God Speaks through Nature & His Word: Do We Hear?

Recently, a former student and friend¹ shared a link to a video featuring the work of Bartholomaus Traubeck.  Interestingly, Traubek, an Austrian media artist, has modified a traditional turn-table record player to generate music from thin sections sliced from the trunks of trees.  At first, I wondered how the needle of the record player scraping over a wood surface would make anything but a noisy “GrrrrChikkKrrrKtttKkkkTTtttUUuuu.”  But then, I read that Traubeck has replaced the needle of the record player with a camera which scans the anatomical “landscape” of the sliced wood sections as they rotate.  You may want to listen to Traubeck’s music for yourself before you read on.

Traubeck's modified record player and a slice of wood.

There is no doubt that Traubeck can bring music out of the wood.  But there is no evidence that trees or other parts of “Nature” or “Creation” each have a characteristic voice or song waiting for us to record and broadcast.  Therefore, we must ask, “How much of Traubeck’s music is an objective expression of the anatomical properties of the wood, and how much is merely a subjective result of Traubeck’s method of translating wood anatomy to sound?”  The answer to this question requires that we understand two key elements of Traubeck’s music-making method. 

First, we can agree with Traubeck that each tree species has its own unique wood anatomy—its unique fingerprint.  Each species differs from another according to the width of gaps between annual rings, representing the radial growth (from center outward) for each year.  Some species have large diameter vessels and more slender tracheids (elongated microscopic tubes that carry water and nutrients upward within the trunk of trees).  Gymnosperms, including pines and spruces, have no vessels at all, only tracheids.  Species may also differ in wood color and texture. Traubeck’s scanning camera “views” the rotating wood anatomy of each tree species and creates a dynamic digital profile of the characters he has chosen to include in his algorithm. 

Ttree trunk cross section
with annual growth rings.

The second element we must consider is how Traubeck translates his chosen wood parameters into music.  Although the wood anatomy of each tree species is unique, it is Traubeck who ultimately composes the music that emanates from each species.  His modified record player with camera and a computer algorithm is designed to “see” only a selected number of traits of the “landscape” of the wood sections.  If you or I were to design a similar system with our programming, the music we bring out of the wood slices would be different from Traubeck’s music.  As Matt Weesner writes about Traubeck’s music in Colorado Public Radio, a fir tree grows quickly, therefore has larger gaps between the rings, which means the resulting music is more minimalistic (Traubeck chose the key of C minor for firs). Throw a slice of ash tree (with rings very close together) on the player and the music is more compressed and complex.

Traubeck’s method of producing music from wood sections is a fitting metaphor for the way we view the landscape of the world around us.  Every corner of nature, whether the tree rings of an old oak tree or the landscape of a forest ecosystem, represents an objective reality that invites us to observe and explore with our five senses.  However, as we observe real objects and landscapes of nature, we assign meaning and significance based upon how our particular “spectacles” filter and color our interpretation.  In other words, our worldview determines how we interpret the world around us.  For example, an artist, an ecologist, and a lumberman each view a forest from a different worldview—one sees aesthetic qualities; another sees energy and nutrient relationships; and another sees economic gain.

Let’s look at some examples of how our “worldview spectacles” are at work scanning the world around us, selecting and filtering parameters that we allow us to define our reality.  First, let’s consider how a person’s worldview influences their understanding of the origin of the universe.  Second, we will see how special or divine revelation influences worldview of those who acknowledge the existence of God as Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

How many objects of "intelligent design"
can you see?

Many of us differ in how we account for the complexity in nature or creation.  For example, relatively few people who accidentally find a music CD lying on the ground in the wild would listen to the music it contains and then attribute these complex, highly ordered sounds and the CD itself to random chance events, or undirected natural causes.  We may not understand how the CD was formed and imprinted to produce beautiful music, but we would agree that what we heard is not noise.  Instead, beautiful music is the result of design as expressed through the deliberate, purposeful, action of an intelligent agent responsible for both the original musical score and the technology of the compact disc and CD player.

