--- David Opderbeck <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.
In my church the record is mixed, but there's reason for hope. About ten years
ago a high school biology teacher, who was in a fight with the public school
where he taught over his teaching YEC,got together with another individual and
set an objective to get creationist teaching into every Sunday School class.
They started with an elective high school class and gave up when there was
little interest among the students (my son said, "I take biology in school. I
don't want more biology on Sunday morning") Our pastor at the time hld YEC
views, but did not claim any scientific charter for them. He just believed that
YEC was the most straightforward interpretation of the Scriptures. After I
spoke with him he softened his rhetoric a bit. I even heard him say, "if you're
a creationist ... " in a sermon.
Our current pastor is an OEC, and as nearly as I can tell the congregation is
comfortable with that. He is dead set against evolution, saying flatly that the
genetic code will not permit it. I had a conversation with him last summer on a
drive to Port Huron (about an hour' drive from where we live) in which I
explained that I believe in common descent, but can't really be considered an
evolutionist because I don't believe there is any element of chance involved,
an he seemed comfortable at least with my believing that.
I've learned through hard experience that there are limits to how much you can
achieve with the average evangelical. They seem to have accepted the prevailing
notion that scientific knowledge is "real" knowledge, and therefore, to prevent
science from threatening Christianity, Christianity must be wrapped in a
scientific mantle.
Bill Hamilton
William E. Hamilton, Jr., Ph.D.
586.986.1474 (work) 248.652.4148 (home) 248.303.8651 (mobile)
"...If God is for us, who is against us?" Rom 8:31
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Received on Mon Jan 23 11:57:54 2006
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.8 : Mon Jan 23 2006 - 11:57:55 EST