"The essential idea of liberal theology is that all claims to truth, in theology as in other disciplines, must be made on the basis of reason and experience, not by appeals to external authority. Christian scripture may be recognized as spiritually authoritative within Christian experience, but its word does not settle or establish truth claims about matters of fact."

Dorrien, Gary. The Making of American Liberal Theology:
Idealism, Realism, & Modernity, 1900-1950, p 1
cited by: Brenner, John M. p. 309
Fall 2005. Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly – Reviewers’ Desk, Vol. 102, No. 4

Comment: Human reason & experience fall far short of God's wisdom and eternal outlook. How could we ever replace the authority of his Word with our own limited world-view... especially when we have the impediment of our sinful nature.

Researchers have created the world’s smallest fountain pen with a tip so tiny it can draw lines a hundred times thinner than a red blood cell.

Called the “nanonfountain probe,” it can paint lines as thin as 40 nanometers and has its own reservoir to hold various types of inks, including pigments for painting patterns and organic materials for designing sensors.

...The new pen can be attached to the atomic-force microscope, which allows scientists to see nanoscale environments as well as draw on them.

...The pen was developed by researchers at the National Science Foundation Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center for Integrated Nanopatterning and Detection Technologies.

Carey, Bjorn. The World’s Smallest Fountain Pen
October 6, 2005. LiveScience.com

Comment: Even so, God’s Word is able to get down to a metaphysical level – dividing soul and spirit, exposing the sin that no one else could see, and writing on the very heart the word of God's peace, which we all need.

"Most published scientific research papers are wrong, according to a new analysis. Assuming that the new paper is itself correct, problems with experimental and statistical methods mean that there is less than a 50% chance that the results of any randomly chosen scientific paper are true.

John Ioannidis, an epidemiologist at the University of Ioannina School of Medicine in Greece, says that small sample sizes, poor study design, researcher bias, and selective reporting and other problems combine to make most research findings false. But even large, well-designed studies are not always right, meaning that scientists and the public have to be wary of reported findings.

'We should accept that most research findings will be refuted. Some will be replicated and validated. The replication process is more important than the first discovery,' Ioannidis says.

…He shows statistically how the many obstacles to getting research findings right combine to make most published research wrong.

…But Solomon Snyder, senior editor at the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, US, says most working scientists understand the limitations of published research.

Kleiner, Kurt. Most scientific papers are probably wrong
August 30, 2005. NewScientist.com

Comment: More and more people are learning that you have to be very careful where you put your trust. How assuring it is to know that God's Word is always correct... it can never be refuted, because God doesn't make mistakes and he doesn't lie.

"My teenagers walk into the kitchen, open the fridge door, and stare blankly inside. They want something to eat, but they don’t know what. Many of us stare blankly into the Word. What is it we want?… Are we looking for rules to make our decisions easier, or are we looking for grace to guide us in our decisions? Are we looking for proof for our ideas, or are we looking for beliefs from God’s proof? Are we looking for something that tastes sweet but lacks any lasting value or something that takes work to chew and digest but nourishes us for eternity?"

Eich, John. Soul Food, p. 13
June 2004. Forward in Christ, Vol. 91, No. 6

(New York) "Antique maps, globes and atlases are gracing more homes and offices as the decorative appeal of these once functional objects is winning over art collectors. 'They’re beautiful, historically important, tell a story about exploration, conflict, warfare, discovery,' said Paul Cohen, a map dealer. 'They reveal their secrets to people who study and use them. They’re the roots of history.'

At the same time, prices are a fraction of those paid for say, Old Masters oil paintings -- even at a record $10 million for the only known copy of the first world map to show 'America.' Referred to as 'America’s birth certificate,' the map was created in 1507 by German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller.

Chang, Richard. Old Maps, as Art, Chart Higher Prices
June 19, 2004. Reuters – Business

Comment: The most valuable map to eternal life came at the price of a life - Jesus Christ's. The Bible maps God's promises through to their fulfillment. How helpful and precious this map is to lost sinners! And yet it is given to us absolutely FREE.