AUGSEP90.html

of the

American Scientific Affiliation & Canadian Scientific Christian Affiliation

VOLUME 32 NUMBER 4 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 1990

NEWSLETTER of the ASA/CSCA is published bi-monthly for its membership by the American MA 01938. Tel. 508-356-5656. Information for the Newsletter may be sent to the Editor:

Scientific Affiliation, 55 Market St., Ipswich,

[Editor: Dr. Walter R. Hearn / Production: Rebecca Petersen]

GETTING TOGETHER

The 1990 ASA ANNUAL MEETING gets underway at MESSIAH COLLEGE in Grantham, Pennsylvania on AUGUST 3-6, probably by the time you're reading this. The convention theme is "VIEWING THE NATURAL WORLD AS CREATION." After two invited lectures on the historical context, we'll be coming to grips with what's happening today. We hope to see you there. If not, start thinking ahead to 1991, when we celebrate ASA's 50th year of grappling with questions of science and Christian faith.

The 1990 ANNUAL CONFERENCE of the Canadian Scientific & Christian Affiliation is scheduled for OCTOBER 20 at the Medical Sciences Auditorium of the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. The theme is "CHRISTIANITY, PLURALISM, & CANADIAN NATION BUILDING: NATION BUILDING: WHEN VALUES CLASH." Committee for Public Justice and co-chair of the Social Action Commission, Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (on a Christian's role in a pluralistic society); Henry Regier, director of the Institute of Environmental Studies, U. of Toronto (on congested cities and ecological stress); and Kim Abbott, director of the Immigration Association of Canada (on immigration and its impact on Canadian society and economy). runs from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Oklahoma College of Medicine in Saturday, with lunch included in the registration fee.

Speakers lined up for the one-day CSCA Conference include: theologian Clark Pinnock of McMaster Divinity College (on the impact of Christianity on Canadian culture); Harry Antonides, director of the Christian Labour Association of Canada (on government opinion-making); philosopher Tom Langan of St. Michael's College, U. of Toronto (on nation building in the emerging world system) and Harry Kitts, executive director of the Committee for Public Justice.

For information on registration for the 1990 CSCA Annual Conference, contact Dr. Daniel Osmond, Dept of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, U. of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M[5S IA8, Canada.

WORDS FROM THE WEISS

A SA Council member Ken Dormer sent a report of the 4th Annual A. Kurt Weiss Lecture at The Conference on Biomedical Ethics at the U. of OK in Oklahoma City. The lecture, given on March 21 by Frank E. Young, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health & Human Services for Science & Environment, was on "Drugs for the Desperately III: The Agony and Ecstasy of Public Policy.

Frank Young told of some difficult decisions he faced as Commissioner of the Food & Drug Administration, his previous post in Washington. FDA oversees about one-fourth of the total U.S. gross national product, amounting to $570 billion each year. New drugs need to be tested thoroughly, yet when people's lives might possibly be saved during the prolonged clinical trial period, what system of ethics should guide the decision process? All of human life has value, Young said, reminding the audience that in Jesus' parable it was a despised Samaritan who showed loving care for the less fortunate, after a man of wealth and a religious leader had walked by the person in need.

The Weiss Lecture is sponsored by the Christian Medical Coalition on the university's Health Sciences Campus, made up of the Christian Medical & Dental Society (student and graduate chapters), the Baptist Student Union, the Christian Support Group (residents and house staff), and the Baptist Medical-Dental Fellowship. Frank Young met with CMC students the day of the lecture and also spoke to the Christian community at a dinner, on "The Vortex of Controversy: Caesar or God." When confronted about taxes by the political/religious establishment, Jesus responded with a policy statement: "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." Today, Secretary Young said, Christians often don't know how to apply that policy statement, yet we are trying to function in a world that is constantly confronting US.

To Ken Dormer it was a joy and a source of encouragement to hear an ASA member in the upper echelons of government speak at a meeting honoring Kurt Weiss, Ken's late colleague in the Dept of Physiology & Biophysics and a former president of ASA. The Weiss Lecture was set up to make "God's policy statement" known on that secular campus.

GOOD NEWS

0wen Gingerich spoke recently at a colloquium on origins at the Episcopal Church's National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., saying that "both the contemporary scientific account and the age-old biblical account assume a beginning." After describing the "Big Bang," the Harvard astronomer called it "a thrilling scenario" that bears "a striking resonance with those succinct words of Genesis 1:3: 'And God said, Let there be light."' Owen's remarks and those of Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, were reported in an Associated Press story by writer George Cornell. His story appeared in the April 21 San Diego Union under the heading, "Scientists, Theologians Ease Rivalries." (Thanks to Jerry Albert of San Diego for the clipping.-Ed.)

Cornell cited both the Washington colloquium and the Moscow "global forum on human survival" (Apr/May Newsletter, p. 4) as evidence for his lead statement: "Scientists and theologians seem to be getting along better these days. Although their insights differ, a growing sense has emerged lately that they complement-and need-each other."

Cornell quoted Gingerich as saying that "I find some of these circumstances of nature impossible to comprehend in the absence of supernatural design." He quoted Brueggemann as saying that in both science and theology, "we are faced with a mystery, before which'our probing explanations are always penultimate."

George Cornell is a veteran reporter who interviewed this Weary Old Editor (WOE is me-Ed.) by telephone in early 1987 and wrote an excellent story about ASA's Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy. The story appeared in newspapers all over the country under such headlines as "Christian Scientists Condemn Absolutes" and "Finding Middle Ground." Cornell was sharply criticized for such "biased" reporting in Creationl Evolution Newsletter (Jan/Feb 1987, p. 19). CIEN editor Karl Fezer protested that the story was based on an interview with only one person and on documents supplied by that person. Fezer assured readers that "a letter has been sent to the Managing Editor of The Associated Press alerting him to this one-sided reporting."

Cornell's 1987 story consisted mainly of quotes from Teaching Science. The only comment from the sole interviewee in a version we saw was a statement that a lot of teachers had found the booklet helpful, and: "Before, they've only had these polemical attacks or defenses of evolution. We've tried not to take sides, but just weigh the evidence. In science, evidence is what counts. In the present atmosphere, it's hard to say anything that somebody won't disagree with. People on both sides claim too much." (Pretty one-sided, huh?-Ed.)

The only good thing Fezer could say about that 1987 story was that at least it appeared in the Religion section of the paper. Perhaps he thought it would be "buried" there, or easily distinguished from "real" news. In asking for the interview, the reporter had identified himself as "a religion writer for A.P." Wherever newspaper editors put George Cornell's 1990 story about "the congruence of science and theology, each in its own bounds"-we're glad that at least one of them printed it.

GOOD REVIEWS

Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy continues to draw criticism from polemicists, some of whom see it as "a creationist tract," others as "a sellout to evolution." Meanwhile, ASA's booklet written to help science teachers do their job continues to do its job. John Wiester, chair of ASA's Committee for Integrity in Science Education (7820 Santa Rosa Rd, Buellton, CA 93427; tel. 805-688-6507), welcomes suggestions for making the booklet more widely known. Within the Christian community, should ASA be advertising the booklet at the 24 regional conventions of the Association of Christian Schools International? At various conventions of home-schoolers?

An "environmental science associate" interested in homeschooling 5th and 6th graders wrote that he learned a lot from Teaching Science even though he has always had a scientific orientation. "What parents lack is a good overview of a subject. It is a relief to find that science and religion don't have to be inimical. I couldn't accept everything that was coming out of the Creation Science Institute, and yet I certainly don't want to deny God the Creator. So I am really looking forward to your future publications."

A very positive review of Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy appeared in the May 1990 issue of Grace & Truth, a little magazine with a circulation of about 10,000 published by Plymouth Brethren (210 Chestnut St, Danville, IL 61832-2699). The review was written by Alan H. Crosby, a Ph.D. retired from his post as professor of chemistry at Pennsylvania's Lock Haven State University. In marked contrast to reviewers afflicted by "interlinear hyperlexia," Crosby let Teaching Science speak largely for itself, citing what the booklet actually says and emphasizing that it "is not a polemic." The review concluded with Crosby's overall evaluation:

In the opinion of this reviewer, all science teachers could profit from reading this booklet. Christians who teach secondary school biology or earth science, or who teach college-level General Education Science survey courses will find material they will probably want to use in their courses. Teachers in Christian schools may wish to consider adopting this pamphlet as a supplement to their current texts. This booklet asks teachers to "Ut science be science, but let it be a discipline to enlarge student vision of the Creator." That is a worthwhile objective.

(Immediately following that sentence, teachers are reminded: "It is equally important, of course, to be sensitive to those who do not share that vision. You have a challenging task-to present science as an open-ended discipline leading to a better understanding of the natural world."-Ed.)

