NEWSLETTER

of the
American Scientific Affiliation &
Canadian Scientific & Christian Affiliation 

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Volume 51, Number 1  JAN/FEB 2009 

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ASA Council Elects Twelve to “Fellow Emeritus”

The ASA council has voted to define more specifically the criteria for members to be eligible for the status of Fellow Emeritus. The criteria include being an ASA member for fifty years and having served the ASA in some significant capacity such as council member, executive director, or editor of the journal or newsletter. The council reviewed the record of those who met these criteria and selected twelve Fellows to receive this distinguished status. The newly elected emeriti are: 

Raymond H. Brand
Richard H. Bube
James O. Buswell III
Dewey K. Carpenter
Howard H. Claassen
Robert B. Fischer
John W. Haas, Jr.
Walter R. Hearn
Robert L. Herrmann
Stanley E. Lindquist
John A. McIntyre
David L. Willis

Collectively, these Fellow Emeriti represent over 600 years of service to ASA. They have contributed a vast array of books and articles and personal interactions. Congratulations to each one!

ASA Annual Meeting

Abstract Submission Deadline

January 30, 2009

Submit online at www.asa3.org. Follow the link to the 2009 ASA Annual Meeting.

Bradley Lectures in Indonesia

Walter Bradley, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Baylor University, was invited to Indonesia for two weeks last June to speak to several Christian universities on integrating faith and learning. There are 32 Christian universities in Indonesia, which is 15% Christian. With a population of 240 million, this means that there are 36 million Christians, and many desire their children to be educated in a Christian environment. This helps prepare them to live in an environment similar to the Israelites in Babylon, as a minority in a very non-Christian culture, and sometimes with severe persecution.

Walter taught at Texas A & M University and Colorado School of Mines before coming to Baylor. His invitation from Christian universities in Indonesia was to encourage and equip their professors to better help their students understand their various academic disciplines from a Christian perspective. He taught with Darrell Furgason (PhD in Islamic Studies) at each location. They went to University Pelita Harapan in Jakarta, a Christian university that is ranked #1 of all universities in Indonesia. They taught a seminar to approximately 100 professors and visited various departments. Then they went to Petra University in Surabaya and, along with a professor seminar, they had a three-day retreat for a variety of Christian professors from around the country. Finally, the highlight was to do a half-day workshop as part of a two-day conference for 30 Presidents (out of 32) of the Christian universities.

Walter then spent a third week in Sri Lanka helping missionaries set up businesses utilizing the coconut technology they have been developing at Baylor. He said, 

We managed to avoid any problems we might have encountered due to the civil war going on in the country.

He and his wife were the only guests at a 100-person resort hotel in the middle of the tourist season. This made them aware that this wasn’t the safest place to be, but God was gracious and they had no problems.

The Executive Director’s Corner

Randall D. Isaac

The state of the economy continues to be one of the top concerns on everyone’s mind. The rapid tumble of the financial markets last fall surprised even the pessimists. Recovery will likely take years.

We have few economists in the ASA, and we have no particular expertise or mission to critique economic policy. If ASA members were asked to describe the situation, we might hear a very different story from that appearing in the newspapers. For example, material scientists might describe the situation as a phase transition. As the temperature of the global economy rose beyond the boundaries of equilibrium, the system became superheated. With the perturbation of a loss of confidence, the system rapidly coalesced around the nucleating points of loans without sufficient collateral. The phase transition will proceed until a new equilibrium phase is attained.

Or we might hear the economy described in terms of a multi-dimensional phase space. The global economy was in a metastable state with a balance of a complex set of parameters. One of the critical dimensions was that of confidence that the economy would continue to rise without major disruption. As that confidence wavered, the quasi-equilibrium economy became unstable and the system collapsed, seeking a new equilibrium.

None of this helps us fully understand the intricate complexities of the economic situation nor does it suggest a wise and quick solution. But at least it helps describe it in terms with which those of us in the sciences are familiar.

More relevant to all of us is the question of the impact on ASA. How will the dynamics of the new economic balance affect us as an organization? In a word, it is too soon to know.

