NEWSLETTER

American Scientific Affiliation & Canadian Scientific Christian Affiliation


VOLUME 32 NUMBER 3                                         JUNE/JULY 1990



NEWSLETTER of the ASA/CSCA is published bi-monthly for its membership by the American Scientific Affiliation, 55 Market St., Ipswich, MA 01938. Tel. 508-356-5656. Information for the Newsletter may be sent to the Editor: Dr. Walter R. Hearn, 762 Arlington Ave., Berkeley, CA 94707. 0 1990 American Scientific Affiliation (except previously published material). All rights reserved.
[Editor: Dr. Walter R. Hearn / Production: Rebecca Petersen]


GOD'S WORLD AS CREATION

ASA Meetings are different. Take the 1990 ANNUAL MEETING at MESSIAH COLLEGE in Grantham, Pennyslvania, coming up AUGUST 3-6, for example. Because its theme is "Viewing the Natural World as Creation," some people might confuse this year's ASA Meeting with the 1990 "International Conference on Creationism" to be held at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, July 29-Aug 4. The two meetings are both in Pennsylvania and the dates overlap slightly, but that little "-ism" in ICC spells a big difference between ICC and ASA. ASA takes both creation and evolution seriously, creation as a key biblical doctrine and evolution as an important scientific concept without making "-isms" out of either.

Sponsors of the ICC (The Creation Science Fellowship, Inc., 362 Ashland Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15228; tel. 412-341-4908), on the other hand, promote creationism as an "historic and scientific model of origins." The sponsoring organization takes the position that "natural indicators support a much younger limit to the age of the earth than what is currently held by the scientific community" and the most prominent ICC speakers (e.g., Henry Morris, Duane Gish, and James Kennedy) are known as promoters of that young-earth position.

ASA has always been open to considering alternatives to widely held biblical interpretations or scientific theories. Morris and Gish used to present their views at our Annual Meetings, before they resigned from ASA. Several current ASA members will give papers at this year's ICC; the names of physicist Charles Lucas of The College of William and Mary and paleontologist Kurt Wise of Bryan College appear on the ICC advance program. In recent years political opponents of "creation-science" have been covering meetings like ICC in NCSE Reports (formerly
Creationl Evolution Newsletter). This might be a good year for observers to attend both ICC and ASA and see the difference.

Polemicists pillory opponents by limiting options and by conflating scientific and religious issues. ASA remains "committed to providing an open forum where controversies can be discussed without fear of unjust condemnation." Yet, as our brochure also states, "ASA members are firm in the conviction that God is the Creator of all things seen and unseen, firm in our denial that evolution could ultimately rule out God or His sustaining activity in His created world."

ASA Annual Meetings thus resemble meetings of standard scientific societies but differ in certain ways. A shared commitment to Jesus Christ and, for many, a kind of "evangelical acculturation" let ASA members demonstrate and articulate values not common to the broader scientific community. We worship together
as part of our meeting, for example-not Science, Rationality, Mother Earth, the natural world, or some demiurge,

cosmic energy flux, or divine magician-but the God and Father of Jesus Christ, whom we encounter in the Bible. In Christ's name we pray for each other and for shared concerns, including the well-being of both the Lord's family and the scientific enterprise. (This year, Larry Martin has offered to plan the music at our worship, and would like to hear from other ASA musicians: contact him at 435 Ridgefield Rd., Chapel Hill, NC 27514, or call
919-942-5207.-Ed.)

In North America in 1990, does it seem quaint or "otherworldly" for several hundred scientists to meet on a Christian college campus, seeking God's blessing on science and their fellow scientists? Hardly, if one reads the cautionary notices that now show up in the announcements of many scientific meetings. "Tips for a Safe Stay" at a national American Chemical Society meeting include: "When walking, stick to main thoroughfares and well-lit areas. Don't wear your meeting badge outside the hotels. Be cognizant and alert to surroundings. Look alert. Don't leave valuables in your room. Go in numbers. Don't be a loner, particularly in the evening."

Those aren't "creationists" the ACS is warning its members to be wary of. Ordinary scientists gathering to discuss how the world works are finding the "real world" an increasingly hostile environment for doing what scientists do. In the Apr 16 issue of The Scientist, writer Jeff Seiken described another worsening problem, especially for grad students, young academics, and people from Third World countries: the high cost of attending scientific meetings in a time of declining research budgets. Affordable ASA Annual Meetings are generally enjoyable vacations for the whole family-and real scientists have real families.

