Farewell from Take Two

Nearly five years ago, the two of us embarked on a journey to take what we’ve learned from the RTB scholars and apply it to our everyday lives—the ones filled with movies and comic conventions, superheroes and literary classics. By connecting science and philosophy with pop culture, we hoped to share with you, our dear readers, how “sci-phi” can connect people to a deeper understanding of God’s creation, character, and artistry.

In these last four-ish years, the ministry of RTB has grown leaps and bounds in producing new resources in a variety of formats.

 

Are You Looking for God in the Little Things?

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

1 Kings 19:11–12 (NLT)

I found it ironic that this passage from 1 Kings popped up in a daily devotional email today. Within this week, Southern California has experienced howling winds, a 4.4 earthquake, and now, as I write this, a fire is raging in the hills near RTB headquarters. I’m ready to listen for that “gentle whisper.”

 

Gentle Disagreement in the Creation-Evolution Debate

In the war of the worldviews, it’s easy to dehumanize the enemy. Opposing sides remain unwilling to compromise, convinced their position is the right one. This tactic all too often finds its way into conversations about creation and evolution.

Christians are not immune to defending our ground so uncompromisingly that we refuse to listen to the opposition, even if the opponent is on the same side of the fence. The battle over human origins comes to mind as scientists and Christians with varying perspectives on creation seek to defend the truth as they see it. Meanwhile the infighting between the faithful continues.

But there are peacemakers among us.

 

Bright Lights, Sparkling Trees, Joyful Music, Delicious Treats

In case you missed it, WestJet’s Christmas Miracle video spread holiday cheer across the Interwebz over the last few weeks. The video shows Santa asking WestJet passengers what they’d like for Christmas, and they asked for everything from socks and underwear to a big screen TV. While the unsuspecting travelers were in flight from Toronto to Calgary, WestJet elves scurried to fill the requests.

As passengers waited at baggage claim, beautifully wrapped packages glided down the carousel.

 

Is God Too Busy for Us?

Gift-giving, though a big part of the holiday season, can get mired in a lot of debate. But beneath all the hoopla, there’s something about a thoughtful gift that touches the heart. A good present shows that the giver truly understands and cares about the recipient—like the giant carton of goldfish crackers my husband, Darren, gave me for my birthday this year. Some might call that a gifting faux pas, but because I really, really like goldfish crackers, it was perfect because I knew Darren understood me.

I asked some other RTB staff members to recall memorable (in a good way) gifts they’ve received over the years.

 

RTB Is on the Move

When The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey film released last year, I wrote an article about how Bilbo’s willingness to leave his cozy hobbit hole might cause us to consider stepping out of our comfort zone. Who would’ve known that exactly one year later, RTB would be in the midst of our own move?

Last week RTB took up the daunting task of relocating over thirty staff and over twenty-five years of accumulated gear to our new facility in Covina, California (just a few miles from our previous location). Moving a large group during the holidays is enough to make anyone stressed. But instead, this has been one of the most exciting (and grace-filled) times in the ministry’s history, certainly in my thirteen years here.

 

Little Differences Show Up Big in Gene Expression

“And though she be but little, she is fierce.”
— A Midsummer Night’s Dream, I, ii, 335

I am what some of my friends affectionately call “vertically challenged.” The sun visor in my car is often useless to me and, depending on the chair, my feet don’t always lie flat on the floor. Several of my coworkers at RTB share these trials with me—but though we are short, we hope to help make a big difference in the lives of people RTB reaches.

Likewise, though there is a possible 98–99% genetic similarity between humans and chimps, it’s the little variations that seem to make big differences. As researchers dig deeper into genetic comparisons, a more complex picture emerges.

 

Celebrating God’s Goodness

This week Maureen and Sandra offer a double serving of blogging goodness in celebration of Thanksgiving. We hope you enjoy these reasons for having a gratitude-filled holiday!

 

Why C. S. Lewis’ Integration of Reason and Imagination Matters

Today marks the 50th anniversary of C. S. Lewis’ death. In the half a century since his passing, Lewis’ keen ability to join what is assumed incompatible (reason and imagination) remains largely unmatched.

Michael Ward, in his Christianity Today article on Lewis, elaborates on the power of Lewis’ approach:

In Christ, poetry and philosophy have met together. Meaning and truth have kissed. C. S. Lewis understood, like few in the past century, just how deeply faith is both imaginative and rational.

As Ward explains, since the Enlightenment of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries we’ve been told of the supposed dichotomy between reason and imagination.

 

Thor and the Beginning of the Universe

In continuation of the Marvel Comics movie franchise, Thor: The Dark World hit theatres this autumn. As Thor is my personal favorite of the Avengers heroes, I went to see the film for the sheer enjoyment of it (and enjoyable it was), but while taking in the entire spectacle, something in the film’s opening monologue piqued my curiosity.

Odin, Thor’s father, explains that before the present universe began to exist there was darkness. From that darkness arose the Dark Elves, bad guys who have returned for revenge. This little tidbit got me thinking about the beginning of the universe.