BioLogos

When I look at the world, do I believe it is the result of intentional creation?

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1 

I have started reading a book that claims to address all of the God questions that people typically have and focuses on about one question a day for 40 days.  The first major question asked: Is God Real? and spoke about how the creation of the universe proves God's existence.  Of course, there is a lot of debate between creationists and evolutionists on how the universe was actually created: The Big Bang Theory or God.  I know that growing up as a young person with a constant interest in science, I was constantly thrust up against this conundrum of which is right and having to try and reconcile the science with my faith - not always an easy task. So many people unfortunately view science as a threat to Christianity, or religion as a whole. Even in a recent Bible study we discussed how a "day" in Genesis does not necessarily equal a "day" as we know them to be today and this is supported even further by Pastor David Swain's sermon that I found on http://www.biologos.org/ as I decided to do more research into the topic based on this first question in The God Questions, by Hal Seed & Dan Grider.  In his sermon titled "Maker of Heaven and Earth", Pastor Swain tells us that Christians and scientists alike that get caught up in all the details of Genesis and asking how there were plants before there was rain to nourish them... they're asking all the wrong questions and, most importantly, missing the point! I agree. There is deeper meaning to be found in Genesis than the supposedly simple fact that it reads that the world was created in six days and God rested on the seventh. If the world was not actually created in 144 hours, this should not bring the entire religion of Christianity crashing down into rubble... the Christian faith is based on the glory of God and the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ, not on the Genesis timeline.  Because is it any easier to believe that something out in a universe that just spontaneously existed in the first place exploded and led to millenia of evolution on its own that evolved into something so complex - again, on its own - that every single human baby born has a different genetic code and a unique personality and so on.  If you are a parent, look at your children, and anyone can just look at themselves, and take a moment to take yourself in... the complexity, the genius, the beauty, the masterpiece... I can honestly say that I cannot believe that comes to be through pure chance and coincidence.  The book I'm reading quotes Voltaire in saying that, "I shall always be convinced that a watch proves a watch-maker," and while that is taking the overall belief to the most mundane example possible, it proves the point well.  The universe itself points to the existence of a Creator God, and while I will constantly - hopefully for the rest of my life - continue to study and explore my faith, there is very little left that I feel the need to "reconcile" because being a Christian has never been based on proof, but on faith, which is in itself the proof of God's love for us. And if nothing else, through my studies I have found yet another great resource in http://www.biologos.org/ and will continue to explore all the forum can share with me.