Sooner or later, many scientists realize that, to keep science from being "part of the problem" rather than "part of the solution," they must pay attention to matters other than science. ASA members have been gathering for years to think about serious matters in a joyful spirit. Meeting as a faith community, we honor the ultimate as we explore the proximate.

ALMOST BUT NOT QUITE

Registration materials for the 1990 ANNUAL MEETING, AUGUST 3-6, should be in your hands by now. Many abstracts of contributed papers arrived after the preliminary program was printed, perhaps a record number this year. REGISTER NOW for a  truly outstanding meeting at MESSIAH COLLEGE.

Alas, ASA's flying carpet came unraveled when we failed to reach the minimum of 20 people for a post-meeting ASA Tour of the Middle East. Disappointed but undaunted world traveler Bob Herrmann has begun thinking of proposing a shift of the 1992 (western) Annual Meeting from Seattle to Hawaii, postponing our meeting at Seattle Pacific University to 1993. An appropriate 1992 site would be the campus of University of the Nations, new name for Pacific Asian Christian University. That's on the big island of Hawaii, where years ago ASA member Wayne Ault did pioneering geochemical studies on Kilauea volcano. (Talk about a red-hot possibility for a field trip!-Ed.)

OUR GUY IN GENEVA

Participants in the 1988 ASA Annual Meeting on "Science, Weapons, & Hope" heard Sandia Laboratories researcher Jack Swearengen give a Christian insider's view of weapons research. That was just before he moved deeper inside, from Sandia (in Livermore, California) to the Department of Defense in Washington. Now, after eighteen months as Scientific Advisor for Arms Control in the Pentagon, Jack has moved to the epicenter of arms control treaties: Geneva, Switzerland.

In March, Jack wrote that he was on his way to Geneva to support the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) during the "end game." That's what Jack called efforts of U.S. and Soviet delegations to wrap up details in time for Presidents Bush and Gorbachev to sign a treaty at the scheduled summit conference. Meanwhile, the possibility arose that some harsh action by Gorbachev in Lithuania might threaten the summit.

Jack's DOD assignment has been intense, exciting, and exhausting. The pace of "advising, planning, and implementing" R&D activities on arms-control-treaty verification hasn't let up, with -conventional -andchemical weapons on the agenda as well as START. Complications in the multilateral banning of chemical weapons were discussed at a major symposium at the February AAAS meeting in New Orleans.

Jack Swearengen hopes to present a paper on "Arms Control and the Kingdom of God" at the 1990 ASA ANNUAL MEETING at MESSIAH COLLEGE, AUGUST 3-6. (Another good reason to attend this year. If you weren't invited to the summit, how about "a mountain-top experience"?-Ed.)

ROMANIAN CONNECTIONS

Political upheavals in Eastern Europe fill the news. They also fill some educational gaps. Many Americans must have finally learned the difference between Baltics and Balkans. ASAers typically know a bit of ancient Near East history and Mediterranean geography from
our acquaintance with the Bible, then skip fifteen centuries or so to the Reformation and the rise of science in Western Europe.

When tiny gymnast Nadia Comaneci burst on the scene in the 1976 Olympic Games, Romania was almost an unknown country to many of us. It was hard to believe that its name lingers from its role as an outpost of the Roman Empire, familiar from New Testament times. (The Danube River, which flows through Romania, may have etymological roots in ancient northward migrations from Dan, Israel's northernmost tribe, or so we've heard.-Ed.)

This winter's bloody civil war put Romania firmly in our vocabulary. Many. Christian agencies in the U.S., Australia, Holland, and West Germany rushed emergency supplies and religious literature into Romania in the wake of that uprising. Meanwhile stories began appearing about the role of Christians in precipitating the downfall of the Stalinist government. Joseph Tson, pastor of Europe's Largest Baptist church (in Oradea, Romania),  was exiled in 1981 for speaking out against the government's interference in church affairs. As director of the Romanian Missionary Society (based in Wheaton, Illinois), Tson returned to Oreada on 28 Dec 1989, days after the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu's regime. There he urged a crowd of thousands of evangelical believers to "learn how to take advantage of freedom." According to Christianity Today (5 Feb 1990), Tson planned to stay in Romania and run for a seat in its newly formed parliament as a candidate of the hastily reorganized Christian Democrat party.

