Allow me a few comments on your request and comments.
"My church began an adult Sunday School class with topic:
Creation vs.
> Evolution. I decided to sit in on a few to see what approach was
> taken,
> and learned a few things in the process. OK, I'm kidding :-) It was
> exactly as expected."
>
It has been my experience that the person teaching a course is
in the "driver's seat." He/she pretty well calls the shots. Maybe,
instead of "sitting in," maybe we should teach a course in "creation and
evolution." This is not meant as a criticism, but an encouragement.
The trick is to convey our ideas to an often ill informed and poorly
educated public (and I'm not being elitist here; a few days I read in
the local paper that the general knowledge of students graduating from
pubic high schools in Ontario is now so low, that the government there
is going to announce a standardized exam for grade 10 students that they
have to pass to graduate. Apparently, knowledge at the grade 10 level
is good enough to get you a grade 12 diploma!). No wonder people laugh
at scientists and the "Piled Higher and Deeper's." The other trick is
to do this with humility (we don't have ll the answers; if we did, this
ASA forum would not exist) and love. The danger I see is not so much
that people accept a literal interpretation of the creation story, but
the way in which they may react when they find out from non-Christians
that there are problems with the literal interpretation. Yes, I believe
in "preservation of the saints" but maybe God can use us to help in this
preservation process.
I agree with you, Dave, that one cannot let any perceived
incorrect view go unchallenged and that it is impolite to challenge the
teacher at every turn. He/she may become discouraged and give you the
job. Hey, maybe that's the idea!!
Perhaps the reason you've never had questions about
science/faith is that people simply don't think of these things or think
that this is none of their business. Often we compartmentalize ideas:
church and religion for Sundays, science for the rest of the week
(except of course football, which transcends this split especially
SuperBowl Sunday!). Sorry, couldn't resist that one.
Hope this helps.
Shalom,
Chuck Vandergraaf
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