Paul's epistle to the Phillipians NWT(2013 Edition)

1 Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus, to all the holy ones in union with Christ Jesus who are in Phi·lip′pi,+ along with overseers and ministerial servants:+

2 May you have undeserved kindness and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God always when I remember you 4 in every supplication of mine for all of you. I offer each supplication with joy,+ 5 because of the contribution you have made to* the good news from the first day until this moment. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that the one who started a good work in you will bring it to completion+ until the day of Christ Jesus.+ 7 It is only right for me to think this regarding all of you, since I have you in my heart, you who are sharers with me in the undeserved kindness both in my prison bonds+ and in the defending and legally establishing of the good news.+

8 For God is my witness of how I am longing for all of you with such tender affection as Christ Jesus has. 9 And this is what I continue praying, that your love may abound still more and more+ with accurate knowledge+ and full discernment;+ 10 that you may make sure of the more important things,+ so that you may be flawless and not stumbling others+ up to the day of Christ; 11 and that you may be filled with righteous fruit, which is through Jesus Christ,+ to God’s glory and praise.

12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that my situation has actually turned out for the advancement of the good news, 13 so that my prison bonds+ for the sake of Christ have become public knowledge+ among all the Prae·to′ri·an Guard and all the rest. 14 Now most of the brothers in the Lord have gained confidence because of my prison bonds, and they are showing all the more courage to speak the word of God fearlessly.

15 True, some are preaching the Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter are proclaiming the Christ out of love, for they know that I have been appointed to defend the good news;+ 17 but the former do it out of contentiousness, not with a pure motive, for they are intending to create trouble for me in my prison bonds. 18 With what result? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed, and I rejoice over this. In fact, I will also keep on rejoicing, 19 for I know that this will result in my salvation through your supplication+ and with the support of the spirit of Jesus Christ.+ 20 This is in harmony with my eager expectation and hope that I will not be ashamed in any respect, but that with all freeness of speech Christ will now, as always before, be magnified by means of my body, whether through life or through death.+

21 For in my case, to live is Christ+ and to die is gain.+ 22 Now if I am to live on in the flesh, this is a fruitage of my work; yet what I would choose, I do not make known. 23 I am torn between these two things, for I do desire the releasing and the being with Christ,+ which is, to be sure, far better.+ 24 However, it is more necessary for me to remain in the flesh for your sakes. 25 So, being confident of this, I know I will remain and continue with all of you for your advancement and your joy in the faith, 26 so that your exultation may overflow in Christ Jesus because of me when I am again present with you.

27 Only behave* in a manner worthy of the good news about the Christ,+ so that whether I come and see you or I am absent, I may hear about you and learn that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul,*+ striving side by side for the faith of the good news, 28 and in no way being frightened by your opponents. This very thing is a proof of destruction+ for them, but of salvation for you;+ and this is from God. 29 For you have been given the privilege in behalf of Christ, not only to put your faith in him but also to suffer in his behalf.+ 30 For you are facing the same struggle that you saw me face,+ which you now hear that I am still facing.

 

2 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any spiritual fellowship,* if any tender affection and compassion, 2 make my joy full by being of the same mind and having the same love, being completely united,* having the one thought in mind.+ 3 Do nothing out of contentiousness+ or out of egotism,+ but with humility* consider others superior to you,+ 4 as you look out not only for your own interests,+ but also for the interests of others.+

5 Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus,+ 6 who, although he was existing in God’s form,+ gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God.+ 7 No, but he emptied himself and took a slave’s form+ and became human.*+ 8 More than that, when he came as a man,* he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death,+ yes, death on a torture stake.*+ 9 For this very reason, God exalted him to a superior position+ and kindly gave him the name that is above every other name,+ 10 so that in the name of Jesus every knee should bend—of those in heaven and those on earth and those under the ground+— 11 and every tongue should openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord+ to the glory of God the Father.

12 Consequently, my beloved ones, just as you have always obeyed, not only during my presence but now much more readily during my absence, keep working out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For God is the one who for the sake of his good pleasure energizes you, giving you both the desire and the power to act. 14 Keep doing all things free from murmuring+ and arguments,+ 15 so that you may come to be blameless and innocent, children of God+ without a blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation,+ among whom you are shining as illuminators in the world,+ 16 keeping a tight grip on the word of life.+ Then I may have reason for rejoicing in Christ’s day, knowing that I did not run in vain or work hard in vain. 17 However, even if I am being poured out like a drink offering+ on the sacrifice+ and the holy service* to which your faith has led you, I am glad and I rejoice with all of you. 18 In the same way, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

19 Now I am hoping in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy+ to you shortly, so that I may be encouraged when I receive news about you. 20 For I have no one else of a disposition like his who will genuinely care for your concerns. 21 For all the others are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know the proof he gave of himself, that like a child+ with a father he slaved with me to advance the good news. 23 Therefore, he is the one I am hoping to send just as soon as I see how things turn out for me. 24 Indeed, I am confident in the Lord that I myself will also come soon.+

25 But for now I consider it necessary to send to you E·paph·ro·di′tus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your envoy and personal servant for my need,+ 26 since he is longing to see all of you and is depressed because you heard he had fallen sick. 27 Indeed, he did fall sick nearly to the point of death; but God had mercy on him, in fact, not only on him but also on me, so that I should not have one grief after another. 28 Therefore, I am sending him with the greatest urgency, so that when you see him you may again rejoice and I may also be less anxious. 29 So give him the customary welcome in the Lord with all joy, and keep holding men of that sort dear,+ 30 because he nearly died on account of the work of Christ,* risking his life* in order to make up for your not being here to render personal service to me.+

 

3 Finally, my brothers, continue rejoicing in the Lord.+ It is not troublesome for me to write the same things to you, and it is for your safety.

2 Look out for the dogs; look out for those who cause injury; look out for those who mutilate the flesh.+ 3 For we are those with the real circumcision,+ we who are rendering sacred service by God’s spirit and boasting in Christ Jesus+ and who do not base our confidence in the flesh, 4 though I, if anyone, do have grounds for confidence in the flesh.

If any other man thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day,+ of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews;+ regarding law, a Pharisee;+ 6 regarding zeal, persecuting the congregation;+ regarding righteousness based on law, one who proved himself blameless. 7 Yet, the things that were gains to me, I have considered loss* on account of the Christ.+ 8 What is more, I do indeed also consider all things to be loss on account of the excelling value of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have taken the loss of all things and I consider them as a lot of refuse,* that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in union with him, not because of my own righteousness from following the Law, but because of the righteousness that is through faith+ in Christ,+ the righteousness from God based on faith.+ 10 My aim is to know him and the power of his resurrection+ and to share in his sufferings,+ submitting myself to a death like his,+ 11 to see if at all possible I may attain to the earlier resurrection from the dead.+

12 Not that I have already received it or am already made perfect, but I am pressing on+ to see if I may also lay hold on that for which Christ Jesus selected me.*+ 13 Brothers, I do not yet consider myself as having taken hold of it; but one thing is certain: Forgetting the things behind+ and stretching forward to the things ahead,+ 14 I am pressing on toward the goal for the prize+ of the upward call+ of God by means of Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore, let those of us who are mature+ be of this mental attitude, and if you are mentally inclined otherwise in any respect, God will reveal the above attitude to you. 16 At any rate, to the extent we have made progress, let us go on walking orderly in this same course.

17 Unitedly become imitators of me,+ brothers, and keep your eye on those who are walking in a way that is in harmony with the example we set for you. 18 For there are many—I used to mention them often but now I mention them also with weeping—who are walking as enemies of the torture stake* of the Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, and their god is their belly, and their glory is really their shame, and they have their minds on earthly things.+ 20 But our citizenship+ exists in the heavens,+ and we are eagerly waiting for a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,+ 21 who will transform our humble body to be like* his glorious body+ by his great power that enables him to subject all things to himself.+

 

 

4 Consequently, my brothers whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,+ stand firm+ in this way in the Lord, my beloved ones.

2 I urge Eu·o′di·a and I urge Syn′ty·che to be of the same mind in the Lord.+ 3 Yes, I request you also, as a true fellow worker,* to keep assisting these women who have striven* side by side with me for the good news, along with Clement as well as the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.+

4 Always rejoice in the Lord. Again I will say, Rejoice!+ 5 Let your reasonableness+ become known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious over anything,+ but in everything by prayer and supplication along with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God;+ 7 and the peace+ of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts+ and your mental powers* by means of Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are of serious concern, whatever things are righteous, whatever things are chaste,* whatever things are lovable, whatever things are well-spoken-of, whatever things are virtuous, and whatever things are praiseworthy, continue considering* these things.+ 9 The things that you learned as well as accepted and heard and saw in connection with me, practice these,+ and the God of peace will be with you.