James W. Sire, whose "basic world view catalog" in the form of The Universe Next Door has helped many students, has done it again. His new book, Discipleship of the Mind (IVP, 1990), is subtitled "leaming to love God in the ways we think." After challenging students to "think Christianly" in various aspects of intellectual life, Jim devotes an Appendix to practical hints for Christian students in secular universities. Encouraging them to "study worldviewishly," he tells students, among other things, to:

Join the professional organization of Christians in your academic field and attend their local or national meetings. The American Scientific Affiliation, for example, has been serving Christians in both natural and human sciences for some forty years. Its journal alone, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith (formerly the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation), is worth the dues of the organization. Other organizations an listed in the bibliography of this book.

The bibliography, compiled by Brian J. Walsh and J. Richard Middleton, is a revision of one that first appeared in The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian World View (IVP, 1984). It has four sections: world views & cultural analysis; natural & applied sciences; humanities & social sciences; and work & leisure Section II lists a score of lx~oks on science in general, gives the addresses of journals published by ASA and by Christians in Science (UK), and then lists resources in about seven specific categories. Under "Biology (and the evolution debate)," Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy is one of nine resources cited.

BULLETIN BOARD

(1) Science & Religion News is a new quarterly publication, edited by Kevin Sharpe, from the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science. IRAS is a "multifaith society of pioneering scientists and religious thinkers" known for its annual Star Island Conferences. The first issue of S&R News (Spring 1990) contained capsule reviews of seven new books, including Tomorrow's World by British evangelical R. E. D. Clark. A journal section listed the major contents of ASA's Dec 1989 Perspectives plus five other journals. A calendar section announced the ASA Annual Meeting along with a dozen other 1990 conferences. Ten brief items in the news section included the foundation of the Pascal Centre for Advanced Studies in Faith & Science at Redeemer College in Ancaster, Ontario. A subscription to Science & Religion News costs $8 per year (IRAS, 65 Hoit Rd, Concord, NH 03301).

(2) If you're witnessing to a scientifically oriented person whose first language is not English, you may find a translation of Scientists Who Believe useful. The 1984 compilation of biographical sketches and interviews is now available in Japanese, non-Mandarin Chinese, German, and Serbo-Croatian, with Russian soon to be added. Dave Fisher co-authored it with British meteorologist Eric Barrett. For addresses of the various publishers, contact Dave at Slavic Gospel Association, P.O. Box 1122, Wheaton, IL 60189-1122.

(3) According to director Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe, that ministry now operates a "hot line" Monday through Friday, 5 to 7 p.m. Pacific time, to aid those grappling with apologetics issues or seeking to share their faith with skeptics. Answering calls are participants in graduate-level courses offered by Reasons to Believe. Hugh joined the pastoral staff of Sierra Madre Congregational Church and began Reasons to Believe there after earning a B.Sc. in physics (U. of British Columbia) and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in astronomy (Toronto) and doing postdoctoral work at Cal Tech. His 1989 book, The Fingerprint of God ("recent scientific discoveries revealing the unmistakable identity of the Creator"), Facts & Faith (a quarterly newsletter), and other science-based apologetics publications are available from Reasons to Believe (P.O. Box 5978, Pasadena, CA 91117).

(4) The Christian Legal Society now receives mail at its street address: CLS, 4208 Evergreen Lane, Ste. 222, Annandale, VA 22003. Telephone: (703) 642-1070.

(5) According to the June issue of Acts & Facts from the Institute for Creation Research (P.O. Box 1606, El Cajon, CA 92022), the California Dept of Public Instruction has officially denied reapproval of the ICR Graduate School. ICR has filed a federal lawsuit attempting to reverse that decision, following the example of the apostle Paul's "appeal to Caesar" (Acts 25:6-12). An accompanying letter from ICR president Henry Morris says litigation could take as much as two years, during which the ICR Graduate School will function as before. At issue, he says, is "freedom to teach even the sciences in a creationist framework."

THIS CAN'T GO ON

After Paul McKowen's limerick "celebrating Holy Humor Month (Jun/Jul issue, pp. 5-6) appeared in the "Eastbay Ear" column of the Oakland Tribune, reader John Hule demanded an apology for its "flagrant expression of religious bigotry against Gnostics, who have been persecuted by Christians for centuries." Hules counterpunched with the following:

Quite proud in his ignorance, Steve To old Christian dogmas did cleave. When asked how he knew That the doctrines were true, He said, I don't know, I believe."

