Two Black Boxes for Darwin
The best known one (Behe, Darwin's Black Box) is the irreducible complexity of life at the microscopic level. There are too many mechanisms that must work together perfectly to rely on evolution as an explanation. In fact, evolution becomes increasingly comical as we look at the infinite dependencies of the soil under our feet.
A scientist offered a second black box for Darwin. This one is always on my mind when I write about gardening. He said, in a book whose title I have forgotten, that a scientist cannot answer the question of purpose. He can only observe what he sees. And yet, everyone is eager to say things like this:
- The purpose of the protozoa is to keep the bacteria in check.
- The purpose of the earthworm is to tunnel, mix, aerate, and fertilize the soil.
- The purpose of the this particular insect, the fig wasp, is to pollinate the fig tree. No other animal can do this. Without this one particular wasp, the tree would never fruit, never reproduce.
I often wonder if my favorite authors on the soil food web are winking at the discerning reader, when they mention the craft, cleverness, and purpose of microscopic dependencies. They toss out evolutionary terms, even precise dates like 750 million years ago, but 99.9% of the content says just the opposite. To paraphrase something from long ago, "Intelligent Design trembles on their lips."
Don’t forget that in those instances where a fungus brings food back to a plant root tip, it was attracted to that plant by the plant’s exudates. Fungi are good, but the plant is in control.
Wayne Lewis, Jeff Lowenfels,(2010-09-10). Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition (Kindle Locations 908-910). Timber Press. Kindle Edition.
Both of Darwin's black boxes are in play here. No one can explain how a fungus can be purpose-driven to swap nutrients it collects for the carbon it needs to grow. Nor can anyone anyone explain how the root tip knows the plant needs and arranges the bargain.
Science is pursuing nanotechnology - mechanics at the microscopic level. Plants already do nanotechnology in every cell, and microscopic beings minister to them, using nanotechnology.
Fungi cleverly trap nematodes with a little spring action they devised "on their own," or they lure those delicious tiny worms with one chemical and kill it with another. Nematodes are power bars for fungi, since nematodes are loaded with extra nitrogen. The fungi can send that excess nitrogen along their length to plant roots, which respond with carbon credits.
No Compromise
I am not suggesting any compromise with Creation through the Word. Nor does the Six Day Creation depend on its agreement with current science. I find it amusing that science must collide with Creation when explaining how everything works together.
This Creation concept is especially important because the power and efficacy of the Word is the bedrock of Biblical teaching. Take that away and nothing is left but moralistic philosophy (aka mainline theology, aka modern Pietism).
Ruined Soil, Bad Crops
The SpenerQuest clowns were crowing and preening their feathers recently. They made this hilarious claim - the LCMS is so good and pure because Walther and his obedient followers pledged to the entire Book of Concord. Therefore they alone have the right version of everything, including UOJ (which the masked with their term - "election by grace").
They revealed their Pietism by emphasizing what Walther did - not what he actually taught or believed. Walther also swore eternal allegiance to his adulterous, syphilitic bishop - an eternity that lasted until CFW organized a riot to rob, threaten, and kidnap his bishop-for-life.
Walther, who only had a bachelor's degree from a rationalistic school, believed in Stephan's UOJ, which was learned during the Third Martin's stay at Halle University, the mother ship of Pietism. Walther taught Justification Without Faith. The Great Walther only associated with Pietists, going from the Pietist who died to the one who led their escape to America - Stephan, who was dictatorial, corrupt, adulterous, and crazy with the clap.
Why are the "conservative" Lutherans so comfortable with ELCA and going downhill with the same speed as ELCA? They have distanced themselves from the power and efficacy of the Word. Now they rototill their congregations and districts with the latest programs, borrowed from the equally apostate Babtists.
Some have thought to blame the encroachment of Babtist influence on Lutherans, but that is several fries short of a Happy Meal. The mutual attraction is like lint to Velcro, and it is apostasy. The Church Shrinkers want nothing to do with the faithful, even if those people are only faithful to their own confessions and teachings.
The Church Shrinkers are drawn to their ideal counterparts - the greedy, corrupt, unbelieving apostates who ooze sanctimony in the name of sanctification and issue absolution for their own crimes while condemning the fidelity of others as felonious.
Mrs. I was on the phone with QVC to order something for our anniversary. I suggested a dustmop, but she wanted jewelry. Somehow they got on the topic of roses. The phone person asked to speak to me. "How do you keep insects from your roses?"
I said, "I don't do anything except use wood mulch. I used no spray and had no insect damage all summer." The poor woman was in shock.
In fact, we found grasshoppers on the roses twice while pruning them. We did nothing and they did not move, hop, or semi-fly away. They had it good - organic rose food, no aftertaste of pesticide.
Why no visible damage? The good insects kept the damaging ones in check. We also know that fungi keep plants healthy and productive, too, by living close to them and inside of them.
Believers are like plants. They grow by being nurtured in the right way, designed and provided by God Himself. When man injects his rapid grow cells and other instant answers, he destroys the divine meaning and purpose in the Means of Grace.
Notice all the synodical programs to solve the problems caused by all the synodical programs.
The ultimate irony is that the skunkpatch called LutherQuest is violently opposed to Luther's doctrine, the Biblical doctrine of Justification By Faith.
