A9412.TXT Excerpts from the ASA Newsletter, Jan/Feb 1995 Posted to CIS by permission of the ASA by John W. Burgeson CIS # 73531,1501 I. New books reviewed: 1. Irving Knobloch; LIVABLE PLANETS ARE HARD TO FIND 2. D. Gareth Jones: COPING WITH CONTROVERSY II. Other 3. New ASA President 4. Wheaton, IL, April 1; The Evangelical Engagement with Science" 5. Texas A&M's Walter Bradley "Scientific Evidence for God." 6. Hugh Ross's talks on the origins question. 7. Report on the 1994 C.S. Lewis symposium 8. CiS critical of Phillip Johnson 9. Debate planned on PANDAS AND PEOPLE 1. Long-time ASAer Irving W. Knobloch has just published LIVABLE PLANETS ARE HARD TO FIND, a book dealing with environmental sciences. It is available from the author for $12 + $1 S&H, at 6104 Brook Haven, E. Lansing, MI 48823. Irv deals with the rising tide of press criticism of science on environmental issues. 2. D. Gareth Jones has just released COPING WITH CONTROVERSY: CONFLICT, CENSORSHIP AND FREEDOM WITHIN CHRISTIAN CIRCLES. The book challenges Christians to stop isolating themselves from other Christians when unable to agree on peripheral issues. He asserts that dissent is valuable and should be encouraged. Available from Visjon Publications, 37 Garden Place, Dunedin, New Zealand for $14, including postage. In March, he will be speaking at Loma Linda University on the subject "Making human life captive to biomedical technology; the demise of human values." 3. The new ASA president is Ray Brand, recently retired Wheaton College biology professor. Ray's latest book, CREATION REDEEMED, A BIBLICAL BASIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, will be published by Starsong later this year. He also publishes in popular magazines, such as LAKE AND STREAM. 4. The Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals is sponsoring "The Evangelical Engagement with Science" conference at Wheaton College from March 30 through April 1, 1995. Among the participants is expected to be Ronald Numbers, author of "Creationism in Twentieth Century America." For information, contact ISAE at Wheaton College, 60187. 5. Walter Bradley, professor at Texas A&M University, co-author of "The Mystery of Life's Origin," has been speaking at many major universities on the topic "Scientific Evidence For the Existence of God." Walter notes that the response has been overwhelmingly positive, despite the fact that most of his audiences have been composed of non-theists. His presentation addresses a limited goal -- to demonstrate that the character of the universe clearly suggests an intelligent creator. It recognizes that since the time of Kant and Hume, one cannot prove God's existence through design arguments, though it is fair to ask "whether such a universe could have originated from chemical and physical laws alone." 6. Another ASAer, Hugh Ross, has published CREATION & TIME, an attempt to defuse the controversy over the age of creation. Hugh identifies five fears of the young-earthers about the old-earth creationism position: (1) evolutionism, (2) a denial of a literal Adam and Eve, (3) distortion of doctrine of salvation, (4) denial of biblical inerrancy, and (5) elevation of science over the Bible. CREATION & TIME is available in many bookstores. Hugh's organization, Reasons to Believe, is at P.O. Box 5978, Pasadena, CA 91117. 7. In July 1994, the C. S. Lewis Institute at Queens College hosted a symposium on the theme "Cosmos and Creation: Chance or Dance?" A report was carried in Christianity Today, 12 Sep 1994. The article notes that Cambridge "will be a hotbed of debate between scientists and theologians" as a result of a $1.5 million gift to create a new academic chair in science-theology. Richard Dawkins, author of "The Blind Watchmaker," observed that theology "is a non-subject, which should not in any sense be treated as an equal of science." 8. CiS (Christians in Science), an English organization, has issued a newsheet on Phillip Johnson's "Darwinism on Trial," now available in that country. "Most of us are unwilling to reject the evidence for evolution by natural selection simply because a few maverick scientists have tried to promote science as an atheistic religion." An editorial opined that Johnson's book would contribute nothing to science. Papers pro and con on Johnson's book have appeared in the past year in PERSPECTIVES. 9. Finally, PANDAS AND PEOPLE must be a controversial book! This year, at the annual ASA meeting, the question "Should ASA members support the use of this textbook (2nd edition) as a supplement in the biology classroom?" will be debated. Copies are available from the Foundation for Thought and Ethics, P.O.Box 830721, Richardson, TX 75083 for $21.45 postpaid. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The American Scientific Affiliation, ASA, founded in 1941, is an association of people who have made a commitment of themselves to both a scientific description of the world and to Christianity. The present membership is about 2,500. A companion Canadian organization exists. Information on the ASA, including a sample issue of PERSPECTIVES, is available by writing to: ASA, P.O. Box 668 Ipswitch, MA 01938-0668 ASA's e-mail address is asa@newl.com