10 I rejoice greatly in the Lord that now at last you have renewed your concern for me.+ Though you were concerned about me, you lacked opportunity to show it. 11 Not that I am saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be self-sufficient* regardless of my circumstances.+ 12 I know how to be low on provisions+ and how to have an abundance. In everything and in all circumstances I have learned the secret of both how to be full and how to hunger, both how to have an abundance and how to do without. 13 For all things I have the strength through the one who gives me power.+

14 Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my tribulation. 15 In fact, you Phi·lip′pi·ans also know that after you first learned the good news, when I departed from Mac·e·do′ni·a, not a congregation shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone;+ 16 for while I was in Thes·sa·lo·ni′ca, you sent something to me for my need not just once but twice. 17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I want the fruitage that brings more credit to your account. 18 However, I have everything I need and even more. I am fully supplied, now that I have received from E·paph·ro·di′tus+ what you sent, a sweet fragrance,+ an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. 19 In turn my God will fully supply all your need+ according to his riches in glory by means of Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

21 Give my greetings to every holy one in union with Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. 22 All the holy ones, but especially those of the household of Caesar,+ send you their greetings.

23 The undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ be with the spirit you show.

 

The Watchtower Society's commentary on Paul's epistle to the Phillipians.

PHILIPPIANS, LETTER TO THE

 

 

A book of the Christian Greek Scriptures written by the apostle Paul to the congregation in the city of Philippi in the province of Macedonia, a congregation that Paul had established about 50 C.E., in the course of his second missionary tour.

When and Where Written. The letter’s internal evidence indicates it was written during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome. In it he speaks of “all the Praetorian Guard” as knowing the reason for his being in bonds, and he sends greetings from “those of the household of Caesar.” (Php 1:13; 4:22) Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome is generally considered to have taken place about 59-61 C.E. Several events occurred between Paul’s arrival in Rome and his decision to write to the Philippians. Epaphroditus had made the trip from Philippi, had worked to assist Paul, and had fallen very sick. The Philippians, some 1,000 km (600 mi) distant, had received news of his sickness. Now Epaphroditus had recovered, and Paul was sending him back with the letter. So the letter was written about 60 or 61 C.E.

Background and Reasons for Writing. The Philippian congregation had shown great love and regard for Paul. Shortly after his visit to them, the congregation had generously sent him material provisions during his stay of several weeks in nearby Thessalonica. (Php 4:15, 16) Later, when the brothers in Jerusalem entered into a period of intense persecution and were in need of material help, the Christians in Philippi, themselves very poor and undergoing a great test of affliction, had nevertheless demonstrated a readiness to contribute even beyond their ability. Paul so much appreciated their fine attitude that he cited them as an example to the other congregations. (2Co 8:1-6) They were also very active and busy in preaching the good news, so they apparently had not been closely in touch with Paul for a time. But now, in his need in prison bonds, they not only sent material gifts so that Paul had an abundance but also dispatched their personal envoy Epaphroditus, a man valuable to them. This zealous brother courageously gave assistance to Paul, even endangering his own life. Consequently, Paul commends him highly to the congregation.—Php 2:25-30; 4:18.

Paul expresses confidence that, in harmony with their prayers, he will be released from this imprisonment and will be able to visit them again. (Php 1:19; 2:24) He knows that for him to continue to live is to be useful to them, though he looks longingly forward to the time when Christ will receive him home to himself. (Php 1:21-25; compare Joh 14:3.) In the meantime, he hopes to send Timothy, who, more than anyone else available, will genuinely have their interests at heart.—Php 2:19-23.

The letter breathes love. Paul never withheld commendation where due, nor did he shrink back from giving necessary reproof, but in this case encouragement was the thing needed. The congregation had their opponents, “workers of injury,” who wanted to boast in fleshly connections and in circumcision of the flesh, but it appears that the brothers were not seriously affected or upset. (Php 3:2) So Paul did not have to present strong argument and reproof as, for example, in his letters to the congregations in Galatia and Corinth. The only hint of correction was his exhortation to unity on the part of Euodia and Syntyche. Throughout the letter he encourages the Philippian congregation to continue in their fine course—seeking greater discernment and getting a sure grip on the Word of life, a stronger faith, and hope in the prize to come.

