Volume 39 Number 2 MAR/APR 1997
"Mere Creation" Conference at Biola Features Design
Christian Leadership Ministries, a faculty ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, conducted the "Mere Creation" Conference at Biola U. in Nov. 1996 on the origins issue. It brought together leading scholars and scientists who reject naturalism as an adequate framework for doing science. Bill Dembski and Paul Nelson served on the Executive Committee of the conference. The conference was directed by Rich McGee, with advice from CLM's Stan Oakes and Phillip Johnson, who gave the final address.
Johnson's plea was similar to that of ASA's Science Education Committee resolution to teach science as science and not as a medium for propagandizing a materialist world view. Johnson, a law professor at U. C. Berkeley and the author of Darwin on Trial, began his talk by tracing the history of the secularization of American schools. He believes that materialist presuppositions underlying Darwinism have inclined the scientific establishment toward a naturalistic world view and away from other plausible deductions made from the scientific data itself. Johnson's key assumption is that Darwinism, in practice at least, rests on a naturalistic world view. Socially, many scientists and others are led to believe in naturalism because our existence is, by the Darwinian account, accidental in its development. But as Charles Thaxton asked Michael Ruse (see Jan/Feb 1997 ASAN): Is it possible to have a Darwinism devoid of a naturalistic world view? Instead of patching Darwinian evolution for compatibility within a Christian world view, the conference undertook a more ambitious strategy of offering an alternative approach to origins based on design.
One of the big questions put to those advancing the intelligent design hypothesis for science is: How do you objectively determine whether something is designed or not? To this end, mathematician and philosopher (and also theologian) Bill Dembski explained his three-part explanatory filter at the conference. For a given phenomenon, first ask, "Is it by law?" that it happened. Science aims to find such explanations for natural phenomena. If no law can be adduced, ask, "Is it by chance?" That is, was the event a random occurrence, without any necessary relationship between the elements of the event. Though the event be exceedingly improbable, to eliminate chance one must ask: "Does the event conform to a specified pattern?" If so, it can be concluded that it was designed.
The filter is not for detecting what is not designed, for "intelligent causes can mimic law and chance." Instead, Dembski argues, the filter is "a reliable criterion for detecting design" for two reasons: (1) in cases where the underlying causal story is known, it works, and (2) "because it coincides with how we recognize intelligent causation generally." For biological origins, the pressure of the design alternative is felt by its opponents, who postulate means that increase its probability by law. Tipler and Barrow "help themselves to a generous serving of universes," so that the probability that life arose in some universe is increased; Dawkins "gives himself all the time Darwin ever wanted" as well as multiple planets on which life could have emerged, and Stuart Kauffman (The Origins of Order, 1993), Prigogine, Stengers, and Wicken resort to laws of self-organization from which life would have high probability of spontaneously arising.
Dembski and other intelligent-design advocates opt for an explanation of origins of life that is not sufficient on the basis of natural law itself. While Christians are agreed that God created life and that the "laws of nature" are an expression of God's faithfulness in sustaining creation, some look for God's revelation of creative activity in the intricacy and potentiality of these "divine laws" and not in additional events that either transcend or are exceptions to them. Left as such, this revelation of complete regularity is explainable (except for its existence) in the competing terms of nonbiblical world views, such as naturalism. For some Christians in science, the inherent intelligibility of these laws is a sufficient revelation of intelligent design, beyond which one can only "seek for signs" as the Pharisees did.
On the other hand, much of the scientific establishment is not content to believe in a Creator on the basis of nature's regularities. The biblical record of God's mighty historical acts of establishing and redeeming a people through whom the salvation of humanity would eventually be realized sets a clear precedent for revelation beyond that found in the nature of creation. God reveals himself to humanity in terms comprehensible to us. For example, the plagues of Egypt clearly targeted the major gods of the Egyptians, sending a message understood within the framework of ancient paganism. And in our era, the distinctive language of science offers a new framework through which God might choose to speak to our generation.
