Journal: Maranatha Baptist Theological Journal
Volume: MBTJ 04:2 (Fall 2014)
Article: The Wizardry Of OSS: Life In The Land Of Technological Promise
Author: Jonathan Rehfeldt

---

MBTJ 4:2 (Fall 2014) p. 143

The Wizardry Of OSS:
Life In The Land Of Technological
Promise

Jonathan Rehfeldt1

Though Biblical Christianity has not been without its able defenders in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, its influence has seemed to decline in the West. This is largely because of negative portrayals through the secular media, bombastic “fundamentalist” leaders, and confusion over the relationship between Christianity and culture. The recent debate between Ken Ham and Bill Nye illustrates the popular secular mood toward fundamentalist Christianity. In a recent interview with Skeptical Inquirer, Bill Nye said,

[By agreeing to the debate,] I held strongly to the view that it was an opportunity to expose the well-intending Ken Ham and the support he receives from his followers as being bad for Kentucky, bad for science education, bad for the U.S., and thereby bad for humankind – I do not feel I’m exaggerating when I express it this strongly.2

The most obvious disagreement these men have with each other is over human origins; whether man evolved through chance processes over millions of years, or whether man was created by God’s direct act as described in Genesis. Nye reflects,

MBTJ 4:2 (Fall 2014) p. 144

After the debate, my agent and I were driven back to our hotel. We were, by agreement, accompanied by two of Ham’s security people. They were absolutely grim. I admit it made me feel good. They had the countenance of a team that had been beaten – beaten badly in their own stadium. Incidentally, if the situation were reversed, I am pretty sure they are trained to feel bad about feeling good. They would manage to feel bad either way, which is consistent with Mr. Ham’s insistence on The Fall, when humankind took its first turn for the worse. And by his reckoning, we’ve been plummeting ever since.”3

Nye’s voice represents a chorus of secular scientists and innovators who believe that fundamentalist Christianity, with its commitment to the inspiration and inerrancy of the whole Bible, should not be a valid paradigm for intelligence in the twenty-first century.4 Though Nye’s claim that fundamentalist Christianity is “bad” for science education was countered by Ham’s constant reference to Christian innovators, the idea that Christianity and science are inimical to each other pervades our culture. As scientific innovation assuages our desires for abundance and better health, connectivity, self-expression, research, and entertainment, we are confront...

visitor : : uid: ()