There are many fine principles expressed in the letter that provide guidance and encouragement to all Christians. Some of them are:

Chapter

and verse Principle

1:9, 10 Make sure of the more important things so as not to

stumble others over any matter

1:15-18 We can rejoice even when the enemies of the truth

speak about it contentiously, for this only serves

to publicize the truth

1:19 Prayer by God’s servants is effectual

1:27, 28 Christians’ unity and courage in the presence of

their opponents is a proof from God that he will

deliver his servants and destroy his enemies

2:5-11 Humility brings exaltation from God

2:27 God can be thanked for his mercy when one of his

faithful servants recovers from an illness

3:16 To what extent the Christian has made progress, he

should continue walking orderly in this same

routine in order to receive the prize

3:20 Christians should look to the heavens, where their

citizenship exists, not to earthly connections

4:6, 7 Do not be anxious; in every situation submit your

petitions to God, and he will give peace that

guards your heart and mental powers

4:8 Consider at all times the right and praiseworthy

things

[Box on page 630]

HIGHLIGHTS OF PHILIPPIANS

A letter reflecting the special bond of love that existed between Paul and the Christians in Philippi

Written by Paul about 60-61 C.E. while in prison in Rome

Paul’s love for the brothers and his appreciation for their generosity

Paul thanks God for the Philippians’ contribution to the furtherance of the good news. Out of deep affection for them, he prays that their love increase and that they make sure of the more important things (1:3-11)

Paul is concerned about the Philippians’ welfare; he hopes to send them Timothy, whom he highly recommends; he is confident that he himself will also visit them shortly (2:19-24)

To reassure the brothers regarding Epaphroditus, whom the Philippians had heard was very sick, Paul is sending them this loyal servant whom they had assigned to minister to Paul (2:25-30)

Although Paul is self-sufficient in all circumstances thanks to the strength granted to him from above, he highly commends the Philippians for their generosity (4:10-19)

Results of Paul’s imprisonment

Paul’s imprisonment has led to the advancement of the good news; his situation is well known among the Praetorian Guard, and most of the brothers are showing more courage to speak the word of God fearlessly (1:12-14)

Some are preaching with a good motive, others with a bad motive—either way, Christ is being publicized; whether Paul lives or dies, he will magnify Christ; but he feels he will live so as to minister to the Philippians (1:15-26)

Upbuilding counsel regarding attitude and conduct

Behave in a manner worthy of the good news, not being frightened by enemies; opponents will be destroyed, whereas believers will gain salvation (1:27-30)

Display the same mental attitude as Christ by manifesting humility and not being self-seeking (2:1-11)

As blameless children, shine as illuminators among a twisted generation, “keeping a tight grip on the word of life” (2:12-16)

Guard against those promoting circumcision; a Christian’s confidence is in Christ, not in fleshly circumcision (3:1-3)

Paul has the highest standing when it comes to fleshly qualifications, yet he considers all of this as refuse on account of “the excelling value of the knowledge of Christ”; he is pursuing down toward the prize and urges others to do likewise (3:4-21)

Continue rejoicing in the Lord; manifest reasonableness and commit anxieties to God in prayer; fill the mind with wholesome thoughts (4:4-9)

The Watchtower Society's commentary on The epistle of James

JAMES

 

[English equivalent of Jacob, meaning, “One Seizing the Heel; Supplanter”].

1. Father of the apostle Judas (not Judas Iscariot).—Lu 6:16; Ac 1:13.

2. Son of Zebedee; brother of John and one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. (Mt 10:2) His mother, it seems, was Salome, as may be noted by comparing two accounts of the same event. One mentions “the mother of the sons of Zebedee,” the other calls her “Salome.” (Mt 27:55, 56; Mr 15:40, 41; see SALOME No. 1.) A further comparison of John 19:25 perhaps points to Salome as the fleshly sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother. If so, James was a first cousin of Jesus.

James and his brother were working with their father in the fishing business in 30 C.E. when Jesus called them, together with associate fishermen Peter and Andrew, to be his disciples and “fishers of men.” In answering Jesus’ call, James and John left a fishing business that was a partnership with Peter and Andrew and that was large enough to employ hired men.—Mt 4:18-22; Mr 1:19, 20; Lu 5:7-10.