Robert Kaita and Jon Wells were profiled along with J. P. Moreland and Del Ratzsch as "Leaders in the Voice for Intelligent Design" in the Nov/Dec 1996 issue of The Real Issue, put out by Christian Leadership Ministries. The front-page article, "A Mere Beginning," featured Mike Behe, author of Darwin's Black Box. Behe argues (as he did in at the 1994 ASA Annual Meeting in St. Paul, MN) that the cell is the black box of life. A "black box" in science is a system that is known only by how it interacts with its surroundings and not by its internal mechanisms. Biochemist Behe challenges Darwinism on the grounds that the box has been opened, a feat not possible in Darwin's time. Behe claims that some biochemical mechanisms of life are like a mouse trapótheir function is highly sensitive to their structure. All of the parts of a mouse trap must be present and in place for the trap to work at all. In other words, incremental development of function is not possible. How did these "irreducibly complex" mechanisms come into being? Behe does not think that Francis Crick's idea, for example, of postulating an intelligent agent is so far-fetched. Behe's arguments are largely empirical, based on actual biochemical mechanisms such as cilia. His argument against Kauffman's ideas are that they are theoretical, without empirical verification.
For more on the conference, visit the Mere Creation website, which has abstracts of all the conference papers, at:
http://www.origins.org/MereCreation
The Executive Director's Corner
There are ways to break up the continuity of the dark, cold days of winter in the northern United States. I took one of those routesóI became a temporary `snowbird' and visited Santa Barbara, CA and Phoenix, AZ. The purpose of my visit to Santa Barbara was to check out the facilities for our summer meeting. I then flew to Phoenix to encourage the formation of a local section in Arizona and to attend a Templeton/ASA lecture. The time was all too short but there was office work and teaching to be done on the North Shore of Massachusetts.
Our summer meeting will be at the beautiful, hilly campus of Westmont C. nestled in Montecito above Santa Barbara. Brenda Smith, our local arrangement's chair, took a day off from her busy schedule to take me on a thorough walking tour of the campus and a car tour of the downtown and beach areas. There was no time to go swimming (and it was a little cool) but we did walk out on the long pier. The campus has a fine outdoor pool, a delightful botanical garden, modern facilities, and a friendly atmosphere. Santa Barbara is full of things to do and the weekend that we are there (Aug. 1-4) is their yearly Fiesta celebration with parades and special activities. I received the information needed for our brochure and Brenda could not have been more helpful. Regrettably, Brenda has to cut back on her work so George Bate has agreed to take over as Local Arrangements Coordinator. A heartfelt thank you to Brenda for the important ground work she did. We greatly appreciate the willingness of George to pick up this task. Make plans now to come and enjoy this special conference.
At the Phoenix airport, the smiling faces of Fred and Thresa Hickernell greeted me. The next day, January 25, was a local section meeting for ASA. William Traugott along with the Hickernells arranged for the meeting room and delicious refreshments at Ottawa U. in Phoenix. There were several other ASA members and friends there to hear me give two talksóone about the history of the ASA and one on genetic engineering. Local meetings like this are so important for the health of the ASA. Let us pray that this and other local sections will thrive. Fred took me on a wonderful driving tour around Phoenix where we saw lakes, desert flora, and mountainsó scenes right out of Arizona Highways. The construction of new houses is everywhere and you can have both cactus and citrus trees in your yard. Monday night we heard the Templeton/ASA lecture of Ron Numbers at Grand Canyon U., a member of the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities. Ron gave an excellent lecture. It was good to see Bill Williams, president of the university, along with several other ASAers and members of the university community.
If you have not already received or read my recent letter, I hope that you are aware of the very good news about a matching fund for ASA. An anonymous donor has pledged up to $10,000 to match all monies earmarked for endowment between March 1 and September 1, 1997. We must first reach $5,000 to collect any matching funds. It is very important that this be money beyond that usually donated to the general fund or ASA will be in financial trouble. Placing money in endowment is a legacy of love and helps to lift us out of our year-by-year financial struggles. You are such wonderful donors, I am expecting that we will match the full amount.
