ID, Evolution, & Mockery of Faith

Quick position summary: I'm not a blind advocate of Intelligent Design (ID) as a "scientific theory". Neither am I an evolutionist proponant. But I do believe dialog should take place regarding these issues. And for that, my faith position as it relates to science is being mocked as unreasonable.

In fact, anyone in Kansas (and beyond) who questions the current scientific dogma of naturalism is up for ridicule. Case(s) in point: The Flying Spaghetti Monster Theory, Intelligent Falling Theory, and of course, the book, What's The Matter With Kansas? (For those unfamiliar with the discussion, the Kansas School Board is grappling with science standards again.)

At issue is whether Christians can bring their faith to the table of scientific, political, cultural debate. The assumption is that faith (or religion for that matter) is simply an expression of one's opinion not backed by reasonable conclusions. My inclination is that most thinking Christians would disagree with that assumption and have valid arguments to explain their position.

As for ID, I'm not a scientist. But it seems to me that one of the strengths of Intelligent Design is that it demonstrates that apprehending truth goes beyond mere scientific investigation. There is the historical method, there is logical deduction. Epistemology is not limited to the natural sciences. ID points out that Christians can have reasonable grounds for believing that something is true, even if that belief doesn't reflect a naturalistic worldview.

Of course, we have to be careful that faith doesn't become the handmaiden of science (which is one of ID's downsides - ie, trying to "prove" the existence of a supernatural being using natural means). Nevertheless, we can affirm that the universe is an orderly place and rationally inquire as to the origins of this order. And faith plays a role in this discussion. It must. Because evolution can't speak to this ultimate issue. If that's the case, then it would be unreasonable on the part of evolutionists to exclude faith-related positions from the dialog.

Reflecting on Psalm 19:1-3
GT