Rice Broocks, author of God’s Not Dead.
The God’s Not Dead author, Rice Broocks:
MRT: Could you describe your relationship with science?
Broocks: I actually travel with a physicist who speaks with me at universities, and he likes the theology [Broocks has a master’s degree in theology] more and I like science more. For 20 years I’ve been seeking the evidence because I want to know. If people from science say that science points away from God, you have to explain that. Everybody has a philosophy and a worldview. Everyone has a different interpretation and you shouldn’t be afraid of the explanation of those same facts. I know there are a lot of people that are sincere and might be afraid of science, but the common grounds we all have are the facts of it.
My, my. I read that twice, just to make sure, but there isn’t one damn thing in that paragraph of nothing about his personal relationship with science. I think it might be safe to assume that in Mr. Broock’s world, science means anything I want it to mean. And he travels with a physicist. He makes it sound like the physicist is his pet. I find that very odd, to say the least.
MRT: Your research on both fronts must be quite extensive.
Broocks: I just read all the time. For 30 years my target audience has been university students, so you had to stay caught up. When I go and speak, I encounter “gotcha” questions so you have to stay caught up. I wouldn’t say the first book [“God’s Not Dead”] is scientific, but I want to make the science I use understandable. I’m constantly speaking in a way that is understandable, I’m sort of a middle man for the people who are really, really smart and the people who just don’t know. My quest is always to try and talk to the 15-35-year old who thinks that these ideas have been disproven, and let them know that we believe evidence points toward God, not away from.
What do you know, I read all the time too! It’s not research. It’s reading. Those aren’t the same thing. I’m a bit…gobsmacked over the smug happiness in wallowing in ignorance that is on display. (I know, I shouldn’t be, but I am.)
Oh, and those of you in Italy and Iceland? Beware:
Broocks: I’m going around and doing these events in different countries. I”m going to Italy soon, and I’ll be doing an outreach program in Iceland.
Beware of christians bearing false witness.
This man sounds like a complete nightmare of obliviousness. He’s honestly convinced that his God’s Not Dead scored a direct hit into the black heart of atheists everywhere.
The only surprising thing in this post is Iceland. Why is he going there? Why did Billy Graham and other evangelicals go there? It’s a tiny nation, located in a far away and fairly inhospitable location, and populated mostly by non-believers.
What do the religious know that I don’t?
Alexander:
No idea. Maybe it’s easy to convert people into fanatical firebrands there.
Iceland’s European settlers were Norsemen. Who had Beserkers. Which is just what you need if you’re a nutter who no-one pays attention to…
An implied threat to chop someone into small mushy cubes is much easier than using logic, especially if you have a big snarling assistant to do the former, and you are unfamiliar with the latter.
(Any resemblance to forty-foot high killer rats is coincidental, despite the rats being called Norwegian.)
Alexander Z @ 3
Maybe they want to lounge in swimming pools and eat fish.
Maybe they think Iceland is pagan central or something.
Maybe I’m too cynical, but Iceland sounds like the perfect place to go and vacation with the pretext of evangelizing and not being too obvious about it. And after that, Italy.
To elaborate: Evangelizing would be one event in Reykjavik and then either go to a glacier tour or riding Icelandic horses or go to a spa (spas and swimming pools are ubiqituous thanks to plentiful geothermal energy) or just watch the scenery. I’ve never been in Iceland but I’ve heard that it’s an interesting place and tourism has been growing there. I’ve also heard that Italy is lovely in springtime.
Iceland is a place where Hell is just below the surface. You can stand on a hill and point your quivering finger at a lava flow and threaten it with retribution from your favourite deity. A quite theatrical and fairly safe destination for your average god botherer.
Ice Swimmer @ 8:
That was the first thing to cross my mind when I was first reading the article. I’d use any handy pretext if it would get me to Iceland. Lots of amazing things to see and visit.
Hmmm, according to the Pfffffffffft:
So, pagan central.
Lofty:
Or pine for the good ol’ days, when you could toss people into it.
That.
I think Lofty #10 has got it -- Icelanders literally live in hell. Which must somewhat depressing for the locals, but very fun for any visiting zealots.
—
Caine #11
From Wikipedia:
They have less pagans than a large college :(
It’s probably the equivalent of the racist who “has a black friend”.
--
Correction: my “hell” is supposed to link to Hekla on Wikipedia. Don’t know why it didn’t link.