1 The Journal of the Victoria Institute Volume 114 Number 2/1988 FAITH AND THOUGHT Journal of the Victoria Institute or Philosophical Society of Great Britain THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE or THE PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN FOUNDED 1865 Full details of The Institute, together with application forms for Fellows and Members and Subscription Order Forms will be found on the last four pages of this Journal. PAST PRESIDENTS 1865---1885 The Right Hon. The Earl of Shaftesbury, K. G. 1886-1903 Sir George Gabriel Stokes, Bart., D.C.L., F.R.S. 190~1921 The Right Hon. The Earl of Halsbury, P.C., F.R.S. 1921-1923 The Very Rev. H. Wace, M.A., D.D., Dean of Canterbury 1927-1941 Sir Ambrose Fleming, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S. 1941-1946 Sir Charles Marston, F.S.A. 1946-1952 Sir Frederic Kenyon, G.B.E., K.C.B., D.Litt., LL.D., F.B.A. 1956-1965 Professor F. F. Bruce, M.A., D.D., F.B.A. 1966-1976 Professor Sir Robert Boyd, C.B.E., D.Sc., F.R.S. 1977-1985 Professor Sir Norman Anderson, O.B.E., Q.C., M.A., LL.D., D.D., F.B.A. OFFICERS AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT Dr. D. J. E. Ingram, M.A., D. Phil., D.Sc.(Oxon), F.lnst.P. VICE-PRESIDENTS The Rt. Rev. H. R. Gough, C.M.G., O.B.E., O.St.J., T.D., M.A., D.D., H.C.F. The Right Honourable Lord Denning, P.C.D.L. Professor F. F. Bruce, M.A., 0.0., F.B.A. Professor D. J. Wiseman, 0.B.E., M.A., D.Litt., F.B.A., F.S.A. Professor Malcolm A. Jeeves, M.A., PhD., F.B.Ps.S., F.R.S.E. Professor Sir Robert Boyd, C.B.E., D.Sc., F.R.S. TRUSTEE U.K. Evangelisation Trust Inc. THE COUNCIL (In order of original election) Gordon E. Barnes, M.A. Rev. Michael J. Collis, B.A., B.Sc., PhD. P. E. Cousins, M.A., B.D. Terence C. Mitchell, M.A. (Chairman) David Mitcheson, B.Sc.(Econ.), A.T.1.1. M. W. Poole, M. Phil., B.Sc., A.KC. Professor C. A. Russell, Ph.D., D.Sc., T. J. Chappell, F.C.C.A. C.Chem., F.R.S.C. A. B. Robins, B.Sc., Ph.D. D. A. Burgess, B.A. Honorary Treasurer David S. Williams, B.D., MTh., A.LB. Secretary to the Council David Mitcheson, B.Sc. Assistant Secretary Brian H. T. Weller Meetings Secretary David A. Burgess, B.A. AUDITORS Benson, Catt & Co., Chartered Accountants FAITH AND THOUGHT VOLUME 114 • NUMBER 2 • OCTOBER 1988 A Journal devoted to the study of the inter-relation of the Christian Revelation and modem research GENERAL EDITOR: Dr. A. B. Robins Published for THE VICTORIA INSTITUTE by THE PATERNOSTER PRESS ISSN: 0014--7028 Vol. 114 No. 2 October 1988 Copyright © 1988 The Victoria Institute and Contributors Faith and Thought is published in April and October by The Paternoster Press, Paternoster House, 3 Mount Radford Crescent, Exeter, UK, EX2 4JW, on behalf of The Victoria Institute, 29 Queen Street, London EC4R lBH. EDITOR: Dr. A. B. Robins 185 Wickham Road, Croydon, CRO 8TF, U.K EDITORIAL POLICY: The articles in Faith and Thought are the opinion of the authors and reviewers and do not necessarily represent those of the Editor or Publisher. Typeset by Photoprint, Torquay; Devon and Printed in Great Britain for The Patemoster Press, Patemoster House, 3 Mount Radford Crescent, Exeter, Devon by A. Wheaton & Co. Ltd., Exeter, Devon. CONTENTS EDITORIAL 103 Annual General Meeting 1988 104 New Members 105 OUR CONTRIBUTORS 107 ARTICLES:- Robert E. D. Clark: Genesis and Geophysics 109 Stuart J. Judge: Ideology and the Nature of Man 119 Kenneth G. Greet: Eden Revisited 129 John W. Haas Jr.: Relativity and Christian Thought 145 BOOK REVIEWS (see list on page 163) 165 INDEX FOR VOLUME 114 197 NEW FROM PATERNOSTER Mary Evans PROPHETS OF THE LORD Mary Evans teaches Old Testament at the London Bible College This introduction to the Old Testament prophets is intended for students beginning to study these books, and for thoughtful readers in general. They will find the book helpful in three ways. It shows why each of the prophets was significant for his own time, it provides a brief critical introduction to each book, and it suggests ways in which the message of each prophet may be relevant today. A substantial introductory section explains the role of the prophet in Israel, discusses the nature of prophetic literature, supplies a historical overview, and refers to the 'non-writing' prophets. The rest of the book deals with the eighth century prophets, prophets in the pre-exilic period, and prophets during the exile and beyond (with a section on apocalyptic writings). In each case, an introductory section deals with authorship and critical issues. This is followed by an examination of the message of the prophet, and by a detailed specimen exegesis of two or three very short sections. Following this, the relevance of the prophet's message for today is considered. Discussion questions and reading lists are supplied. 