Like all nonprofit organizations facing a time of uncertainty, we are cutting our costs as much as possible without compromising our programs. We are moving to electronic communication wherever we can to reduce postage and mailing costs. We will continue to produce all of the journals, newsletters, conferences, and communications which you count on receiving from us. The amount of additional services we can offer depends on the number of members and the amount of donations we receive. Our focus must continue to be on growing our membership and addressing their interests.

As a membership organization, ASA seeks to meet the needs of its members in the areas of science and Christian faith. A recurring request from our members relates to the development of quality educational science material for use in Christian schools and in homeschooling. We are pleased to report that one of our members has recently offered a significant level of funding for a new project in this area. We are developing a proposal that would initially focus on two aspects. First of all, identifying and reviewing the material that is currently available. This process would highlight the areas that are lacking and which need new material to be written. Secondly, we would stimulate the writing of selected supplemental material that could be useful in providing clarity in education or in sermons. These could be “fact sheets” or “sermon primers” or various short documents on specific topics of interest. As an adjunct to standard, more comprehensive material, these supplements could help provide educators with the resources they need.

We are also in the process of setting up a website to document and disseminate the material from this project and from the experiences of ASA members. Our mission of reviewing, preparing, and disseminating information on science and faith can only be achieved through the feedback and participation of its members.

You will all have the opportunity to comment and contribute to this project. Your prayers and support will be of utmost importance to our success. Stay tuned.

Welcome, New Members
October–November 2008 

Bailey, Derek J. –Wheaton, IL
Chappell, Alfred E. –La Mesa, CA
Coleman, Alexander G. –Indianola, IA
Conklin, Tracy –State College, PA
Delamarter, Steve –Portland, OR
Diekema, David –Seattle, WA
Halsmer, Dominic –Tulsa, OK
Kindt, Jared T. –Saint Peters, MO
Lee, David S. –Wenham, MA
Link, Jason S. –Woods Hole, MA
Loechelt, Gary H. –Tempe, AZ
Petzinger, Kenneth G. –Williamsburg, VA
Stout, Jessica E. –Midland, TX
Wilkin, Barbara J. –Lakewood, CO
Wolgemuth, Kenneth M. –Tulsa, OK
Zook, Anthony L. –Pottstown, PA

Congratulations, Long-time Members!

Celebrating 55 years of membership

George L. Bate
Robert W. Cooke
Thomas F. Cummings
Benjamin B. Dayton
Donald E. DeGraaf
Paul R. Godfrey
Stanley E. Lindquist
William R. Nesbitt
Earle H. West
David L. Willis 

Celebrating 50 years of membership

Herman De Haas
Franklin H. Harris
Frank H. Roberts

Darwin Turns 200

From MIT to San Francisco and multiple locales in between, commemorations are observing the Feb. 12^th bicentennial of Darwin’s birth and the 150^th anniversary of the publishing of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (Nov. 24). The MIT event will be Jan. 22–24 and covers the evolution of the solar system, the oceans, photosynthesis, climate, the eye, Homo sapiens, culture, and the immune system. Two lectures will also be devoted to controversies in teaching origins. Details at www.darwinbicentennial.org.

On the opposite coast, the California Academy of Sciences is spearheading a series of events, with details at www.calacademy.org/Darwin. A directory of Darwin Day activities nationwide is on-line at www.darwinday.org/events.

Not All Celebrating

Some ASA members prefer to call Feb. 12 “Academic Freedom Day.” Citing Darwin’s words, “A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question,” the Discovery Institute wants “students everywhere to speak out against censorship and stand up for free speech by defending the right to debate the evidence for and against evolution …” Encouraging students to organize Academic Freedom Day events, the organization provides specific suggestions at www.evolutionnews.org/2008/11/turning_darwin_day_into_academ.html

Historical Context

Wikipedia reports, “The earliest support for Darwin Day came from freethought organizations,” including the Freedom from Religion Foundation and the American Humanist Association.

Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born the same day, Feb. 12, 1809. In light of Lincoln’s reputation as “The Great Emancipator,” some are calling Darwin “The Emancipator of the Mind.” For example, Richard Dawkins says his interpretation of evolution makes atheism intellectually respectable. With such statements widespread, Feb. 12 may be an opportune time to provide a biblical perspective.

