Learning to say ‘Maybe’

Last updated on: January 28, 2015 at 11:46 am by Gill Robins

Learning to say ‘Maybe’ 2015-01-28T11:46:19+00:00 Gill Robins

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Occasionally, when clicking through the many links on my Twitter stream, I find something that makes me stop. I find something that makes me read and which compels me to think. One such blog is ‘Learning to Say “Maybe”‘, written by Matt Zandee and posted on The Biologos Forum a masters student at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, researching cellular and molecular biology. He attends Crossroads Church in Grand Rapids.

What struck me was the transparent honesty of the writer in examining assumptions which he had, until a certain point, defined as knowledge. Matt spent fourteen years in Christian education, from preschool to graduation from high school. He writes positively about his experience and the value of a Christian education. He left college with ‘a strong faith, great friends, supportive teachers and a good education.’ He felt well equipped to meet the big questions of bioethics, predestination and pluralism head on. But he encountered questions on the issue of origins that challenged his assumptions.

The blog is a lucid explanation of his thinking around those questions, not just scientifically, but also as a Christian whose faith informs his thinking. Whether or not you agree with his standpoint, his analysis of the journey should be read by everyone as an example of graciousness, intelligence and the willingness to address tough questions.

I’m quite sure, based on past blogging experience, that this will spark a vigorous response from the full spectrum of the evolution/creation/young earth creation/intelligent design debate, laced with a large dose of anti-Christian rhetoric. But what I take away from this blog isn’t a particular side in that debate, but a writer who exemplifies values of graciousness, honesty, integrity and gentleness in the expression of his opinion. Those are the values that I, as a teacher who is also a Christian, respect and seek to model.

So go read the blog ….

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