0 8S364 483 7 · 176pp · £5. 9S net approx For publication March 1989 . The Patemoster Press, 00 Paternoster House, 00 ·U- 3 Mount Radford Crescent, . LI_ Exeter, Devon. EX2 4JW Editorial The papers in this issue are short and quite diverse. We are pleased to be ablehto publish some thoughts of our late Editor, Robert Clark, on the lignt which modern chemical insights may throw on the Genesis story. Readers will see that Robert was a very original thinker, and his passing has deprived us of much more that he had to give. At the time of his death he was working on the book of Revelation, applying his scientific insights to its interpretation. David Burgess has been active in preparing Robert's work for publication, and it is hoped that later this year we shall see the result in print. Stuart Judge's article is a critique of 'Not in our genes', which in turn was a counter-blast to the sociobiology 'cult'. Stuart has attempted to be more objective than Rose et al, and to redress their, to him, somewhat biassed view of the nature-nurture debate. Kenneth Greet's contribution is really a lecture, given this May, and expounds his views on Christian ethics, particularly as they apply to AIDS and other matters related to our sexual life. Kenneth has appeared many times on radio and television in an advisory capacity in this area, and has a wide experience of counselling. Finally, the paper by John Haas, Jr., takes us back to the issue of the science-faith debate. In this case, the position of Einstein's thought in the early years of the century is explored, with the suggestion of its re-emergence today. Readers will know that the image of Faith and Thought is about to change. From next year a new journal is to be published, entitled Science and Christian Belief. This will be a joint effort between the Victoria Institute and Christians in Science (as the RSCF is now called). It is too early as yet to speculate about the future, but those of us who have been concerned with the planning are confident that this new venture will continue the work that Faith and Thought has carried out over many years. The new journal will meet a need among those Christians who are scientists, and papers may well become more scientific, but we interpret this quite widely. Apart from the change in title, we do not plan any major alterations. There will be joint Editors, and Dr. Oliver Barclay and I will be working together. All matters relating to membership and subscriptions will be separately notified by the secretary. The Newsletter will continue to be published, and contributions are always welcomed (and eagerly sought). Please give this new venture your prayerful support. May God's 103 104 FAITH AND THOUGHT blessing rest upon our efforts to make the Christian faith relevant to meet today's challenges. Annual General Meeting 1988 The AGM of the Victoria Institute was held at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 13 at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, St. Peter's Vere Street, London. The Chairman, Terence Mitchell, presided, and about 25 members were present. No apologies for absence had been received. The minutes of the 1987 AGM were taken as read, since these had appeared in Faith and Thought, 113 (2), October 1987. The council had nominated the President, and Vice-President for further terms of office, and David Burgess, M. W. Poole and A. B. Robins who were eligible for re-election were so elected, in the absence of any further nominations. The meeting also elected Brian H. T. Weller to the office of Treasurer following the retirement of David S. Williams. The resignation of Professor C. A. Russell and David Mitcheson from the council were regretfully accepted. The financial report was presented by the treasurer, who underlined the serious financial state of the Institute, and the need to act upon this. It was hoped that the forthcoming joint publication with Christians in Science (formerly RSCF) would alleviate the situation. The meeting did not appoint auditors, but suggested that an honorary auditor, probably from within the VI, should be sought. Some members felt that 6 p.m. was too early for an evening meeting, and perhaps Friday not the best day. It was proposed that the 1989 meeting be held on Tuesday, May 16, together with a public lecture, the time to be decided.