Many ASA members view evolution as God’s method of creating. Some interpret it as an uninterrupted process from unicellular life to the human race; others set limits. For example, the Wheaton College Statement of Faith includes boundaries within the clause, “We believe that God directly created Adam and Eve, the historical parents of the entire human race; and that they were created in His own image, distinct from all other living creatures, and in a state of original righteousness.”

Summarizing the Differences

In his book Species of Origins, Karl Giberson expresses the complexity in the chapter he calls “The Muddle in the Middle.” He concludes,

Species of origins are complex things. They answer some questions but always at a price. That price is other questions … Are we better off with a finite God whom we can’t blame for the Holocaust and Aunt Martha’s untimely demise? Or do we prefer an infinite God who, for some reason, created a world where such things are either bound to happen as part of the normal course of events or could happen given human agency and freedom?

Or maybe, as many religious people are quite comfortable affirming, we are simply not supposed to know the answers to all the questions that life throws at us.

Resources for in-depth study are listed on the ASA website: www.asa3.org/ASA/topics/empty/WebList/List1WebBooks.html. Additional resources by ASA members appear on www.reasons.org and www.apologetics.org.

Meet a New ASA Student Member 

Sarah Macway is a new member of ASA. She is a junior at Stanford University majoring in biology with a focus on ecology and evolution and is doing research for her honors thesis on how Colias butterflies evolve and adapt. She eventually will get a teaching credential and hopes to “inspire youth to love and appreciate science.” Sarah says that focusing on evolution “provides reason for otherwise inexplicable biological observations” and “is a way of understanding how God creates.” She is one of the few religious biologists at her university and is pleased to join ASA and relate to a community that shares her beliefs.

In the summer of 2007, Sarah participated in the inaugural meeting of the Presbyterian Conservation Corps in a camp in northern California. Members included ecologists, conservationists, pastors, camp directors, and peace advocates. They explored their faith and the history of Presbyterian involvement in environmental issues and see this as a Christian responsibility. Nature is God’s creation; we are called to take care of it.

After discussing and contemplating, the group worked with the nearby Occidental Arts and Ecology Center to build a composting toilet for the camp. Instead of wasting water and filling sewers, they created an opportunity for the camp to get some good homemade fertilizer. Then the group discussed how the corps can spread environmental consciousness to other young people of faith. They lead classes in home congregations and speak at events and conferences and are organizing eco-steward retreats.

Sarah says the conservation corps “fills a unique niche: it connects faith and science for college-aged students and joins them with mentors working in faith-based and ecological occupations. There is no disconnect between science and faith. Science is a way of understanding God’s incredible creation … At school and at church I get two different sides of the same story and the PCC creates an environment where I can draw the connection between the two.” If you would like to touch base with Sarah write her at smacway@stanford.edu

Ross Debates at Caltech

Hugh Ross is the founding director of Reasons to Believe, an international, interdenominational science-faith think tank. He earned a PhD in astronomy at the University of Toronto and has authored numerous books which defend the Christian faith. He was involved in early October at the Skeptics Society conference at Caltech with 700 participants. Promoted as a gathering of “some of the world’s greatest minds,” the sessions were organized around the theme of origins, and their purpose was to show that “science is making significant headway into providing natural explanations for ultimate questions.”

The John Templeton Foundation co-sponsored one of the dialogues, “Does Science Make Belief in God Obsolete?” Brown University biologist Kenneth Miller argued that life is material and evidence for God is not empirical, and yet God is the reason science exists. Fuller Theological Seminary Philosopher Nancey Murphy likewise argued for the strict physicality of human beings, the non-existence of spiritual beings (e.g., angels) other than God, and the hiddenness of God in a realm beyond what nature reveals.

The program ended with “The Great God Debate: Does Science Support Belief in a Deity?” Victor Stenger, author of God: The Failed Hypothesis argued, based on imaginary time, that as long as we can conceive a cosmic origin scenario in which God is not a necessity, he does not exist. Further, if quantum transitions can be uncaused, the universe needs no cause. Hugh argued that the Creator’s existence is a testable idea, that a creation model produces testable predictions. He cited observational support for the transcendent origin of the universe, not just of matter and energy but also of space and time, also for ongoing cosmic expansion and the fixity of physical constants—features predicted by the biblical account of cosmic origins. 