If we can agree that a music CD and related broadcast technology are the results of intelligent design, then it should follow that the complex wood anatomy of a slice of tree trunk is also the result of intelligent design?  We are only beginning to understand how the specified complexity of the coded sequence of nucleotides of DNA within each living cell can produce the characteristic genetic traits of each organism including the wood properties of each tree species.  But if genetic theory is correct, Traubeck’s music based on wood properties is an expression of the unique DNA sequences of each species. And behind all of this there appears to be an intelligent designer.  I believe God through His Son, Jesus Christ, is the Intelligent Designer of creation (e.g. Genesis 1-2). 

Not all readers will agree that music from a musician, or from a songbird or Traubeck’s wood slices, owes its existence to the God of the Bible.  But all of us must recognize that our opinions are ultimately influenced by our worldview--our way of interpreting the world around us and our place and purpose (if any) in the world.  It also determines the quality of our life on Earth and the destiny of our eternal souls.  Thus, a theistic worldview is based on faith in a “higher power” and divine revelation.  The Bible represents the divine revelation from the Judeo-Christian God (Yehweh) and affirms that “nature” is God’s creation which represents a general revelation of His truth and existence.

The atheist and the agnostic are also persons of faith.   Instead of divine revelation, their faith rests on human reason which either denies the existence of God or simply dismisses the notion of a divine being.  The Greek philosopher Protagoras summarized the atheistic worldview when he proudly stated, Man is the measure of all things.  Much of current thinking in the natural sciences today is based on atheistic, naturalistic philosophy which acknowledges no reality beyond the bounds of the five senses.  In contrast, Martin Luther King Jr. articulated the Christian worldview when he wrote²:

Christianity affirms that at the heart of reality is a Heart, a loving Father who works through history for the salvation of his children. Man cannot save himself, for man is not the measure of all things and humanity is not God.  Bound by the chains of his own sin and finiteness, man needs a Savior.   

Why should we think it odd that a human artist like Bartholomaus Traubeck could produce inspiring music from the “anatomical landscape” of a section of wood?  Even without the aid of camera and computer, the landscapes of creation have from the beginning been inspiring those whose spiritual and aesthetic senses are attuned to our Creator.  The psalmist David wrote, as recorded in Psalm 19: 1-3:

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
Day to day pours forth speech,
And night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
Their voice is not heard.

But God’s Voice also comes to us through the inspired words of Scripture—words that speak of human origin, the fall into sin, and the only Way of reconciliation through the shed blood of God’s Son, Jesus Christ.  Consider the following words from 1 Chronicles 16: 30-34 and notice the powerful Voice of God and how creation responds—indeed, how we ought to respond:

Tremble before Him, all the earth;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns."
Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it.
Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD;
For He is coming to judge the earth.
 O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

The Voice of God in creation and His inspired Word through the Bible are continually streaming toward mankind from every corner of His creation.  So evident is God’s revelation that the Apostle Paul wrote, in Romans 1: 20:  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Expounding on John 1: 1 (In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”), A.W. Tozer writes, The whole Bible supports the idea.  God is speaking.  Not God spoke, but God is speaking.  He is by His nature continuously articulate.  He fills the world with His speaking Voice. …The Voice of God is the most powerful force in nature, indeed the only force in nature, for all energy is here only because the power-filled Word is being spoken. (The Pursuit of God (Regal, 2013), p. 72).

God is near unto all of us.  Creation itself awaits His coming as the Righteous Judge of all the Earth and mankind (Romans 8: 19).  How then is it that many do not “hear” His Voice in creation and respond when even creation responds as we have just noted:  the sea roars, the field exalts, and the trees sing for joy before the LORD?  Tozer answers,

Scanning electron microscope view
of wood vessels & tracheids

I venture to say that the one vital quality which [men and women of faith in the past] had in common was spiritual sensitivity…they had spiritual awareness and that they went on to cultivate it until it became the biggest thing in their lives (Pursuit…p. 66).

