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Feature: The Intelligent Blueprint Controversy in College Education
This week on The Coral Ridge Hour we look at Intelligent Design, a movement which is gaining adherents at colleges and universities effectually the world. But what near professors who dare to challenge evolution past presenting alternatives to students? As y'all are about to encounter, the consequences tin can exist severe.

The principal focus will exist the case of Caroline Crocker, a quondam professor of biology at George Mason University. Half-dozen years ago, in the course of her research, she came to meet that Darwinian evolution was scientifically indefensible and untrue. This Television report details the ordeal she endured for the cause of scientific truth in the face up of those seeking to suppress it. Edward Sisson, her attorney, will as well be featured along with the GMU Idea social club president Christine Chenette and myself (the co-founder of the club). (This is the aforementioned band of rebels who were featured in a comprehend story past the prestigious scientific journal Nature final twelvemonth.)

The news written report will be featured as part of the Coral Ridge Hr, but before I offer whatsoever more details, I need to land an of import disclaimer: The views of the Coral Ridge system practise no necessarily reflect my views nor the views of other authors at Uncommon Descent.

That said, go to www.coralridgehour.org to get local listings of the shows. The broadcast will also be available on the cyberspace after Sunday. And then don't worry guys if you miss information technology on TV. The bear witness volition last an 60 minutes. The news written report volition air somewhere in betwixt parts of a religious service, but I don't know where. However, the internet version will carry merely the news written report, and so you all may only decide to watch that.

In add-on to Caroline Crocker's case, this story will bear upon the plight of pro-ID students in our nation's universities. The number of ID friendly students is difficult to estimate, but the all-time numbers I have betoken the biology curriculums have between 10%-33% pro-IDers at the freshman level. No one really knows at this time how many of those volition matriculate to graduation. Furthermore, these polls were conducted with varying degrees of rigor and scope. I've seen estimates every bit high as 40% of students accepting special creation, and mayhap as many as 75% are at least curious about the topics of ID and special creation. In that location may indeed be a revolution in the making, and only time will tell, but I'thou cautiously optimistic. 1 can only imagine the effect on scientific culture if legions of Michael Behe's, Paul Nelson's, Jon Wells', Nib Dembski'south, Phil Johnson's first graduating from our nation's schools in the next 20 years. Yous get the picture. :=)

But the aspect I focus on in this essay is not the TV special, only what the TV special signifies with Coral Ridge choosing to air the story, namely, the fact Evangelicals and creationists are warming to ID. Coral Ridge and the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) are among the first organizations that I'm enlightened of to have given a caste of endorsement to ID, and this circulate is important in elevating ID's reputation among the Evangelicals.

At Uncommon Descent we have historic the contempo friendliness the Catholic Church has extended toward ID. What is less appreciated is that diverse Protestant denominations and creationists are get-go to warm to ID. This is good news for ID, because opposite to what critics of ID would have y'all think, in that location have been significant rifts between creationists and IDers. Just equally important is the fact that creationists are outset to understand that creationism is theologically premised, simply ID is not.

At that place are many nuances to the relationship between creationists and IDers, and these nuances are not easily described. In brief, the IDers have been welcoming, but the creationists take not e'er reciprocated. Here was the state of thing six years agone from an IDer'southward perspective:

Intelligent Design Coming Clean, November xi, 2000 by Bill Dembski

Theists of all stripes are to exist sure welcome. But the boundaries of intelligent pattern are non limited to theism. I personally accept plant an enthusiastic reception for my ideas not only among traditional theists like Jews, Christians, and Muslims, but also among pantheists, New-Agers, and agnostics who don't hold their agnosticism dogmatically. Indeed, proponents of intelligent blueprint are willing to sit across the tabular array from anyone willing to accept u.s..

That willingness, even so, means that some of the people at the table with us will also be immature world creationists. Throughout my cursory tenure as director of Baylor'due south Michael Polanyi Eye, adversaries also as supporters of my piece of work constantly pointed to my unsavory associates. I was treated like a political figure who is unwilling to renounce ties to organized crime. Information technology was often put to me: "Dembski, y'all've done some respectable work, but look at the disreputable company y'all go on." Repeatedly I've been asked to distance myself not only from the obstreperous likes of Phillip Johnson but especially from the even more scandalous young world creationists.

I'm prepared to exercise neither. That said, let me stress that loyalty and friendship are non principally what's keeping me from dumping my unsavory associates. Actually, I rather like having unsavory associates

In contrast to IDers like Nib rolling out the carmine carpet, there has been a disappointing lack of reciprocity from the creationists, and occasional hostility. This was epitomized by an irritating YEC promotional campaign against ID: Intelligent design: is information technology intelligent; is it Christian? by Answers in Genesis (AiG).

Just thankfully, there are some creationist and Evangelical organizations who take warmed to ID and understand that ID is non a theological body of ideas, merely rather a theology-gratuitous science. This upcoming Tv set bear witness symbolizes growing acceptance of ID'due south theology-free origins scientific discipline in its proper context inside Evangelical and creationist circles. This is no small evolution, because IDers would do well to tap into a large base of potential interest (110 meg Americans who accept special creation of humans) rather than trying to persuade individuals who have paid their mortgages and gained respect in club by promoting naturalistic development. (And if anyone criticizes me for making an ID sales pitch to religious organizations, I'll counter by pointing to the NCSE'south Faith Project Director.)