Hugh says that, as a participant in the debate, he is in no position to judge the outcome. However, he did observe that the majority of the audience’s questions were directed to him. Also, several people told him afterward that he had rattled the security of their atheism. Perhaps, more importantly, Hugh witnessed the chilling effect of Stenger’s closing comment to the conferees: “Remember, we are cold nothing.” Ironically, he then turned to Hugh to thank him for his warmth.

Fuchs Promoted to Cornell Provost

If you attended last year’s ASA Annual Meeting, you heard a plenary presentation by W. Kent Fuchs (pronounced “Fox”) entitled “Engineering as Service.” He is an expert in dependable computing and failure analysis, having researched computer-aided design tools for testing and failure analysis in integrated circuits and dependable mobile computing. He is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and of the Association for Computing Machinery. He has been Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering at Cornell since 2002. His achievements there included creating a new Department of Biomedical Engineering, revising the curriculum with new undergraduate majors in environmental engineering, and creating new graduate programs in engineering management and systems engineering.

As of January 1, Fuchs will assume the office of the university’s provost, which the press release defines as “the university’s chief academic officer and chief operations officer, and the president’s first deputy officer.” Duties include strategic planning and budgeting, tenure and promotion, academic and research initiatives, and academic oversight of the Ithaca campus. 

Randy Isaac calls the foxy Fuchs “a plenary speaker who joined ASA this past year and got promoted.” Randy doesn’t guarantee similar results for everyone who joins ASA and delivers a lecture. 

ASAers in Action

• Karl Giberson, editor-at-large of Science and Religion Today, talked about his book Saving Darwin with Michael Shermer, editor of Skeptics Magazine, at the Harvard Club, part of the Templeton Book Forum, in New York, in November. Karl shared how it is possible to believe in both God and evolutionary science at the same time. He said, “I think it’s very important to acknowledge that there are loads and loads of things that are eminently worth believing that are not the conclusions of scientific arguments. If the only thing that we’re going to be allowed to believe is something that comes at the end of a scientific argument, then we’re going to have a very emaciated worldview.” Science and Religion Today, 25 Nov. 2008. 
• In early November, minister and physicist George Murphy spoke in New Bern, NC, at the First Presbyterian Church. About 200 were in attendance, including Moorad Alexanian. The local newspaper, Sun Journal, reported, “Murphy said science and faith can coexist without being continually at odds. He said a dialogue between them is ‘a way to keep the peace.’” Murphy said, “The most fundamental reality is revealed at Calvary. If you start out with science and try to find God, you’re never going to get there. If you look at science in the light of the cross, you’ll find God making use of the things that science speaks about … Allowing a dialogue between science and religion is not always an easy path. It requires a willingness to discuss not just the comfortable topics, but the uncomfortable ones. It means being willing to ask what does it really mean that God works in an evolutionary process?” George recently retired from the parish ministry and is an adjunct professor at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, OH. He writes and gives presentations on science and religion regularly.
• Owen Gingerich, along with several others, appeared in “Arguing God’s Existence,” the sixth episode in the Closer to Truth: Cosmos, Consciousness, God TV series which were on the PBS HD network and many other PBS stations. The series was on Thursdays, and every Friday the participants shared their views on the previous day’s episode. 
• Paul Carr, who earned his PhD in physics at Brandeis University, attended a workshop at the Rowe Conference Center, Rowe, MA, in early June and heard a stimulating presentation by Rev. Michael Dowd, author of Thank God for Evolution. Dowd was, in his youth, among millions of Christians who blame Darwin’s theory of evolution and the idea of a godless, purposeless universe for the moral decline of society. However, he had a change of heart, and became a UCC minister. He was influenced by geologist and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin who believed in spiritual as well as in physical evolution that converged or was focused toward an Omega Point. He wrote,

The end of the world … will detach the mind, fulfilled at last, from its material matrix, so that it will henceforth rest with all its weight on God-Omega. 

