Dr. Niel Nielson

Last July, one of my blog postings focused on the appointment of Dr. Francis Collins as the new director of the National Institutes of Health. My principal purpose was to raise concern about how Dr. Collins, a professing Christian whose appointment to this new post has been hailed by many Christians, reconciles his Christian faith with his clear commitment to Darwinian evolution. I questioned the biblical adequacy of his approach, and encouraged believers who hold to the authority and sufficiency of the Bible to look elsewhere.

A major concern regarding evolution among Christians has been the possibility – or, as some would argue, the inevitability – of ethical implications and consequences which contradict biblical truth regarding the dignity and sanctity of human life. God’s direct and special creation of Adam and Eve, our historical first parents, in his own image provides a major biblical ground for the unique nature of human being and an important moral mandate for its protection. Give that up, as Dr. Collins is explicitly willing to do, and this most significant theological/ethical foundation for the protection of human life is more likely to fall.

One might wonder, then, what Dr. Collins’s views of the sanctity of human life are, given his dual profession of Christian faith and evolution. We are beginning to find out. Click to continue »

On November 20, at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., The Manhattan Declaration was publicly released. The Manhattan Declaration is a nine-page statement whose central burden is a clear, strong, and gracious articulation of crucial, biblically grounded moral convictions and commitments regarding the sanctity of human life, marriage, and religious liberty. To read the Declaration and see related items, go to http://www.manhattandeclaration.org.

Here are two paragraphs from the opening section:

While the whole scope of Christian moral concern, including a special concern for the poor and vulnerable, claims our attention, we are especially troubled that in our nation today the lives of the unborn, the disabled, and the elderly are severely threatened; that the institution of marriage, already buffeted by promiscuity, infidelity and divorce, is in jeopardy of being redefined to accommodate fashionable ideologies; that freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are gravely jeopardized by those who would use the instruments of coercion to compel persons of faith to compromise their deepest convictions.

 

Because the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as a union of husband and wife, and the freedom of conscience and religion are foundational principles of justice and the common good, we are compelled by our Christian faith to speak and act in their defense. In this declaration we affirm: 1) the profound, inherent, and equal dignity of every human being as a creature fashioned in the very image of God, possessing inherent rights of equal dignity and life; 2) marriage as a conjugal union of man and woman, ordained by God from the creation, and historically understood by believers and non-believers alike, to be the most basic institution in society and; 3) religious liberty, which is grounded in the character of God, the example of Christ, and the inherent freedom and dignity of human beings created in the divine image.

The more than 150 original signers, of which I am one, are from Protestant Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox communities. Evangelical signers include Joel Belz, Bryan Chapell, Ligon Duncan, Tim Keller, Al Mohler, Marvin Olasky, Harry Reeder, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Ravi Zacharias, and at least one has publicly expressed his rationale for signing.

I signed the Declaration for four principal reasons: Click to continue »

The U. S. Senate last week passed a $680 billion defense policy bill, to which was attached the “Matthew Shepard Act,” which adds physical attacks on people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity to the list of federal hate crimes.

The significance of the law’s passage lies not primarily in its protection against physical attacks–we rightly deplore such acts of violence against people–but in its recognition of sexual orientation and gender identity as constituting specially protected classes of persons. Such application of antidiscrimination law now opens the door for federal protection of these classes of persons in contexts such as employment (the Employment Non-discrimination Act), military service (repeal of the ban on homosexuality in the military), and the definition of marriage (repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act).

One has only to observe the progression of such legislation in countries like Australia and the United Kingdom to see where we may be headed in the United States. Click to continue »

As Kathleen and I watch our two married sons and their lovely wives consider future pathways, we are struck anew by God’s providence by which he is directing their steps in unpredictable, gracious, and remarkable ways. We – and they – are keenly aware that their “small” stories are integrally connected to God’s BIG story, and that God has seen fit throughout human history to compose his big story through the millions of small stories in which individuals and families and places and communities play their appointed roles. Most of the situations and episodes of those stories are what we would call ordinary rather than extraordinary: people living their daily lives, making mostly little decisions, learning, failing and succeeding, moving, changing jobs, getting married, having children, living in neighborhoods, participating in local churches, and on and on. And yet, in the mostly mundane details of life, God is fulfilling his cosmic purpose to bring all things into perfect unity under one Head, through the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the early chapters of the book of Joshua, we read of the gathering of God’s people as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Click to continue »

One of our Biblical and Theological Studies faculty, Dr. Ken Stewart, has recently co-edited The Advent of Evangelicalism: Exploring Historical Continuities, with Dr. Michael Haykin of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. The book is an anthology of essays by a distinguished group of scholars continuing the important discussion which was particularly energized by David Bebbington’s 1989 book Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s.