Despite our fondness for holy humor, we recognize limerickemia as a serious and highly contagious disease. Hence:

Editorial decisions are tough, But we think that enough is enough: Anapestic polemics Can breed epidemics That encroach on more publishable stuff.

FINDING THE GENE FOR CYSTIC FIBROSIS

0ne year ago, Science editor Daniel Koshland took the highly unusual step of lifting an embargo on press notification of papers about to appear in that weekly AAAS journal. Reuters News Service had got wind of a big breakthrough and on 22 Aug 1989 put out a wire story about discovery of the human gene responsible for cystic fibrosis. The story was too hot not to handle.

The three scientific papers appeared in the 8 Sept 1989 issue of Science, a near-record five weeks after receipt. A preliminary news story in the Sept I issue included photographs of CF gene cloners Lap-Chee Tsui of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (whose coworker John Riordan was also mentioned) and Francis Collins of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the U. of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common genetic diseases, striking one child in every 2,000 born in the U.S., and killing most of its victims before they reach age 30. In 1985, Lap-Chee Tsui identified a genetic marker for CF on chromosome 7 and began a laborious process of genetic "walking" across the chromosome to find the gene itself. Francis Collins developed a faster technique, called "jumping," and the two groups began collaborating in a combination of the two techniques, aided by a "library" of genetic fragments compiled by John Riordan.

The isolated CF gene contains about 250,000 bases (five or ten times the size of a typical gene), of which about 6,500 code for a protein called CFTR, or cystic fibrosis trans-membrane regulator. CF researchers know that the CFTR protein plays a role in the "chloride channel" in mucus-producing cells lining air passages in the lungs. In most CF cases, a mutation deleting a triplet of bases coding for the amino acid phenylalanine in CFTR produces the disease. At least six mutations in the gene may affect CFTR.

Abnormal Cl- ion concentration in the cells of CF patients draws water from the air passages, the mucus gets thick and sticky, holding bacteria that lead to infections and lung damage. A cure may eventually be found by learning how to keep the abnormal

CFTR from shutting down ion flow, or possibly by "gene therapy." Francis Collins thinks CF sufferers and their families should be "exhilarated" about the milestone achievement of finding the gene and the defective protein, because "the spinoffs are going to be enormous."

ASA director Bob Herrmann and former ASA president Elving Anderson were certainly exhilarated on 30 Mar 1990 to discover that the Francis Collins of CF research was none other than the ASA member by that name. The two were attending a symposium on "Genetics, Ethics, and Religion" sponsored by the Institute of Religion at the Texas Medical Center in Houston. Delayed arrival kept Bob from hearing Collins lead off with a paper on implications of the "Human Genome Project" for medical practice. Later, Bob learned from Elving that the speaker had introduced his paper with a personal testimony of Christian faith, adding an appreciation for the role of ASA in promoting harmony between science and religion!

When the three did get together, Francis spoke of his education at the U. of Virginia (B.S., 1970), Yale (M.S., 1972; Ph.D., 1974), and U. of North Carolina (M.D., 1977), and his clinical experience in treating CF patients. He has been on the internal medicine and human genetics faculty at the U. of Michigan since 1984 (the year he joined ASA) and at Howard Hughes Medical Institute since 1987. He also spoke of his wife Mary's conversion to Christ, followed by his own in 1977. Today they share the music ministry in a small mission church in Ann Arbor sponsored by a larger Southern Baptist church.

Francis Collins is excited about his current role in academic science, but last year he spent three weeks in Nigeria with his daughter serving in a missionary hospital. That experience has made him seek other ways to minister more directly in Christ's name, 11 wherever God wants."

WHEREVER GOD WANTS US: 13.

More about Central Asia: Jack Irvine was pleased to see a mention of Murree Christian School in the Jun/Jul issue (p. 5). Since that school in Pakistan is supported by a consortium of mission boards, and since there seems little hope of soon reopening a Christian school in Kabul, Afghanistan, the support organization Jack has headed (Evangelical International Schools, Inc.) disbanded on June 30. Most EIS assets were transferred to Murree (c/o TEAM, P.O. Box 969, Wheaton, IL, 60189-0969), the rest to a new tentmaking organization called Scientific Technology & Language Institute (STLI).