In late June, Paul went to Oxford University in England to a conference “Beyond Paley: Renewing the Vision for Natural Theology.” Simon Conway Morris was one of the speakers, and Paul had breakfast with him. After the conference, Paul took the train to London and visited his daughter, Sylvia, and her husband, Sylvan, and saw his 9-month-old granddaughter, Betsy, for the first time! Paul is now retired from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Bedford, MA, where he did research on surface acoustic waves which resulted in signal processing filters used in radar, communication, cellular phones, and TV. He has many patents and also studied religion at Harvard and Boston University School of Theology, where he has established the Carr Scholarship in Science and Religion.

• Francis Collins is a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum. He attended a dinner and reception honoring Senior Fellows at the Evermay estate in Georgetown, in November. Mark A. Noll, Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame, was the keynote speaker. He acknowledged a continuing lack of influence from Christians in the academy and public discussions, driven in large part by continuing cultural challenges within the Christian communities. But Noll did note several signs of progress in recent years and offered encouragement from within the Christian tradition to continue the long-term task of systematic, rigorous, and institutionalized engagement with the created world. The Trinity Forum Update, Nov. 2008.

ASAers in Print

• InterVarsity Press has recently released a tome entitled The Bible, Rocks and Time: Geological Evidence for the Age of the Earth by Davis Young (Professor of Geology, Emeritus, Calvin College) and Ralph Stearley (Professor of Geology, Calvin College). This book is a revision and expansion of Young’s 1982 book, Christianity and the Age of the Earth. This latest book addresses the issue of Earth’s antiquity from historical, geological, and philosophical perspectives, as did the earlier one, but also includes a lengthy discussion of relevant biblical material.

The first five chapters summarize the history of ideas regarding Earth’s antiquity from the Greeks to the present. The next two chapters focus on biblical issues and stress that Genesis 1 must be understood in light of the knowledge of the ancient Near East, and claim that Scripture takes no stand on how old Earth is. The following eight chapters discuss the wealth of geological evidence that overwhelmingly points to the reality of billions of years of complex, dynamic history for our planet. These chapters critique the claims of young-Earth creationism.

Evidence is adduced from sedimentation, stratigraphy, paleontology, and igneous and metamorphic petrology. Two detailed case studies of the geology of the Michigan Basin and of the Sierra Nevada illustrate that the geology of specific regions is far too complex to be accounted by only a few thousand years of geological activity.

The final two chapters deal with philosophical topics including a thorough discussion of the concept of uniformitarianism and call attention to the damage that is done to the church’s evangelistic efforts because of its attachment to young-Earth creationism. Young assures readers that acceptance of an old Earth provides no threat to the Christian faith.

• With a PhD in the philosophy of evolutionary biology from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Mike L. Anderson has taught philosophy of science and taught evolution and coordinated a graduate course in religion and science at two universities in South Africa. A writer, speaker, and educational software developer, Mike is a Missionary Member of ASA. His 198-page book Is Jesus an Evolutionist? contains well-reasoned analysis of the compatibility of evolutionary theory with theism, written in nontechnical language and made palatable with humor. Among the many notable quotes: “If he can use wicked men to accomplish his purpose in redemption, could he not also use natural selection to accomplish his purposes in creation?” A PDF version is available free of charge from his website www.mikelanderson.com. 
• Joan Centrella, head of the Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, was interviewed for a 3-page article entitled “Solving the Mysteries of the Universe,” published in the Oct/Nov issue of Scientific Computing World, based in Cambridge, England. Stephen Bell observes, 

I recognized her because I listened to a talk she gave at the joint ASA/ CiS conference in Edinburgh … What an excellent witness—it is good that an ASA member gets such honour and publicity … 

View the article at www.scientific-computing.com/features/feature.php?feature_id=209 * Stephen Bell

Darwin Bicentennial Activities

• The Clergy Letter Project (www. theclergyletterproject.org) has organized its Evolution Weekend, Feb. 13–15 (www.evolutionweekend.org). More than 12,000 pastors have endorsed this, and over 400 rabbis have supported the Rabbi Letter. This year is the 4^th year of celebrating Darwin’s birthday by the Clergy Letter Project, but, being the 200^th, it is special. Michael Zimmerman, Office of the Dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN, leads this celebration and says,

The purpose of Evolution Weekend isn’t to exalt the person and work of Charles Darwin. Rather, it is to demonstrate that thoughtful religious people can celebrate their religion and live their faith even as they appreciate the findings of modern science. It is to demonstrate that thoughtful people can value and understand both the Holy Bible and The Origin of Species.

