Greetings:
I saw your article in today's Press-Register, and I would like to ask you a question: Since you say that you are a Christian, and it is apparent that you are a scientist, what level of belief DO you have that the Bible is true, that God did create this world?
It seems to me that your gains in the academic world, while certainly important, pale in the face of a knowledge of and belief in the God, our creator, who after all did CREATE, and who IS there and WILL be there when we pass out of this life that is after all only a vapor, a nothing if you will compared with the eternity that follows.
I would love to see you with your intelligence and write-ability take the time/space to acknowledge God's vastly greater importance to those who will read your pieces, those who may be helped eternally by what you write.
I think of the verse in the Bible that tells us that we will answer for every idle word that we speak. That word idle can be translated useless; and when you think of the eternity your readers will spend in Heaven or in Hell, how great if you would use your platform to speak words that meet the greater need and usefulness.
Sincerely,
June S[.]
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Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 18:34:41 -0700 (PDT)
From: Albert Gapud
Subject: Re:
Dear June,
Thanks for your feedback. I'm glad I have intrigued at least one person about my being a Christian. You are right to expect such a declaration to be backed up by witnessing and testimony. You might become more intrigued to know that I have already done quite a bit of evangelization, especially about my conversion from atheism -- now, you must admit, there's got to be an interesting story there.
However, unlike science or politics, my faith (and my past) is a more personal matter, and has been limited to discussion with my church groups and friends -- I appreciate that you think I might be an effective at more public evangelizing. I might be more moved to go more public if there was a local crisis that requires powerful testimony -- for example, if there were, say, a vocal group of atheist scientists publicly bashing Christians. At this present time, I do not perceive such a crisis here. In fact, there is already plenty of good testimony here in the Bible belt.
Instead, right now I feel that misconceptions about science threatening the education of our children is a much bigger crisis, one I felt qualified to respond to. Surely you don't think such a concern is "idle"? Are we not also supposed be good stewards of all that God has entrusted to us in this life?
Regards,
Albert
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Subject: Re:
Date: Mon, 26 May 2008 15:38:37 +0000
Thank you for your reply.
I am thinking of those who were filled with the Spirit of God on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) who were told by Jesus in the first chapter of the book that after they were filled that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. We are told repeatedly to be witnesses, and it is obvious from this one verse that He meant not to speak only to our close connections but to all of the whole earth. I have not been a missionary to other parts of the world, but by writing, praying, giving, I do attempt to reach others not of my close community.
I only see your great learning and intelligence as possibly more importantly useful to bring glory to God, but the way we honor Him has in the last analysis to be between Him and ourselves - I wish you well and hope that the question(s) regarding creation and "science" can more and more be answered in a way that does not detract from what God has said in His word. I fear this will not be happening.
Everything that is of an earthly, not godly or eternal, nature will come to naught and only what is of Him will stand at last. I will try to leave my comments at this for now.
June S[…]
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Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 23:04:47 -0700 (PDT)
From: Albert Gapud
Subject: Re:
Ms S[…], I am glad to see that you do not distrust science completely. Then maybe you can trust that science is not on an active campaign to dismantle anyone's religious beliefs. I will comment no further on this because I have already explained it at great length. It saddens me so deeply that ID proponents have so mischaracterized biologists to the point of distrust and suspicion. ID is trying to close a door between science and the public. All I have tried to do is urge folks to keep that door open. If you are interested in what scientists are really saying, I suggest you check out the "evolution" links on the website of the American Association for the Advancement of Science ( http://www.aaas.org/ ).
As for the way you see me personally, as some kind of spiritually bi-polar person, it does sadden me but I have run out of words to plead myself "not guilty". Let me just say: I believe that God used evolution to create something that would eventually love Him back. I also believe that treating the Book of Genesis as a biology textbook is very demeaning. Genesis is so much more than that: it is a powerful and beautiful statement of our relationship to God and to everything He created -- and the fact that all of creation is good. I've drawn much inspiration from the Jesuit priest, Pierre Tielhard de Chardin. If you want to see how it is possible for the science of evolution to actually deepen somebody's love for God, his writings are worth at least a glance.
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Subject: Re:
Date: Wed, 28 May 2008 18:22:34 +0000
Just a short reply and I will try to "mind my own business"; I do not see talking to a scientist to see if my fears are valid or not - for that I will have to refer to the Bible, as it is my final authority - this is not to say that science is of no value to me - it certainly is and must be a part of our natural lives, and I do respect that.
I just cannot see that to teach creation as a totally godless occurrence could ever be right, since I believe with all my heart that God did create this world and all in it. I wish we could accept that science has its place and that God has His, and that in school we did not have to teach our children that God's creation did not exist.
I am still puzzled that a scientist who is a Christian could divide his beliefs and himself into two very separate parts, with the scientific part detracting from what God has revealed in His word to us.
Thank you for your polite responses. June S[…]
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[NOTE: On 5/29, I sent the form letter.]
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Subject: Re: From Albert Gapud: Thank you for your response
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 16:38:14 +0000
I have checked out some of these links and intend to look at more of them, but it seems impossible to me to have the intent to discredit and do away with the Biblical view of creation while at the same time saying one is a Christian - a growing and learning Christian, maybe (which after all includes any Christian); but in the day in which we live, we are warned in the Bible to guard against teachers of deception - everything we accept as fact needs to be proved by what the Bible says about any subject - otherwise, we can be deceived, and thereby put in a position of jeopardy.
"A little leaven leavens the whole lump" is a warning in the Bible to not allow anything in our hearts and minds which is hypocrisy (leaven is called hypocrisy in Luke 12:1) and is also called malice and wickedness in the book of 1 Corinthians - what all this shows is that one can be "mixed" in the sense that he or she has two sets of values, one godly and one ungodly. 1 Corinthians 5:l-8 describes a congregation with this mixing of values that they were warned against.
I MYSELF AS A YOUNG PERSON went through a period of time when I lived in and out at the same time - close to God and away from him...I had to make up my mind to be one or the other.
This does not mean that our mental capacities are not to be used in determining our path of life - but if we catch ourselves having allowed something in our lives that is plainly not according to what the Bible teaches, then we must make the decision to put God's will for our lives above our own and submit to what He tells us to do.
I wish you many blessings, including an increase of the knowledge of and superiority of God's words.
June S[…]
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