STLI's current focus is providing staff for a cardiac research project in Turkey. Under STLI auspices, UCSF cardiologist Robert Mahley has begun investigating the abnormally high rate of heart disease among Turks. The plan is to send both clinical and laboratory workers, plus teachers of technical English who can help train Turkish technicians. ISTL may also be able to establish a school in Istanbul for the children of Christian workers (similar to Murree or to the former AhIman Academy in Kabul). For more information, contact Dr. John Young, Executive Director, STLI, 3349 Golden Rain Road #1, Walnut Creek, CA 94595.

More about Romania: The May/June Christian Medical & Dental Society Journal reported the founding of Asociatia Medicilor Crestini din Romania ("Romanian Christian Medical Society") in February. The new society will work to meet some of the needs of the country while seeking to evangelize both the general population and the medical community. The society elected as its first president Dr. Nello Dan, a dentist. Several CMDS members from the U.S., who were in Romania at the time supervising delivery of Red Cross supplies, attended the organizational meeting of 130 Romanian physicians. One of them, Dr. Jonathan Askew of Mesa, Arizona, backed up our conclusion that "the Romanian revolution built its foundation primarily on the courage of the church." CMDS intends to encourage its Romanian counterpart with some financial aid and with a visit from American physicians in September.

More about China: In addition to its seven-week summer study program in Shanghai mentioned last time, Educational Resources & Referrals--China is organizing a professional seminar trip to China, Oct 8-28. The group will stay in campus dormitories most nights, at a cost for the whole trip (including one day of orientation in Berkeley) of $3,750 per person. Anyone interested should contact ERRC immediately, mentioning your professional field (2606 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-3000; tel 415-548-7519). After a March visit to China, ERRC director Martha Chan reported that despite strong ideological pressures from the Communist Party, felt almost everywhere she went, "ERRC teachers are in greater demand than ever before." In addition to requests for English teachers, ERRC has current requests for teachers in biology, food science, materials science, computers, engineering, and a number of other technical fields.

More about Hong Kong: Fred HickerneIl appreciated the mention of Hong Kong Baptist College in the Apr/May 1990 issue (p. 5) but added that, "Unless it's being kept secret from me, the college is not looking for my replacement. Elaine and I have been here since September 1985 and hope to be here for years to come. About a year ago I became head of the Mathematics Department, which means that I must devote substantial time to recruitment. Nearly every year we have openings due to expansion or replacement. As a publicly-funded institution, we make hiring decisions primarily on the basis of academic criteria, but we do actively seek qualified Christians to join us."

Noting that we were right in saying that two-year contracts are normally made to individuals overseas, Fred assured us that fixed-term contracts are made to

protect both the appointee and the college with no thought of discouraging long-term applicants: "We always hope that a new staff member will stay over the long term, which is better for the development of the college. Elaine and I think that Hong Kong is a great place to live, work, and serve. We plan to stay indefinitely. Because many Hong Kong professionals are planning to emigrate before China takes over, we will need one or two new teaching staff per year for the foreseeable future. For those who cannot take time to learn a new and difficult language, a two-year commitment to teach in English can still be very beneficial."

To inquire about one of those positions, contact Dr. Fred J. Hickernell, Dept of Mathematics, Hong Kong Baptist College, 224 Waterloo Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Phone: (852) 339-7015. Fax: (852) 338-8014. E-mail: FRED@BC785B.HKBC.HK (internet).

More about Hong Kong:

Much of what Fred Hickernell said about "tentmaking" recently (in the Newsletter of the Association of Christians in the Mathematical Sciences) applies to serving overseas in a technical capacity in many places other than Hong Kong. In rapidly developing societies, educational institutions are undergoing metamorphoses: "Student numbers are growing, curricula are being revised, research is being directed toward societal needs, and computers are being utilized more effectively for teaching and research. The pace of change is unlike what I have experienced anywhere in North America." In places like Hong Kong it is possible to play a significant part in this development: "Here, you may feel like an "pert in your specialty, not because you are so knowledgeable, but because there is no one else who knows more than you."

Fred and Elaine find ministry with the Hong Kong church even more rewarding than academic life. They live in Shatin, a suburban town of several hundred thousand that was a small fishing village 15 years ago. The churches try to keep pace with growth by planting new churches: "When we arrived in Hong Kong, we joined a mission church that was one year old at the time. In four years the congregation had grown from 60 to over 200, and we are now an independent congregation helping to plant another church. As my wife and I have both learned Cantonese, we have been able to join in the evangelism and discipleship ministry of the church."