The ASA July/Aug. 2008 newsletter (p. 4) includes the detailed statement that the clergy sign.

• The American Association for the Advancement of Science is having its Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, Feb. 12–16. The theme “Our Planet and Its Life: Origins and Futures” will recognize Darwin’s birthday. There will be 175 symposia, seminars, and workshops with some of the world’s leading scientists and engineers. Nonmembers of AAAS may attend. See www.aaas.org/meetings/ or call (866) 229-3486 or email meetings@aaas.org. Nonmembers who register by Jan. 19 will become members free for one year, receiving 51 weekly issues of Science.
• The Evolution Learning Community at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington, will host “Darwin’s Legacy: Evolution’s Impact on Science and Culture,” a multidisciplinary student conference, March 19–21. It’s an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students in the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts who are conducting research or creative endeavors related to evolution to present their research, network, or enrich their knowledge. Students can submit abstracts by Feb. 12. More information, at: http://library.uncw.edu/web/outreach/evolution/conference.html
• The Church of England has produced a series of web pages discussing Darwin’s contributions and the compatibility of his ideas with religion. See www.cofe.anglican.org/darwin/
• St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA, is hosting a year-long series of lectures, performances, and exhibits called “The Darwin Project.” See www.sau.edu/darwinproject. See page 8 for dates.
• The University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University are sponsoring “The Vancouver Evolution Festival,” a year-long celebration of Darwin’s birthday and book. The lecture series “Darwin and You” will be presented every Thursday evening, Jan. 29–March 5. Reservations can be made at cs-science@sfu.ca.

In addition, the Beaty Biodiversity Museum will be having outdoor family events investigating evolution with crafts, activities, and demonstrations in the courtyard of the museum on some Saturdays in the summer. On Oct. 17–18 there will be a workshop for high school teachers on teaching evolution. Updates at www.vanevo.ca/events01.html.

• In England, the area around Down House where Darwin wrote On the Origin of Species became a World Heritage Site, the HMS Beagle is being rebuilt, and Cambridge will host a number of Darwin exhibits. See www.aboutdarwin.com/ The city of Shrewsbury, where Darwin was born, has a month-long Darwin Festival each February. Screenwriter Chase Palmer is planning on making a movie based on  Peter Nichols’ novel Evolution’s Captain: The Dark Fate of the Man Who Sailed Charles Darwin Around the World. The movie is to be called Evolution’s Captain, and will focus on the 30-yr. relationship between Darwin and Robert FitzRoy, captain of HMS Beagle.
• The Rev. Malcolm Brown, Director of Mission and Public Affairs of the Church of England, says that in his opinion the church owes Charles Darwin an apology. Darwin was born into the Church of England, was educated at a church boarding school, and trained to become an Anglican priest. However, his theory brought conflict with the church and there were many public debates. At one of these in 1860, the Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce, asked scientist Thomas Huxley whether it was through his grandfather or his grandmother that he was descended from a monkey. Others who criticized Darwin were the Rev. John Stevens Henslow and Adam Sedgwick, both scientists who had taught Darwin at Cambridge. Brown began his article, “The trouble with Homo sapiens is that we’re only human” and called for a “rapprochement” between Christianity and Darwinism. CNN, Sept. 15, 2008
• The Vatican will host a conference on evolutionary theory March 3–7. A variety of scientists, philosophers, and Catholic and Protestant theologians will attend. The Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and USA’s University of Notre Dame as well as other pontifical universities are organizing this event. Evolutionary theory rocked the faith of Victorian Christians. “There is absolutely no incompatibility between evolutionary theory and the Bible’s message,” Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, told reporters, noting that this subject had interested Pope Benedict XVI and his recent predecessors. They say it’s time for the church to look at evolution again “from a broader perspective” and that “appropriate consideration is needed more than ever before.” Some from TimesOnLine, May 23, 2008. 

