Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 3) continued from page 1 On the other hand, secularists decry the allegedly mindless preference of “dead white males” in historical and literary studies. Has African or Asian culture nothing to offer by way of lit erature or cultural insights? Must the conservative be insular and jingoist? Frequently missing in the debates, which are often heated to the point of mutual irrationality, is an objective, dispassionate examination of the bibli cal principles of culture. Perhaps a few brief observations will be helpful. culture since there was only one family. But indications are that world popula tion multiplied very rapidly; by the time of Abel’s murder, Cain fears the hand of his fellowmen (Gen. 4:14), and his words seem to imply that the world’s popula tion was larger than that of the average modern family reunion.1 1 Critics, who reliably see a contradiction in the Bible wherever one can be imagined, assert that this is a historical problem since Cain is the first generation from Adam. But we are told that Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters (Gen. 5:4), and there is no indication of how old Cain was when the murder occurred. Given the extended ages of the early humans (Gen. 5), this could theoretically have been scores or even hundreds of years after Cain’s birth. If the population were to double every, say, 20 to 25 years, the earth could be greatly populated by this time; after 200 years, it could be 500 to 2,000, and after 400 years it could be 130,000 to 500,000. (Remember that fable about the kernels of wheat on the chessboard?) Most people are surprised to learn that an annual population growth rate of just 3% yields a Early on, at the Tower of Babel, God en courages the diversification of cultures (Gen. 11:89). While it is true that He chooses one people, the descendants of Abraham’s divinely provided son Isaac, to receive His special blessing and to serve as the vehicle for divine revelation and the incarnation of Messiah, He also makes it quite clear that He chooses them without reference to any cultural superiority, but despite several apparent weaknesses or shortcomings (Deut. 7:7, 9:3–6, and often elsewhere).2 population doubling time of 24 years; 5% yields 15 years. In a relatively small population, of, say, just thousands, such growth rates are not at all difficult to achieve. 2 The Jewish cultural pundit Michael Medved has written insightfully on the question of the Jewish status as “chosen people”: http://www .townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/ 2006/08/09/why_the_world_hates_the_jews. continued on page 6 BiBlical Foundation The Bible starts with God as the Creator. He made all nonliving elements, and He made all living creatures as well. Originally, of course, there was only one Good teachers never stop learning. Academic excellence with a biblical worldview 800-BJ-AND-ME Teacher to Teacher | March 2008 page 3 http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/2006/08/09/why_the_world_hates_the_jews http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/2006/08/09/why_the_world_hates_the_jews http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichaelMedved/2006/08/09/why_the_world_hates_the_jews http://www.bju.edu
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page Intro) Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 1) Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 2) Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 3) Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 4) Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 5) Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 6) Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 7) Teacher to Teacher - March 2008 - (Page 8)
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