The “landscapes” of creation from the genetic and epigenetic structures inside living cells to the microscopic anatomy of tree wood, to the landscapes of forest and woodland; all proclaim, without the hindrance of language translation, that God is Creator and Designer, and that He is and has been speaking with a powerful Voice since creation. 

What about you?  What do you see and hear as you walk in creation, view the intricacies of God’s creatures, read God’s Word, or hear it proclaimed?  May the God Who gives us physical life and (by faith in Christ) Eternal Life, enable us to become more spiritually aware of His love, plan, and purpose.

----------------
Footnotes:
¹ Thanks to my former student and friend, Dan Delancey, for referring me to the work of Bartholomaus Traubeck.

² From:  M.L. King, Jr. “How Should a Christian View Communism?”

Humility in Science and Politics

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;
And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.  – Psalm 19: 1, 7

I sat in silence before God and His creation as I observed the beautiful sunrise over Lake Howard in Winter Haven, FL.  The march of brilliant gold and orange hues across the expanse of the morning sky above and the still waters of the lake below seemed to swallow me in the glory of God all around me. 

Sunrise over Lake Howard in Winter Haven, Florida

Beneath my perch on the boat dock, the water was coming alive through the movements of many tiny creatures awakening to the warmth of the sun’s rays. The shallow water teemed with algae, protozoa, and arthropods.  Fish swam amid the littoral grasses and blooming pickerelweed.  A pair of ducks creased the golden glassy surface of the lake as they swam effortlessly in front of me.  Overhead, hundreds of martins and a few herons and ibises graced the sky.

While a myriad of biotic interactions of Lake Howard responded to the rising sun, the sound of automobile and truck traffic around the lake reminded me of the human population of Winter Haven.  Commuters, tourists, and seasonal migrants (“snowbirds”) interact with the natural and built landscape around the lake, each one contributing to the local economy.  My mind drifted to thoughts of the complexity of the “still somewhat free market” economy of America.  I was humbled and awed once again by its capacity to provide goods and services in spite of the tendency of humans toward greed and depravity.  Adam Smith attributed the seemingly unexplainable workings of the market economy to an “invisible hand.”

Now, the sun has appeared at the horizon to my right and I must shift my gaze away from it lest the energy of its life-giving rays damage the visual receptors of my eyes.  I was reminded that many times in Scripture, men have responded to the glory of God with reverent fear lest they “see God and die” (e.g. Exodus 24:9-11).  Likewise, we must respect the workings of God’s creation, learning to fear and respect the power of sun, torrential rain, lightning, tornado, fire, and hurricane.  Each of these fearsome elements of the Earth are necessary in some form to support life.  But they each must have our humble respect if we are to avoid death.

Although no human can fully comprehend the complex workings of either an ecosystem or an economic system, we have been honored by our Creator as appointed stewards of both.  Today, the economy (from oikonomia (Gr.) = “management of a household”) looms large as a determiner of how humans interact with the creation, the so-called “natural world.”  Whereas, in pre-industrial days, most people interacted directly with the forces of nature to obtain food, clothing, and shelter, today most people interact through numerous and complex interactions of the market economy—still influenced by “the invisible hand.”

As the sun now shines above the lake, I am being serenaded by redwing blackbirds and warblers who, like my wife and I, are enjoying this warm, southern latitude before migrating north.  As egrets, ibises, and herons fly across Lake Howard, their vocal expressions join with the sounds of the bustling economy of Winter Haven.  I am humbled, though not nearly enough, at the thought of how blessed I am as an American to have freedom and access to essential elements for life and many amenities besides.

