Re: Living and Worshipping in the Real World

I have a similar experience but with a significant difference -- it is
in the private Christian school in Kansas where I teach (not a
church). Probably the majority who are involved at my school (at least
who are more vocal about it) would be YEC. We have a couple teachers --
one of them in the highschool english department, ironically, who are
deeply committed to YEC and he even offers an elective semester course
on creationism (which for him would mean exactly YEC -- any deviation
would be heresy.) Much of that course content involves watching videos
such as Ken Hamm -- which, based on the ones I've seen -- he is quite
the conspiracy enthusiast if I remember correctly. But having painted
this "bleak" picture, I must in fairness to him (my english teacher
colleague) state that I've shared with him that I just don't feel that
young earth evidence is compelling, and he has not, as a result crusaded
against my involvement. He tolerates my presence as a science teacher
who has not endorsed YEC, but I in return do not spend my days "rocking
the boat" and trying to undermine his influence. I consider a subset
of my mission rather to be to challenge students to think critically
about why they believe what they believe and to expose them to other
points of view. No doubt many students leave our school firmly
committed to YEC views -- typically ones whose families adhere strongly
to that platform. Some students do not. Perhaps I'm rationalizing my
non-confrontational stance. But I think the YEC curriculum material
pretty much speaks for itself in regard to scientific depth (or lack
thereof), and I'm not too afraid of anyone being "warped" by its
presence. A couple of my own texts have explicitly YEC agendas and I
use them as an opportunity to encourage critical reading on the part of
my students -- that they not accept everything they can find in print.
I'm no more bothered by that than I would be by texts that attempt to
stifle any criticisms of evolution. I revel in the opportunities to
show my students that we all -- text authors and Phd's included have an
agenda, and it is fun (sometimes too easy) to try and identifiy what it
is. I have my own two sons in our school where (Lord willing) they will
graduate. I'm not at all threatened by these folks and I'm don't mean
this with a tone of intellectual superiority -- I mean rather that they
choose not to be threatening. That would probably change if I got in
their faces (Dick Fischer style) and belittled everything they feel
committed to. But I don't see that as productive (or Mr. Fischer will
no doubt say, I'm wimping out.) One doesn't try to stop a freight
train with a head-on collision. You apply the brakes gently. If the
train was about to head over a cliff it might be another matter. But I
don't think any such cliffs exist. YEC simply isn't the dangerous
bogey-man its detractors want to paint it to be. Contrary to frantic
liberal paranoia, YECers will go on to become doctors, engineers,
professors or anything else they set their minds to. Their ideology
may not do them any good services if they pursue a scientific career --
unless it is to goad them on as a challenge. But to the extent they
come armed with some partially erroneous ideology, they can just join
the club with all the rest of us. I fellowship with them as Christian
brothers and sisters who have far more important things in common with
me than differences.

--merv

Iain Strachan wrote:

> David,
>
> Looks like I may be about to experience the same as you are. After 23
> years in an evangelical church in Abingdon UK with no hint of YEC, I
> noticed from the newsletter and sermon sheet that Prof. Andy McIntosh,
> a prominent YEC has been invited in February. The newsheet advertised
> a question and answer session he was giving on the Saturday, to be
> followed by the sermon on Sunday. The note, which was headed "Don't
> miss this!", said it was to "challenge" our thinking about creation.
> Depends whether it means to challenge you to think it through, or
> whether it means to say you're wrong to accept evolution. Several
> scientists within the church are concerned and saddened by this
> development, which I guess is at the behest of the Vicar. It is an
> awkward situation for me - for a while at a difficult time in my life,
> I also dabbled on the fringes of YEC-ism, and have met Andy
> personally, so he probably thinks I'm a YEC & doesn't realise I'm now
> "batting for the other side". I don't know what the best thing to do
> is, but I'd appreciate everyone's prayers!
>
> Iain
>
> On 1/23/06, *David Opderbeck* <dopderbeck@gmail.com
> <mailto:dopderbeck@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> I'm wondering if there are others on the list who go to "typical"
> evangelical-type churches, and how you handle the dissonance
> between what you see and hear at church concerning faith-science
> issues and what you think about such issues. I noticed some
> brochures for an AIG seminar on my church's bulletin board today
> and it made me feel ill. In the past, Ken Hamm did a seminar at
> my church, and the Senior Pastor is a fan. I've spoken with him
> about this and there's a big enough tent to allow me to be
> involved in leadership and such despite my "old earth" views.
> Yet, most of the leadership (at least those few who think about
> this stuff) accepts YEC, and I'm sure the K-12 school we have at
> the church promotes YEC (I send my kids to the public school). I
> love my church and have a long history of many years of service
> there. I wouldn't say that the church as a whole is militantly
> YEC or something like that; it's not something you would even
> ordinarily hear about in the course of a typical Sunday, though
> occasionally someone offers a Sunday School classes that eaches
> YEC. Yet, as is the case in evangelical churches and in the
> evangelical subculture all around the U.S., YEC is always there
> beneath the surface. I just wonder if others have stories of how
> they've navigated these waters.
>
>
>
>
> --
> -----------
> After the game, the King and the pawn go back in the same box.
>
> - Italian Proverb
> -----------
Received on Mon Jan 23 06:59:07 2006