Troy Pastor Believes God is the Creator of All Things and Evolution

Bob Cornwall follows baseball, loves to travel and grew up in the church.

Many interesting people blog on Patch and we want to introduce you to some of them. Each week we will highlight a new Patch blogger.
Today, Cornwall answers our questions.

Where did you grow up?

I was born in Los Angeles, but grew up in Northern California (Mount Shasta) and Oregon (Klamath Falls).  This was snow country, so Michigan winters, though very different from Santa Barbara, weren't too strange!

What are your hobbies?

Besides writing, I enjoy traveling, going to museums, and supporting my teams -- San Francisco Giants and Detroit Tigers, as well as the Oregon Ducks.  That probably means I need to find a hobby!

Favorite book?

Too many to count.  I'm an avid reader of things historical and theological.  My favorite theologian is Jurgen Moltmann.  

Favorite movie?

Field of Dreams

How did you become involved in theology?

I grew up in the church (Episcopal Church then the Foursquare Gospel Church), and have remained active my entire life.  I went to a Christian College and majored in Biblical Studies and Christian Ministry (Northwest Christian University, Eugene, OR).  From there it was on to seminary (Fuller Theological Seminary), where I learned a Masters of Divinity (M.Div.) and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology.  I've always been interested in history -- got it from my Dad -- and just applied it to theology. 

What is the most biggest misconception when it comes to religion and faith?

As for misconceptions, I think it is that religious people are all the same -- that is when you see one you've seen them all.  The truth is, religious people can be liberal, conservative, moderate.  Some take their sacred scriptures with complete literalness while others recognize that there different ways of reading and interpreting texts.  For instance, I happen to believe that God is the Creator of all things.  I also happen to believe in evolution.  I don't read Genesis 1-2 as either history or science.  I read these important chapters as theological statements.  

What is the best advice you would give people who are struggling in life?

My advice is -- become part of a community.  St. Paul speaks of the church as the "body of Christ," with each member being important.  We live in an age that prizes being an individual.  We want to make it on our own.  We don't want to rely on others, because that will make us seem weak.  And yet if we are to find our way forward, we need one another -- we need community.  It's not a panacea.  It can be difficult finding the right kind of community.  And every community is imperfect -- especially religious communities -- but they can also be sources of great strength -- they become the places through which the Spirit of God can move bringing strength and hope.

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