OBITUARY

Paul B. Stam of Durham, North Carolina, collapsed and died suddenly at age 66 on April 11. At the time of his death he was federal program coordinator for the State Dept of Environment, Health, & Natural Resources. A Wheaton graduate, Paul had a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton and held high positions in such textile companies as J. P. Stevens and Burlington before studying law at U.N.C. He received a law degree along with his son, Paul, Jr., now a state representative. Paul's wife Jane said he had been planning to atend the 1990 ASA Annual Meeting and was in the process of reviewing a book on environmental ethics for Perspectives when he died.

(Personal friends and professional associates are asked to submit to the Ipswich office any material appropriate for a Memorial Resolution to be read during worship at the Annual Meeting.)

THE EDITOR'S LAST WORDS: 10.

No. 1 of this famous Last Words series described these running editorial comments as "an obituary on the installment plan." Our Wedded Editor (OWE is Ginny), whose face I always study for any glimmer of a smile as she proofreads the Newsletter copy, didn't think that was very funny. The Weary Old Editor (WOE is me, Walt) left the line in, though in general I know enough to trust her judgment when we don't agree on what's funny. About a year later, neither one of us got a laugh out of my heart attack, though I was mildly amused by its timing in light of this ongoing series.

In the sober thinking I've been doing since then, I've thought not only about my own future but also about ASA's future. I can stand being a "has-been" or "used-to-was" -one from whom the energy of youth drains out before the wisdom of old age pours in-but I don't want that to happen to our Affiliation. It's clear to me that ASA needs to focus on recruiting young scientists serious about following Jesus Christ. They are the hope of ASA, of course, but increasingly they will also be the hope of science itself.

Few of us whose scientific careers spanned "the golden years" immediately after Sputnik had to function in an era of obviously decreasing student interest in science or drastically decreasing research budgets. The situation is getting worse, but already the scientific profession is in need of infusions of faith, hope, and love that committed Christians can provide. And young Christians in scientific work need ASA's steady support, from their grad school days onward.

Old-timers, even has-beens, can serve as mentors in the art of "putting effort into technical work, while serving God with all that he has given us-including our technical abilities" (to paraphrase Matthew 22:21). Further, we can support ASA with some of the financial rewards reaped in the golden age of science. One thing Ginny and I did recently was to make new wills, increasing the proportion of our estate going to ASA. Perhaps other senior Newsletter readers need to do that, or to designate ASA as a beneficiary on life insurance policies, or to make an outright gift now in one form or another. We have all benefited from such gifts from others, and we want ASA to be here when it is needed more than ever. How about giving gift ASA memberships to some promising grad students? Or to those whose Christian ministry is directed toward grad students or internationals?

PERSONALS

Jerry D. Albert is a biochemist employed by the San Diego Water Department in California. He does both furnace and flame atomic analysis but is about to take on a new computer-controlled elemental analyzer (ICP-MS) that will measure about 20 elements in one water sample. He has also been teaching an evening course in chemistry for the 8-week summer session at Mesa College. On his tight schedule, Jerry manages to get in a few "quality miles" around Lake Murray where the city water lab is located, to keep in shape for the two races a month he averages, still placing in the top three in his age division. Wife Judy stays in shape by "jazzercising."

John R. Armstrong wrote from Calgary, saying, "I have great news, after over 39 months of unemployment!" He had landed a summer job at Tyrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta, a facility with the world's largest assortment of dinosaur skeletons on display. As a "Vertebrate Paleo Field & Laboratory Assistant," John started work on Tyrannosaurus rex bones his first day but is "on call" to investigate reported discoveries or help with dinosaur excavations. John is not only a geologist but an ordained deacon who has been serving his parish in various ways and has just completed a course in clinical pastoral care. Although his position at Tyrell is only temporary, he is ecstatic to be doing geological work once again. The museum seemed glad to find an employee who had not only published four journal papers but also worked with Glen Kuban and Ronnie Hastings on the Paluxy River dinosaur trackways. John has found the Alberta Skeptics (local chapter of CSICOP) a significant arena for Christian witness. On June 7, Ian Plimer of Australia stopped off in Calgary on a trip to Sweden to speak to the Skeptics group. Since Plimer is known for his aggresssive opposition to "scientific creationism," John saw a certain irony in the fact that he, a clergyman, was Plimer's point of contact with the Skeptics.

