Another Great Read for the New Year!
I first read this article in January of 1997, in First Things magazine. I immediately knew that Neil Postman, the author, had said some things I too had discovered and that I wanted to bookmark. I knew that E4Unity blog (that was still in embryo at the time) would want to review this at least once a year.
Science & The Story that we Need
But in the end, science does not provide the answers most of us require. Its story of our origins and of our end is, to say the least, unsatisfactory. To the question, “How did it all begin?”, science answers, “Probably by an accident.” To the question, “How will it all end?”, science answers, “Probably by an accident.” And to many people, the accidental life is not worth living. Moreover, the science-god has no answer to the question, “Why are we here?” and, to the question, “What moral instructions do you give us?”, the science-god maintains silence. It places itself at the service of both the beneficent and the cruel, and its grand moral impartiality, if not indifference, makes it, in the end, no god at all.
Into the breach has come still another contender—the offspring of the science-god—the great god of technology. This is a wondrous and energetic story which, with greater clarity than its parent, offers us a vision of paradise. Whereas the science-god speaks to us of both understanding and power, the technology-god speaks only of power. It refutes the promise of Christianity that heaven is a posthumous reward. It offers convenience, efficiency, and prosperity here and now; and it offers its benefits to all, the rich as well as the poor, as does Christianity.
To Read entire article at First Things
February 16, 2012 at 3:34 pm
I had the joy of visiting Candler School of Theology on the campus of Emory University in Atlanta, this week. Lest anyone imagine from this post that I am anti-scientific, let me say that I saw first hand an example of Christian Theology at the center of a vibrant scholastic & research community in the heart of one of the largest cities in America.
Take a look at Pitts Theological Library on the Quad at Emory.
http://www.pitts.emory.edu
April 28, 2012 at 1:12 pm
Recently while reviewing the book, “True Spirituality” by Frances Schaeffer (1971), I was reminded of Schaeffer’s famous description of “The universe and the two chairs” as a way of handling two very different but complementary ways of holding the reality of the physical universe as created by the God of the Bible. This concept was thoroughly explained in his book “Death in the City” which is exactly the point of this post.
Read the essay : http://sentinellenehemie.free.fr/schaeffer3_gb.html
May 2, 2012 at 8:46 am
The thing that I find fascinating is that Science is whatever we know now. As such there are no monoliths for by using the scientific method, we change the answers from moment of new discovery to moment of knowledge-shattering next discovery.
Take what happened to Voyager as it approached the extreme limit of Solar control.
Most borders are lines drawn on a map only-a conceptual grid. Suddenly Voyager passed through something tangible that scientists had no knowledge of before, a weaving of the Son’s Magetic influence even that far out, over time had created a barrier-much like our own Van Allen belts-which act protectively at Sol’s extremities.
Who knew? Even Carl Sagan did not know this and it was not a part of his Cosmos, even though it was definitely part of the Solar system, without his knowledge.
May 3, 2012 at 9:01 am
excellent point, Steve. Thanks for the input!
May 3, 2012 at 9:06 am
“We cannot go back to simpler times and simpler tales—tales made by clans and tribes and nations when the world was large enough for each to pursue its separate evolution.” -Neil Postman
August 18, 2012 at 9:02 am
I have found this post and the link to the full essay by Neil Postman, an excellent place to delay any further blogging for a few months. If the reader of this blog does not understand Postman’s thesis, it will be all but impossible to understand why E4Unity blog insists on becoming familiar with the Biblical Narrative.
Thanks to the tools of WordPress, I have an accurate record of how many readers have bothered to read his entire essay. . .thus the lack of motivation to continue beyond this point.
November 14, 2012 at 11:45 am
Now that the 2012 elections in America (USA) are behind us, I’m about ready to begin blogging again- especially since the Advent season is upon us. One last not re.science: Natural Law in the Spiritual Law by Henry Drummond was an interesting contribution-especially this chapter on “Mortification”.http://articles.ochristian.com/article15171.shtml