Bebbington’s principal aim was to present the rise and meaning of evangelicalism within its contemporary and wider historical and cultural context, and his central thesis is “that evangelical religion is the result of transatlantic revival in the 1730s, and that it took a cooperative attitude toward the Enlightenment rather than a contradictory one.” This main idea, simple in such brief presentation here, bears breadths and depths of significance as Bebbington unpacks the key characteristics of evangelicalism as he sees it: conversionism (emphasis on conversion), activism (emphasis on active witness), biblicism (emphasis on the authority of the Scriptures), and crucicentrism (emphasis on the centrality of the cross). Bebbington’s “quadrilateral” definition of evangelicalism in these terms has become the accepted view of virtually all subsequent descriptions, so much so that it is regularly referenced without citation. Click to continue »

This past Friday, we welcomed our new students to campus for the beginning of the 2009-2010 academic year. Rainless cloud cover provided a comfortable environment for unloading packed vehicles and toting boxes, and, as usual, Covenant “veterans” made moving in a delightful and relatively easy process for the newest members of the Covenant community. See pictures of this year’s Move-In Day here, and watch an audio slideshow about Move-In Day here.

The previous evening, our entire Student Development team was joined by other campus folks for the annual prayer walk through all the hallways of all our residence halls. As we filed silently past every doorway, adorned with the names of those who would soon occupy each room, we breathed prayers for God’s blessing on the new and returning students. We ended up in the large, beautiful lobby of Carter Hall for a time of corporate prayer and mutual encouragement as we look forward to the Lord’s gracious and sovereign work among us all.

Just last night, faculty and staff hosted groups of new students for dinner in their homes. Click to continue »

This week I want to call this blog’s readers’ attention to two of Covenant’s many programs, one because it is unique among Covenant’s program offerings and the other because it is a relatively new initiative that is off to a wonderful start.

Covenant has one graduate program, the Master of Education program, now in its eighteenth year. The program, offering two tracks (Educational Leadership and Integrated Curriculum and Instruction), combines three-week summer campus residencies with pre- and post-campus coursework so that working teachers and administrators can continue in their educational roles during the school year and also benefit from a dynamic learning community on Lookout Mountain each summer.

In mid-July, I had the privilege of hosting a luncheon for those M.Ed. students in their final year. Click to continue »

Recently President Obama nominated Dr. Francis Collins to lead the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Collins’s view of the compatibility between science and religion raises particularly intriguing questions about the proper understanding and use of the Scriptures.

Dr. Collins, a convert to Christianity at age 27 and author of The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, is well-known for his contention that there is no conflict between science and revealed religion, that these ways of knowing are compatible and complementary. In this regard he has become a kind of poster child for many Christians, providing a persuasive response to secularists’ contention that there is no place for committed Christians and the Christian God in scientific theory and practice. Click to continue »

Each commencement season, I enjoy surveying the landscape of addresses and essays which in one way or another attempt to provide vision and challenge for the year’s graduates. Most are utterly predictable, along the lines of “reach for the stars” or “make the world a better place.” But a few go deeper, some reminding us of misplaced priorities or of the too easily forgotten purposes of genuine education.

Consider the address of Michael Roth, president of Wesleyan University, who undoubtedly was speaking both to graduates and their parents when he repeated the often asked questions, “What’s my son going to do with this literature major?” or “What’s my daughter going to do with her degree in film studies, or in government?” Such questions seem all the more pertinent during tough economic times, when job prospects appear slim in every vocational field.

He went on to cite several examples of Wesleyan alumni who are putting their liberal arts degrees to work in remarkable ways – doing Arabic translation, writing film scripts, starting up businesses of various sorts, and working in transformational ways in government. Click to continue »

The week before last the Presbyterian Church in America, the denomination which owns and governs Covenant College, held its annual General Assembly in Orlando, FL. Each year a specially appointed committee reviews the program and progress of the College, examining board meeting minutes and financial reports and inquiring about a wide range of matters. It was a joy to engage with these commissioners who take very seriously their oversight responsibility on behalf of the denomination, and I am grateful that their report to the full Assembly expressed strong support and appreciation for the work of the College.

Each year we also have the opportunity to give an informational report on the Assembly floor. This year Pastor Jeff Jakes, senior pastor of Orangewood Presbyterian Church in Maitland, FL, joined me at the podium, and he read wonderful remarks written by his daughter Jessie, a rising Covenant sophomore.

As with all such ecclesiastical gatherings, serious issues arise which deserve serious attention, raising the possibility of sharp divisions and rising emotions. Click to continue »