This is the second part of Robert Newman's annual report
for the ASA Creation Commission in 2003:
Besides sponsoring this symposium
[for the ASA annual meeting in 2003, described earlier in the report],
the Creation Commission (CC) met once
this
past year, at the national ASA meeting at Colorado Christian University, Lakewood,
CO, the evening of July 27. This was a joint meeting with the Science
Education Commission (SEC), in agreement with a request from the SEC last year.
The meeting was convened at 9:12
pm, with SEC chair Craig Rusbult presiding. CC chair Bob Newman took notes. Though
some attendees drifted in and out, the maximum number in attendance at any
one point in the meeting was 26.
An invitation was made to those
present (and those who read these minutes) for anyone who would like to volunteer
to serve as newsletter editor for either of the commissions. Bob Newman is
currently handling this task for the CC (but would be glad to hand over the
responsibility), and there is none for the SEC. There were no takers at the
meeting, though anyone interested is invited to contact the relevant commission
chair. It was suggested that commission
newsletters might be more efficiently distributed by email, or perhaps even
better, by e-mail notice that the newsletter is posted on the ASA site. This
would save considerable printing and mailing expense.
The ASA Newsletter editors are
looking for news items. A copy of these minutes will be sent to them as well
as to ASA Director Don Munro and SEC chair Craig Rusbult. Bob Newman will also
send a brief report on this year’s CC symposium “Divine Action
in Nature” to
the ASAN.
The Creation Commission, having
sponsored a symposium this year, will not plan to do another before 2005 or
later.
The main reason
for having a joint meeting of the SEC and CC this year was to discuss input
for the ASA website in the section sponsored by the SEC (www.asa3.org/ASA/education/origins). SEC
chair Craig Rusbult is starting to put up materials, re: science education,
for the website. Bob Newman, as Director of the Interdisciplinary Biblical
Research Institute (IBRI), suggested that the SEC should feel free to borrow
or make
links to any of the items on the IBRI website
(www.ibri.org). Carl Resler
also has a good bit of relevant material on his website at www.macrodevelopment.org.
Some discussion followed on what
ASA members are already doing that would be relevant to science education. The ASA Lay Education Project was mentioned, as well as the CC statement on
creation. There are already a number of items on the main ASA website (www.asa3.org). Some of the materials presented in the video “Unlocking the Mystery of
Life” might also be helpful.
Craig noted that the Creation/Evolution
issue continues to be one of high interest, even though the SEC would not want
to limit their materials to this topic. On this topic, Craig suggested the
SEC web section would like to present the variety of positions out there, with
links to the best websites espousing each view. Some discussion followed on
the amount of space to give to young-earth views, with the conclusion that
probably only one site should be listed, but one which YEC proponents think
is best. Some other topics to be included in the SEC section of the ASA website
would be a section on worldviews, on the science, theology and teaching of
origins, on the nature of science, and on various educational matters.
Some discussion followed on how
we could get more hits on the ASA website. Besides trying to get links for
other websites, the addition of meta-labels (giving key words) has proved helpful
on a number of other websites.
Craig presented the need to tap
creative people to contribute to the website. There was a time of discussion
on how the commissions could aid in recruiting new ASA members. The consensus
seemed to be that this was not particularly a commission item, but that more
would likely happen if individual members and the affiliation as a whole took
various actions. It was suggested that: (1) ASA seek to reach out to
HS science teachers and educators; that (2) the ASA prepare a poster
ad for ASA that could
be put up on the website in Adobe Acrobat, which ASA members (particularly
college faculty) could then print out on their own computers and post at their
schools; that (3) the ASA consider granting free first year memberships
to college students or even free trial memberships to anyone interested.
The meeting adjourned at 10:08 pm.