Christian Veterinary Mission

Christian Veterinary Mission (CVM), headquartered in Seattle and directed by Kit Flowers, each year hosts a regional student conference called Real Life/Real Impact. This challenges veterinary students in their walk of faith and encourages them to explore opportunities for serving Christ through the veterinary profession. They can fellowship and pray for one another, network with Christian veterinarians in the area, and hear from a variety of speakers who are serving Christ as veterinarians. It is an opportunity to hear from colleagues who are living out their faith in practice, serving in missions, and much more.

Western University, in Pomona, CA, is hosting the conference this year, Jan 16–17. Registration deadline is Jan. 1 but if you are interested, contact CVM at (206) 546-7577. It will be held at the Banfield Veterinary Clinical Center, 611 E. Second St., Pomona.

Of Interest

• In a Nov. 17 ceremony at the White House, the John Templeton Foundation (JTF) was awarded the National Humanities Medal for “opening new frontiers in the pursuit of answers to mankind’s oldest questions.” John M. Templeton, Jr., accepted the award on behalf of JTF. Established in 1997, this medal honors “individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened our citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.” Templeton Report, Nov. 25, 2008
• Boston University sociologist Peter Berger told CNN.com that American intellectuals have looked down on evangelicals for decades. He characterized the perception as “barefoot people of Tobacco Road” as “probably never correct, but it’s totally false now and I think the image should be corrected.” So his university’s Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs is leading a 2-year project to explore an “evangelical intelligentsia” that he says is growing and needs to be better understood. The article “Study to crack evangelical stereotypes” is available at www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/05/22/evangelicals.ap/index.html?imw=Y&iref=mpstory

With the Lord

Paul B. Mauer passed away Nov. 6 at age 81 as a result of injuries from a fall in his Rochester, NY, home. Graduating from high school at age 16, Paul received his B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at age 19! He pursued a doctorate at the University of Rochester and enjoyed a forty-year career as a physicist at Eastman Kodak Co., contributing to and securing a number of patents such as film coating for sunglasses, silicate-based laser glass, fluorescent solar energy concentrator and many more.

Paul and June had six sons, all of whom have pursued professional careers, fourteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Paul taught an adult Sunday School Class for forty years and was very active in the Browncroft Community Church in Rochester. In his retirement, Paul taught at Roberts Wesleyan College and became involved with the Rochester jail ministry. June says Paul appreciated his association with ASA, and they really enjoyed the Annual Meetings they were able to attend.

Coming Events

(Note list of items above in Vancouver, BC)

Jan. 15. Metanexus Institute is having a Holistic Spirituality Course on Teilhard de Chardin at Chestnut Hill College, PA.

Jan. 22–24. MIT Darwin Bicentennial Symposium, Cambridge, MA. web.mit.edu/King-lab/www/Darwin.htm

Jan. 25. Abstracts due for the Metanexus Conference in Phoenix, AZ, July 18–21, titled “Cosmos, Nature, Culture: A Transdisciplinary Conference. Contact info@metanexus.net

Jan. 29–31. Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) National Conference at Northwestern University, Evanston, IL focusing on global sustainability. Details at www.eswusa.org.

Feb. 1–8. The Biblical Archaeology Society is having a Seminar at Sea Caribbean Cruise. The lectures will be on “Puzzling Out the Past: Adventures In the Study of Ancient Inscriptions from the Origins of the Alphabet to the Dead Sea Scrolls.” Call 1-800-221-4644, ext. 208 or see www.bib-arch.org/travel

Feb. 6–8. Trinity Forum Academy hosts “The Integrity Weekend” at Osprey Point in Royal Oak, MD. Francis Collins and Kelly Monroe Kullberg, speakers. Contact the Academy at academy@ttf.org

Feb. 12. Darwin’s 200^th birthday. St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA. The biology department will host a celebration featuring a performance of “Happy Birthday” by the Darwinian Eclectic Orchestra. Birthday cake served. See: www.sau.edu/darwinproject

Feb. 17. Film screening of “Inherit the Wind,” St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA, 6:30 p.m.