The next year, 31 C.E., when Jesus designated 12 of his disciples to be apostles, James was one of the group selected.—Mr 3:13-19; Lu 6:12-16.

Often Peter, James, and John were mentioned as being together in close company with Christ. For example, these three were the only ones present with Christ in the mount of transfiguration (Mt 17:1, 2), were the only apostles invited into the house to witness the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter (Lu 8:51), and were the ones closest to Jesus in Gethsemane while he was praying that last night (Mr 14:32-34). Peter, James, and John, together with Andrew, were the ones that asked Jesus when the foretold destruction of Jerusalem’s temple would be and what would be the sign of his presence and of the conclusion of the system of things. (Mr 13:3, 4) James is always mentioned along with his brother John, and in the majority of instances he is mentioned first. This may indicate he was the older of the two.—Mt 4:21; 10:2; 17:1; Mr 1:19, 29; 3:17; 5:37; 9:2; 10:35, 41; 13:3; 14:33; Lu 5:10; 6:14; 8:51; 9:28, 54; Ac 1:13.

To James and his brother, Jesus gave the surname Boanerges, a Semitic term meaning “Sons of Thunder.” (Mr 3:17) This may have been because of the energetic, fiery, and enthusiastic nature of these men. On one occasion, for example, when certain Samaritans were inhospitable toward Jesus, James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven to annihilate them. Although reproved by Jesus for suggesting such revenge, this attitude was indicative of their righteous indignation and also of their faith. (Lu 9:51-55) They also entertained ambitions of having the most prominent positions in the Kingdom, at the right and left hands of Jesus, and they apparently got their mother (possibly Jesus’ aunt) to request such favors of him. After explaining that such decisions were made by the Father, Jesus took the occasion to point out that “whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave.”—Mt 20:20-28.

James evidently died in 44 C.E. Herod Agrippa I had him executed with the sword. He was the first of the 12 apostles to die as a martyr.—Ac 12:1-3.

3. Another apostle of Jesus Christ and son of Alphaeus. (Mt 10:2, 3; Mr 3:18; Lu 6:15; Ac 1:13) It is generally believed and quite probable that Alphaeus was the same person as Clopas, in which event James’ mother was Mary, the same Mary that was “the mother of James the Less and of Joses.” (Joh 19:25; Mr 15:40; Mt 27:56) He may have been called James the Less because of being either smaller in physical stature or younger in age than the other apostle James, the son of Zebedee.

4. Son of Joseph and Mary, and half brother of Jesus. (Mr 6:3; Ga 1:19) Although not an apostle, it was evidently this James who was an overseer of the Christian congregation at Jerusalem (Ac 12:17) and who wrote the Bible book bearing his name. (Jas 1:1) He may have been next to Jesus in age, being the first named of Mary’s four natural-born sons: James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas. (Mt 13:55; see BROTHER.) Paul implies in his letter to the Corinthians, written about the year 55 C.E., that James was married.—1Co 9:5.

It appears that during Jesus’ ministry James was well acquainted with his brother’s activity (Lu 8:19; Joh 2:12), but though apparently not opposed, he was not one of the disciples and followers of Christ. (Mt 12:46-50; Joh 7:5) He was probably with his nonbelieving brothers when they urged Jesus to go boldly up to the Festival of Tabernacles, at a time when the rulers of the Jews were seeking to kill him. (Joh 7:1-10) James also may have been numbered among the relatives that said of Jesus: “He has gone out of his mind.”—Mr 3:21.

However, after the death of Jesus and prior to Pentecost 33 C.E., James was assembled for prayer together with his mother, brothers, and the apostles in an upper chamber in Jerusalem. (Ac 1:13, 14) It was evidently to this James that the resurrected Jesus appeared personally, as reported at 1 Corinthians 15:7, so convincing this onetime nonbeliever that He was indeed the Messiah. This reminds us of Jesus’ personal appearance to Paul.—Ac 9:3-5.