AISRED, our Kenya connection, is progressing well with some fine grants and an expected move from the Athi River campus of Daystar to the Oloseos Centre, which has better rainfall and some facilities. This 450-acre Centre was donated in the 1960s to the Presbyterian Church of East Africa and the Ole Kajiado District Council to establish Christian ministry and programs for the local Maasai. Now that Kenya is strongly encouraging the Maasai to leave their nomadic ways and take up plot farming, it is essential that agricultural development assistance and spiritual counsel be given. George Kinoti, AISRED Director, Prof. of Zoology at Nairobi U., and author of Hope for Africa and What the Christian Can Do, is tentatively planning to retire from the university and give his full-time service to AISRED. Martin Price is planning to represent us at AISRED's board meeting this June and I hope to go in 1998. Charlie Forst is spearheading work both at Athi River and the Oloseos Centre. We are so thankful for his dedication and expertise. Charlie served for many years with ECHO in Haiti.
Carol Aiken and Lyn Berg are assembling the new 1997-1999 ASA Directory between numerous other projects. It is slow going but you should have your ordered copy during the first half of this year. We hope that you find it useful.
Below is the list of talks remaining in the Templeton/ASA Lecture Series for 1996/97. If you are near enough to one of these, please try to attend. If a college or university is mentioned twice, the address and contact information is omitted in the second listing.
Apr. 8, 8 p.m.-Luther C., Decorah, IA- Peter Hodgson (Oxford U., England), "The Philosophical Implications of Quantum Physics." Call (319) 387-1138, ask for Loyal Rue.
Apr. 10, 7:30 p.m.-Gordon C., Wenham, MA-Howard Van Till, "The Universe: No Place for a Small God." Call (508) 927-2300 x4387, ask for Jack Haas.
Apr. 10, 7:30 p.m.-U. of the Ozarks, Clarkesville, AR-Peter Hodgson, "The Christian Origin of Science." Call (501) 979-1360, ask for Gordon Beavers.
Apr. 15, 7 p.m.-Carroll C., Helena, MT-Peter Hodgson, "Creation and Science." Call (406) 447-4335, ask for John Hart.
Apr. 17, 10 a.m.-Augustana C., Sioux Falls, SD-Nancey Murphy, "Theology, Cosmology, and Ethics." Call (605) 336-5489, ask for Ann Pederson.
Apr. 29, 7 p.m.-Carroll C.-Ronald Numbers (U. Wisconsin at Madison), "The Evolution of Scientific Creationism."
May 6, 7:30 p.m.-Luther C.-Owen Gingerich, "Galileo and the Church: A Contemporary Perspective."
May 8, 7:30 p.m.-Cornell C., Mount Vernon, IA-Owen Gingerich, "Dare a Scientist Believe in Design?" Call (319) 895-4492, ask for William Carroll.
Role of ASA?
On the Internet, Steven Schimmrich reflects (s-schim@students.uiuc.edu) on a recent discussion of young-earth creationism (YEC) on the Evolution reflector, leading him to ask active ASA members the following:
The YEC movement sponsors speakers who travel to local churches to present creationism and to recruit members for their organizations. In the past year or so, there have been at least four separate YEC speakers...in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois area [churches]....It's clear that the YEC movement wants to win the hearts and minds of the average evangelical Christian.
What is the ASA doing to convey to evangelical Christians that there are Christians in the sciences who are not YECs? Does the ASA do anything to educate the average non-scientist Christian about science (i.e., sponsoring church speakers, publishing and distributing books or pamphlets aimed at average Christians, etc.?) [The worthwhile radiometric dating project] pales next to what's put out by the ICR or the Answers in Genesis organization.
ASA is about ready to co-publish (with IVP) a book for graduate students in the sciences. Word wonk Walt (Hearn) has (as of Dec. 30) finished it at last! Also in-house, the second edition of Robert Fischer's book, God Did It, But How? is available from the ASA office for $10 plus $2 p/h. Volume discounts are available. In the last year, ASAN has reported on ASAers speaking and giving courses in their churches. The ASA Communication Commission is now proceeding to develop material.