Evidently Romanian Christians have been quietly aided by such groups as the Navigators and Campus Crusade since the mid-1970s, producing a new generation of young leaders. (A Campus Crusade staff worker wrote to us that since January, when things settled down, hundreds of university students and some professors have openly acknowledged their desire to follow Jesus. Crusade's "Jesus Film" in Romanian has made an impact there, as it has in the Georgian language in the Soviet republic of Georgia.-Ed.)

It will probably always be hard for Americans to sort out the political, ethnic, and religious conflicts in Eastern Europe, but the event that triggered the overthrow of Nicolae Ceausescu seems clear. Laszlo Tokes, pastor of the Hungarian Reformed Church in Timisoara, Romania,,Iong harassed by the Securitate secret police for his public criticism of Ceausescu's regime, was the eye of the storm. On Dec 16, supporters formed a human wall to protect the pastor from eviction and arrest. When the believers were joined by others and the crowd grew unruly, Securitate forces fired only blanks in an effort to control the protesters. An enraged Ceausescu threatened to execute any officers who refused to "kill troublemakers." A few days later the Securitate did fire into a crowd, killing many demonstrators. Fierce fighting broke out, toppling the government and leading to the immediate execution of dictator Ceausescu and his wife Elena.

The Feb 12 issue of Chemical & Engineering News carried an amazing story by C&EN news editor and ASA member Wil Lepkowski about Elena Ceausescu, who was occasionally referred to at the time of her death as "a scientist." According to Wil, in "one of the strangest chapters in contemporary science diplomacy," Elena's scientific career turns out to have been entirely fraudulent. Prominent scientists in Western as well as Eastern bloc countries knew that she gained her technical degrees and publications through the exercise of raw political power, but never said so. One or two Romanian professors who protested the charade lost their grants or were demoted. Elena's son Nicu was awarded an equally phony Ph.D. in physics. Mrs. Ceausescu appointed herself to the Romanian Academy of Sciences and took over direction of the Institute for Chemical Research. Some scientific societies in the West, including the American Institute of Chemists, made her an honorary member. On hearing that, one emigre ' chemist resigned from AIC-but without giving a reason for fear of endangering members of his family still living in Romania.

In February, the Newsletter editor also came across the book, Misterul Originii Vietii: Reevaluarea Teoriilor Actuale, another link in ASA's Romanian connection. It was obviously a translation of The Mystery of Life's Origin (Philosophical Library, 1984), coauthored by ASA members Charles Thaxton and Walter Bradley with Roger Olsen. The story we heard was that several years ago, Mystery fan Tom Woodward showed that book to Liviu Pup, a Romanian studying chemistry in the U.S., who eagerly translated it. Pup said that his countrymen were tired of "the official atheistic party line" on how life began.

The latest link in this connection was word that author Charlie Thaxton had been invited to visit a number of Romanian universities in April to lecture on the origin of life. In anticipation, copies of Misterul Originii Vietii had been stockpiled in Bucharest. in mid-March, Charlie was stiff in need of several thousand dollars to finance the three-week trip. (That's a lotta lei; even five years ago the exchange rate was about 50 U.S. to one Romanian leu.-Ed.) In mid-April we called the Thaxton residence, and learned that "Charles is lecturing in Romania, due back home on May 12."

BULLETIN BOARD

(1) A one-week evening course entitled "Our Place in the World: The Biblical & the Scientific Stories" will be offered by ASA Newsletter editor Walter R. Hearn in the New College Berkeley summer session this year. NCB literature describes the 1-unit graduate course, to meet 7-9:30 p.m., July 16-20, this way: "Are biblical and scientific understandings of the world mutually exclusive? This course will explore the contributions each perspective brings to responsible Christian faith and life." Readings will include Howard Van Till's The Fourth Day and ASA's Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy. Contact. New College Berkeley, 2606 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94704.

(2) The 1990 annual London conference of the British counterpart of ASA will be held on Saturday, Sept 29, at Regent College, Regent's Park, London NWI. Christians in Science (CIS) is the new name of what was known as the Research Scientists' Christian Fellowship (RSCF) when ASA met jointly with them in Oxford in 1985. CIS annual conferences are one-day discussions of papers circulated in advance. The topic for 1990 is "The effects of the biblical fall on the natural world, on humankind, and on science & technology." All ASA/CSCA members and friends are invited to participate. For details and "booking forms" (i.e., registration materials), write to the CIS Secretary, c/o UCCF, 38 De Montfort St., Leicester, LE2 3RJ, England. If possible, give a British address to which papers can be sent a fortnight (i.e., about two weeks) before the conference. (Thanks to
Perspectives editor and internationalist, Jack Haas, for this notice and the translations into American.-Ed.)

