Tim Bulkeley It is a basic assumption of the world in which we act and live. Everything has a reasonable cause. This assumption has worked miracles for us. Science and therefore technology depends on it. If the world were unreasonable little science, and even less technology, could exist. (Well that's not quite true, quantum mechanics discovered that a [slightly] broken universe can only be repaired by making unreasonable assumptions, but most of the science that underlies the technologies that underlie our lives abhors such unreason.)
To the extent that human history is a story of progress, it is the story of the long march from unreason to reason. (This journey is also marked by persistent bouts of irrational, superstitious terror. But that, like the Quantum Mechanic's Tale is another story
The trouble is that God seems to collude with this assumption of a reasonable universe. God is unobtrusive. Certainly as women and men of faith we affirm that God is also a God of miracles. But these miracles, when we are close enough to them to really examine the evidence are "unproven". There is evidence, enough to persuade the believer, but not enough to convince a sceptic.
The Catholic Church has a careful procedure to vet the evidence for miracles before anyone can be named as "Blessed", or after a few more miracles promoted to "Saint". The "Devil's Advocate" has the job of testing the evidence. Time Magazine once described his job like this: "scrutinize evidence with pious scepticism, advance every possible argument against beatification or canonization." Yet, in the sixteen years leading up to the Second World War 50 new saints were named. I wonder how many of their over 200 attested miracles you would admit as real, or an atheist would recognise as inexplicable?!
God works unobtrusively, even when God the Son became human (surely the supreme miracle since creation) it was quite possible for other humans to fail to see that God was present in Christ. But some saw...
Jesus himself put it like this: "if the sky is red and gloomy in the morning, you say it is going to rain. You can tell what the weather will be like by looking at the sky. But you don't understand what is happening now." We can read something as obscure as the weather (well pretty well, maybe some days TVNZ should listen to the old THEMATIVE INTEGRATIVE SEMINAR
Thursday 29-Friday 30 March
Welcome to any distance students who are onsite for this block course this week. Enjoy the course and the resources of the Carey campus. NO CAFÉ THEOS
GRADUATION
Saturday 31 March
4:00pm
Liberty Christian Church
96 Lansford Cres
Avondale
Please come and celebrate with your fellow students as they receive their completed qualifications.
DIY DAY - TUESDAY 27 MARCH - THIS WEEK!
9:30am- 1:00pm
Don't miss our annual 'Team-Up Scrub Up' around the campus next week. If you can paint, plant, build, clean or breathe ... we need you. Make a difference, or only make a mess, but wear clothes to work in, have a few laughs and make some more friends at Carey. This takes place instead of the usual Formation Tuesday.
9:30am Morning tea in Dining Room
10:00am DIY team projects around Carey
12 noon BBQ lunch
ACADEMIC MATTERS
Neroli is out of hospital and recovering well at home. Please continue to be patient us as we work through the different aspects of the registrar role. We are checking email and clearing phone messages but will not always be able to respond immediately. Any academic matters can still come to reception and will be dealt with as quickly as possible. Thanks.
GRADUATION HELPERS NEEDED
We need a number of people to help make Graduation run smoothly. A number have already offered but more would be good.
· helpers for serving afternoon tea
· cleaning up and resetting the church after the ceremony
· crèche helper(s) (1-2)
Please see Rachel if you are willing to be involved (rachel.murray@carey.ac.nz)