But you're right, Steve. Some of our ex-ASA brethren have surpassed us in reaching evangelical Christendom with their message. Perhaps what ASA needs is a
Leaflet-Writing Contest
The Editor is proposing a mode$t contest to encourage ASA members to create leaflets on ASA-relevant topics (not very limitedóbe creative) for popular distribution to nonscientist Christians in churches and elsewhere. The leaflets should address a single topic, be tutorial in form, motivational, and explain clearly the overall issues involved. Illustrations (or their descriptions) are desirable but not necessary. Word length should be limited to less than one sheet (two pages) so that winning leaflets can be printed in three-column, landscape format on both sides of a single sheet of paper, folded in thirds. Space for reference to ASA "for more information" should be allowed at the endóabout 2 column-inches.
The Leaflet Group, consisting of the Editor and a few other ASAers (mostly from the Communications Commission), will subject entries to local, ordinary nonscientist Christians of their acquaintance for their responses. The two most favored entries, as judged from these responses by the Leaflet Group, will each receive an award of $75 (US) and have their leaflets printed in the ASAN for distribution by ASAers. If demand merits, leaflets will be made available through additional printing (at no cost to ASA). If more than the best two entries are "really good," they will also be considered for future distribution.
Send your entry printed on paper, by facsimile, or on 3.5 inch PC-compatible diskette in either MS-DOS text with layout or Microsoft Word and *.DXF file formats to: Dennis Feucht, ASAN Leaflet Contest, 14554 Maplewood Road, Townville, PA 16360; fax: (814) 789-2149. Contest deadline is July 1, 1997. Don't miss it! Ideas for leaflet dissemination are also welcomed.
Science Education Trends Ominous
National education standards are at the cutting edge of government education activity. (See "STS in Education: Projects & Issues," ASAN, JAN/FEB 1997.)
In the mid-80s, the STS Education Project at Penn State produced a document, "Guidelines for STS Education." More recently, the Consortium for Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning produced a "Position Statement on Interdisciplinary Learning, Pre-KñGrade 4" that was endorsed by several education organizations, including NSTA. It outlines "principles that should guide the implementation of an integrated curriculum."
Typical of the OBE (Outcome-Based Education) effort to downplay academic instruction, some recommendations are: "develop democratic classrooms" where students are encouraged "to assume increasing responsibility for their learning," provide a variety of formats (including drama), and "respect diversity of thought and culture" by "engaging in a wide range of learning experiences, and examining many and varied perspectives." In addition, "collaborative interaction among students who differ in abilities, perspectives, experiences, ethnicity, and interests promotes learning for all students and fosters positive attitudes toward others and toward learning." The recommendations neatly encapsulate the idealism and relativism of OBE.
Government education is one of the power centers of our society. If education is an extension of religion, ASA's involvement falls well within its mission, which includes science education. The Science Education Commission is specifically addressing the creation/evolution controversy. However, science-ed is a relevant aspect of any ASA commission or local ASA section.
It is ironic that education standards cannot best be developed locally. Why trust local schools with the curriculum if they cannot be trusted to get the framework right? Here is another opportunity for some "ASAers of Issachar" (1 Chron. 12:32a, NIV: "men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do").
Resources
The Technology and Society Electronic Mailing List operated by the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) can be subscribed to by sending e-mail to: MAJORDOMO@ MAIL.IEEE.ORG with command: subscribe tech-society. The list address for message posting is: TECH-SOCIETY @IEEE.ORG. For more information on SSIT, contact J.HERKERT@IEEE. ORG. AAAS has a Website at: http:// www2.ncsu.edu/unity/users/j/jherkert/ indix.html. (From STS Today, Vol. 9, No. 1.)A new video program, "The Hidden Heart of the Cosmos," with mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme, is recommended by its advertisement for "personal growth, group study, in courses." It is "an exploration into the wisdom of science and its lessons integral to our well-being." Each of the three parts of this pantheistically-oriented series is about 26 minutes in duration. It can be obtained for $59.95 by calling: (800) 273-3720.
