Historical Studies of the ASA and It's Members
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The ASA joined the cyberworld late in 1994 as a result of an ad hoc meeting called by (then) PSCF Editor Jack Haas at the Annual Meeting held earlier that year at Bethel College. Terry Gray offered to make a beginning by developing a listserve discussion group and web site out of the Calvin College Chemistry Department with the generous support of Calvin’s Computer Center.
ASA members and the world at large were invited to join our list and participate in wide-ranging discussions of science-religion questions. Terry took on the daunting task of moderating a feisty set of participants who (on occasion) needed to be strongly reminded of their need to stay ‘on subject,’ keep within the limit of ‘postings allowed per day’, or ‘moderate their language.’ The archive is accessible and searchable by name, date, etc. Pundits and historians have a running resource of science-religion themes deemed worth of discussion by our participants.
When the ASA list was initiated the few other evangelical lists were very selective in who was allowed to participate. The most popular secular site - offering access to all - was talk.origins. However, the huge volume of often irrelevant, incoherent, or profane postings discouraged even the most patient participant. The few ASA members who participated quickly learned that they needed to be as ‘wise as serpents and harmless as doves’ (Matt. 10.16.) if they were to achieve credibility. There are downsides to such easy access. The notion that people on the run have the ability to toss off something concrete about an idea or an issue in a few lines seems a bit optimistic. Hard lines are drawn rather quickly. The ASA’s list was viewed as allowing scientists of ‘common faith’ to hone their ‘personal’ world view, to reach out to other Christians who were having problems linking the Bible and science, and those outside the faith who wished to participate.
The ASA website is envisioned as a resource for science and faith for ASA members, college students and the church. As materials were placed on the site including a complete run of JACS and PSCF and The News Letter the audience has greatly increased. Numerous members and friends of the ASA have contributed in many ways to this resource. The statistically minded can follow our audience numbers in an archieve.
Arrangement of materials into more than a dozen categories allows easier access into a many faceted field.
April2000 This is the April 2000 Version of the ASA home page
Lawrence H. Johnston, Professor of Physics, emeritus,
University of Idaho, University of Idaho, Moscow, Id 83843 (2009)
Randy Isaac, ASA Director
comments: "At the Pacific Northwest ASA local section meeting in September 2007,
David Willis gave a very nice talk on the early history of the ASA. He
also told us about Irwin's high voltage terminal demonstration. To connect the
dots for the newer members of ASA, Irwin Moon started the Sermons from Science
initiative and was very effective in demonstrating the wonder of God's creation.
In the 30's Moody Bible Institute took responsibility for that organization,
with Irwin still running it. He had a good connection with President Houghton of
MBI and recommended to him that an organization of Christians in science be
formed to help students and others in science understand the findings of science
in the context of Christian faith. Houghton agreed and sent out an invitation to
a list that I believe Irwin helped to compile. Alton Everest was one of the five
who responded and came to Chicago in September 1941 and gave birth to ASA.
Larry, our records show that you joined the ASA in 1950,
making you one of the longest ASA members of all time. Is that correct? That
would place you second behind Bob Fischer and tied with Norman Loux, James
Buswell III, and Alfred Eckert. Did Irwin and Alton persuade you to join?
Congratulations!"
Larry
Johnston:" Yes, I remember Irwin Moon and his
showings of Sermons from Science at the World's Fair on Treasure Island in SFO
Bay in 1938. His big demonstration there was a big Tesla coil, and Irwin would
stand on the million-volt terminal, and his hair would stand up, and he sprayed
sparks out from his fingertips. It was by far the most popular show at the
fair. Another film showed time-lapsed movies of growing plants, a technique
they originated that was widely copied. Fluorescent lamps made their debut at
that fair, they lit the place with them, of many colors. Also I helped him and
Alton Everest make the film God of the Atom. For this we went up on Campus, and
they took movies of our cyclotron at the time (the old 37 inch cyclotron, as I
remember) The 60" cyclotron was just being built. The 184" one up on the hill
was just a dream at that time. I have a picture of Ernest Lawrence, Arthur
Compton, Vannevar Bush, James Conant, Carl Compton and Alfred Loomis when they
were planning the work and financing of the 184" cyclotron."
More on Larry at: <http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~johnston/HOMEPA~1.HTM>
2008
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