Go See “Expelled” – The Movie

Posted on April 20, 2008 by rbirkey

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

$Ben Stein\'s \$ My wife and I went and saw the newly released movie “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” last night, and I’ve got to say it is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. We had not heard about it before yesterday, and we knew very little about what it was about. It just sounded more interesting than anything else playing. It turned out to be not only interesting, but also entertaining, thought-provoking, and it actually draws you in like a good drama with a compelling plot and interesting characters. Yet, it’s a documentary!

Ben Stein is a well-known actor, comedian, speech writer, syndicated columnist, economist, lawyer, professor and TV game show host, author, commentator and financial adviser – to name just a few of his accomplishments.

In recent years Ben has taken on “Big Science” and what he calls the Darwinian Evolutionists establishment, charging them with suppressing free and open scientific inquiry, and persecuting those who do not toe the line in the politically correct academic environment.

As Ben writes on his blog: “America is not America without freedom. In every turning point in our history, freedom has been the key goal we are seeking: the Mayflower coming here, the Revolution, the Civil War, World War II, the Cold War. Tens of millions came here from foreign oppression and made a life here. Why? For freedom. Human beings are supposed to live in a state of freedom. Freedom is not conferred by the state: as our founders said, and as Martin Luther King repeated, freedom is God-given.”

Of course there are critics in the media and in the scientific community who claim the movie is propaganda, or just a sleazy cover for creationism. This will no doubt continue as the film gains more viewers in the coming weeks and months.

I particularly enjoyed the interviews with Richard Dawkins, John Lennox and Alister McGrath because of my personal connection with Oxford, England having studied there with the Zacharias Trust in the summer of 2006. I heard lectures from both Alister and John, and heard other lectures in a lecture room down the hall from Richard Dawkin’s office.

My hunch on this film is that most people who have thought about these issues before will either love the film or hate it depending on their pre-existing worldview. However, I think there is a large number of people in the middle, who are not aware of there being a growing “issue” with Darwinian Evolution, nor the growing Intelligent Design movement within the scientific community. This movie will be the first exposure to the issue for most people. For this reason alone, I personally think it is fantastic… even if all it does is get people aware and thinking about it, and asking questions.

The scientific method is based upon free, open and honest inquiry. I don’t see how anyone who understands this should have a problem with an open debate between Darwin’s theory of Evolution, and the proponents of Intelligent Design. Let’s have an open, fair fight and may the best theory win!

Watch the official movie trailer:

All I can say is to go see the movie and draw your own conclusion.

The “God Delusion” Debate

Posted on October 4, 2007 by rbirkey

Richard Dawkins and John Lennox Last night at 7 PM Chicago time, a debate was broadcast on Moody Radio Network between Richard Dawkins, author of “The God Delusion,” and John Lennox, professor of Mathematics and Philosophy of Science, both at Oxford University, England. Dawkins is considered one of the leading intellectuals in science today, and a spokesman for the “New Atheism.”

The debate was held at The Alys Stephens Center at the University of Alabama, and was sponsored by a group called Fixed Point Foundation. I heard about the debate from my brother Barry, and also saw it advertised in Christianity Today magazine.

The debate was positioned to center on Dawkins’ views as expressed in his book, and their validity over and against the Christian faith. Lennox is a well-know Christian apologist, and has written a rebuttal to Dawkins’ book entitled: “God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?” Dawkins was given the first and last words for the evening debate out of “Christian charity” as the host humorously noted.

I was able to listen to the first 30 minutes before attending a previous commitment. In that time I heard introductions of the speakers by the moderator, and a 5 minute biography introduction by each debater.

I plan to purchase the DVD of the event through the Fixed Point website as soon as it is available. I’ll do a more detailed analysis after viewing that.

What I found personally interesting is that when I was in Oxford in 2006 for the RZIM Summer School (see my 2006 Summer School Posts), John Lennox was one of the lecturers that I heard on a daily basis. We also heard our evening lectures from Ravi Zacharias and other RZIM speakers, in the British Museum of Natural History, where Richard Dawkins has his office.

Kind of ironic!

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 5

Posted on July 6, 2006 by rbirkey

10:30 PM
I have returned from an evening lecture in the Oxford Museum, by Michael Green. His lecture title was “With All Your Heart – Outreach.”

