great creationists of the past

I would like some help and feedback as I get ready to teach a section on
'Earth history and the fossil record' to my 9th grade physical science
class. The text we use is published by Abeka (A Christian publisher out
of Pensacola). So as you will guess, a chapter like this one is pretty
much entirely devoted to debunking anything smacking of evolution
including anything of old-earth timescales. (definitely a YEC text).

But anyway, there is a part of this chapter that seeks to dispel the
myth that science is not / was not an inherently 'anti-Christian' thing
and that the Biblical faith of a Christian, far from being preclusive of
scientific achievement, is in fact (and has been) an asset. No problems
here – I agree, though probably not in the same sense the publisher
desires. (The book's version of what constitutes 'real science' means
'non-evolutionary science' – in a diametrically opposed mirror image of
what, most of you, perhaps, would believe).

To this end, our text presents a list of 'fields of study established by
creationist scientists' which includes many big names of science –
granted – most of them, but not all are Pre-Darwin. The cited reference
for it is from (a creationist periodical?) 'Vision' March/April of 1982
with vol. # and p. #s etc. Here are some of the names/fields included
(there are over 40 including some repetitions of names for different
fields). I do already know of some problems here, so check my comments
below before you get too excited about some of these names.

Bacteriology -- Louis Pasteur
Calculus, dynamics, … Isaac Newton
Celestial Mechanics -- Johannes Kepler
Chemistry – Robert Boyle
Computer Science – Charles Babbage
Dimensional Analysis – Lord Rayleigh
Electrodynamics – James C. Maxwell
Electromagnetics – Michael Faraday
Thermodynamics – Lord Kelvin
Entomology – Henri Fabre
Fluid Mechanics – George Stokes
Galactic Astronomy – William Herschel
Genetics – Gregor Mendel
Glacial geology & ichthyology – Louis Agassiz
Hydraulics – Leonardo da Vinci
Hydrostatics – Blaise Pascal
Isotopic chemistry – William Ramsay
Natural History – John Ray
Reversible thermodynamics – James Joule
Stratigraphy – Nicholas Steno
Systematic biology – Carolus Linnaeus

While I have passing familiarity with some of these, and know about some
of the more prominent ones quite well, there are others I know nothing
about. The implication, of course, that the publisher of this list
intends is that this is a homogenously YEC body of people – which would
have Leonardo spinning in his grave. I also like to use Lord Kelvin to
show the more interesting depth of texture to some of these supposedly
'young-earth' people. He settled on the distressingly young age of … 24
million years, before the radioactive contributions had been discovered.
And I've discovered a wonderful work about Nicholas Steno. "The Seashell
on the Mountaintop" by Alan Cutler, 2003. It is subtitled: A story of
science, sainthood, and the humble genius who discovered a new history
of the earth. Have any of you read it? It would be a great book to
recommend to anybody who thinks only in YEC veins as well as anybody
whose thoughts are trapped in only anti-Christian ruts.

But I digress from my original request: Of the other names in the list
above, some of which I know nothing about, are there others that I
should delve into in order to impress upon these students that not all
Christian thinkers always thought alike and that 'creationist' doesn't
always mean 'young-earth creationist'?

Thanks in advance.

Just having had a 'Good Friday' (curious label), what are we in now?
Black Saturday? In anticipation of the better day, Happy Easter!

--merv
Received on Sat Apr 15 07:11:17 2006