paleonet keeping the faith

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I am simply a listener on this list, but thought that I should add something to this discussion.

I am an evangelical, and am a chemical engineer by profession. I also teach part time in a Christian school just outside Philadelphia, PA. I teach chemistry and a high school elective: 1/2 year astronomy and 1/2 paleontology.

My approach to the elective course is rather the reverse of most public school situations - they have had young earth creationism over and over again with just a mention that there are other views. I want my students (as does the biology teacher) to understand where the ideas of cosmological and biological evolution come from - what data and observations about the world lead to the ideas of deep time and formation and change through time. Most of the students come into my class and young earth and leave young earth, but with a broader idea that other Christians hold different views and that the scientific community is NOT composed of atheists bent on attacking Christianity. I find the students really enjoy and participate in the discussions. For me, a major emphasis is on the fact the broad category of "Christian" includes many who do not claim a young earth and instant creation and that they remain Christian.

I have run into a serious problem with the administration due to a disgruntled parent. I was discouraged by the limited understanding of the issues on the part of administrators and board, but that storm seems to have dissipated and I go on my way presenting the bigger picture to my students.

I believe that much harm is done by spokesmen like Richard Dawkins or Carl Sagan who use science to club any form of religion. (They fulfill to words of the likes of Ken Ham or Henry Morris and make any discussion just that much more difficult). It is indeed hard to sit down with those with whom we disagree and share ideas respectfully.

An organization that I have been associated with for many years is the American Scientific Affiliation. The ASA is both generally evangelical, not fundamentalist and populated by real live scientists, historians of science, philosophers, etc. We are on the web at asa3.org. Our position is mostly theistic evolutionary or various "old earth" views. You would find the theological and scientific thinking to be quite stimulating.

Hope my two cents is worth while.

Alan McCarrick