Following is a letter to the editor of Christianity Today that I sent over 6
years ago. It was published, but without the bulk of the first paragraph.
Seems I was not far off target. The depressing thing for me is to see how
evangelical Christianity jumps on the PJ-ID bandwagon nonetheless.
Howard van Till
**************************************************************************
October 22, 1994
Mr. David Neff, Executive Editor
CHRISTIANITY TODAY
465 Gunderson Drive
Carol Stream, IL 60188
Dear David (for publication as a letter to the Editor):
As I reflect on Phillip Johnson's essay, "Shouting 'Heresy' in the Temple of
Darwin," (October 24 issue of CT) I am reminded of the phrase that he once
applied to influential persons who preach caricatures of both science and
Christian belief for the purpose of advancing their own agendas. There is in
Johnson's writing "just enough truth to mislead persuasively."
There is truth in Johnson's charge that the secular academy is guilty of
distorting and neglecting Christian scholarship. And I join him in
encouraging Christian scholars to contest vigorously the way in which those
academics committed to a Naturalistic worldview exploit the prestige of
modern science to give the illusion of empirical warrant for their
antitheistic propaganda.
But when Johnson the law professor masquerades as an "expert witness" in the
court of scientific theory evaluation, he dispenses a grossly misleading
sense of reassurance to Christian skeptics of the scientific enterprise. And
when he sets himself up as judge of what motivates most Christian professors
of science to accept the possibility that God has gifted his Creation with
the truly awesome capacities required for the evolutionary development of
his creatures, Johnson stoops to cheap accusation and offensive
misrepresentation.
Johnson's rhetoric is skillfully crafted to persuade those who have not
given their professional careers to the practice and evaluation of science
from a Christian perspective. But if he and his disciples are successful in
their zealous crusade to promote the rejection, not only of the Naturalistic
exploitation of biological evolution, but also of the very concept of
genealogical continuity among God's creatures, then I believe that the
constructive interaction of natural science and Christian belief will be set
a century back on its already difficult course.
Sincerely yours,
Howard J. Van Till
Professor of Physics
Calvin College
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