I was not expecting what I heard. Michael Green is one of the world’s leading evangelists, is 78 years old, and has for some years been a Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He left Wycliffe last August, and is currently co-Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Raleigh, North Carolina. This guy was funny, lively, witty, and very passionate about evangelism!

Here are some take-away thoughts
- “The key to evangelism is not technique. It is passion!”
- “We’ve grown cold. We don’t really care enough about people to love them much anymore.”

5 principles on evangelism in the New Testament Church:
1 – Dynamic church life: attractive to the community
2 – Get into the non-believers mindset
3 – Challenge people for a decision
4 – Ministry to individuals, one-on-one, build relationships
5 – Taking small teams with you – training and growth

5 more principles from the church today:
6 – Prayer for individuals
7 – Testimonies: especially in a post-modern world!
8 – Invitations: to homes, parties, cookouts, alpha courses — practice hospitality in homes!
9 – Church based outreach
10 – Use of non-church buildings and neutral spaces:
- One guy started “On the Move” ministry offering free BBQ’s! Read “Sizzling Faith” by Martin Graham.
- Read “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne

Typical College in Oxford, England 4:45 PM

Just back from a walking tour of Oxford, originally known as Oxen Ford. Some of the buildings in this town are 400 and more years old. Oxford University is an organization that all the Colleges of Oxford belong to. There is no single campus called Oxford University.

We visited a number of colleges and sites including: St. John’s College (the richest), Balliol, The Martyrs’ Memorial, the actual spot (marked by a stone cross in the middle of Broad Street) where the Martyr’s (Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, Thomas Cranmer, who were burned at the stake), Radcliffe Square, Oriel College, Merton College (where J.R.R. Tolkien taught) and other sites as we walked by them. Our guide was excellent – a retired English teacher who lives in Oxford and is now a professional Oxford Guide. She told us many interesting stories and tidbits of history.

Here is a great resource I found online with “Virtual Tours” of many of these places.

1:45 PM

Famous Bridge Am heading out for my walking tour of Oxford. Had a great conversation at lunch with a guy named Chris who lives in Tulsa and is in his residency program there. He is thinking about going into bioethics, and is here with his wife in the process of thinking that decision through.

I made sure he was aware of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network that I receive regular email updates from.

12:30 PM

I just returned from Rhodes House hearing two lectures. The first lecture on the letters to the 7 churches in Revelation presented by John Lennox (see photo). The second lecture by Ravi Zacharias on “The Uniqueness of Christ in History.”

John Lennox Take away thoughts from Revelation. The basic problem with the church in Ephesus was that they were good at hating bad theology and teaching, and really poor at loving. In fact they had left their first love. We skipped ahead to the church at Thyatira, and saw that they were really good at loving, but did not take a stand against sin and wrong teaching in their midst. Then we skipped to the church at Laodicea to see that they were just lukewarm, neither hot nor cold and were about the be spewed out for it.

If we are going to “overcome” we are going to have to figure out how to love one another and our neighbors and yet be intolerant of evil in a healthy and balanced way.

Then Ravi, in his overview of the Uniqueness of Christ in History pointed out how in revealing himself to us as a Trinity, God reveals himself as a being in relationship. When creating us then in his image, he reveals a foundational element of our being and need to for relationship with him and one another.

He noted that one of the last prayers of Jesus was for the church, that – “we would be one, even as I and the Father are one.” The church has lost one of its main callings – to be a community of healing. “We torment people who are already in agony.” Some episodes in my recent past immediately came to mind when I heard that statement. How sad and how true!

There is a clear need for the church to become a community of healing and restoration, without watering down the reality of sin and the call to repentence and conversion.

I’m off to lunch, then a professional guided walking tour of Oxford this afternoon! The sun has come out and it looks to be a perfect afternoon.

John Lennox – Revelation Notes

Randal Birkey Notes on John Lennox Presentation
7:00 AM

Another rainy, cloudy, cool, Oxford, English day! Heading to breakfast.

Zactrust Summer School – Oxford, England – Day 3

Posted on July 4, 2006 by rbirkey

Happy 4th! Our English hosts greeted us today with a gift of a very nice official Oxford University key ring and fob.

