Category Archives: Death

Is “Natural Evil” Evil?

Posted on December 5, 2017 by rjs5

The next chapter in the recent book Old-Earth or Evolutionary Creation? Discussing Origins with Reasons to Believe and BioLogos addresses the question of so-called natural evil, the presence of death and suffering, or natural disasters and predation before the Fall. … Continue reading →

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The Promise of Life and Curse of Death

Posted on July 12, 2016 by rjs5

It is not uncommon for those who hold to a specific view of young earth creationism to claim that rejection of this view is rejection of the gospel itself. In particular, the acceptance of animal death before Adam sinned makes … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Creation, Death, Genesis | Tagged | 2 Comments

Suffering and the Plan of God

Posted on July 5, 2016 by rjs5

Suffering is an undeniable part of life on this planet. Accident, natural disaster, predators, and old age. If the earth is 4.5 billion years old all of these are part of God’s creation independent of any sin of Adam and … Continue reading →

Posted in Creation, Death, Problems for Faith | Tagged | 1 Comment

Jesus Ate Fish and Other Thoughts on Death

Posted on April 15, 2014 by rjs5

To dig a little deeper into the problem of animal suffering Ronald Osborn (Death Before the Fall) turns to C. S. Lewis and The Problem of Pain. There are two ideas that are offered up for consideration. All Death is … Continue reading →

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And it Was Good … But Red in Tooth and Claw?

Posted on April 8, 2014 by rjs5

One of the more common arguments against evolution is the requirement of death before the fall. Not just death as a fact, but death as a mechanism of creation. It is often suggested that evolution is inconsistent with the notion … Continue reading →

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Death Before the Fall

Posted on February 27, 2014 by rjs5

I recently received a copy of a new book Death Before the Fall: Biblical Literalism and the Problem of Animal Suffering by Ronald Osborn courtesy of the publisher (IVP). This is not your typical coffee table book, although the imagery … Continue reading →

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Once Again: Immortality is a Divine Gift!

Posted on February 13, 2014 by rjs5

The picture to the right is of a hawk that landed with its fresh caught meal outside the window on campus a couple of weeks ago. It was mesmerizing to watch (I’ve got some video clips as well). I was … Continue reading →

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Evolution, Death, Adam, Wright

Posted on January 23, 2014 by rjs5

Back in July I put up a post Adam, Adam, Adam, Wright that discussed a range of views on the topic of Adam. In the post I quoted from an interview between Andrew Wilson and N.T. Wright where the question … Continue reading →

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Wait! No Sea?

Posted on July 18, 2013 by rjs5

Consider the opening chapter of Genesis. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the … Continue reading →

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Being Drawn Toward the Future

Posted on May 2, 2013 by rjs5

Daniel Harrell wraps up his book, Nature’s Witness: How Evolution Can Inspire Faith, with a reflection and a perspective that I don’t think we consider seriously enough. Christians have always believed all truth to be God’s truth, implying that science … Continue reading →

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