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Stephen Jackson on The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel!
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Mike Bull on Daniel 2-7, Harry Potter and Narnia
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The Sola Panel is dead; long live the Sola Panel! by Tony Payne (4 comments). Regular Sola Panel readers will no doubt have detected a little slowness and quietness over the past six weeks or so. … more
Kids’ culture watch spot: Facing fear by Gordon Cheng (3 comments). By popular demand (two people asked), here is my next script for a culture watch spot I did with the kids … more
Daniel 2-7, Harry Potter and Narnia by Gordon Cheng (1 comment). It's a Sunday as I write this, and I'm speaking on Daniel 2 and 7 later this morning at a friend's … more
A constituent on same-sex marriage by Sandy Grant (34 comments). Last year, the Australian Parliament agreed that its Members of Parliament (MPs) should seek the … more
A tribute to John Stott by Sandy Grant (2 comments). Friends, I'm not ashamed to say I shed a tear when I opened up my computer on Thursday morning to read … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 3): On giants’ shoulders by Scott Newling (26 comments). This is the third post in this series; you can read part one, and more
Bible reading with kids by Sandy Grant (0 comments). I was asked for recommendations for resources that would encourage parents to read the Bible with their kids, especially … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 2): Stepping aside (not out) so others can step up (not in) by Scott Newling (3 comments). This is the second post in this series; you can read the first post, Unassuming … more
One more sip of the coffee by Tony Payne (8 comments). Sandy Grant is a man of integrity. Back in the early days of Sola Panel, I wrote a post … more
Talkin’ ’bout my generation (part 1): Unassuming generations by Scott Newling (30 comments). There is a model of ‘intergenerational theological decline’ that has been doing the rounds of late, and perhaps you … more
Tony Payne
Paul is one of the Staff Editors at Matthias Media. He is married to Cathy and has three fantastic kids. He loves student ministry, reading, writing music and playing the saxophone, and is looking forward to meeting Jesus face to face.
Sola Panellists
- Tony Payne (convenor)
- Jennie Baddeley
- Mark Baddeley
- Andrew Barry
- Peter Bolt
- Gordon Cheng
- a local church and a certain Christian publishing house. (Sometimes the latter vocations can happen without the first.) Many people call him a nerd, which he prefers to geek. He\'s keen on biblical studies, languages, great technology, science fiction, coffee, photography, frisbee, family, jazz, and hats. You could call his tastes eclectic. ");'>Sam Freney
- Sandy Grant
- Scott Newling
- Gavin Perkins
- Ben Pfahlert
- Peter Sholl
- Claire Smith
- Nicole Starling
- Jean Williams
- Lionel Windsor
Some other sites
we like (Why these?)
- Matthias Media
- The Briefing
- 9Marks
- Albert Mohler
- Anglican Church League
- challies
- David Ould
- ENTRUST
- EQUIP book club
- Girl Talk
- Gordon Cheng's Blog
- The Gospel Coalition
- Jean Williams's blog
- Justin Taylor
- Lionel Windsor
- Monergism
- Moore College
- MTS
- Nicole Starling's blog
- Phillip Jensen
- Pyromaniacs
- The Proclamation Trust
- Reformers' Bookshop
- The Simeon Trust
- The Ugley Vicar
That great astronomer, Johannes Kepler, who worked out planetary motion, is supposed to have described science as “thinking God’s thoughts after Him”—what a privilege it is to do so!
What does astronomy do for this poet? What is the use of astronomy for all of us?Need a discipline possess use to warrant our attention?
Hi Michael: I think you’ve mistaken my intention in speaking of “usefulness”. I was actually attempting to subvert the utilitarian paradigm.
Is it astronomy that teaches us that we are very small or the Word of God that interprets those observations for us? Ps 8 gives us the ‘spectacles’ to see the significance (both smallness and greatness) of our place in the amazing universe. Thoughts?
Hi James,
A good question; I’m not really sure if it’s possible to separate the two out, because the bloke in the Psalm is already a believer in God; and the entire astronomical enterprise itself has been deeply influenced by Biblical thought.
Having said that, there are plenty of non-Christians who will assert that astronomy teaches us how small we are. Maybe they’re all unconsciously influenced by the word of God when they say that? Well, maybe, but I reckon it’s just kind of obvious. It’s not a huge spiritual leap to look at the data about how massive the universe is and conclude that we’re small and insignificant. Of course, it’s quite another thing to understand this insignificance as a positive thing, and then to find our true significance / greatness in the right place. At this point (verses 5 onwards), the Psalmist is clearly referring to the biblical view of creation, not to his own observations (e.g. observations about zoology wouldn’t have taught him that “everything that passes along the paths of the seas” is under human dominion).
Thanks Lionel,
Just been thinking about this issue after we had a lecture on revelation (Special vs General) and looked at Calvin, Barth and Brunner’s views.
How do you think they impact Ps 8? (I agree though, Ps 8 is very majestic and humbles us)
Hi James,
I would say that Psalm 8 is a good example of special revelation (of God as creator and YHWH as Lord of Israel) properly interpreting general revelation (of God’s majesty displayed in the heavens). I.e. Calvin’s “spectacles” are at work here:
Do you think so?
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