An invitation for you
Jesus and Zaccheus, from the icon collection of St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church, East Brunswick, NJ. Jesus saw Zaccheus and wanted to know his story. I’m not Jesus and you — I assume — are not perched in a sycamore tree, but I want to know your story anyway
Dear Alert Readers,
I’d like to share some happy news with you: Over the last six months psnt.net‘s readership has increased slowly but steadily. Currently it is read by about 180 (unique) people per week. And as far as I can tell, you are a diverse group in almost every meaning of the word: religiously, geographically, professionally, politically, age-wise, etc. I am grateful for each and every one of you, and I’d like to extend to you an invitation:
Please be a part of psnt.net by sharing your stories.
Jesus knew well that everyone loves a story. Zaccheus surely did; the small man climbed that tree and risked public ridicule so he could hear a master storyteller at work. But what Jesus knew is that Zaccheus himself had a story, a story that Jesus wanted to hear. And he heard it over a meal at Zaccheus’s table, a place of personal sharing, mutual trust, and friendship.
I’d like psnt.net to be a place where you can tell your story. In particular, I — and your fellow readers, I suspect — would love to know why you believe what you believe about science and religion, even if you don’t yet know exactly what you believe. This emphasis on stories is a part of what makes psnt.net different from other science & religion websites. It has been a place where, because of your interest, I have been able to tell my own story with great freedom. Now it’s your turn.
Here are some prompts that may help get the juices flowing.
1. Do you have a thought or a story to share about about human evolution and the Bible? How do you interpret the creation accounts of Gen. 1 and 2? Did your church upbringing (if any) have a bearing on this?
2. Do you think that science and religion are compatible? Why or why not? Is there a story behind your answer?
3. Have you ever struggled in your faith — or lost it altogether — because of the claims of science?
4. Has there been anyone in your life — a parent, a teacher, a friend — who has influenced you to think about science-religion issues? Was this person helpful or a real pest?
5. When you hear the phrase, Human beings have developed from earlier species of animals, what is your first honest internal response? Who and/or what experiences do you think are behind this reaction?
6. Do you have a thought or a story to share about the spiritual consequences or issues surrounding antidepressants?
7. What do you think about Christians who use science to argue against atheism? Have you personally known any Christians who have done this? Other faiths may be substituted.
8. What do you think about atheists who use science to argue against Christianity? Have you personally known any atheists who have done this? Again, other faiths may be substituted.
9. Is there a God? Is God personal? If so, does God communicate to you through nature? Have any of you come to faith through this kind of interaction?
10. Is advanced medical technology actually helping us live better lives, or is it mostly creating ethical problems that have passed (or are passing) beyond our ability to solve?
11. If you are from a faith tradition other than Christianity, how do you and/or others of your tradition deal with scientific questions or challenges?
There are certainly many more questions out there. Whatever’s on your mind is welcome: questions, concerns, a single sentence, a paragraph, a 5000-word essay. Whatever!
A few things you should know before going further:
1. The more personal, the better. Not only does honesty beget honesty, but honesty is always interesting. Moreover, I work hard to ensure that psnt.net is a place where opinions and stories may be shared without fear of recrimination or insults of any kind. All comments are moderated and will only be made public if I approve them.
2. I will know who you are, but you have the choice of being anonymous beyond that. If you choose anonymity, please indicate this in your note. You have my word that your name will not be made public; no one but you and I will know your identity. If, on the other hand, you allow your name to be published along with your comment, I will include a tiny bio with your permission. I’d like for you to know a little about each other!
3. There are three ways you can make contact with me: (a) use psnt.net‘s comment system (just beneath this post), (b) send me an email at paul(at)psnt.net, or (c) send me a message through my personal Facebook page or the psnt.net Facebook page.
4. I will be starting a new section of psnt.net where these stories and comments will be posted. Additionally, they may be used or referred to in my regular posts (but never in a critical way).
5. Logical arguments in support of some position, even really good arguments, are not called for. This section of psnt.net is not marked out for the debate team! You are always free, however, to challenge anything I might say in my regular posts.
Thank you again for your continued support of this work.
Your friend,
