Theological Term of the Week: Teleological Argument

teleological argument
An argument for the existence of God that begins with evidence of order, complexity, pattern and purpose in the universe and argues from that evidence that the universe must have an intelligent and purposeful designer.

• In scripture:

  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Romans 1:19–20 ESV).

• From William Paley’s Natural Theology (1802), a bit of his watchmaker analogy, which is an example of a teleological argument:

  In crossing a heath, suppose I pitched my foot against a stone, and were asked how the stone came to be there; I might possibly answer, that, for anything I knew to the contrary, it had lain there forever: nor would it perhaps be very easy to show the absurdity of this answer. But suppose I had found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened to be in that place; I should hardly think of the answer I had before given, that for anything I knew, the watch might have always been there. (…) There must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers, who formed [the watch] for the purpose which we find it actually to answer; who comprehended its construction, and designed its use. (…) Every indication of contrivance, every manifestation of design, which existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature; with the difference, on the side of nature, of being greater or more, and that in a degree which exceeds all computation.     

Learn more:

1. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry: The Teleological Argument 
2. John Lennox: Why God is like Henry Ford
3. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Teleological Arguments for God’s Existence
4. Simply Put: The Teleological Argument

Related terms: 

• cosmological argument
• moral argument
• ontological argument
• trancendental argument for the existence of God

Filed under Apologetics

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Sunday's Hymn: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
Now to his temple draw near,
Join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen
How thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what he ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee!
Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee;
Ponder anew
What the Almighty will do,
If with his love he befriend thee!

Praise thou the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee,
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee.
How oft in grief
Hath not he brought thee relief,
Spreading his wings to o’ershade thee!

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen
Sound from his people again;
Gladly for aye we adore him.

—Jo­ach­im Ne­an­der

Other hymns, worship songs, or quotes for this Sunday:

• Approach, My Soul, the Mercy Seat at The Happy Wonderer

Selected Reading, October 31, 2020

 

A few suggestions for your weekend reading.

Trinity

A Trinitarian Glossary
Some very handy explanations of the terminology and grammar of orthodox Trinitarian theology. 

Bible

Jesus According to the New Testament’s Most Quoted Psalm
“Few psalms are as influential for New Testament writers; none is as often quoted” as Psalm 110. I knew a lot of this from my study of Hebrews, but I enjoyed seeing it all put together like this.

Church History

Five Misconceptions about the Reformation
For Reformation Day. This little article answers five questions about the Reformation: When did it begin? What primary issue sparked it? What famous writing fueled it? Did the Reformers invent something new? Is the Reformation over?  Check it out. The answers might be different than you think.

Food

Sourdough Pancakes
Do you have a sourdough starter? This is an easy and delicious way to use extra starter. These are very light, thin, crepe-like pancakes. I stack the leftovers and keep them in a ziplock bag in the fridge to reheat later.