Here are the Vital Statistics:
=20
NAME: Robert James (Bob) Schneider
AGE: 63
VOCATION: teacher and writer
EDUCATION:
In elementary school four wonderful teachers inspired me. My eighth & =
ninth grade English teacher Miss June Roethke taught me how to use =
language better than anyone else. After three years at Ft. Lauderdale =
(FL) High School.:
B.A., summa cum laude, University of the South: Classical =
Languages, 1961.
M.S.M., D.S.M. (Doctor Scientiarum Mediaevalium-Doctor of Medieval =
Studies), University of Notre Dame: Medieval Latin literature; 13th c. =
educational tractates, 1963, 1965.
Sabbatical studies included reading in history of science at Indiana =
University
with Ed Grant (medieval science) and Sam Westfall (scientific =
revolution; Newton), 1976-77; reading on my own in evolution and =
intelligent design, 2000. Also, four Templeton Science & Religion =
Course Workshops, 1997-2000
PROFESSIONAL ACADEMIC CV:
1965-1968: University of Southern California: classics
1968-2001: Berea College: classics, general studies (included =
senior seminar "Science and Faith"); now retired from full-time academic =
teaching
2002 (fall): Lees-McRae College: visiting professor of religion =
(part-time)
RELIGION: Christian. Member, Episcopal Church Committee on Science, =
Technology=20
and Faith; chair, subcommittee on Creation.
ORGANIZATIONS: ASA (Associate), IRAS, Society for Values in Higher =
Education
FAMILY:=20
Wife (of five years this July 19) Maria Ruth Lichtmann; =
stepdaughter Catherine, son-in-law Ben Wakeman, and grandsons Ian, 6 =
(who loves to talk about God), and Dylan 20 months (who is not yet =
talking). I gladly gave up bachelorhood at 58. I tell you, folks, it's =
_never_ too late.
=20
I must flesh this out. I was a cradle Episcopalian who grew up in a =
low-church parish. I loved Sunday worship and especially the Prayer =
Book. In my teens we moved to another city and a high-church parish, and =
I fell in love with smells and bells. In my youth I also fell in love =
with science: our basement smelled of my chemistry set. H.S. and =
college science courses introduced me to cosmology, chemistry, and =
evolution; college Bible courses introduced me to the =
historical-critical method. I experienced no conflict between my =
Christian faith and evolution. I considered Anglican holy orders, but =
ended up in college teaching; it proved to be the vocation God had =
called me to.
=20
Good thing, too, because in my late twenties I left the church and =
Christianity. I still believed there is a God, and was not hostile =
toward religion. I lived out my vocation at Berea College in Kentucky, =
a non-sectarian school dedicated to providing students from low-income =
families in the Appalachian South with a virtually cost-free liberal =
arts education. Besides classics and NT Greek I taught general studies =
courses that included Christian doctrine and biblical texts; I loved =
biblical literature. The GST courses allowed me to continue exploring =
the history of science and contemporary theories.
=20
A crisis in my personal life that came to a head about 10 years =
ago brought me back to faith. God responded twice. In the first, =
during a moment of anguish over childhood wounds, I felt embraced by a =
compassionate Presence that brought peace. The second, a numinous =
moment, left me literally trembling with awe at the Power that animates =
the universe. I recovered hope, discovered faith, and began to move to =
the first stirrings of love. A need for a meditative spirituality in a =
community led me to the Berea Friends Meeting, a wonderful group of =
believers. About the same time I met Maria, a new faculty member, and =
another of God's great gifts. After a year, I realized that I was =
missing a sacramental spirituality, so I returned to the church of my =
youth, and found I had come home. And when I began to read the Bible =
spiritually again, I found in the person of Jesus, that very =
compassionate love I had experienced from God, and so I committed myself =
to follow Christ and become a worker in God's vineyard. Believe me, I =
am still learning to water and prune.
=20
During my last five years at Berea I was able to combine love of =
science with Christian faith in a senior seminar that explored critical =
issues in science and religion. My students were predominantly =
conservative and fundamentalist Christians, most of them creationists, a =
couple of them "sons of Ham." In this I discovered my new ministry, to =
help Christian people learn that there is no real conflict between =
science rightly understood and Christian belief, which I now conduct =
through the Episcopal Church committee, my writing, and teaching in =
local venues. The need to learn to speak more effectively to =
evangelical audiences, as I seek to do further in a set of essays on =
science and religion that will appear on the Berea College web site, led =
me to join the ASA and become acquainted with like-minded people who =
could help this believer, whose perspectives are more catholic, to =
understand and appreciate evangelical perspectives. I am grateful to =
many contributing to this list and PSCF who have helped me to do so, and =
whom I have come to admire and respect for their work and Christian =
commitment. We share a common love of the sciences, and we toil side by =
side in the same vineyard.
=20
Grace and peace,
Bob Schneider
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Aug 03 2002 - 19:15:07 EDT