SOF with Krista Tippett: Interview with Janna Levy

American Public Media's, Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett, produced a show last week entitled Mathematics, Truth, and Purpose. In this show, Tippett interviewed Janna Levin, a theoretical physicist and assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College in New York City. In addition to her academic career, Levin is also a novelist. The interview concentrates on Levin's most recent book entitled: A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines. Here is an excerpt from the show's transcript that explains the subject of Levin's book:

Her 2006 novel, A Madman Dreams of Turing Machines, explores great existential questions by probing the lives and ideas of two pivotal 20th-century mathematicians, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. Turing is known as the father of modern computing, and his insights were made possible in part by Gödel's discoveries. In 1931, Gödel shook the worlds of mathematics, philosophy, and logic with his incompleteness theorems. He showed that some mathematical truths can never be proven or, as he says in Janna Levin's novel, that mathematics is perfect, but it is not complete.

To see some truths, you must stand outside and look in. This notion also held deeply unsettling human implications. It posited hard limits to what any of us can ever logically, definitively know. Janna Levin's novel imaginatively evokes the force of this idea in the classrooms and coffeehouses of Gödel and Turing's day, and in her own life as a 21st-century urban scientist. When we spoke in 2007, she told me she began her undergraduate studies with little active interest in science, convinced instead that philosophy was asking all the big questions.

If you missed this edition of SOF, then I highly recommend you go to their website and download either the podcast or the unedited version of the broadcast. It deals with unsettling but pertinent questions such as truth and the essence of free will. There are simply some things that lie outside of the observable region of empirical science. Levin's novel explores this idea, its implications, and how these questions were lived out in the lives and thinking of two great scientist whose lives are chronicled in the novel.

Catholics must confront scandal, not ignore it

In a recent Opinion post on USA Today's site, several contributors issued their opinion on Rod Dreher's OpEd piece entitled, How much is too much? where Dreher essentially admitted that his faith was so challenged by the entire ordeal that he left the Catholic church and has now become a member of the Eastern Orthodox church. This does not surprise me in the that there has been an exodus from the Catholic church in America due to these revelations of sexual abuse and scandal since 2001 when these revelations broke onto the public scene. What is surprising, however, is that Dreher has made a conscious decision not to report on any scandalous material in the EOC, something that I am sure cuts across the grain of his journalistic spirit.

These issues will no doubt be with us for a long time to come, and so they should. Church corruption, whether it be in Rome, Alexander, Springfield, or any number of small town churches throughout America and the world, will always be with us. Jesus, a devout Jew saw corruption in his day and confronted it vehemently. There was no stick your head in the sand and hope it goes away mentality. Jesus knew that faith was practiced by people and as such, it was subject to all the weaknesses and corruptions that humans are subject too.

One might rightly ask the question, if corruption exist in the upper echelons of power within these faiths, does it negate the entire faith as a fraud? Jesus was a Jew and I seem recall him confronting those making merchandise of worshipers right within the Temple complex, driving them out with a whip and the proclamation that his father's house should be a house of prayer, not merchandise. It was the High Priest and chief religious rulers that offered him up to Pilate, yet Jesus never renounced his Jewishness or the religion of his birth. Jesus is and will forever be known as a Jew. Even the apocryphal portrait of his return has him sitting down upon the throne of David in the city of Jerusalem; you can not get more Jewish than that!

This should tell us something about religion and the nature of those who adhere to them. We are not always the best examples or qualified to represent our faith to a world who desperately needs to believe in something. But, we can also take solace in the fact that sincerity outweighs imperfection every time. The Divine sees our hearts and there are example after example of where Jesus embraced those who were not doing things according to the book, so to speak, but whose hearts were contrite and pliable.

Yes, we must confront scandal where we find it. We can not turn a deaf ear to those who have been mistreated and despised by the very people they looked too for love and comfort. At the same time, however, we can't throw the baby out with the bath water. As Bonhoeffer said, there is a God shaped void in the soul of every man and our religious faith's-- with all their diversity and variety--serve to satisfy this irreducible need of mankind. Corruption is but a mere distraction from the real issues of personal fulfillment and satisfaction (this certainly is not making light of those recipients of abuse by any means).

Impeded by Health Concerns

I apologize for the lack of recent updates to the site. Yours truly has been undergoing some significant health problems that has really limited my ability and time to keep up with this and many other things. Please do keep me in your prayers and I will begin updates again in the very near future. Also, the second part of the Religion and the Environment post is almost ready and should be posted in the very near future.

Thank you to all who have waited patiently. I will work hard to ensure that your wait is worthwhile. I just solicit your prayers during this time of ill health. Blessings to you all!

Jesus, The Bible and Homsexuality--Explode the Myths, Heal the Church

The following is excerpt from an excellent review of the book listed in the post title. Dealing with the subject of homosexuality and the church, the author follows the status quo in some areas and challenges popular notions in others. One area that I found intriguing and potentially makes the book worth the read is where the author allegedly states that heterosexual marriage has more to fear from itself than the harm that homosexual unions can bring. I agree totally with this synopsis. I think I am going to read the book myself. This excerpt comes from a blog that I find extremely good entitled, The Beautiful Heresy- Christian Universalism.

The last chapter that I read addresses the idea of homosexuality and marriage. Professor Rogers shows statistically speaking that, while marriage is in trouble in the United States, it doesn't need defense from homosexual marriage which does not threaten heterosexual marriage at all. He also points out the hypocrisy of putting homosexuals in the bind of saying that all sex outside of the institution of marriage is sin while denying them the right to marry. We are assigning homosexuals to a life of celibacy, a life that the Bible clearly states is not for everyone and is an assignment from God.

I see more and more Christians who are willing to at least debate gay rights now. Both civil rights and how homosexuals should be treated in the church is up for discussion. A while ago Brian McClaren called for a five year time out to think about the topic. But, while I like the fact that he is not advocating continued discrimination, by doing nothing, we are condemning gay people to continue to suffer from this discrimination. We should never hesitate when it comes to seeking justice. Justice delayed is justice denied. The time is always now. Hopefully, books like this one will move some people off of the sidelines and into the arena to fight for justice.

http://www.thebeautifulheresy.com/2009/01/jesus-bible-and-homosexuality-explode.html

Baptists and Muslims Pledge to Continue Dialogue

Baptist and Muslims Pledge to Continue Dialogue

Brian Kaylor, reporting for EthicsDaily.com has written today about the first ever Muslim-Baptist dialogue ever, held this past Jan. 9-11 at the Islamic Center of Boston and Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Mass. Nearly 80 Baptist and Muslims leaders from accross the country. Themes discussed were their shared history and the common mistrust and such that has hindered their dialog in the past.

A statment was produced from the meetings that comstituents were able to take home and look over it and then sign their name upon it if they feel that they can abide by the statements therein. Hopefully this will be an ongoing event for future dialog between these two groups!

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