>At 12:14 PM 06/12/97 -0600, Glenn wrote among other things:
>
>>I disagree strongly with your placement of blame. I feel that it is the
>>responsibility of the Christian community to provide an apologetic which
can
>>withstand the onslaught of data that students are going to face in biology
>>and geology classes. It is not the responsibility of those who disagree
with
>>Christianity to cease from advocating their views.
>
>That may be so, but very few parents are competent to talk about these
>things. Unfortunately, many just listen to non-scientific (and I include
>all sciences, incl. theology) discussions. They heard something, and keep
>on repeating it to their children. Those parents may indeed be "blamed"
>but how are you going effectively combat these attitudes? many are indeed
>really our brothers and sisters. They stop listening as soon as you
>mention the word evolution. For that reason, I think that practically
>speaking Christian High schools are the solution, provided that you can
>find enough qualified teachers.
Many Protestant Christian schools I'm aware of teach ICR-type young-earth
creationism. When I was in Champaign, IL Ken Ham and Gary Parker brought
an "Answers in Genesis" seminar to town and they bussed in students from
local Christian schools to learn how dinosaurs rode Noah's ark (I'm not
kidding). I'm not sure Christian high schools are the answer.
I am in support of parents being vigilant and watching what is being
taught in schools (I plan to do so myself when I have children), and in
Christians with training in science being involved in fighting the
presentation of scientism as science in public schools, but I totally
oppose the introduction of young-earth creationist nonsense into science
coures which I believe to be the motive of the textbook warning label people.
>>It is the fault of many christian apologists and preachers who don't tell
>>the students the facts and thus make the student vulnerable to the
advocates
>>of atheism who point out this and many more discrepancies between what many
>>Christian apologists and preachers teach and what actually is.
>
>Again, I do not deny that, but what can be done about it? Teaching science
>course at all seminaries? Even that is not sufficient, I am afraid.
I think it would be wonderful to teach seminary students some basic
biology and geology in an origins-type course since they WILL be facing
questions about such issues (I'm looking for a teaching job next fall after
my present contract runs out :). They don't have to believe what modern
science advocates, but they should at least have a basic understanding of
the issues. Why not give them a single course in science?
- Steve.
-- Steven H. Schimmrich KB9LCG schimmri@kutztown.edu Department of Physical Sciences Kutztown University 217 Grim Science Building, Kutztown, PA 19530 (610) 683-4437 http://www.uiuc.edu/ph/www/s-schim Fides quaerens intellectum