Whether necessity or amenity, each of our goods and services are procured and supplied by people willing to submit to a daily schedule of work and rest.  In return, each worker is rewarded with some wage or salary based on economic and ethical considerations of their employers.  In somewhat like manner, each nonhuman creature of Lake Howard must also labor to obtain food and shelter while avoiding nearby predators.  The reward for the effort of each nonhuman creature is food and survival for another hour, or another day.

Upon contemplating the rising of the sun, the awakening of an aquatic ecosystem, and the onset of another day of labor for farmers, fishermen, homemakers, teachers, health care workers, scientists, lawyers, and corporate executives, I sit in awe that our civilization functions as well as it does.  Who can comprehend the awesomeness of the threads holding it together?  And at the heart of it all is an essential element of moral and ethical commitment to love and respect our neighbor as ourselves.  Each worker has an essential daily role-- the mother who packs lunches and sees her children off to school, the bus driver who provides safe transportation, and the computer programmer who maintains essentials like traffic control, power grids, telecommunication, law enforcement, and national defense.

As I reflect on the wonder and complexity that has unfolded in front of me on this winter morning at the shore of a Florida lake, I am not only humbled, but I am also confronted with many questions.  What then should be the attitude of one who exercises “steward leadership” in our scientific and technological society?  Wouldn’t he recognize the complexity of creation, the challenge it is to quantify and model complex processes and interactions, and our proneness to error?  Wouldn’t she recognize the tendency to view creation in too narrow of terms that must give away to deeper understanding—e.g. recall how classical, Newtonian physics was expanded to quantum physics; or in genetics, the transition from “heritability of acquired characteristics” to Mendelian genetics?  In regard to the latter, is he or she aware of the pitfall of Lysenkoism, defined metaphorically as the manipulation or distortion of the scientific process as a way to reach a predetermined conclusion as dictated by an ideological bias, often related to social or political objectives.  [See “Imagination that Contradicts the Reality of Science” Where I have noted how Trofim Lysenko diminished Russian progress in genetics because communist ideology bedded down with bad science.]

Considering the complexity of creation and human proneness to err in even the best science, steward leaders in science must insist on rigorous and repeated hypothesis testing, while providing for open communication and peer review of results in a scientific atmosphere free from “manipulation or distortion of the scientific process” for political gain.  For example, it is particularly disheartening to hear sweeping or derogatory statements about “climate change” from political leaders who know little about the challenge of modeling Earth’s climatology and predicting future climate trends.  Sec. John Kerry’s recent statement on climate change promotes Lysenkoism (metaphorically speaking) because he offers predetermined conclusions as dictated by ideological bias.  His derogatory tone discourages the open discourse necessary for scientific advancement of our understanding of Earth’s climate:

Climate change can now be considered another weapon of mass destruction, perhaps the world's most fearsome weapon of mass destruction… We should not allow a tiny minority of shoddy scientists and extreme ideologues to compete with scientific facts.

A February morning at Lake Howard in Winter Haven, FL

Secretary Kerry’s leadership influence on climate science illustrates the urgent need for responsible steward leadership in federal, state, and local government?   Returning to my ponderings on Lake Howard, I thought about the role of steward leaders in government.  Are our “civil servants” aware of the depth of responsibility and opportunity as stewards to “do good” toward their constituents?  Do they even care?  Are they aware of the history of America which, though strewn with the evidence of the depravity of all humankind, is also strewn with evidence of great sacrifice, hard work, and faithful stewardship on the part of little known Americans?  Do our political leaders remember why our founding fathers structured our federal and state governments with checks and balances to avoid concentrating power in the hands of one or a few?  Indeed, do our political leaders remember that our rights come from Almighty God above and not from government--a government of the people, by the people, and for the people?   Finally, do they realize that, given the universal sin and depravity of mankind, laws must be justly enforced and due process of the law carried out to resist corruption of our institutions—homes, churches, schools, industries, governments, and financial institutions? 

