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Gravity Waves and Singing Stars
“In our world,” said Eustace, “a star is a huge ball of flaming gas.” Even in your world, my son, that is not what a star is, but only what it is made of.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Last week, scientists announced the discovery that the universe is vibrating with low frequency gravity waves. Music analogies proliferated. It was a “cosmic bass note”, a “hum”, a “chorus”, the “background sound of the universe”. Astronomer Adam Frank, writing in The Atlantic, put it most poetically: The whole universe is humming. Actually, the whole universe is Mongolian throat singing. Every star, every planet, every continent, every building,…
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Idol Prayers
John Calvin famously declared that humans are, by nature, always creating idols. I’m afraid to say that is especially true for people like me who find that creativity itself is our chief idol. I am tempted to find my own invention more interesting than God’s. I am tempted to find greater satisfaction in the things I might make or write than the infinitely greater things God has done for me. I am disproportionately attracted to ideas (even theological ideas) that I have worked out for myself. I don’t want to reject my creativity—it’s a good gift of God. But nor do I want it to have free rein over my…