>Let me ask you a question Paul... Why is it that many supporters of YEC on
>this forum jump on Glenn or I if there's even the appearance of a mistake or
>unfairness yet remain silent regarding false and misleading information
>promoted by YECs (especially the ones who travel around the country giving
>talks at local churches)? I don't mind (really!) when people point out
>mistakes or mistatements I make (which happens now and again) but I think it's
>shameful that the Evangelical community apparently tolerates sloppy research
>and even dishonesty (I'm not speaking specifically about Austin or Wise here)
>among proponents of YEC.
I haven't remained silent. When I contributed to the Bible-Science Newsletter
(BSN), it was the only American creationist publication to report extensively
on serious doubts about Dimitri Kuznetsov's citation practices. Glen Kuban
and I tried a few years ago to enlist signatories for a statement of concern
about Carl Baugh, with dismaying results (few people, despite their private
anguish, wanted to go on the record). At a seminar with Kurt Wise
in Chesapeake, VA, a couple of months ago, I devoted most of one of my
talks to critiquing the lazy use of secondary or tertiary literature by many
YEC authors.
But look: there's sin aplenty everywhere in the origins debate. I've dished out
abuse and mistaken claims. Stephen Jay Gould regularly tells people that
the giant panda's thumb is suboptimal, despite having not a shadow of actual
observational or comparative evidence for that assertion. Calumny is heaped on
the heads of creationists for using theoretical distinctions -- e.g., between
micro- and macro-evolution -- established by evolutionary biologists themselves.
The list goes on. It would be funny if it weren't so overwhelmingly ugly.
Everyone wants to be right. So: we see impatience, invective, backbiting...
Still, some of us, involved with the Biola Mere Creation conference, are trying
to find ways to build bridges among various parties. I'm hopeful, but I'm not
kidding myself that the job will be easy.
Paul Nelson