(3) The biennial meeting of the International Society for the History, Philosophy, & Social Studies of Biology will be held at Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 11-14 July 1991. A session on "Science & Religion" will be organized by geologist Gordon Winder, whose efforts to bring some resolution to the controversy over teaching evolution in Canada have been cited before in this Newsletter. Winder is inviting papers from individuals with expertise in science, religion, or both, with the goal of broadening appreciation and understanding and initiating resolution, however long that takes. Several other proposed sessions are related to science/ religion issues. Winder needs an early response because he must submit an abstract of the session as a whole by 31 Oct 1990. Abstracts of papers are due from authors by 31 Jan 1991, for distribution of a preliminary program in February and a final program in May. Contact: Prof. C. G. Winder, Dept. of Geology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5137. (NOTE that this meeting falls close to the 1991 ASA ANNUAL MEETING at Wheaton College, both geographically and chronologically. An unusually early date has been set for the Annual Meeting marking ASA's 50th Anniversary: 26-29 JULY 1991 instead of early
August.-Ed.)

HITS AND MISSES

Occasionally a timely story hits "our pages, but as a bimonthly with a month's lead time, we're more likely to miss. Among events we missed this spring:

(1) The kickoff, in Feb 1990, of Year 4688 on the Asian lunar calendar, a "Year of the Horse." (And a propitious one, says the "gallop
poll"-Ed.)

(2) In February, a National Conference on the Doctrine of Creation held in Little Rock, Arkansas, by the Southern Baptist Convention, followed by several regional conferences on that theme. The Institute for Creation Research's Acts & Facts (Apr 1990) expressed regret that for an April study course set for all SBC churches, the denomination adopted materials describing an ancient earth and progressive creation," as opposed to ICR's "young-earth" position. (ASA's input to the 14-millionmember Southern Baptist Convention has been minimal We hope members with SBC connections will help ASA recruit fellow scientists and inform denominational leaders of helpful ASA materials, such as Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy-Ed.)

(3) The induction, on Apr 8, of Kenneth H. Olsen into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio. Ken, founder of Digital Equipment Corp., in Maynard, Massachusetts, was honored for his invention of an improved magnetic core memory which was a significant factor in the development of minicomputers. Inventors have been inducted annually into the Hall of Fame since 1973. The National Invention Center will mark the 200th year of the U.S. patent system this summer when it breaks ground in Akron for a new building to house the National Inventors Hall of Fame. (Thanks to Dave Saunders of Silver Spring, Maryland, for spotting this one.-Ed.)

(4) The 20th anniversary, on Apr 22, of Earth Day, which in 1970 marked the beginning of the environmental movement, or at least brought the movement to political consciousness in the United States. In connection with the 1990 celebration, environmental issues were covered in the media to an amazing extent. (Maybe this is a propitious
year-Ed.)

(5) The awarding, on May 8, of the 1990 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, to an Australian scientist and an Indian attorney. Charles K. Birch, 71, a geneticist retired from the U. of Sydney in Australia, was honored for his writings on the interrelationships among humanity, nature, and God-and in particular for his criticism of a strictly mechanistic view of nature. Murlidar Devidas Amte, 75, was honored for reaching across caste barriers to establish five centers for the wholistic care of lepers near Nagpur, India. The Templeton Prize (now worth $580,000 annually) was founded in 1972 by financier and ASA member John Templeton. Winners are selected by an international panel of judges.

A SWITCH IN IPSWICH

Not long after producing the 1990-91 Directory of ASA and CSCA members this spring, Nancy Hanger resigned from her position as ASA's managing editor, Your Weary Old Editor (WOE is me-Ed.) couldn't imagine how ASA would get along without her, but has been assured that Nancy is phasing out gradually, helping newly arrived Rebecca Petersen master Ventura Publishing software and other ASA arcana. Becky's
previous publishing experience should smooth the transition.

Nancy contributed much to our Ipswich operation by orchestrating the shift to desktop publishing. She leaves behind a visible legacy in her design of SEARCH, redesign of this Newsletter and other ASA publications, and the implementation of ASA's first widespread advertising campaign for
Perspectives. We needn't worry about her talents going to waste. Besides puttering with her husband on "Windhaven," their rural New Hampshire home, she will carry, on with free-lance writing, editing, and publishing. She already has a publishing imprint, Windhaven Press of Auburn, New Hampshire.