James 0. Buswell, III, is dean of William Carey University at the U.S. Center for World Mission in Pasadena, California. His son, another James Buswell, is a concert violinist famous enough, perhaps, not to need a distinguishing Roman numeral. In May, violinist Buswell hosted a PBS TV special on Johann Sebastian Bach, playing movements of some of the composer's works to illustrate their complexity. (Was it at the 1976 Annual Meeting at Wheaton College that young Jim played his Stradivarius for us at the banquet? At any rate, his Bach-umentary was superb, as was another recent P13S "concert documentary" on Mozart, hosted by actor Peter Ustinov._Ed.)

Irving Cowperthwaite, retired chemist and a patriarch of ASA, sent ASA a generous gift after selling his large home in Milton, Massachusetts. He realized the house was too much for him after spending the month of November 1989 in the hospital. For Irving, this was the first change of address in 49 years of ASA membership. His wife Fae, who had been in a nursing home for four years, died in April during the sale of the family home. Irving knows she is with the Lord, beyond suffering, but he misses her and looks forward to a glad reunion in Heaven.

Karl J. Franklin and wife Joice went to Papua, New Guinea, 32 years ago for the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Their translation work there produced the New Testament in the Kewa language in 1973. Karl has been SIL's director in PNG three times and both Franklins have been language consultants for several years. They have just returned to the U.S. to live in Duncanville, Texas. Karl, a Ph.D., will be adjunct professor of linguistics at the U. of Texas in Arlington. Joice will complete her M.A. in human resources management from Azusa Pacific in California. A year from now they will be on assignment again in Australia, where Karl will head up SIL training courses.

Leland P. Gamson was named "Social Worker of the Year" at the V.A. Medical Center in Marion, Indiana. The May 1990 issue of Quaker Life contained a review by Leland of Neal Punt's What's Good about the Good News.

James C. Hefley of Hannibal, Missouri, is a writer and publisher with a Ph.D. in mass communications. After chronicling a dozen years of turmoil in the Southern Baptist Convention (largely over biblical inerrancy, but complicated by other factors), Jim planned to end The Truth in Crisis with Vol. 4. Nevertheless, he's just produced Vol. 5 in the series, covering events leading up to SBC's 1990 convention in New Orleans. Publisher was Jim's own Hannibal Books, which this spring also released Keith Barnhart's Guilty Until Proven Innocent, a harrrowing account of a suburban St. Louis pastor wrongly accused of molesting children in his church's day-care center. (Two books to make us want to stay out of courtrooms and church politics.-Ed.)

Charles E. Hummel, 1988 president of ASA, has retired after 30 years of service to InterVarsity Christ= Fellowship, most recently as director of faculty ministries. Charlie and Anne plan to move from their home in Grafton, Massachusetts, to a smaller house in southern Connecticut. Charlie's IVCF history goes back to his Yale undergraduate days in the early 1940s, when IV general director Stacey Woods encouraged him to start a Bible study for non-Christian friends. In 1947 Lt. Hummel took part in the military occupation of Japan, then stayed on as a civilian employee to help assess Japan's scientific capabilities. The Bible studies Charlie led in Japanese universities later blossomed into the "KGK" student movement along IVCF lines, which the Hummels saw in 1987, when he was invited back 40 years later. After gaining an M.S. in chemical engineering at M.I.T. and working briefly at Esso Standard Oil, Charlie joined IVCF staff and served in many capacities from 1950 to 1965. He spent a 10-year hiatus in a "third career" as president of Barrington College in Rhode Island, then returned to IVCF senior staff in 1975. He has been a spiritual advisor to many professors. Among his IVP publications are The Galileo Connection and a booklet, Creation or Evolution?

Karen C. Inman finished her Ph.D. in chemistry at Brown University in May and is now in East Lansing, Michigan, where her husband, Philip Schultz, is beginning work on his Ph.D. in chemistry at Michigan State. Both 1985 graduates of Taylor University in Indiana, Karen and Phil were married in 1988. Ibis fall Karen will teach organic and advanced organic at Albion College in Albion, Michigan.

Thomas H. ("Harry") Leith of Toronto, Ontario, has been battling an uncommon kind of tumor around his bile duct that seems to be neither removable nor treatable. In May he returned a paper sent for review by Perspectives editor Jack Haas, saying that he is now on disability leave from York University and has probably taught his last class. Harry said he had lost 48 lbs and been hospitalized several times. Harry's bibliography on "Science, Pseudoscience, the Occult, and Religion" has been a useful resource, its 4th edition (1986) containing over 200 pp. of references. (Part of its subject matter earned it the name "Leith's List of Loonies."-Ed.)

