Science in Christian Perspective

EDITORIAL
D. N. Eggenberger

From: JASA 11 (December 1959): 2.

You can aid the library of the American Scientific Affiliation in the following ways:

1. Suggest books which should be purchased. A thousand readers will run into valuable books more readily than one librarian. So if you have a choice book, send a short review of it to me and it will appear in the journal.

2. Borrow books from our library after reviews appear in the journal, or from books listed on our A.S.A. library catalog. A complete list of books may be obtained from the librarian.

A woman in Missouri preparing a discussion for High School students.

A member of the executive committee surveying the "Doorway Papers".

A teacher sampling literature on science and scriptures.

We are buying a complete set of "Doorway Papers". These are written by anthropologist Arthur Custance on such topics as "Why Noah Cursed Canaan", "The Problem of Evil", and "The Interpretation of Genesis I You will find them well documented and stimulating whether you agree with them or not,

Perhaps you have a valuable book you would like others to enjoy. Give it or lend it to our library. Our collection contains the journal of Transactions of the Victoria Institute, an English organization comparable to ours. In 1958 the publication changed to a tri-yearly magazine, Faith and Thought. A sample issue contains the following titles: Faith's Debt to Scepticism, Some Ancient Semitic Ideas of the Afterlife, The Concepts or Randomness and Progress in Evolution, Sigmund Freud, Life and Work.

The Editor's Views

The perennial question arises as to what kind and quality papers should appear in the journal. As to kind, most decisions are not too difficult. Some borderline cases including a point pertinent to the cause of the organization may be included.

As to quality, well, everyone is concerned that papers be of the best. But to set up an infallible set of objective rules by which to determine quality (and to a certain extent the subject of the paper) is easier said than done.

It would be easy to establish a "party line" in accepted scientific theory and in theology to which any accepted paper must adhere. Among most journals this seems to be the case. One doesn't expect to find an amillenial article, for example, in a magazine supported by people with premillenial convictions; neither does one look for an article on creation in the journal of Evolution. These policies, no doubt, have their good purposes.

The Editor, however, believes that the A.S.A. has a purpose, and can thus best fulfill a needed function, of open-minded study that precludes such restrictions. In pursuing that policy of liberal thought within the framework of revealed Christianity, it is inevitable that some papers will get into print that will meet with considerable objection. And the Editor freely admits having made some poor judgments; however, it is not uncommon to have been scored for printing an article and, by another, complimented for having had the opportunity to read the same. At that, about onehalf of the papers received are turned down.

It is his (Editor's) belief that a primary function of the A.S.A. is to allow free discussion. It should be a medium for producing new thought, new approaches, new solutions to some old problems concerning science and Christianity.

It should be made clear that the Council has given the Editor quite free rein in such matters and therefore he is responsible for selection of papers that are printed. Of course, he is dependent to a great extent on the advice of referees of papers.

Finally, it should be emphatically pointed out that any paper or column is to be considered only as the views of the author, not as an opinion or policy of the A.S.A. membership, Executive Council, nor the Editor.

The following members were recently elected to the status of Fellows of the American Scientific Affiliation in recognition of their contributions in various ways to the development of the aims of the organization.