Filling the now vacant position of Executive Assistant is Karen Brunstrom, a graduate of Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. Karen comes to ASA with an interesting slate of past experiences, ranging from a job as an elementary school teacher in Yokohama, Japan, to assisting the Editor of the
New England Journal of Medicine. She and her husband Steven, a marine surveyor, spend much of their free time sailing, or with their two daughters; one will be a freshman at the University of New Hampshire in the fall, and the other a high school sophomore in their home town of Rowley, MA.

WHEREVER GOD WANTS US: 12.

This column is usually a pastiche of postings of service opportunities around the world plus bits of news from ASA or CSCA members "out there." Occasionally a whole column comes from a single source. Chemist Richard Hendry of Westminster College in Pennsylvania sent a clipping from the New Wilmington Globe (Feb 7) with a great story by reporter Fran Pratt about Norval & Dorothy Christy, a pair of seasoned "world Christians."

Norval Christy was first attracted to overseas Christian service in 1937 at age 15, when challenged by a speaker from the Sudan at a missionary conference in New Wilmington. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from Westminster College as a pre-med and entered Harvard medical school. While interning at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, the young M.D. met Dorothy Dewar, who had taken her RN. training at the same hospital. In 1947 they went together to another missionary conference at New Wilmington, where they became engaged. In the fall of 1947 Dorothy took a job at Westminster as college nurse so she could enroll in some Bible courses, but her preparation was cut short by world events. That was the year that India was divided and Pakistan was carved out as a new Islamic nation. As Hindus and Muslims fled from each other's territories, thousands were killed or wounded in the fighting. The two governments asked for emergency aid, which the churches tried to provide. Norval and Dorothy were married in early November and were in Pakistan by Thanksgiving. Conditions at Christian Hospital Taxila where they began work were shockingly primitive, but the Christys were young and healthy and almost too busy to notice. With a team of Pakistani assistants, they treated refugees who had been marched into Pakistan in groups of 50,000 and settled in camping areas, where the church provided dispensaries. The medical team would move from one settlement area to another, treating tuberculosis, malaria, and other problems, noting much blindness caused by cataracts. In order to help the blind, Dr. Christy used a furlough in the U.S.

to take further training and eventually became an eye surgeon doing as many as 200 surgeries a day. On an average day he did only 45, but on many days he did over 100. It is that experience that has now drawn the Christys to China, where they have already made six trips to visit hospitals and share the surgical techniques developed in their 40 years in Pakistan. In March they were set to leave for two and a half months under auspices of the Amity Foundation of China. In some places Dr. Christy's techniques for dealing with cataracts are considered unsophisticated, so the couple tries to spend most of their time at hospitals where they will be appreciated. This trip will take them to Nanjing, Xuzhou, Hefei, Chengdu, and Lhasa, Tibet. In Pakistan, the Christys had five children, whose initial schooling was in Murree boarding school 55 miles away. The kids spent "summer vacation" with their parents in the winter when there was too much snow to have school. Two daughters are now nurses, one a doctor, another in blind rehabilitation; their son is in industry. All are presently living in the United States.

When the senior Christys left Pakistan in 1987, they asked Christian Blind Mission International, a German mission which had aided their work for the past 15 years, if there was some other place they could be of service on a short-term basis of up to six months at a time. CBMI assists blind people in 97 countries. The Christys are excited about the project in China and "glad we can still be useful." They have to work through interpreters there, as they will this fall in Vietnam and Laos, if present plans work out.

Norval Christy, long-time ASA member, found a way to use his technical skills in Christian overseas service many years ago-and he's still at it.

(Interested in China? Educational Resources & Referrals-China is again offering its seven-week study/tutorial program in Shanghai, beginning June 18 with a week of orientation in Berkeley. The program offers participants a chance to study Mandarin and help Chinese students with their English at Shanghai Second Educational College, near Fudan and Tongji Universities. The cost of $2,850, including round-trip airfare, is amazingly low, with an option of an additional week in Beijing for an additional $350. It may be too late to apply for 1990. The program is limited to 32 participants, with preference to applicants contemplating long-term future service in China. Inquire early about the 1991 summer program: ERRC, 2606 Dwight Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-3000.-Ed.)