The newsletter Science & Spirit is now on-line at Website: http://science-spirit.com
ASAers in Action
The Washington Times newspaper (Jan. 6, 1997, p. A6) published an article, entitled "Publishers, schools alter texts in creation-evolution fight," by Larry Witham. "I think the textbook issue is heating up again," said NCSE Executive Director Eugenie Scott in the article. "We've had more calls about textbook problems this year than any other topic." The article goes on to say that "At the same time, scientists who are evangelicals are trying to guide publishers and educators toward science that does not encroach on religious belief." The recent example in Alabama is the one-page disclaimer placed inside biology textbooks cautioning students that Darwinian evolution is only a theory and to keep an open mind. John Wiester is quoted in response:
The inserts, for example, point out that there's a distinction between microevolution and macroevolution, between the philosophy of Darwinism and the science of evolution.º There's not a high school biology textbook on the market that makes these distinctions.
Wiester is identified as a geology professor and that he is "on the science education Committee of the American Scientific Affiliation, a group formed in 1941 by evangelical scientists."
UNCW physicist Moorad Alexanian was not finished in his newspaper interactions with the Wilmington Star. (See "ASAers in Papers," JAN/FEB 1997 ASAN.) Responding to Moorad's critique of "Darwin in court: Creationism makes comeback" (April 19, 1996), UNCW biology prof., Jonathan Geller's commentary, "Evolution explains known facts" (June 21, 1996) was co-signed by 13 other professors. The article puts the case bluntly: "Evolution is an observed fact. The fossil record demonstrates change of species through time and the origin of new species; evolutionary change in many species has been directly observed by humans, and new species can be generated experimentally."
The article goes on to explain the meaning of "theory" in science and then focuses on Moorad's assertions, "that evolution is not amenable to scientific study because it is a matter of history<|>º <|>This is wrong." Tests for hypotheses about historical events are given: how the hypothesis fits new observations, and experimental testing of hypothesized mechanisms. Geller's tone becomes impassioned regarding Moorad's claim that "evolution is a conclusion drawn from a pre-formed theory. This is ridiculously false; if evolution were not abundantly visible, there would be no need to suggest a theory to explain it!" The article sums up that "evolution is unequivocally the cornerstone of modern biology." Evolution, the writer claims, makes it possible to study animal models to conquer human disease and is used in plant breeding. Evolution is not only true, but beneficial.
Moorad responded to these forthright assertions in a letter to the editor (July 12, 1996, p. 6A) entitled, "What science is." He opens by stating that the opinion piece "fails to clarify the nature of science, which includes not only what it is but also what it is not." Moorad's counterclaims are:
1.The fossil record gives us snapshots, not a moving-picture account. We find no direct evidence for the transition from nonliving matter to living organisms.
2.The evidence for macroevolution is ambiguous. Inferences for the production of new species from the fossil record are inferred as a working hypothesis. But "to claim that evolution is an observed fact º requires an astronomical leap of faith."
3."Evolutionary theory lacks the predictive power of theories in physics that describe nature mathematically."
4. The theory "is replete with fundamental philosophical and theological implications which should be openly discussed. For instance, how does one reconcile the presence of intelligent design in the cosmos with a purely naturalistic explanation of everything?"
Moorad's exchange is another example of a Christian in science taking the initiative to be an influence for both God and science in his own neighborhood. (Editor's note: How could John Wiester's advice from the previous issue of the ASAN, about qualifying use of the E-word (evolution), be applied in this exchange?) Moorad Alexanian
Correction: In the last issue (JAN/FEB 1997), it was the Editor's turn to confuse Steven C. Meyer with Stephen C. Meyers. The latter is not involved with IBRI (as is the former), but with the Inst. for Biblical and Scientific Studies (IBSS). IBSS is at: 2424 E. Hagert St., Philadelphia, PA 19125; tel. (215) 423-7374. IBRI's mailing address was correctly given, but with IBSS's phone number.