Stanley Lindquist, psychologist and founder of Link Care Center in Fresno, California, retires from the ASA Executive Council at the end of 1990 after a year as immediate past president. On June 16, he and Ingrid celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Fresno. (For a photo of Stan & Ingrid taken in 1965 at their halfway mark, see SEARCH No. 3 in the Sept 1988 issue of Perspectives.-Ed.)

Eric Moore teaches chemistry at Upper Canada College, an independent boys' school in Toronto, Ontario. In September he begins a sabbatical year of travel, focusing primarily on environmental and safety issues as they apply to high school teaching. He also hopes to write some "chemical fiction." (Hmmm. In Eric's quotation marks that term could refer either to intentional fiction or to a certain category of scientific papers.-Ed.) Eric and his wife will be in New England and Arizona this fall but will set out early in 1991 for New Zealand, Australia, East Africa, and Europe, making contact with ASAers wherever he can find them. He said he hopes to start making such contacts at the 1990 ASA ANNUAL MEETING.

Stanley W. Moore is professor of political science at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He spent most of May and June in Washington, D.C., with 27 students, checking out how our government works. Stan flew ba6k home for wife Nancy's ordination on June 3 and her installation as co-pastor of Faith United Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles. From Washington, Stan sent us a clipping from the May 24 Post containing the obituary of Glenn Kirkland's wife Grace, age 79. Many came to know her as the subject of the award-winning documentaries "Living with Grace" and "Caregiving with Grace" about Alzheimer's Disease. The obituary emphasized Grace's activity in Bethesda's Fourth Presbyterian Church and Glenn's role in organizing the local Alzheimer's Disease & Related Disorders Association in addition to his loving care for Grace. Glenn is a physicist retired from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.
Rob Reash checks in as a new member eager to take part in local section activities (address: 2375 Queen Ann Court, Columbus, OH 43235). He is an aquatic biologist employed by a large electric utility company. His interest in effects of pollutants and in responses of organisms to pollutants have resulted in nine publications so far. As a Christian, Rob sees "God's glory in His natural laws, including evolution," so he calls himself a theistic evolutionist. He keeps his personal integration of Christian faith and science under constant review, so he's looking forward to ASA discussions of such issues.

Stanley Rice now occupies the faculty position in botany and natural resources at Huntington College in Huntington, Indiana. After completing his Ph.D. in plant biology at the U. of Illinois in 1987, Stan spent three years on the biology faculty of The King's College in Briarcliff Manor, New York. He was also guest faculty for a year at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY.

James W. Sire, senior editor at InterVarsity Press and campus lecturer for IVCF, encounters many young people "turned off" by science who are seeking a "modernized" spirituality rather than biblical faith. In The Universe Next Door (1976), Jim included a chapter on "A Separate Reality: The New Age," which he updated in the 1988 edition. At a dialogue on the Southern Illinois University campus this spring, the New Age proponent was a math professor! Jim is featured along with other Christian scholars in a new 26-minute videotape, The Search: New Age in a New Light, which lets practitioners of Tarot, crystal energy, channeling, etc., speak for themselves, then outlines the contrast between New Age thought and biblical understanding. Professionally produced by the 2100 Project, the video is available ($29.95) from IVCF, P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707-7895.

Laurence C. Walker retired some years ago as Lacy Hunt Professor of Forestry from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. He has written five books, including Trees (1984), which has been adapted into a new $12.95 paperback in the Wiley Nature Series. It is called Forests: A Naturalist's Guide to Trees & Forest Ecology (Wiley, 1990). In an Afterword, Larry points to the dual description of Eden in Joel 2:3 as first a garden, later a desolate wilderness. God understands ecological succession better than we do, Larry says, and with good management we can harvest wood products for human use yet restore beauty to the forests.

Peter Yuen of Oakland, California, is pastor to international students at Berkeley's First Presbyterian Church. He has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from U.C. Berkeley and B.D. from Fuller Seminary. Peter serves on the board of reference of Educational Resources & Referrals-China. Beginning in Sept 1988 he and wife Marge, both American-born Chinese, taught English for one semester in China under ERRC auspices. They taught teachers, grad students, and undergrads at the Beijing Management Institute of Machine-Building Industries in a village just north of Beijing. Neither Peter nor Marge speak Mandarin, but their students had all taken some English in school and were eager to practice speaking it. The Yuens never brought up religion in class, but answered many questions about Christianity and about their faith, especially when students came to their apartment. Peter encourages other ASA members to consider an ERRC opportunity to teach in China, either English or one's specialty in English.