Thereafter James became a prominent member and, apparently, an “apostle” of the Jerusalem congregation. (See APOSTLE [Congregational Apostleships].) Thus, at Paul’s first visit with the Jerusalem brothers (about 36 C.E.), he says he spent 15 days with Peter but “saw no one else of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord.” (Ga 1:18, 19) Peter, after his miraculous release from prison, instructed the brothers at John Mark’s home, “Report these things to James and the brothers,” thereby indicating James’ prominence. (Ac 12:12, 17) About 49 C.E. the issue of circumcision came before “the apostles and the older men” at Jerusalem. Following personal testimony by Peter, Barnabas, and Paul, James spoke, offering a decision that was approved and adopted by the assembly. (Ac 15:6-29; compare Ac 16:4.) Referring to that occasion, Paul says that James, Cephas, and John “seemed to be pillars” among those at Jerusalem. (Ga 2:1-9) At the close of a later missionary tour, Paul, in Jerusalem, reported on his ministry to James and “all the older men,” and these then gave him certain counsel to follow.—Ac 21:15-26; see also Ga 2:11-14.

That it was this ‘brother of Jesus’ who wrote the book of James, and not one of the apostles by the same name (either the son of Zebedee or the son of Alphaeus), seems to be indicated at the beginning of his letter. There the writer identifies himself as “a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,” rather than as an apostle. In a similar fashion his brother Judas (Jude) also identified himself as “a slave of Jesus Christ, but a brother of James.” (Jas 1:1; Jude 1) Both brothers humbly avoided identifying themselves as fleshly brothers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

His being called “James the Just” is based on traditions that say he was so designated because of his way of life. There is no record in the Scriptures of James’ death. The secular historian Josephus, however, says that during the interval between the death of Governor Festus, about 62 C.E., and the arrival of his successor Albinus, the high priest, Ananus (Ananias), “convened the judges of the Sanhedrin and brought before them a man named James, the brother of Jesus who was called the Christ, and certain others. He accused them of having transgressed the law and delivered them up to be stoned.”—Jewish Antiquities, XX, 200 (ix, 1).

Sowing the seeds of unbelief.

So now you know IV

George Church on the design debate.

Harvard geneticist George Church has said some fascinating things on the theme of intelligent design. He's particularly interested, if I'm summarizing correctly, in the idea of biology as engineering. So is Discovery Institute's Stephen Meyer. Which is why, having read some of his published remarks, we sent Dr. Church an advance copy of Darwin's Doubt asking that he look in particular at the middle section of the book, "How to Build an Animal," which deals precisely with the massive engineering problems facing Darwinian evolutionary theory.

We were grateful to get back this gracious comment, which appears on the dust jacket.

Stephen Meyer's new book Darwin's Doubt represents an opportunity for bridge-building, rather than dismissive polarization -- bridges across cultural divides in great need of professional, respectful dialog -- and bridges to span evolutionary gaps.

While very gratifying to have his warm wishes, it's not shocking that Dr. Church would share them with us. Back in 2008 he participated in a recorded seminar, "Life: What a Concept!," with Freeman Dyson, Robert Shapiro, J. Craig Venter, and others. He said:

As a scientific discipline, many people have casually dismissed Intelligent Design without carefully defining what they mean by intelligence or what they mean by design. Science and math have long histories of proving things, and not just accepting intuition -- Fermat's last theorem was not proven until it was proven. And I think we're in a similar space with intelligent design.

Again:

The ribosome, both looking at the past and at the future, is a very significant structure -- it's the most complicated thing that is present in all organisms. Craig does comparative genomics, and you find that almost the only thing that's in common across all organisms is the ribosome. And it's recognizable; it's highly conserved. So the question is, how did that thing come to be? And if I were to be an intelligent design defender, that's what I would focus on; how did the ribosome come to be?

Is he an advocate of intelligent design like Stephen Meyer? No. Is he a very interesting, independent thinker, who has made some suggestive comments relevant to ID, about which one would like to have the opportunity to question him much further? Yes.

On why Frankenstein cannot help Origin of life scientists.

Can We Solve the Mystery of the Origin of Life by Creating Life in the Lab?

Denyse O'Leary March 24, 2014 4:19 AM

 

 

 

Francis Crick said in 1981, "Every time I write a paper on the origins of life I swear I will never write another one, because there is too much speculation running after too few facts, though I must confess that in spite of this, the subject is so fascinating that I never seem to stick to my resolve."¹ He isn't alone. With unmistakable dejection, Christian de Duve listed a number of OOL theories -- pyrophosphate world, iron-sulfur world, thioester world -- adding, "opinions are divided on what has been accomplished by all this activity. While much has been learned, it is clear that we are still nowhere near explaining the origin of life."² James Shapiro said bluntly in 2010 that origin of life theories are "still on the fringes of serious scientific discussion."

