*** SHOW NOTES (not a transcript) ***

Lead:

Extra terrestrials and God go together, right? Here’s a (sorta) connection.

Intro:

Have you ever heard of SETI — Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence? Did you know that they point microphones into space and listen for signs of life? What are they looking for, and how does this relate to today’s With All Our Minds segment? On that cliffhanger…

A couple housekeeping items.

First, you probably just figured out that I renamed the middle segment of the show. Thinking and reflecting is what we do, but I decided I just liked the ring of “With All Our Minds” because, after all, we’re made in His image, including our minds, and we’re commanded to love Him with all our selves, including our ability to reason.

Second, a couple shout outs to the new listeners among us. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. I appreciate the encouragement. And for any of you that have thoughts or concerns you’ll find the means of contacting me on the website, forthehope.org/connect.

Sponsor:

You! If you’re enriched by what we do, would you kindly share it with others or give us a review or rating on your favorite podcast app? And if you purchase Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion from Amazon you also support this ministry. Thank you!

Bible Segment:

Passage: John 9-10
Translation: ESV (English Standard Version)
Verses: 83
Words: ~1783

With All Our Minds Segment:

Gonna keep today’s short so I can close with a psalm.

The “argument from design” is that complex design points to an intelligent designer. The universe -- especially life itself -- certainly has complex design. I once heard someone talk about how SETI researchers and how they have microphones pointed to space that listen to space noise. How, in all the noise, would they determine if they received a message? From something or someone that was intelligent? The answer: “order.”

Communication from all life that has any amount of intelligence is order. The crazy thing is if we look at what they require for the amount of order to ascribe intelligence (and therefore communication) to a signal from space and applied that to human DNA, it would “prove” intelligence many times over. And there are many, many different aspects of the universe (such as its fine tuning) that make intelligence the most plausible explanation of the facts by a long, long ways. It’s not even close.

Intelligent design. The scientific hypothesis that the natural order contains a type of complexity that requires an intelligent designer as a cause. Such advocates of intelligent design as Philip Johnson, Michael Behe and William Dembski think that intelligent design is a concept that can support an empirical research program. The intelligent design movement is not necessarily committed to young-earth creationism and does not insist from a scientific perspective that the hypothesized designer must be identical with the God of the Bible. See also Darwinism; evolution, theory of; teleological argument.
Teleological argument. An argument for the existence of God that takes as its starting point the purposive (teleological) character of the universe. The argument is often termed “the argument from design” and comes in many different versions. This argument was quite popular in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, but many atheists believe it has been discredited by Darwinism. Philosophers of religion such as Richard Swinburne, however, have developed versions of the argument that are compatible with Darwinism. (1)

The Bottom Line

Here’s the takeaway point: We must be sure to be clear and truthful when we present evidence for the truth claims of Christianity. It is part of the puzzle, and for many will remove a roadblock. It’s powerful, but we must not make it more than it is.

Wisdom Segment:

Passage: Psalm 83
Translation: ESV (English Standard Version)
Verses: 18
Words: ~295

Love you!

-R

Roger Courville, CSP is a globally-recognized expert in digitally-extended communication and connection, an award-winning speaker, award-winning author, and a passionately bad guitarist. Follow him on Twitter -- @RogerCourville and @JoinForTheHope – or his blog: www.forthehope.org.

ForTheHope is a daily audio Bible + apologetics podcast and blog. We’ve got a passion for just keepin’ it real, having conversations like normal people, and living out the love of Jesus better every single day.

Sources and resources:

(1) C. Stephen Evans, Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 62, 113. If you purchase Pocket Dictionary of Apologetics & Philosophy of Religion from Amazon you support this ministry. Thank you!

#887: John 9-10 | ET & God | Psalm 83