Bob DeHaan (I think it was) recently asked whether TEs criticized secular
evolutionists, noting that TEs criticize ID advocates and other critics of
evolution.
I'm not sure that I'd call myself a "TE," it depends very much on the
definition one uses (as we all realize, this can get real tricky), but for
the purpose of this question let's say I am. I have strongly criticized
both ID and scientific naturalists in the same space--see the article, a
fuller version of a cover story I wrote for The Christian Century, that is
on my webpage here:
http://www.messiah.edu/HPAGES/FACSTAFF/TDAVIS/gaps.htm
I have also done so in a review of Ken Miller's important book. The full
version of my review (attached) I published in the last HPS/ASA newsletter,
a slightly shorter version is forthcoming in Reports of the NCSE (they
probably won't print some of my comments on public education and the first
amendment, since I challenge a view dear to their hearts, but they will
print most of my comments).
Many other ASAers have done likewise, and often. (I won't cite the scores
of examples I could cite, let me just point to Van Till's book, Science Held
Hostage, as an ideal example of just this. No doubt you can all think of
others.) So the real question is, why isn't our work as noticeable? I say,
it's because we're thoughtful evangelical scholars, and catch it from both
antievolutionists (on the one hand) and secular academics (on the other
hand)--actually the latter tend to ignore our stuff, their university
libraries don't buy it and they need to be convinced that we have thoughtful
things to say. And they don't hire us to teach at their big universities.
Let me illustrate this point with the example of Michael Ruse, who in the
past couple of years has been getting press for saying just what evangelical
scholars have been saying for a generation--that many scientists have made
evolution into a philosophical worldview that substitutes for religion (or
something like that, my apologies to Ruse if this isn't completely right).
Because Ruse says it, people listen, even if it isn't one bit original. Of
course Ruse says it very well, and with the authority of a chair professor
at a major research university. See above.
Ted Davis
PS. The attachments are in generic rtf format and wordperfect9. If you
can't open them with msword or if you can't read the footnotes, blame Bill
Gates: we at Messiah prefer the best wordprocessor in existence.
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