The sun is now “climbing” in the sky above me and another day has begun not only along the shores of Lake Howard but all across the globe.  Suddenly, I’m reminded of Job’s response after hearing God speak:

I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
'Hear, now, and I will speak;
I will ask You, and You instruct me.' – Job 42: 2-4

Lord, I too have spoken of “things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”  I am only one of your creatures among many, both human and non-human creatures—all depending on your grace and provision.  Help me to do my part as a humble steward of the opportunities you have afforded to me; and, help me begin by loving you with all my heart, soul, and mind; and loving my neighbor as myself.  Amen.

“Fair-Minded Words” for Human Life?

Kudos to President Obama for delivering a forceful commencement address at the University of Notre Dame on May 17 with our whole nation, still embroiled in heated controversy over the moral rights of the unborn, seemingly in the audience. It is also commendable that the White House included in the official speech transcript the words of a heckler, “Abortion is murder! Stop killing children!” and the President’s response, “We're fine, everybody...We're not going to shy away from things that are uncomfortable sometimes.”

In keeping with this challenge, the president called the nation to "work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term."

Our president went on to challenge Notre Dame graduates and our nation reach to a higher level of dialog about controversial issues, using “fair-minded words” and to “open our hearts and our minds to those who may not think like we do or believe what we do [in order to] “discover at least the possibility of common ground.”

Then, the President elaborated (italics mine): In this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey. Stand as a lighthouse. But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It is the belief in things not seen. It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own.

On this note, we can certainly hope for a new era of “fair-minded words”– one in which we would listen carefully to the words of another president who spoke at a Notre Dame commencement on another May 17. In 1981, it was President Reagan at the podium. Referring to our founding fathers, he said:

“They gave us more than a nation. They brought to all mankind for the first time the concept that man was born free, that each of us has inalienable rights, ours by the grace of God....”

Then, six years later, President Reagan proclaimed January 18, 1987 as National Sanctity of Human Life Day with these words:

“Our Founding Fathers pledged to each other their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor in the Declaration of Independence. They announced their unbreakable bonds with its immutable truths that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'' Americans of every succeeding generation have cherished our heritage of God-given human rights and have been willing to sacrifice for those rights, just as our Founders did. Those rights are given by God to all alike. Medical evidence leaves no room for doubt that the distinct being developing in a mother's womb is both alive and human. This merely confirms what common sense has always told us. Abortion kills unborn babies and denies them forever their rights to ``Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.'' Our Declaration of Independence holds that governments are instituted among men to secure these rights, and our Constitution -- founded on these principles -- should not be read to sanction the taking of innocent human life.”

Now, President Obama has proclaimed that “those of us who believe must trust that His (God’s) wisdom is greater than our own.” But where do we find God’s wisdom? God reveals His wisdom both in nature and in His written Word, the Bible. In His natural revelation, we can see, courtesy of YouTube, the awesome development of the human being in the mother’s womb. Thanks to the work of many women’s centers across our nation, many women contemplating abortion respond to this “natural revelation” by carrying their baby to full term.

In His written revelation, the Bible, God makes it clear that it is not “beyond our capacity to know with certainty...what God asks of us.” For example, God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, saying “ "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5);" Or, the God, of whom King David said, “Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them (Psalm 139:16).

So, we conclude with thanks to President Obama for his challenge to “trust that His (God’s) wisdom is greater than our own.” We can be certain that the Creator God values the life of the unborn. We can also be certain of the statistics from the U.S. Census Report of 2006 (See Table 77). The report reveals that Black Americans are no longer replacing themselves because there are more deaths than live births. According to Protecting Black Life, “35% of the abortions in the United States are performed on African American women, while they represent only 13% of the female population of the country. African Americans are the only minority in America that is on the decline in population.” Let us pray that President Obama will not “shy away from things that are uncomfortable.” May his speech at Notre Dame be remembered as a turning point– a time at which he turns toward becoming a protector of the moral and civil rights of both the African American minority and of the unborn of all humanity.