One group is charting a genuinely new path. Nobelist Jack Szostak seeks to construct an origin-of-life grade cell: "You want something that can grow and divide and, most importantly, exhibit Darwinian evolution. The way that we study that is by trying to make it happen in the lab." He thinks he has succeeded with the cell membrane but "genetic material is the harder problem; the chemistry is just more complicated." And well-known origin-of-life researcher Gerald Joyce thinks that "alien" (i.e., alternative) life forms will more likely be constructed in a laboratory than found in space. Richard Dawkins is optimistic about such efforts: "I watch from the sidelines with engaged curiosity, and I shall not be surprised if within the next few years, chemists report that they have successfully midwifed a new origin of life in the laboratory."

The lab may be the best bet. Science writer John Horgan assesses the current programs unsparingly (but doubtless correctly): "This is by far the weakest strut of the chassis of modern biology. The origin of life is a science writer's dream. It abounds with exotic scientists and exotic theories, which are never entirely abandoned or accepted, but merely go in and out of fashion." We are forever on the verge of a great discovery -- perhaps our hundredth such verge -- but there are no dates proposed for progress evaluation. We can, however, draw some conclusions at this point:

Life's origin on Earth may simply be impossible to determine. It was, after all, an event in time, in history, like the moment the last dinosaur died or the first human fashioned a wheel. If the origin is chance, as most models imply, it is all the more likely to be lost to follow-up.

Life produced in the lab would be a stunning feat but would not necessarily explain life's historical origin. As evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne told New Scientist, "Even if we can create a 'second genesis' in the laboratory, that won't tell us exactly how it happened on Earth 3.8 billion years ago," adding "There are so many different scenarios for how life got going and they all involve molecules that don't get fossilized. It's a clear limit." Astrobiologists argue that life could get started a number of ways elsewhere. A successful lab experiment does not rule out other scenarios, on Earth or anywhere else.

Researchers who design their experiment so that life "just happens" a certain way in the lab are not ruling out design. A gaming commission designs a lottery to assign winning tickets randomly, using a computer algorithm. But the algorithm was designed to assign the numbers randomly. For example, a math genius might then game the algorithm by detecting the design and arranging his ticket purchases to greatly improve his odds. But, if so, he is substituting design for design, not design for chance. Indeed, one Toronto, Canada, statistician did something like that, demonstrating to the gaming commission a flaw in the algorithm for assigning the numbers, such that a design could be detected (and the game was changed as a result).

In short, setting ethical concerns aside for the moment, creating life from scratch in the lab is the only strategy that could, in principle, yield results that are subject to normal science investigation (controlled conditions in the present day). But it would not demonstrate either that life came into existence by that method or that it came into existence without design. Quite the opposite; we would now have a method of creating life by design -- but still no known methods that do not include design.

Could we at least apply what we learn from designing life ourselves to the lost events of deep time? Maybe. But the most reliable methods for producing life in the lab might require the most intervention or feature the conditions we think least likely on early Earth. On the other hand, we could at least test panspermia models. Best results stemming from Mars or asteroid simulations would support panspermia far more strongly than lack of success with Earth-based models (really, panspermia is then just an argument from desperation).

And -- some may think this benefit alone worth all the trouble, risk, and expense -- we could ignore dozens of sketchy model-of-the-month scenarios based on contested claims about Earth's history. Either a model creates life or it isn't ready for prime time. Science journals can then dispense with complex conditional tenses like "might have had," "could have had," and "would have had" when writing about the creation of life.

In short, the lab approach offers an all-science-and-no-religion way out of the present quagmire, with the likelihood of at least some useful answers. Why not just generally adopt it, or at least work toward it? One problem is that it doesn't support claims about the vast powers of randomness or the brute laws of nature. And no solution that dismisses both can be regarded as "science" today. So origin-of-life projects continue to head off in dozens of directions to nowhere instead.

But they at least remain free of any taint of design.

References:

(1) Francis Crick, Life Itself (1981), p. 153.

(2) Christian de Duve, "Mysteries of Life", in Bruce L. Gordon and William A. Dembski, The Nature of Nature: Examining the Role of Naturalism in Science (Wilmington, DE: ISI Books,
2011), p. 349.