Keble College Dining Room Observation: Our food and service here at Keble College has been very good. I was not expecting it to be this good based upon my past experience in Oxford in 1980, and my exposure to British food in general. So, that has been a good surprise! Also, the dining hall reminds me of the one at Hogwarts! Apparently the dining hall in the Harry Potter movies was filmed here in Oxford at Christ Church (College).

Morning Session – Rhodes House

I heard Alister McGrath this morning speak on “The Uniqueness of Nature vs. Creation,” addressing the question of “what difference does it make to believe in a Creator God?” Does this belief change the way we see things?

Alister shared how he thought it did in three areas:
- Spirituality
- Ecology
- Apologetics

Rhodes House Tea I especially liked this quote he shared from C. S. Lewis: “I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.”

This evening we will be treated to “punting” on the Cherwell river (see photo below), and a BBQ and fireworks. The British have been very kind to us, even though we “wooped their butts” back in 1776! They appear to have gotten over it!

Morning Session Revelation Notes – John Lennox

Revelation Notes - Day 3

Afternoon Session

This afternoon I attended a seminar talk delivered by L.T. Jeyachandran on the issue of Suffering, or “Why Should the Innocent Suffer?” L.T. explored answers offered in various worldviews:
1 – Fatalism (Islam and Hinduism): Don’t ask questions!
2 – There is no “Good God”, or there is a “No-Good” God: This is a finite view of God. He is all-loving, but not all powerful.
3 – An Escapist Enlightenment (New Age and Eastern): We are all part of a whole, we will merge with Nirvana.

Given these views, there are 4 possible consequences:
1 – We are living in an accidental, impersonal, chance universe: Richard Dawkins believes this.
2 – The world is made of an impersonal force or energy, and therefore no morality can be attributed to IT.
3 – The world is a place where good and evil are equal and opposite forces where we have to fight evil with our bare hands: Dualism, Deism
4 – There is an all-powerful, loving God who made the world and who is sovereign over it and in control of it.

Therefore we may ask:
1 – Is it an all-good world?
2 – Is it an all-bad world?
3 – Is it a bad world, slowly becoming better until utopia is reached?
4 – Is it a good world, that at some crucial point turned and is now becoming bad?

Christianity believes #4. We believe evil is a fallen good. We believe finite creation has a potential for growth, which includes the possibility that it can and will be restored to full good. We believe evil is only understandable in a moral world, and that it is an idirect proof of the existence of a moral God.

Special Early Afternoon Session

I also heard the testimony of Tom Tarrants today.

Tom lived in the South during desegregation. He became full of hate toward blacks, Jews, Communists, socialists, and others. He entered the White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi, and become a domestic terroist, ending up on J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI Top-10 Most Wanted list.

In an FBI sting and shootout, he was shot and miraculously survived, and sent to prison. He escaped and was again miraculously spared from death in another shootout, captured and sent back to prison in solitary confinement in a 6 x 9 cell.

In prison, he began reading, starting with “Mein Kampf” and others of that genre. He moved on to classical philosophy, then decided to read the Gospels. In the Gospels, Tom was confronted with his own sin and need of a Savior. He gave his life to Jesus Christ and started walking with him.

He was released from prison early, in a miraculous way, and now directs the C.S. Lewis Institute Fellows Program in Washington, D.C. and lectures in practical theology, with a special focus on biblical discipleship and spiritual formation/mentoring.

You can get more info on these 2 web pages: American Anglican and Sarges.com

OTHER NOTES

Punting on the Cherwell • I also found a solution to my laptop power problems today! At lunch I sat with a few “interns” who work for The Zacharias Trust and are helping here for the summer school. One of them named Simon Farres, is a sort of “techie” here. I explained my laptop power recharging problems and he said “Oh, I have what you need!” Sure enough, he had an Apple part that fit right on my power chord and fixed everything – plus it was an extra one and he doesn’t need it until the end of the week! Amazing! Thank you, Simon!

• We also went to the Cherwell River this afternoon to watch “punting.” Many of us enjoyed a “punt” down the Cherwell and back. Later, we all joined together in a tented area near the boat house for a “BBQ.” The Brits did a pretty good job! I sat in a circle with some ZachTrust interns and Americans, discussing and contrasting the many different expressions and accents between our two cultures. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. It was a hilarious time! (Punting photo at right by Maynard)