Personals
Enjoying the privileges of retirement, F. Alton Everest attended lectures on "Faith and Science" by Kenneth Kihlstrom, prof. and head of the engineering physics program at Westmont C., site of this year's ASA Annual Meeting, in Santa Barbara, CA. Alton, a professional engineer, noted that the lectures were "good stuff!" They were part of the Founders Week annual lecture series and program of the Samar-kand, a covenant retirement community in Santa Barbara.
Former Calvin C. physicist Vernon J. Ehlers, made "honorable" by his political involvement (er, that is, it's a Congressman's title) was also honored by the Calvin Alumni Assoc. by receiving the Distinguished Alumni Award. Vern told of a sickly childhood, resulting in homeschooling during his early years. His mother hoped he would enter a respectable but undemanding vocation, such as a bank teller. Instead, he became the first research physicist to be elected to Congress. Vern learned physics at U. C. Berkeley (Ph.D. in 1960) and did research at the Lawrence Berkeley lab. In 1983, he left Calvin for the Michigan House, in 1985 to the state senate, and in 1993 to the U.S. House, to fill a vacancy created by the death of his one-time faculty colleague, Paul B. Henry. He was re-elected in 1994 and 1996. Vern comments on Washington politics: "I don't think it's harder to be a Christian in Washington or in Congress than it is any other place or in any other occupation. By and large, the people with whom I serve are honorable, ethical people. But they're not the ones who make the headlines." The award was reported in the Calvin C. Alumni magazine (Fall 1996). Don Degraaf
Professor Standford Reid died Dec. 28, 1996. He was 83 and died of cancer. He had been a long-time member of CSCA/ASA and contributed articles and talks. He was chairman of the Dept. of History at the U. of Guelph for many years. He was noted for his work on the history of the Scottish Reformation and was instrumental in establishing the library at the U. of Guelph with a strong collection of material on the history of Scotland. He was also a Presbyterian minister. He is survived by his wife and brother. Doug Morrison
Sayonara Sagan
Cornell U. astronomer and science popularizer Carl Sagan died of cancer on Dec. 20, 1996. Sagan was also a promoter of a materialistic world view, far removed from the God of the Bible. Robert C. Newman got his doctorate in astrophysics from Cornell U. and presently teaches at Biblical Theological Seminary in Hatfield, PA. Quoted in Terry Mattingly's religion column (Jan. 15, 1997, Scripps Howard News Service), Newman said that Sagan was a talented TV evangelist. He opened his popular video series, Cosmos, with:
The Cosmos is all that is or ever was or ever will be. Our feeblest contemplations of the Cosmos stir usóthere is a tingling in the spine, a catch in the voice, a faint sensation, as of a distant memory, of falling from a height. We know we are approaching the greatest of mysteries.
Bob's response, in a 1981 lecture at Cornell, was that "by Sagan's own definition of the methodology of science, this is not a scientific statement; this is a religious statement."
Mattingly asked Sagan, after he took the pulpit at a mass at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Oct. 3, 1993, whether his religious views had evolved in recent years toward a kind of deism or fusion with Eastern mysticism. Sagan responded that he continued to reject the notion of a transcendent God that existed outside the universe or cosmos, though some of his images had changed. "I remain inexorably opposed to any kind of revealed religion and reject any talk of a personal god," he said, while posing for news crews with the clergy on the cathedral steps. (Terry Mattingly teaches at Milligan C. in Tennessee.)
In his novel, Contact, Sagan's agnostic heroine accepts, by the end of the book (now being made into a movie), that the universe was "made on purpose" and contains evidence of an "artist's signature." Newman speculates that Sagan may have been dabbling with the concept of a god and might even have been moving toward some form of pantheism. But what we do know, Bob relates, is that Sagan remained totally opposed to the God of the Bible.
