I fully agree that an accomplished faculty member who is a Christian ought
to witness to the whole campus. As a scientist I am not afraid to speak out
on issues of evolution/creation. However, I can imagine how intimidated some
Christians may be who are not scientists or are not sufficiently confident
to withstand the negative reactions that believers receive. I must say that
I agree almost 100 % with that Phil Johnson says.
Take care,
Moorad
p.s. We have a faculty prayer group once a month in our campus. Out of a
faculty body of over 300 faculty members we had only 4---Wilmington, NC is
in the Bible belt???
-----Original Message-----
From: Keith B Miller <kbmill@ksu.edu>
To: asa@calvin.edu <asa@calvin.edu>
Date: Wednesday, April 28, 1999 12:02 AM
Subject: Re: Phil Johnson on Focus on the Family
>Moorad wrote:
>
>>I should like to relate my interaction with the biology department in our
>>university. I wrote a letter to the editor disagreeing with an op-ed
article
>>on evolution. Per chance I spoke to a Christian professor in the biology
>>department and while in the conversation asked him if he had read my
letter.
>>He said he had not read the letter in the newspaper but that my letter was
>>posted on the bulletin board of the biology department and that they were
>>getting ready to answer my letter. The reply to my letter came in the
>>newspaper and was signed by 13 faculty members of the biology
>>department---it seems that the other half of the department did not wish
to
>>sign the letter and my Christian friend did not sign the letter either. I
>>suppose numbers count! There seems to be a division in biology departments
>>on this issue but I do not see any Christian professors writing letters to
>>the editor expounding their views. Is this brought about by scientific
>>pressure? I do believe that tenure and promotions in most universities are
>>based on certain intangibles as, for instance, your faith and how strongly
>>you show it. I think Johnson is right! Let us face it university faculties
>>are composed mostly of liberals and radicals. Where does a Christian fit
in
>>such a system?
>
>I have attended secular private and state universities throughout my entire
>student and academic career. My evangelical faith has always been
>completely known to all the faculty. I have personal testamonies in the
>acknowledgments of both my masters and Phd theses. I have been active in
>Christian undergraduate, graduate, and faculty fellowships on campus at
>each institution. Never have I experienced any negative response, nor felt
>pressured to do or say anything contrary to my religious conviction. I am
>presently the president of the university faculty Christian felloship group
>with a mailing list of nearly 150. I give talks and write papers on issues
>in theology and science and put them on my resume and departmental reports.
>
>
>What I have encountered most commonly is students who see the university
>are enemy terrritory and are too afraid to engage it. Furthermore, I have
>seen that most Christian faculty are committed to involvement in their
>church communities and do not see the university as a place to minister and
>transform. If there is a problem it is entirely one of our own making!
>Lets stop this "evil empire" talk of the university and get out there and
>transform it.
>
>
>Keith
>
>
>
>Keith B. Miller
>Department of Geology
>Kansas State University
>Manhattan, KS 66506
>kbmill@ksu.ksu.edu
>http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~kbmill/
>
>