Picture this scene. "It is dusk, and a couple is sitting on an ocean beach. The sand is warm to the touch. The sun is just about to set, kissing the surface of the ocean. A spirit of romance comes over the young woman. Without taking her eyes off of the ocean and sun she says, "Isn't that sunset gorgeous?"

The fellow replies, "Well, strictly speaking, the sun is not setting. Nor for that matter, does it ever do so. The sun, you see, is in a relatively fixed position in relation to the earth. So, to speak precisely, one ought to say that the earth is rising."

An absolutely brilliant statement for the classroom, but an unbelievably dumb statement for the beach in the presence of a beautiful young woman." (Rodney E. Wilmoth, "Beyond Explanation", January 29, 1989).

Last Sunday we began and…