Thomas M. Lessl, Assoc. Prof. of Speech at the U. of Georgia in Athens, also concurs with Newman's observationsóthat "Sagan would begin what purports to be a series on the history of science [Cosmos] with a statement that is so obviously nonscientificóand in fact vaguely pantheistic." Lessl also sees a pantheistic spin on Sagan's account of the history of science:
He systematically ignores all of the obvious connections between Christianity and the development of modern scienceóthe balanced appreciation of rationalism and empiricism that developed out of medieval philosophy, the assumption of a law-like universe, and the belief that real progress is possible. By contrast, Sagan is eager to draw connections between Hindu beliefs about the age and cyclical nature of the cosmos and contemporary cosmology. He also deals with the embarrassment of Johannes Kepler's Christian piety by turning the German astronomer's theology into a form of nature worship.
Beyond prose, author Jim Bell's first book, a collection of poetry, contains:
The Night Carl Sagan Stepped on my Cat
If Darwin was right about how
everything got to be what it is,
someone said,
then cats should be able to do more than meow;
they should be able to answer the telephone by now.
And if reality ends with me and youó
accidents in a blind dance of darkness,
without stringsó
then there really isn't much left to do,
except to say, "I'm through.
Toodle-ooo."
Bell's response to news of Sagan's death was to wonder what the subsequent conversation with God was like.
The ASAN article quoting Beatrice Chen in the JUL/AUG96 ASAN got Jim Seibert's attention. From Sequim, WA, Jim wrote about Chen's comment that God is not an absentee landlord and that the subsequent curse on the Garden followed from the selfish misuse by Adam and Eve, rather than their "keeping" it. Jim says, "This is fairly good sermonizing, but it is not in the text [of Scripture]. So I shall do a bit of n-i-t picking." Jim agrees that "the attitude of environmental arrogance and the almost natural consequences of environmental destruction as a result, do not do violence to the text." But, Jim opines, it was intellectual and not environmental arrogance that was the primary problem.
He elaborates: "When we were serving under the UFM in Haiti, we observed the universal cry of the peasant, `It's not my fault.' No matter how personal the sin º " Jim further cautions us that the "dividing line between careful reasoning and arrogance is not done with fluorescent paint. We slide over that line so smoothly." He concludes that Beatrice did a good job, nowhere passing herself off as "wiser than God." In an accompanying letter to C. Gordon Winder of London, Ontario, he noted: "Jesus called himself `meek,' and we are considered `blessed' if we share in this with him. It must be important." R. Jim Seibert
Swift Unspun
David Swift unspun an American Scientist article about Jeremiah Horrocks (see JUL/AUG96 ASAN, p. 1) but more unspinning has followed. The latest is from theologian, pastor, and astrophysicist George Murphy. George says:
Neither Fernie nor Swift seem to have gotten it quite right. Horrocks (or Horrox) was (quoting the Encyclopedia Britannica) "a British astronomer and clergyman (my emphasis). Horrocks studied at the University of Cambridge from 1632 to 1635; he then became a tutor at Toxteth and studied astronomy in his spare time. He was ordained to the curacy of Hoole, Lancashire, in 1639. The transit of Venus, which had been overlooked in Kepler's tables but which Horrocks had predicted, took place on Sunday, November 24 (Old Style), and he observed it between church services."
George says there is probably more in the Dictionary of Scientific Biography. He recalls reading in an old astronomy text that Horrocks missed first contact because of clerical duties but was able to finish the service and get to his telescope before the transit ended.
Horrocks died when only about 24, George goes on, and what he accomplished in astronomy (a lot more than just predicting that transit) suggests that he would have been much better known in the history of science if he'd lived longer. George doesn't know if he's actually buried in Westminster Abbey, but he remembers seeing a stone with his name on it there, near the main entrance, he thinks. George Murphy
Who Said
We don't really understand how the two arrows of the ASA logo come together. Scientific law is our description of God's regular activity.
These words were uttered at the 1996 Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario by Robert VanderVennen.