Darwin and God by Nick Spencer

Posted on March 30, 2009 by Richard

Darwin and God by Nick Spencer

This year is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and we have seen many books written and TV programmes made looking at his theories and the legacy he left behind. Nick Spencer’s book though is not just another one looking at the debate in Christian circles between evolution and creation, but in it he has set out to actually examine Darwin’s own religious beliefs.

The author traces Darwin’s religious thoughts from various writings he wrote throughout his life including letters, notebooks, manuscripts and also his autobiography. Some of this material expressed views that Darwin carefully kept out of public sight during his life. However thanks to the wonders of modern technology these writings can now be accessed on line and we can discover more about his religious beliefs.

The book looks at the way in which his religious beliefs changed over the years and examines the sort of Christian faith that he grew up with, one which seemed to often epitomise the era in which Darwin lived. We see how he struggled to reconcile his religious beliefs with the scientific discoveries he made.

Nick Spencer also looks at how the death of Darwin’s favourite daughter Annie had a profound effect on his beliefs too. Darwin like many before him and since struggled to understand the hows and whys of suffering, and the author believes it was this that finally brought about the end of his Christian faith. We then see how in later years he moved to an agnostic position.

One of the personal characteristics of Darwin’s which impressed the author was the courteous way in which he dealt with those who disagreed with his views. The book concludes with him reflecting that this courtesy is often missing from those who engage in fierce debate about evolution and religious beliefs.

For anyone who wishes to look closely at what Darwin did actually believe as opposed to what they think he did or did not believe then this book is a good read and may offer you some surprises.

Prayers from Scripture

Posted on March 27, 2009 by Richard

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Ps 51:10)

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (Eph 1:17)

“Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” (Ps 19:13)

Collect Prayers during Lent

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Richard

The following prayers are additonal collects that can be used during the Lent period.

These collects are normally shorter than the usual ones we use in our services.

The prayer for the third Sunday in Lent challenges us to discern God’s will for us and to give up what harms us and seek his perfection .

In the prayer for the fourth Sunday in Lent we confess to the Lord how sin spoils our life and ask him to help us turn back again to Him.

Spiritual Check Up

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Richard

This week my wife took her car in for its annual MOT and thankfully it passed! Those of us with cars over 3 years old have to annually renew our MOT and go through the various tests to show that our car is safe to drive on the road.

It seems to me that spiritual it’s good for us to also have a MOT or “check up”. Oswald Chambers in his excellent devotional book “My Utmost for His Highest” says in his 17th March thought, “At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you.”

I think this is very wise advice and a weekly spiritual check up would no doubt be a good use of time for most of us.

“Lord help us to be prepared to undertake a spiritual check up and to repent of anything that you show us which is inconsistent with your will for us.”

Family Likeness

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Richard

When a mother shows her child to her friends she will often hear comments such as:

“Hasn’t he got his father’s eyes?”

“You can see she’s got her mother’s nose?”

“Doesn’t he look like his grandfather?”

It is naturally for a child to have the physical attributes of their parents and in fact we would be very surprised if they did not have something of the family likeness.

What about us Christians?

Do we have something of the family likeness?

Do we reflect God’s holiness?

By our attitudes and actions is it evident to all that we are in Christ’s family?

Does our speech reflect Christ’s likeness?

Can the love of God be seen in us?

“Lord please help me to reflect your family likeness in all the areas of my life so that Christ in honoured and glorified. Amen.”

Change

Posted on March 12, 2009 by Richard

I once attended a course at work called “Managing Change.” My employer had recently merged with another company and therefore there was going to be change on the horizon. For some it meant their working patterns would change, whilst for others they would be doing different jobs with new responsibilities.

Our staff reacted to this in differing ways, some embracing change and others resisting it. There were some who looked back on what they perceived as the good old days and they remembered those days with fondness and did not want to move forward and change. However as the working situation had now changed, they too would also have to face that reality.

As Christians we too face the challenge of change. We all know that God wants changes to be made in our individual and Church life but we can be very resistant to this. Sometimes we may be scared of change and leaving the security we know behind. Fear of the unknown maybe. Other times we just stubbornly refuse to change thinking that we know better than God.

After God rescued the Israelites from Pharaoh it didn’t take them long to start complaining and saying that they wanted to go back to Egypt. They seemed to have had rather selective memories about the past they left behind in Egypt. It suddenly seemed very appealing and they quickly forgot about the hardships they had endured under Pharaoh.

What about us?

How do we react when we feel God wants changes in our life?

Do we rejoice that He is refining us and changing us to be conformed to His image or do we resist and moan?

Lets ensure that with God’s grace that we embrace change and grow in our relationship with Christ.

We have done evil

Posted on March 9, 2009 by Richard

Yesterday morning in our communion service we prayed a pray of penitence which started as follows:

“Lord God, we have sinned against you; we have done evil in your sight. We are sorry and repent.”

I wonder if we really regard our sin as evil? Do we really believe that the wrong things we have done, thought and spoken are actually evil in God’s sight?

It’s so easy to have a cavalier attitude towards sin – if we even use that word! Yet sin is evil in God’s eyes.

During this lent period it might be good for us to think on this and realise the seriousness of sin in God’s eyes.

Wanting God

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Richard

Lent is a good time for us to ponder the subject of wanting God and ask ourselves how much do we want Him and hunger after Him. The following scriptures can help us focus our attention on this:

Psalm 42: 1-2 – “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? ”

Matthew 5:6 – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Philippians 3: 7-11 – “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

These verses challenge us to consider how much do we really want God and maybe ask ourselves:

Do we truly thirst for Him?
Do we desire God more than anything else?
Do we consider everything else rubbish compared with the greatness of knowing Christ?

I found the following prayer recently entitled “Prayer for those who want to want God.”

Amen!

A Matter of Faith Series Finished

Posted on March 2, 2009 by Richard

So after 8 weeks the Matter of Faith series on Channel 4 has now finished. On my original posting on this series I mentioned that I was not originally going to watch it but I changed my mind and decided to give it a go.

I could say that I wasted 8 hours of my life watching it but that would probably be slightly unfair! I did find myself disagreeing with much of what I watched and at times getting very frustrated and angry with it.

It was a pity that they did not allow someone from an evangelical background to take one of the topics but I guess that is no surprise. I was also disappointed that they kept focusing on the traditional churches in this country and did not look at other denominations and groups such as the New Frontiers churches.

Anyway thankfully our faith does not depend on TV programmes but on a Living God who sent His Son Jesus to suffer and die for us on the cross.

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Monthly Archives: March 2009