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Time Magazine, March 10, 1997, features the war between chess-champion Garry Kasparov, and the Deep Blue IBM in the computer match. Can this man outwit ? no, outdo the computer ? Last time, it won the first game (an interesting concession to novelty, perhaps), lost three and drew two games. Kasparov of course won the match. Now the executives have a "deeper blue" electronic contestant, which may be more successful, some think.

It is not, however, as Time reports Kasparov to say, that man may recreate himself (in such matters as computers), so giving God pleasure. Man CANNOT re-recreate himself, since he is in God's image. Computers always lag, since the thought of man or woman or child, lies back of their programs, of whatever potted sophistication, or dynamic rule and rote; indeed, whatever the self-correcting surveys on planned, programmed parameters. They are created by man; and represent of man, a moment of thought, if you like, a snap-shot of creativity, not creativity itself. If a program is intricate, then it may even represent a band of inter-active snapshots, but not sight.

What is lacking is creativity of a person, that soaring loftiness which devises the unseen, thinks the humanly not yet thought of, excites the innovation of entirely new schemas and perceptions, such as science constantly engages in, is inspired by the celestial, travels further in the terrestrial ideational domain, within its activatable potential. Though the time to work out scientific discovery may dim the realisation of this fact, here as in many realms, man's spirit is endowed differently.

In SMR pp. 332F ff. and 348ff., we list some of the human specialties, the grandeur of the orb of human thought, to which is added the extravaganza of the human spirit, which has stirred thought, yes the human person whose operations are distinctive. More than coded, these however may be eroded or consummated depending on one's relationship with its Maker. (See also SMR pp. 92ff.,100-101.)

The pressure on Kasparov is really this: Can his inventiveness, capacity to survey with new concepts in this limited but evocative sphere, outwit the accumulated perceptions, codified whether statically or dynamically, by the computer programmers ? It will not SHOW anything special, but it may highlight man's inventiveness in either of two ways:

1) his power to invent computers which are a pale residuum of thought, but cannot think in the sense the term expresses, i.e. in the human fashion as noted. Certainly however they can acquire the consequences in dead form, of living thought. These may be manipulated in a memory system, a slave accessibility without human ability, or debility. Will thought stirred by spirit demonstrate its superiority in invention, over tradition codified ? That is an interesting question, and last time apparently, it did just that... On the other hand, what is shown may be ...

2) man's power to originate thought, rather than merely perform it: that is, his power to be free in imagination, cogitation, investigation, distillation, beyond the mere data or ingredients or plans or programs which face him. Man IS limited; but not by papped preliminary cogitation; indeed, he can even deny or defy his Creator, in one of the saddest, maddest and worst demonstrations of freedom anyone may wish to see; and the irony ?

It is this: as he does it, his vaunted freedom is lost. It is a clear case: he who exalts himself will be humbled. When he humbles himself to receive and to know the God who made Him on His authorised terms, however, then the exact magnificence of being in the image of God can be relished.

Man, the product of God, does not have a programmer's limitations for his electronic product. He does however have a creature's limitations: the difference is life, this specific, specialised life of man. As to that, its abortion in favour of pride and pretence is an everlasting sadness to be inherited by those whose prevailing thought is to save their own lives - even if, by computers, which alas, have no power to save.

God for His part is indeed "mighty to save" (Isaiah 63:1), and instructs us how to release the reality stored in our living images made by God (Isaiah 44:22-23, 45: 5,22, John 6:40, 10:9,27-28, 4:14), with great care, not only in what David Ben Gurion called the "book of books", the Old Testament, but in the New, where the archetype for man is granted from heaven. God Himself invested it - not with manhood alone, but with His own incarnate deity, giving us Christ in the flesh. It is He who makes the difference, who died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God: and those who so come, are so covered (Galatians 3:10-13, Romans 8:32).

Computers are useful; but not ultimately, without Jesus Christ, the righteous, the Prince of Peace, the Just One: for then their delusive seeming extension of man's oft vaunted, but never found autonomy, may merely mislead further. It can then become merely a vicarious worship of self.

Not that it need: but as with so much, if you do not understand the wonder of your Creator and the way to find Him, you are vulnerable on every side. However game you may be, one thing is then sure: it is this. Match lost!

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely: and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ - I Thessalonians 5:23. Addressed to Christians, this shows the scope of life.