Feb. 27. St. Ambrose University will have the Laff Lecture, Part I, “Darwin and Imperialism” and Part II, “Caricatures.” 

Feb. 27–28. 4^th Annual Human Needs & Global Resources (HNGR) Symposium, Wheaton College. Theme: “Enabling Local Vision, Effecting global Change.” Details at www.wheaton/edu/HNGR/Symposium/symposium2009.html

Mar. 2. Margaret Towne will give presentations at King College, Bristol, TN, one in the morning on “Biblical Interpretation” and one in the evening on “Genesis and Evolution.” 

Mar. 27. St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA will have the Laff Lecture, “Wordsworth, Darwin, and the End of Nature.” 

April 2. Stillpoint Center for Spiritual Development’s Lenten Series will include Margaret Towne speaking on “Integrating Faith with Science,” 7:00–8:30 p.m., Las Vegas, NV. 

April 17. Metanexus is sponsoring “Recreate, Replace, Restore: Exploring the Intersections between Meanings and Environments,” Ohio Northern University. 

May 2. “Banking on Life,” a conference on umbilical cord blood stem cell advances as an alternative to embryonic stem cells, San Francisco, CA, sponsored by Center for Bioethics and Culture Network. Details at www.cbc-network.org/bankingonlife/

July 10–18. Summer Seminars on Intelligent Design. Center for Science and Culture at Discovery Institute, Seattle, WA. Designed for college-level juniors, seniors, and first-year graduate students who intend to pursue graduate studies in the natural or social sciences, philosophy of science, law, or the humanities. Application deadline April 17, but earlier applications may receive priority consideration. Visit www.discovery.org/summerseminar . Email Dr. Bruce Gordon at bgordon@discovery.org

New ASA Chapter

Baylor University has a budding ASA chapter which had five programs in the fall. Executive Director Randy Isaac kicked off the year, speaking on the topic of “Science: A Misused Weapon in a Religious War.” Randy had visited Baylor to make arrangements for our Annual Meeting this summer and was pleased to support this new chapter. Owen Gingerich was a speaker in December.

The average attendance has been from 40–50, many coming from as far as Austin and Corsicana. The meetings are on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 and include pizza and cookies. The chapter also hosts a luncheon the next day at the faculty club, where students and professors can have more in-depth discussion with the speakers. They average about ten at these meetings. Thanks to Walter Bradley, Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering, for his leadership. He credits the students with taking full responsibility for organizing and publicizing the program.

Oklahoma/Texas Section

The ASA’s active Oklahoma/Texas section under the leadership of Scott and Penny Robinson sends out an informative newsletter. To receive it and find out about their events email: scottandpennyhouston@comcast.net. A recent newsletter included these prayer requests:

(a) For our fellow-scientists and co-workers to have a deeper hunger for meaning and know God, and for us as members to reach out to our fellow scientists with the gospel, and to help them think through the science-faith challenges of our day.

(b) For blessing and protection upon the ASA’s leaders and for them to have wisdom and God’s direction as they lead us.

(c) For us to have grace as we talk to our fellow Christians about science-faith events, and for us and our fellow Christians to grow in intellectual rigor and depth, and in appreciation of God and his world.

The Newsletter of the ASA and CSCA is published bimonthly for its membership by the American Scientific Affiliation. Send Newsletter information to the Editors: David Fisher, 285 Cane Garden Cir., Aurora, IL 60504-2064. E-mail: dfisherasa@comcast.net and Margaret Towne, 8505 Copper Mountain Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89129. E-mail: TowneMG@aol.com. Both receive e-mail through asan@asa3.org

Please send Canadian matters to: CSCA, P.O. Box 63082, University Plaza, Dundas, ON, Canada L9H 4H0. 

Send address changes and other business items to the American Scientific Affiliation, P.O. Box 668, 55 Market St., Ipswich, MA 01938-0668. Phone: (978) 356-5656; FAX: (978) 356-4375; E-mail: asa@asa3.org; Web site: www.asa3.org

©2009 American Scientific Affiliation (except previously published material). All rights reserved. 

Editors: David Fisher, Margaret Towne
Managing Editor: Lyn Berg