The Science “Wow” Factor
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 During my career as a science educator there were times my wife (a math educator) claimed there was a factor stacked in my favor in capturing the attention of my students. She claimed the “wow” factor in science education gave those instructors a leg up. After explaining that my students’ classroom…
Read MoreAct of God or Act of Man?
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Discussions of normal, everyday weather events have retreated to obscurity in the past several weeks. Instead, we have had enough tragic cyclones, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes to provoke gasps. The usual questions about whether God is “telling us something” have dominated our discussions. We do not think with the infinite mind…
Read MoreStewardship of Nature
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Stewardship of God’s gifts in the natural world is a multi-faceted duty. It should be approached and implemented with knowledge, perception, and responsibility. Scripture’s guidelines include Psalm 8:6-9: “You made him ruler over the works of your hands: you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts…
Read MoreTooth and Claw
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Bible commentary on nature’s wonders inspires respectful awe for the grandeur and beauty of creation. Other passages pose problematic descriptions for a few readers. For example, some scripture accounts provoke unease when they speak of warfare or retribution. Many cling to idealistic concepts of a “perfect” world: painless, convenient, and free…
Read MoreEden’s Gardener
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Let’s reflect on the Garden of Eden into which Adam was placed. I have always been surprised at the brevity of the Bible account contrasted with the overwhelming volume of extra-biblical commentary. One thing seems clear from Genesis 2:15: Adam had work to do as Eden’s gardener. According to various translations,…
Read MorePredatory Ecosystems
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Attitudes about the death of living creatures are wide-ranging. My young earth friends are convinced that all death and bloodshed in the natural world is a result of Adam’s original sin. This belief is based on a questionable interpretation of Rom. 5:12 and I Cor. 15:21. Those who hold such views…
Read MoreMan’s Designer World
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Our unusually strange recent weather has prompted me to speak further on the subject of weather disasters. In the last month, Earth has been convulsed by several well publicized natural calamities resulting in great loss of life and property damage. Commentators often try to explain such events, sometimes claiming they are…
Read MoreWhy Would God…?
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 How many times have we heard friends ask “Why would God…?” I recently heard a very effective sermon on the situation of Old Testament character Job and its application for us. The upside of asking such a question is the tacit admission that God is sovereign and He is in control,…
Read MoreDeath Benefits
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 It sounds strange to extol the benefits of death in any context. However, as we look back at earth history, we may see an entirely different perspective. Our last post explained that bacteria have been present for the majority of Planet Earth’s existence as a solid body. Even today, thousands of…
Read MoreEarth’s Sudden Life Enigma
By: Jim Virkler; ©2008 Even the most naturalistic scientists would acknowledge the profound enigma of the origin of life on earth. We do not find evidence of the “warm little pools” Darwin envisioned, or the “primordial soups” often referred to by evolutionary biologists as a nursery needed to gradually birth simple life. Instead, overwhelming evidence…
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