfare Worldview
Related Reading
How To Talk about Theology
Social media is full of theological debate. Theological arguments that formerly took months or even years to get in print, now only takes the time to write a post or 140 characters and click “publish.” Social media is great in that it makes space for all of our voices. However, it also seems to elevate…
God Does Not Always Get What He Wants
One of the ways the Bible makes it clear that humans have free will and that God doesn’t predetermine human decisions is found in the responses God has toward human choices. Scripture consistently depicts God as being frustrated by the way his people obstinately resist his plans and Scripture often depicts God’s heart as breaking…
In Darkest Times, God is Present
“However much evil was there, it would have been far worse if God was not there pushing back on it.” There is never a time when God is not present, no matter how bad the situation. In this short sermon clip, Greg Boyd talks about how we need to be watchful of the spirit world…
What are the main principles of the warfare worldview?
In my book God At War (IVP, 1997) I flesh out what I call the “warfare worldview” of the Bible. This is the view that the world is a battle ground between God and good angels, on the one hand, and Satan and fallen angels, on the other. In my book Satan and the Problem…
When Prayers Go Unanswered
Recently Frank Viola published a free e-book where 21 Christian leaders responded to the following question: Why is it that God doesn’t often answer the desperate prayers of His people for deliverance, protection, healing, etc.? You can download the free ebook by clicking here. The following excerpt is Greg’s contribution to this book: _____________________ Two very ill children are…
Our Real Battle is NOT with ISIS or any Other “Enemy”
There’s an old African proverb that says, “When Elephants fight, the grass suffers.” It expresses the important truth that when agents who have a domain of authority go awry, everything under their authority suffers. The “principalities and the powers” were given tremendous authority over creation. In western Christian culture, these non-human agents are usually called…