피터 엔스의 "왜 우리는 이 문제에 대해 논쟁하는가?"

계속해서 피터 엔스의 글을 소개합니다. 논쟁의 핵심을 드러내는 엔스의 이 글을 보면서 그의 사유를 보고, 비판하는 마음을 가져 가야 할 것입니다. 중요부분을 볼드체로 표시해 놓았습니다.

 

 Peter Enss, "Why We Fight About This?", posted on April 20, 2010, available at: http://biologos.org/blog/why-we-fight-about-this/

 

The Bible and evolution are a volatile mixture. Everyone seems to have an opinion and few of these are neutral. The conversation stirs up emotions. I leave it to sociologists and psychologists to work out why people react they way they do. But let me tell you what I think is going on — based on my experience and recent events at BioLogos.

 

Passions run high because evolution is threatening. Some Christians feel threatened because evolution challenges something meaningful and non-negotiable — their understanding of God, of ultimate reality, of how the parts of their existence fit together and make sense. The Christian faith provides stability and assurance that our lives have meaning, that the world is in God’s hands, that our existence is not a cosmic joke. Our lives and the universe around us have a purpose. Our faith provides us with a sense of coherence. When people feel that their sense of coherence is threatened, conflict is not far behind. We do not move to dialogue but protectionism. We stop asking whether something is true and rather react out of fear. The more credible the threat, the more we circle the wagons and maintain at all costs our sense of coherence.

 

A claim that alien visitors have refuted Christianity would not be a threat. We would greet such a claim with ridicule or ignore it. But evolution is different. It cannot be easily dismissed. Evolution persuasively accounts for the natural world. Scientists recognize its claims as having tremendous explanatory power. Evolution also threatens Christians who feel they must take the Bible literally. In the face of such a threat, the motivation to protect is strong.

Based on recent events, the first question to be asked, as I see it, is not how Christianity and evolution can be at peace. The first question is: “How can we even begin to talk about this?” As long as protecting coherence is the first order of business, that conversation cannot begin.

 

The shame is that many people desperately want the conversation happen. Stifling the discussion to maintain coherence will not do. Closing off discussion is done in the name of protecting the masses from losing their faith. The irony is that the Church’s failure to encourage open dialogue has led many to relinquish their faith altogether. Such is the case when protecting religious coherence takes priority over preparing the church for the future.

 

My focus here is not on recent events at BioLogos. The struggle to maintain religious coherence in the face of new ideas is as old as recorded history. Recent events involving evolution are just one example of this larger phenomenon.

There is no more perfect storm than when traditions that provide coherence about ultimate reality are threatened. For some Christians, evolution provides such a threat, and a lot of heat is generated as a result. But many other Christians are seeking venues that support open dialogue. Such open dialogue, in my opinion, cannot be avoided much longer.

Filed Under:

science, religion, creationism, Genesis, evolution, harmony, dialogue, disagreement, faith, Christianity

Comments

 

전통적 입장을 유지하는 사람들은 개방된 대화를 하지 않는 사람들로 몰아 가는 이런 태도가 무서운 것으로 여겨진다. 진화론을 거의 기정 사실로 생각하는 엔스 교수 같은 입장을 표현하는 사람들이 자신의 견해를 주장할 수 있다면, 전통적 입장을 가지는 사람들이 자신의 주장을 할 수도 있도록 해야 진정한 대화가 가능하지 않을까? 진화론이 설명력을 가졋다고 할 수는 있으나 모든 것을 다 설명할 수 엇고, 또 다른 입장에서 보면 창조론 보다 설명력이 떨어지는 데도 마치 진화력이 더 큰 설명력을 지닌 것처럼 생각하면서 그런 입장에서 논의하는 엔스 교수님의 태도가 안스럽다. 마치 학문적인 구약 교수는 그렇게 생각하고 말해야만 하는 것과 같은 인상을 주는 이런 분위기가 제일 무서운 것이다.