President's Wife Pregnant by Alien

Have you seen that headline in the news? Probably not, but you might expect it in one of the tabloids at the grocery checkout. I always marvel that anyone would spend money on such obviously sensationalized idiocy.

The Discovery Channel seems to have become the video version of the grocery store tabloid. Consider the recently announced television "documentary" on "The Lost Tomb of Jesus." Not having seen the program, it may be that the sensational topic is presented with appropriate contradictory information.

The advance publicity reports that Jesus' tomb has been discovered in Israel with burial boxes which once contained the bodies of Jesus, Mary, Jesus' wife, and Jesus' son. Archeological, statistical, and DNA evidence are marsheled in support of these conclusions, which, of course, would disprove the physical resurrection of Jesus, a sine qua non doctrine of Christianity.

Nevermind that no serious scholar, atheist or Christian, gives the slightest credance to these claims. The discovery is not new. The tomb and burial boxes were found in 1980. No one then or since thought they were of any significance, until a talented movie producer grabbed it for a sensational, if ludicrous, story.

Christ followers must never fear having their faith questioned or examining any claim to the contrary. By definition, faith commitments are not always testable by the scientific method. But, we must never fear or run from true science. We believe that God's Word, rightly interpreted, will be in agreement with God's world, rightly interpreted. God's word and world inform each other, and, in my conviction, will never ultimately contradict each other. There may be temporary tentions and apparent contradictions because fallible humans sometimes misinterpret the Word and/or the world. Christ-followers must continually pursue better understanding of both.

There are issues of interpretation where I believe the "jury is still out" as to whether the current interpretation of the Word or the current interpretation of the world is flawed. In some cases, both contemporary interpretations may be incorrect. Ultimately, I believe that the Word and world will be seen to be in perfect harmony, though maybe not entirely this side of the "restoration of all things." Then theologians and scientists will be completely agreed and God will be glorified by our better understanding of His revelation and His creation. Don't be alarmed if we don't get it all worked out right now, and don't be overly dogmatic where Scripture does not clearly demand it. Both theologians and scientists probably need a bit more humility than they sometimes display.

In the mean time, forgive my sarcasm if I suggest that the alien impregnation seems more credible than the claims of the "lost tomb of Jesus."