What may be ironic is that the theology-gratuitous character of ID is what actually makes information technology very appealing to people of organized religion who may be sitting on the fence on various issues. Personally, 6 years ago, I was turned off past heavy-handed tactics by AiG and similar organizations who demanded blind acceptance of their origins theology and labeled anyone who disagreed with or doubted them as either compromisers or agents of the devil. When they lumped James Dobson along with the "compromisers" I decided I had my fill of the prevailing YEC civilization, and rather constitute my habitation in ID'due south big tent. YEC edicts demanding unquestioned belief conveyed agony, rather than confidence in brute empirical facts. Thus I found the writings of Denton, Jastrow, Berlinski, Tipler, Barrow more compelling than Ken Ham or Henry Morris.

Interestingly in the secular colleges, I'll ask of even the most conservative Evangelical creationists , â€Å"Assuming all things equal, with respect to science, who’s give-and-take would behave more weight with you, someone similar Michael Denton or a Bible-laic similar Ken Ham?” Almost invariably, they’ll answer Michael Denton! This again, reinforces the fact, theology-free science is more persuasive at defeating Darwinism than theology-filled edicts (encounter: Howard Van Till’s journey from Calvinism into freethought to meet the outcome of theology-filled edicts.)

For me personally, the challenge has been persuading people of the Evangelical faith that the scientific discipline-alone approach of ID does not boldness their practise of faith. This is challenging in light of Phil Johnson's admonition to all IDers:

the first thing that has to exist done is to become the Bible out of the discussion

Contrast this to creationist Ken Ham's (AiG) approach:

Don’t let Bible exist let out of the conversation

Argue from the authority of the Bible

Don’t let young age of the Earth be conceded every bit that’s how you’ll lose the argument

The problem is earth views

Simply to people of faith, I debate Ken Ham'due south approach to the exclusion of all other approaches is incorrect, and ofttimes dishonoring to the very religion he professes. He is contradicted by Romans i:twenty, Acts 17:16-32, John 10:38. Thus in matters of origins science, to honor my organized religion, to honor the hope that Nature will testify of design independent of theology, I side with Phil Johnson, and affirm that in many cases (not all), the right thing to do in God's optics is to:

get the Bible out of the discussion

Some Evangelicals reading this may have issues with what I said. I point out I'1000 not alone in my position:

The pressure to justify fine art, science, and entertainment in terms of their spiritual value or evangelistic usefulness ends up damaging both the gift of creation and the gift of the Gospel.

Michael Due south. Horton, Westminster Theological Seminary
Where in the World Is the Church building?

Furthermore, ID does not claim to be infallible nor does it brand any theological statement beyond the reasonableness of the scientific method. There is no reason therefore any Evangelical should consider ID contrary to their theology since ID makes no theological claims, and does not assert infallibility. It is no more theologically premised than chemical science, math, physics, and computer science. All the same, I should point out that science with no theological premise does not mean a science with no theological implications. How can that exist?

Consider the Laws of Thermodynamics. These laws are every bit theology-free every bit 1 can ask for. These laws strongly suggests stars cannot possibly burn down forever, only if and then, then that means the stars and all the universe must not accept been around forever. This fact, combined with diverse astrophysical observations (like scarlet shifts), forced scientists to reluctantly conclude the universe had a beginning. But a universe with a offset has very strong theological implications even though the science leading to those implications was theology-free (see: God and the Astronomers by Robert Jastrow). And then more recently, Belinfante, Barrow, Tipler and others point out that Breakthrough Mechanics may necessitate a Universal Intelligence at the root of reality (see: Peer Reviewed Stealth ID Archetype). In similar manner, ID and its surrounding theories are theology-free, only they have theological implications.

With that in mind, I hope the readers will excuse me for trying to achieve out to my beau Evangelicals and creationists reading this weblog by quoting from the scriptures which they reverence. By doing and so upwardly front, I can reassure them that there will be times it will exist more honoring to their Christian faith to accept the Bible out of the word than to leave it in. And thus it is my hope past appealing to the beliefs they concord honey, that they volition argue the case for origins in the secular world using purely scientific arguments.

l% of the Us believes in special creation and another 25% might be sympathetic to some form of ID. It is inside this 75% of the nation's populace that the theoretical underpinnings of ID have the best chance of being heard, received, and researched. This 75% figure carries over to the immature, who will be the scientists of tomorrow. It is this demographic group which I think nosotros should seek to reach and encourage more than the 25% who take a financial, social, and personal interests in maintaining the status quo.

It is to that audition, that I take principally made my appeal with this essay. And I encourage this audience to support the variety of views under ID'south large tent, and to observe ways to respectfully cooperate with others who hold dissimilar personal beliefs. When an temper is fostered where creationists can be welcoming and supportive of people like Michael Denton, Frank Tipler, John Barrow, David Berlinski, John Angus Campbell, John Davison, Jeffrey Schwartz, Charles Townes, and more people than I can mayhap listing — then a more effective path will be open for exploration of our origins.

Salvador Cordova

PS
The battles betwixt the die-hard YECers and IDers are in that location. For example, here is a tiff within my ain denomination regarding YECers, IDers and holders of other views. I'grand part of the Potomac Presbytery which in the following letter of the alphabet is seen rebuking the Westminster Presbytery: An Open up Letter of the alphabet to Our Blood brother Elders of Westminster Presbytery. As well, from the Mere Creation website, here is a very good expect theological bug regarding ID: Report of the Creation Study Committee (Presbyterian Church building in America). Their recommendations are welcome news for ID:

Thus, the church must be prepared to address the claimed "scientific truths" of the science communities and be prepared to "manage past fact" as the data from the science pours along. The present 24-hour interval intelligent pattern movement would announced to exist a good example of how the church in the broader evangelical context can be effective in this manner.

schumanntandsold80.blogspot.com

Source: https://uncommondescent.com/education/crocker-sisson-cordova-chenette-tv-special-on-id-in-higher-education/