Show Score sermons before joining a congregation Commentary It’s that time of year when millions of seekers will be looking for a safe and sane place ‘New biology’ offers middle path on theory of evolution Have you heard about the latest upheavals in biology? The old paradigm based on Darwinism is undergoing a major overhaul From the Pulpit Rev Charles Cummings 0CS0 holy Trinity Abbey Huntsville The “new biology” has not yet found total acceptance but widespread rumblings in the establishment may be indications that something new is on the horizon Some degree of revision was to be expected because biology has based itself on models derived from 19th century physics These models which were materialistic and mechanical have been superseded by 20th century physics especially quantum physics Biology has some catching up to do even though modern physics itself is still in the process of refinement The new biology takes a cue from modem physics by redefining the fundamental components of nature For example the new biology proposes a description of life as activity" “self-directe- d The living organism operates according to the laws of chemistry and physics but as an auton- omous self-regulati- entity The whole is more than the sum of its parts because the whole is something alive Animals transcend plant life by possessing sensory awareness and emotions Human beings enjoy life in its September 17 1988 fullness: intelligence and freedom of choice The new biology does not shrink from such difficult ques- -' tions as the origin of life How did life begin on a planet of g matter? non-livin- Experiments in spontaneous generation have produced simple amino acids but never the simplest organic form A living organism is such a marvelous work of art that it must in the first place have been created by the mind and power of a supreme artist Furthermore this same artist whom we call God must also intervene to create the human intellect and will since these are not material and could never evolve out of matter Has the theory of evolution been discredited then in favor of a theory of creationism? Not exactly! The new biology still finds evolution to be the best explanation of the facts but in a modified form Darwin’s theory of evolution no longer in favor because the fossil record shows the development of species by jumps in is point-by-poi- stead of by gradualism Darwin’s view of natural selection or survival of the fittest must be abandoned because nature operates more by cooperation than competitive struggle Furthermore the new biology inade- judges quate because it’s unverifiable Instead a brilliant synthesis is being proposed which seems to fit the facts when tested Called systematic differentia- tion the new synthesis is based on advances in molecular biology Evolution results from varia-r tions within the regulatory genes Nature methodically gen- erates all possible variations by new patterns of gene regulation For people who cannot accept materialist evolution and who hesitate to accept creationism as found in the literal text of Genesis the new biology offers an attractive middle path God directly intervenes only where secondary causes are insufficient As authors Robert Augros and George Stanciu say in The New Biology (Boston: Shambhala 1988): “If the whole of nature both is a tool in g living and the hands of God nothing prevents nature and God from being the causes of a new species just as both Shakespeare and his pen wrote the sonnets one moving the other" non-livin- to worship Many base their decision to leave hearth and home in search of spirituality on the needs of their children to learn something about the cast of biblical characters and to latch onto the old values that have driven Americans in the general direction of morality What most parents don’t understand is that once the children are deposited in some kind of religious education program mothers and fathers are expected to wander into the sanctuary for worship There they will meet the Sunday sermon that mysterious mixture of show and sass that has defied description and criticism for thousands of years Because there are no rules governing the making of a sermon we are free to create our own rules for criticism What follows is a method of judging the worth of a sermon — complete with a foolproof scoring system nt First the preacher should know in what country he resides If the sermon is interrupted with references to foreign countries the pulpiteer is probably lost and doesn’t know it If the preacher says: “During an audience with the pope in Rome last summer I asked him to pray for my ” Score one point “As you may know I was bom and raised in the little kingdom of Norway on the banks of a peaceful fiord” Score two points “While working as a missionary in a leper colony off the coast of Africa ” Score three points “During vacation as I painted my house on the summer’s hottest days” Score 10 points Second the preacher should know who is sitting in the pews and show respect for them whether or not they deserve it If the sermon is focused on famous or superhuman people consider it evidence the preacher has not taken time to know the people and doesn’t intend to even nod in their direction If the preacher begins an illustration by saying “As a child I had the privilege at different times of living next door to Albert Einstein Winston Churchill Desmond Tutu and " Score one Marilyn Monroe point “On a flight back from New Clark M orphew Kn:gM Pifflet Newspapers York City last week I sat next to the highest-pai- d chief executive officer in the United States” Score two points “I’ve only known one famous person in my life and our relationship ended when he punched my ” Score three points “Bob the man I trust to fix my " Score car says God should 10 points Third during the sermon the preacher should make contact with at least one pressing problem in the lives of ordinary people If the sermon glosses over the reality of human pain and suffering it probably isn’t worth your time If the preacher advises parishioners to: “Focus on the love of God when people hurt you and always remember to keep on smiling and singing” Score one point “Ignore those fleeting moments of rudeness that teenagers often bring to family life” Score two points “When God seems far away anJ life appears to be hopeless remember there are many people who care" Score three points “I have times when I’m down when I’m depressed and I’m not always sure God is on my side but ” Score 10 points OK now for the rating system If the preacher’s accumulated score is five or under you are likely listening to a pompous individual who thinks being religious means one is widely traveled well-connect- ed and slightly above the slime and grime of life Flee from the influence of that pulpit If the score is between five and 15 there is some hope that the man or woman who preached the sermon is a developing human being However you must be careful Don’t commit yourself to this congregation until you have at least one full year of sermons under your belt When the score ranges from 5 to 25 you can be somewhat assured the preacher is redeemable with some coaching on your part If you join this congregation never let a Sunday go by without making a comment or asking a question that will draw the preacher back to human real1 ity If the preacher earned a perfect of 30 you weren’t listening score carefully Standard-Examin- er Church News 5 |