OBITUARY

ASA has been notified of the death of Stanley H. Wineland of Thornville, Ohio, at age 50. Stan was an employee of the Granville Research Center in Granville, Ohio. He had a B.S. in physics (1962) from Ohio State and an M.S. (1968) from the U. of Toledo.

(Friends and professional associates are asked to submit to the Ipswich office any material appropriate for a Memorial Resolution to be read during worship at the Annual Meeting.)

PAUL'S A PISTOL?
April 1 is celebrated in San Francisco with a St. Stupid's Day parade and performances by a group called the Deep Fat Friars. No joke! Holy Humor Month is promulgated by the Fellowship of Merry Christians, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Merry Christian Cal Samra told reporter Martin Snapp of the Oakland, California, Tribune that the idea is to recover the "joy, humor, celebration, and healing of the early Christians." After all, Samra said, "God got the last laugh on the devil when He raised Jesus from the dead."

Snapp included in his article a limerick written by a Merry Christian in the Bay Area, none other than Paul McKowen, pastor of Irvington Presbyterian Church in Fremont and Bay Area ASA local section council member. Paul said his limerick was inspired by verse 2:8 from another Paul's epistle to the Colossians:

There once was a gnostic named Lyle, 
Who lived on the banks of the Nile. 
His faith? It was mental, 
And his gods transcendental, 
Too advanced for the rank and the file!

THE EDITOR'S LAST WORDS: 9.

This issue seems quite full already, so I won't try to detail the diagnostic procedures I've experienced since my December heart attack. Instead I'll make some general comments about coronary heart disease (CHD), backed up by notes on "America's No. I killer" from a story by writer David Stipp in the Wall Street Journal (24 Jan 1990). My thanks to Davis Weyerhaeuser of Tacoma, Washington, for sending that clipping, and to all of you who have expressed concern. Cardiologist David Anderson examined me three months after the attack and essentially gave me a clean bill of health. I could prudently resume my normal activities, he said, as long as I stop whatever I'm doing if I begin to feel chest pains.

So it looks as if the Lord wants me to survive, maybe learn some prudence in the process. On a broader scale, a good many Americans seem to be surviving CHD. A plot of the mortality trend shows deaths going from about 190 (age-adjusted death rate per 100,000 population) in 1950 to a peak of about 220 in the mid-'60s, down to about 110 in 1988. Some 420,000 Americans are alive today who would have died in 1989 without that 48% drop-off. Part of the steady decline is from better pharmaceutical agents and improved surgical techniques. The rest is from prevention.

The three major quantifiable risk factors are smoking, high blood pressure, and a high serum cholesterol. Smoking (at least among white males) is way down, and people are eating less fat and less salt in their diets and exercising more. Genetic and stress factors also play a role. Half a million Americans still die from CHD each year, as they did 20 years ago, but at ever-older ages. That trend produces an aging population subject to chronic degenerative diseases. All in all, considering other alternatives a heart attack is not a bad
way to enter eternity.

LOCAL SECTIONS

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA

The Mar 3 meeting at Stanford drew some 35 people, including a number of grad students who stayed for animated discussion of the rationing of medical care, effects of education on sexual behavior, and the devastating spread of AIDS in some Third World countries. For a meeting on Friday, Apr 6, the section sent out an invitation to a Berkeley lecture by physicist and Anglican priest John Polkinghorne, currently the J. K. Russell Fellow at the Center for Theology & the Natural Sciences. CTNS seemed glad to have the wider publicity and let the section have a book table at a reception following the lecture in the Pacific School of Religion chapel.

In 1965, John Polkinghorne, then a reader in mathematical physics at Cambridge, participated in the Oxford conference on a Christian philosophy of science cosponsored by ASA and the British RSCF (now called Christians in Science).

Since then he has studied theology, been ordained, and become president of Queens' College, Cambridge. (Queens' at Cambridge is evidently plural, by the way; Queen's at Oxford honors only a single English queen.-Ed.) Polkinghorne's books on science & faith include The Way the World Is, One World, Science & Creation, and Science & Providence. His CTNS lecture topic was "God's Action in the World."

