Michael Zimmerman, a biologist and the Dean of the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh spearheaded a campaign earlier this year to get the Grantsburg, Wisconsin, school district to rescind their anti-science motion on the teaching of evolution. As part of his campaign, Michael gathered 10,000 signatures from Christian clergy indicating that religion and science need not be in conflict. The goal was to demonstrate to the American public that the very loud fundamentalist voices demanding that Christians must choose between the two were not representative of the broad Christian community. Go to http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/cols/religion_science_collaboration.htm to see that clergy signing the letter come from all states and most territories of the country as well as from a host of Christian denominations. The Christian Alliance for Progress has become interested in his efforts and there now are plans to publicize this letter more widely.
Below is a message from Michael on these plans and how you can help.
"The challenge now is to shift our focus from gathering signatures to that of reaching a broader audience as we launch efforts to publicize the Clergy Letter. I'm delighted to report that the Christian Alliance for Progress and Fenton Communication (a large public relations firm in Washington, DC) have joined in our cause and have agreed to partner in a publicity campaign. Together we have decided that one of the most productive activities we can undertake is to advertise the Clergy Letter Project in national newspapers. We believe such ads, coupled with the submission of op-ed pieces and a national press conference, will lead to significant media coverage. Education is key for people to understand this issue, and national advertising is clearly the best, first step in reaching them. As funding is obviously a challenge at this point, I have approached a number of foundations to ask for support – although we'll have to wait to see what, if any, support materializes.
" In the meantime, we need your help to make an advertising campaign a reality. I'm hoping that many of you will contribute financially and that you will pass along this information to others who might be interested in helping to further our cause.
"The Christian Alliance for Progress has agreed to handle all donations through their web site (http://www.christianalliance.org/clergyletter). Please be assured that they will not process any credit card information until the pledge total is sufficient to make a difference. Please visit their site and make a pledge today. A pledge of even $20 will help enormously. Alternatively, if you’re uncomfortable sharing your credit card information over the Web, please write a check. Simply make it payable to The Christian Alliance for Progress, indicating that the funds are to be used for The Clergy Letter Project.
You can mail it to:
Christian Alliance for Progress
PO Box 40495
Jacksonville, Florida 32203-0495
"Together, I am confident we can broaden and bring coherence to the ongoing debate regarding the compatibility of religion and science.
Finally, please share this information with as many people as you can. National ads are very expensive!
" Thank you for your efforts to date and for any pledge you can make. I will provide updates on our fundraising efforts over the coming weeks. Additionally, I will bring an exciting outreach initiative to your attention in a couple of weeks. I am certain that, together, we can introduce the voice of scientifically literate Christian clergy to the entire country, with potentially dramatic results. "
Michael
Click here to view the thousands of signatures on the Clergy Letter Project: http://www.uwosh.edu/colleges/cols/religion_science_collaboration.htm
Click here to proceed to the Christian Alliance for Progress/Clergy Project Letter Donations Page: http://www.christianalliance.org/clergyletter
Michael Zimmerman
Office of the Dean
College of Letters and Science
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901
(920) 424-1210
mz@uwosh.edu
Joanne Kluessendorf, Ph.D.
Director
Weis Earth Science Museum
University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley
1478 Midway Road
Menasha, WI 54952
phone 920.832.0125
fax 920.832.2674
www.fox.uwc.edu/wesm