Sc ience and the Bible by Bolton Davidheiser, Ph.D. Chairman, Science Division, Biola College
HELP STEER YOUNGSTERS TO CHRISTIAN MATURITY WHILE YOU HELP YOURSELF TO LIFETIME SECURITY
T h e n a m e o f F. Wood Jones is rarely mentioned now in the bio logical world. He is the one who proposed and pushed the idea that man evolved from creatures called tarsiers, instead of from some sort of ape, as the Darwinians contend ed. (There is only one living species of tarsier. It is about the size of a squirrel, has large ears and enor mous eyes, eats insects and lizards, moves by jumping, and is active at night.) Professor Jones first publicly pro posed his theory at a lecture in Lon- jdon in 1918. That Same year his views were published by (of all peo ple!) an organization called The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. Wood Jones was a thorough-go ing evolutionist, and his theory of the evolution of man was no more in accord with Scripture than the more usual evolutionary approaches to the origin of man. Therefore it is strange that anti-evolutionists were pleased with his theory and, as the renowned anatomist and evolutionist Arthur Kieth says, “hailed it with delight.” The only advantage to the evolu tionary forces which could have accrued from the tarsier theory was that it showed that evolution ists can disagree. However, there is nothing new about disagreement among evolutionists. Indeed it seems that with a little time and patience spent in a library one can match any statement made about evolution by an evolutionist with a contradic tory statement by another evolution ist. (Perhaps the classical example of this is the view presented seri ously in a scientific paper that mon keys evolved from men.) The tarsier theory of human evo lution is no longer an issue. People who are now taking a stand against the theory of evolution are not sid ing with one group of evolutionists in order to discredit another. But a much more subtle situation hits developed, and Christians who would not take sides with a man like Wood Jones are being led into accepting evolutionary beliefs by men who profess to be conservative Bible-be- lieving men of science. The American Scientific Affilia tion affords an example of this. It was founded as an organization of Christian men of science with its
purpose being to combat attacks up on the Bible from non-Christian scientists. The members sign a statement of faith which would seem to qualify them as dependable lead ers. But those acquainted with the A.S.A. know that it has changed a great deal since the time of its inception. A professor who writes a regular column in the Journal o f the Amer ican Scientific Affiliation suggests that the largest category of crea tures which the scientists recognize within the animal kingdom (known as a phylum) may represent a cre ated “kind” of Genesis. If this view is maintained, it can be asserted that it is quite Scriptural to believe that we had fish for ancestors. This would seem to follow because sci entists classify fish and ourselves in the same phylum. (Of course there are Scriptures which deny this and, indeed, the whole theory of evolution.) The writer of that col umn in the Journal of the A.S.A. says that this view of his has a flaw, and the flaw is that it requires belief in some creation! His evolu tionary views influence his theolo gical beliefs, and he concludes: “ Some of us are relatively good, and some of us are vile. Our vileness may be due to sin or it may be due to our animal inheritance. No one really knows.” These are views expressed by a regular columnist in the official pub lication o f that organization. Men who have similar evolutionary opin ions and men who do not object to being members o f that group are publishing books and pamphlets, writing articles for Christian maga zines, and lecturing to Christian au diences. Because of this situation other Christian men of science are taking the places o f the men of the A.S.A. in upholding the Bible against its disparagers, and other organizations (such as the Creation Research Society*) are rising, dedi cated to do the job which the A.S.A. originally stated it would do. The evolutionary forces and their allies are very strong. Now is the time for all Christian people who understand the issue to pray for those who are upholding the Word of God. *2717 Cranbrook Road, Ann Arbor, Mich igan 48104.
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