More than 30 ASAers attended the lecture, memorable for its clarity in outlining the Creator's role in 1) upholding all that exists, 2) allowing freedom and necessity to operate, 3) interacting with physical processes, and 4) "working wonders" of a physically unpredictable nature, preeminently in Christ's resurrection. The lecture was also memorable for another reason. Making his second point, the speaker was trying to illustrate how God's purpose is not subverted by "something we might call chance in physical events." At that moment a 4.5 earthquake shook the chapel--and the banners hanging from its lofty ceiling. Jumpy Bay Area natives made ready to dive under the pews, but the Rev. Polkinghorne, experiencing his first earthquake, glanced calmly skyward and asked in his crisp British accent, "Shall we carry on? "

PERSONALS

Edward M. Blight, Jr., M.D., left his position in urological surgery at Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in Nov 1989 and is now professor of surgery (urology) at Loma Linda University School of Medicine. Ed lives in Redlands, California.

Daniel L. Diaz, grad student in the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio, had some good things to say about priorities in a letter published in The Scientist (2 Apr 1990, p. 18). He was reacting to a professor's comment that such "urgent trivia" as discussions of a student's personal problems impede research. Dan argued that for senior investigators to treat personal matters as "unproductive" is short-sighted: "It's not just that people who are well treated do better work, but that a person's worth transcends their utility as an employee. A student, postdoc, or technician is not a pair of hands, an entity on the same level as instruments and equipment." (And all the grad students, postdocs, and technicians said "Amen."-Ed.)

John H. Freer, M.D., of Pikeville, Kentucky, has become medical director of the psychiatric unit at Methodist Hospital in Pikeville.

Luis N. Garcia, M.D., of Santa Ana, California, is a specialist maternal and child health who works in clinics both in the U.S. and in his native Peru. Last September, representing the Club Indo-Americano de Orange, Luis gave a conference paper on "Meeting the Needs of the Latino Youth," a copy of which he sent to Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley. Luis feels strongly that many churches in Spanish-speaking communities are part of the youth problem rather than part of the solution. Luis has nominated several medical colleagues from Peru for membership in ASA. (Muy bien, sefior. Muchas gracias.-El redactor.)

Richard A. Hendry, chemistry professor at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, would like to make it to the 1990 ANNUAL MEETING at MESSIAH COLLEGE, AUG 3-6, since it's in his state this year. But he and Joanne may then be in the process of moving to Michigan State U. for a half-year sabbatical. Dick will work in Prof. Charles Sweeley's laboratory, where he also spent a 1968-69 sabbatical. This spring Dick checked out the Jubilee conference of some 1,200 college students in Pittsburgh and spent a few hours helping Wesley Wentworth staff an ASA booktable. (Wes, who reports that about 50-60 undergrads picked up brochures, thinks ASA should focus recruitment efforts on grad students already committed to careers in technical fields.-Ed.)


Glen J. Kuban of North Royalton, Ohio, is known for his careful examination of dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy riverbed in Texas. His brotherly concern helped the Institute for Creation Research abandon its claim that the Cretaceous tracks were human. Glen is also concerned about certain other claims made by "young earth" creationists. NCSE Reports (Nov/Dec 1989) of the National Center for Science Education published a revealing exchange between Glen and Carl E. Baugh concerning the academic degrees claimed by Baugh (e.g., a "Ph.D. in anthropology" from "International Baptist College") and by Baugh associate Don Patton. (at same issue noted the appearance of the 1989 edition of ASA's Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy, fairly describing its intent to be "a middle way' between materialist evolution and 'scientific' creationism."-Ed.)

Karl F. Mangels graduated from Eastern College in 1988 and joined the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Corps. In January 1990 he was commissioned an Ensign in the Corps. In June 1990 he will complete Basic Officer Training Class and be assigned to one of NOAA's 23 research vessels for a 2-year sea tour. Karl would welcome correspondence, at 505 Dartmoor Dr., Apt. 101, Newport News, VA 23602, at least until 30 June. (After that, should we try NOAA's Ark?-Ed.)

John Warwick Montgomery has been appointed distinguished professor of theology & law and director of the European Human Rights Program of the Faith Evangelical Lutheran Seminary in Tacoma, Washington. He is also serving as adjunct professor of law at the University of Puget Sound School of Law.

David L. Neuhouser is a math professor at Taylor University in Upland, Indiana, where he also gives seminars on British writers C. S. Lewis and George MacDonald. His new book, George MacDonald: Selections from his Greatest Works (Victor Books, 1990) is based on 20 years of reading MacDonald's novels, tales, and sermons. Many people have learned of the Scottish preacher (born in 1824) through Lewis's admiration for his writing. Most of MacDonald's novels were out of print for several decades, though some are now available in edited form. Dave has collected excerpts from the originals under 11 topics (God, nature, truth, etc.), added selections of MacDonald's poetry, and topped it off with a complete bibliography and subject index. (As might be expected from a mathematician, the selections are numbered; you get 540 of them in Dave's "Big Mac."-Ed.)

