Re: Debate

Glenn Morton (grmorton@waymark.net)
Sat, 20 Dec 1997 21:21:24 -0600

At 12:19 AM 12/20/97 -0600, bpayne@voyageronline.net wrote:
>I hate to say it, but Barry Lynn & Co. stomped Wm. Buckley & Co.
>tonight. It was basically hard-core science (in spite of Michael Ruse)
>against philosophical mush. The final image of the debate was classic
>though. Barry Lynn, who had requested the debate, made reference to
>John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Word..." Then he said, "Maybe the
>Word was 'evolve'." To substitute Jesus with evolution is blasphemous,
>and with his last words, Lynn perfectly characterized his position in
>exactly the way Phil Johnson had been trying to do but with much less
>success. As an added bonus, Lynn undoubtedly nauseated or infuriated
>the conservative Christians across America. Talk about pulling defeat
>out of the jaws of victory!
>
I would agree with much of your assessment. Kenneth Miller's charge that
Johnson and co had not tried to explain things rather than explain them away
or simply repeat the mantra that evolution won't work, struck home.

I agree that Barry Lynn's statment was stupid tactically and poor theology.
But I would suggest that Philip Johnson is going to get unloaded on by the
young-earth creationists. He said "I have said on many occasions and have
urged persons in the conservative Christian community to put aside the Bible
issues and let us ask the question what is actually known from scientific
evidence as opposed to materialistic philosophy." and of a young-earth
creationist book said "The kind of thing you are scouraging certainly is
silly, just almost as silly as the work of Richard Dawkins. And its
damaging. And I mean that."
I would expect that the conservative wrath may be unleashed on Johnson worse
than on Barry Lynn.

glenn

Adam, Apes, and Anthropology: Finding the Soul of Fossil Man

and

Foundation, Fall and Flood
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm