A: Well, technically speaking, I suppose to qualify as a "frequently asked question" one would probably have to assume that the question had actually been asked at least once. Also (still technically speaking) one might also assume that in order for any question to have been asked "frequently" there would have to have been some people who actually visited my home page. Since both of the above assumptions are false, I suppose that technically speaking none of these are frequently asked questions. In fact, as far as I know, you are the only person who has ever visited my home page. And (technically speaking) I don't even know that you are visiting. But you know you're here, and that's good enough for me.
Furthermore, I am a theoretical computer scientist, not an engineer, so I try to avoid these technical details.
A: I think you and I had better step outside and talk about this a little more personally.
A: ...this explains why some of your answers seem so rehearsed.
A: Good point. So (changing the subject) let's continue on with the interview. What are some of the other FAQs that we are making up?
A: Yes.
A. It was 22" long, 12" in girth, and weighed 4 lbs. Would you like to see a picture.
A. Here.
A. I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
A.There were several of them, actually, but the largest two were over 40lb King (Chinook) Salmon. I also caught a bunch of Chum salmon and a handful of prized Sockeye's, as well as rainbow trout, arctic char, and grayling. If you want to find out more, you should check out the website for Chilaska Lodge.
A. Yes. Mark tops my list. I would categorize his songwriting as nothing short of brilliant. As for describing his style. Hmmm. That would be difficult. Roughly speaking, his music falls into the "acoustic rock" category. But electric instruments make ocassional appearances, and at other times he even leans toward more of a folk sound. It would probably be easier to give you some downloadable samples of his music than to try to describe it.
Here. Try some of these sound clips, all of which are from Mark Heard's final album Satellite Sky:
A. Glad you mentioned that. Actually, I checked with Fingerprint Records , the independent label that holds the rights to several of Mark Heard's albums. I was given permission to include some downloadable clip's of Heard's albums as long as I mentioned where you could go to purchase them (once you hear how great his music is). Well I'll mention it now. The place to go is Fingerprint Records, whose home page you can find by following that link. Or, to order good stuff, you can call them (toll free) at 1-800-540-4637.
In fact, Fingerprint is also the label for one of my other favorite bands, the Vigilantes of Love.
A. If you're really interested in my research in computational geometry, I'd suggest checking out my research home page.
A. Basically (from my point of view) it is the study of algorithms, data structures, and geometric properties for the solution to algorithmic problems of a geometric nature. For example [***BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH long period of droning on has been snipped ***] with other applications to fields like Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Medical Imaging, etc.
Oh. And Sex, too.
A. Yes.
A. Well that's a pretty big question. Once more I will go for a quick answer, and suggest that if you are really interested you check out my faith page.
Let me start with my short answer. First, I find no conflict between my life as a scientist, academician, or "intellectual" and my life as a Christian believer--that is, my life of faith. Indeed, the two go hand in hand. What is of interest to me is pursuing Truth. I have never viewed "faith" as something "blind" (contrary to the popular opinion). Rather, faith seems simply a belief in something that is strong enough to propel one to action. For example, I believe my chair will support my weight, and so I sit down on it. I can be said to have "faith" in my chair. It is certainly not blind. I have good reasons for trusting my chair. But it is faith. I must trust that belief enough to sit down or else I will spend all day standing.
A. A difference in significance, perhaps, but not in kind. I have plenty of compelling reasons for accepting Christianity as True: as the most accurate description of the Reality of this world. In fact, I have enough reasons to believe that I am willing to base my entire life on that belief. Certainly that will have a greater impact on my life than whether or not I trust a particular chair to hold me up. But the thought processes are similar. It is a process of reason: examining the evidence and trying to come up with a conclusion.
A. Before I answer that question, allow me to replace your use of the word "religion" with the word "theology". The word "religion" often suggests man's attempts to make God. The word "theology" on the other hand supposes that God exists and that He has revealed Himself to us, and asks "What can we know about this God?"
This may seem like a trivial difference, but it is importance. The study of religion assumes that there is no objective God, and askes how we have formulated our own ideas of God. The word theology assumes there is a God and asks how we can know Him.
A.They shouldn't be. I believe that God--a personal, omnipotent creator--has revealed Himself to us both in language and through the natural world. In fact, the Bible itself suggests this in several places. For example, Psalm 19 begins:
"The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge."
So the Bible itself suggests that God has revealed Himself to us in nature. If God is consistent, then His revelation through nature and his revelation through language ought to be essentially compatible and non-contradictory. Thus science--the study of nature--when correctly done ought to lead us to Truth. And theology--the study of God's revelation through language--when correctly done ought to lead us to Truth.
To answer your question: What I have discovered in my own exploration is that the times when science and theology seem in conflict are the results of either "bad science" or "bad theology."
Now if you are really interested in this subject, I might recommend that you look into the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation. The title of the journal is "PERSPECTIVES on Science and Christian Faith". It has lots of good articles from well known scientist (who in most cases are much better at speaking on these issues than I am). The ASA maintains a discussion list on various related topics. To subscribe, send e-mail to: majordomo@calvin.edu with the words "subscribe asadigest" in the body of the message. Posts to the list can be mailed to: asa@calvin.edu. Or you can visit the home page for this list and view an archive of these discussions.
Finally--after that brief interuption--to get back to your earlier question: what it comes down to for me is a pursuit of the truth. I want to live my life based on Truth. I want my faith (whether in God, or a chair, or the validity of the scientific method) to be based on Truth. I'd rather believe the truth (even if it makes me uncomfortable) than believe a lie (even if it makes me happy for a time).
In the long run, this all comes down to having an adequate (or rather accurate) world view. So maybe my next project will be to develop a "World View" page. What do you think?
A. And doing an excellent job of it, I might add. Almost as if I made up the questions myself. Which brings me to my final comment. So far, your questions have assumed only that science would impact my faith. But it is also true that my faith impacts how I do my science in several ways. Most importantly, my Christian worldview suggests that we live in a consistent ordered universe. (I base this on the fact that our universe was created by a consistent God.) In fact, my motivation to seek Truth is precisely the belief that there is such a thing as Truth even in the realm of science.
My faith also motivates me to work and teach with integrity and honesty. That is not at all to imply that somebody without the same faith doesn't have integrity and honesty, only that my own primary motivation for these things is a desire to do what is right and to please God. But once again, this is a subject that was explored in the recent PERSPECTIVES in a nice article by Richard Bube on "How Does My Faith Affect My Scientific Work?" He gives many of the same answers which I would give. I suspect you can find many interesting discussions on related topics in the ASA discussion archives. Now the interview is done. Feel free to return to Dickerson's Home Page.
For more information on the subject of reason (evidence) and the Christian faith, I highly recommend the following:
or... visit my faith page or my page on the teachings of Jesus on faith and evidence.