Frameworks
If you arrived here expecting pictures of Michelangelo’s David, don’t leave yet. Instead, picture the studs that form the framework of your house. They give it the strength to stand. And they separate the space into individual rooms based on their purpose. So, the framework supplies both structure and organization.
Thoughts and ideas need structure and organization too. As we encounter new ideas, we need to organize them into categories. They need mental frameworks.
The topics included in this site comprise the framework of ideas I needed to see and understand before I could really begin to grasp the Bible.
My faith needed a comprehensive framework of trustworthy facts. Without that, we’re all depending on blind faith, which is fragile and easily broken. But informed faith is resilient and able to withstand the stresses of life.
Scripture and Nature: The Two Books Metaphor
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
St. Augustine was probably the first writer to use the metaphor of “two books” to describe how God reveals himself. I can’t agree with much else that Augustine wrote, but this metaphor has been used by many other Christian thinkers and scientists through time. So I’ll quote Francis Bacon, who stated it well:
“God has, in fact, written two books, not just one. Of course, we are all familiar with the first book he wrote, namely Scripture. But he has written a second book called creation.”
Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Advancement of Learning
I think nearly all Christians agree that God has revealed himself through both the Bible and through the world he created. Together they supply abundant evidence to explain God’s existence and his character. And to the extent that our interpretations are correct, Nature and Scripture will always agree with each other. Scripture and Nature (Intelligent Design) are two foundations that can support strong faith, so this site is structured around them.