James G. Osborn of Fairfax, Virginia, is one of three editors in the natural sciences at The World & I, an encyclopedic magazine published in Washington, D.C. Jim earned a B.S. in zoology at UCLA in 1974 and spent some time as a technical editor for an engineering firm before joining the staff of The World & I in 1986. In April he gave a paper on "An Analysis of Current Models of Teaching Evolutionary Theory" at the Ohio Academy of Science meeting at Wright State University in Dayton. Jim made use of ASA's Teaching Science booklet in his attempt to lay out "a middle ground between the two extremes."

William W. Paul is emeritus professor of philosophy at Central College in Pella, Iowa. In May he participated in a state-wide symposium on "Understanding Science and its Human Impact" held at the Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa. The symposium, basically on .'creationism" and evolution, was organized by the Iowa Committee of Correspondence to "defuse potential conflict over textbook adoptions." Invited heavyweight speakers included Madeleine Nash, senior science & technology correspondent for Time magazine, Francisco Ayala of UC Irvine, Michael Ruse of Guelph, Michael Zimmerman of Oberlin-and Davis Young of Calvin College.

Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen of Calvin College is author of a new book on Gender and Grace: Love, Work, and Parenting in a Changing World (IVP, 1990). An excerpt appearing in the Sep/Oct 1989 issue of the Christian feminist publication Daughters of Sarah was picked up and published in the Mar/Apr 1990 Utne Reader ("The best of the alternative press"). A major theme of that issue was "The Sexual Politics of Housework"; Mary's anthropological article discussed "The View from Other Cultures: Must Men Fear 'Women's Work?"'

Howard J. Van Till, physics professor at Calvin College in Michigan, got his picture on the "North American Scene" page of Christianity Today (5 March), with a short squib about his being elected 1990 president of ASA, "founded in 1941 for the purpose of integrating scientific and Christian world views." Wow. Is that the very first time election of an ASA president has been noted in CT's news section? (CT already had a photo of Howard on file, of course, from its stories several years ago on controversies within the Christian Reformed Church. If ASA president-elect Gerald Hess can just do something notorious, maybe we'll make CT again next year.-Ed.)

Robert L. Worthington-Kirsch will finish his residency in diagnostic radiology in June and join the staff of The Germantown Hospital & Medical Center in Philadelphia.

Frank E. Young, M.D., gave the Fourth Annual A. Kurt Weiss Lec ture in Biomedical Ethics at the U. of Oklahoma Medical Center in Oklahoma City in March. His topic was "Drugs for the Desperately III: the Agony & Ecstacy of Public Policy." Formerly Commissioner of the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Frank is now Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health & Human Services for Health/Science & Environment. The annual lecture honors the late Kurt Weiss, former physiology professor at Oklahoma and former ASA president. It is cosponsored by the Christian Medical Coalition and U. of O.'s Biomedical & Health Care Ethics Program.


PEOPLE LOOKING FOR POSITIONS: Ecology or hygiene: Kay Schloe's desire to enter a doctoral program was listed in Oct/Nov 1989. On completing his M.Sc. at Silsoe, England, he returned to Germany as an engineer for hospital and public hygiene for the U. of Marburg, so correspondence might not have reached him. He is still praying for the right opportunity: Kay Theodor Schloe, Damaschkeweg 11, D-3550 Marburg, West Germany.

POSITIONS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE: Mathematics; Computer science: tenure-track positions for Sept 1990, M.S, required, Ph.D. preferred, plus experience in & commitment to undergrad teaching. Open until 1 July or until filled. Contact (ASA Member) Dr. Philip M. Ogden, Chair,. Division of Science & Mathematics, Roberts Wesleyan College, 2301 Westside Dr., Rochester, NY 14624-1997. Tel.: (716) 594-9471. Clinical Psychology: Tenure-track faculty positions open in clinical psychology doctoral program; areas of particular emphasis include gerontology, program administration, and program evaluation. Women and minorities are especially encouraged to apply. Contact Archibald D. Hart, Ph.D., Dean, Graduate School of Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary, 180 N. Oakland Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101.