Comics and Orthodox theology, part 1

Just today I read a comic that made me think philosophically. Read it here. The comic character proves the existence of the boogeyman by saying:

Well, if Drake’s equation proves extraterrestrial life exists, and there are an infinite number of planets, any number multiplied by infinity equals infinity, so given an infinite number of basements sooner or later one will contain a boogeyman.

If you are wondering what Drake’s equation is, you can find it here.

Too often we use the idea of eternity or infinity in the same way as this cartoon character. And, all too often, it can lead to conclusions that may not fully make sense. For instance, St. Augustine contemplated the idea of eternity. His philosophical assumption, that God is outside of time, led him to the conclusion that to God all times are equally “present” to Him. But, that means that God cannot tell the difference between past, present, and future. The future is as “present” to Him as the past according to St. Augustine. I have even heard sermons justifying this thought by using Einsteinian relativism. But, if this is true, it certainly invalidates an awful lot of Scripture about God adjusting to situations and responding to people. So, I have heard many sermons preached about how Scripture simply uses “anthropomorphic” language. Since, he cannot change, then Scripture must not really mean what it appears to mean.

And, there is the problem. We must be careful that our philosophical conclusions do not have a higher priority than Scripture. It is Scripture that is supposed to inform our philosophy, not philosophy that is supposed to inform our Scripture. Mind you, I am quite aware that the reality is that it is a “conversation” between our philosophy and Scripture. But, in that “conversation” we need to realize that it is Scripture that has the priority, not our philosophy.

So, does God change? Yes and no. I do not buy the philosophical Greek idea of what “changeless” means. I do not believe that a change in “state” automatically makes God less than perfect. I think such a conception ultimately leads to a hyper-sovereign God. But, I am convinced that God does not change concerning his purposes, his plans, his timing for the earth, his promises, his love towards us, etc.

Note for Biblical theology buffs: Yes, there are times when Scripture uses anthropomorphic language, but that is a subject for another discussion. More to come on this subject later.