SCIENCE & THE BIBLE by Bolton Davidheiser, Ph.D., Chairman of the Science Division, Biola College
Important Announcement I N the providence of God, and in cooperation with the London Scrip ture Gift Mission, we are enlarging our borders and expanding the work to include Scripture portions printed in over 300 different languages and dialects. This program will enable us to help provide for the literature needs of hundreds of new missionaries who are now preparing to go to the field, as well as those who are already on the firing line. We covet the prayer-fellowship of God's people as we take up this new challenge to send the Gospel, in printed form, to the growing throngs of newly literate individuals in every quarter of the earth. Missionary candidates are invited to write to our Philadelphia head quarters regarding their literature needs. ___________ American Scripture G ift M ission Founded in 1915 325 North 13th Street, Room 603 Philadelphia 7, Pa.
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to attract the bees, this answer was marked wrong. It was not considered a matter of opinion but was said to be definitely incorrect. The students were told that some flowers just hap pened to get color and since the color did attract bees, these flowers set more seed than some without color and so colored flowers became established. The author of the article in Science considers as “non-rigorous language” statements which imply the activity of a “ supernatural being.” In other words, he does not say anything against a belief in God because he does not think that any scientist would take such belief seriously enough to express it in his writing or lecturing. Any-apparent allusion to a Supernatural Being in the universe he considers an unfortunate slip of the pen. He points out that, to the begin ner, the idea of natural law pre supposes a lawgiver, and he cautions teachers about this. In scientific investigation one does indeed assume a mechanical explan ation of the phenomenon being in vestigated. But his does not logically warrant the c o n c l u s i o n that all phenomena always have had mechan ical explanations. When a Christian seeks the help of a physician, it does not mean that he denies that there have been miraculous healings. The apostle Paul performed miracles and even brought the dead back to life, but though he prayed three times for the cure of an infirmity of his own, God did not see fit to answer. It is true that teleological state ments in college science texts are usually figures of speech, short cuts in expression, or merely loose writing. It is well that Christians, in general, and Christian science teachers, in particular, should be aware of this trend. “ Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to re ceive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure t h e y a r e and w e r e created.” CEYLON and INDIA GENERAL MISSION Member Mission I.F.M.A. Our ministry in India and Pakistan includes BAZAAR PREACHING Write for free literature 107 North Hale Wheaton, Illinois
I n a recent issue of Science, the publication of the American Asso- c i a t i o n f o r t h e Advancement of Science, there is an article deploring statements in textbooks which imply purpose in nature and in the universe. This forcefully illustrates a culmina tion of a trend away from religion in American education. The first schools in America were established to teach children to read for the express pur pose of preparing them to read the Bible and to provide a literate minis try. The author begins by saying that each of us is for good and against evil. He continues by saying that for most science teachers teleology — the con cept of purpose in the universe ■—- is evil. A universe without purpose is necessarily without God. This reminds one of the words of Isaiah: Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil. Objection is taken to obvious figures of speech, which no one would take seriously as implying conscious pur pose; such as, rivers using rocks and pebbles to dig their beds, and sodium atoms being anxious to lose electrons. He objects to textbooks saying that hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water; he prefers to say that they combine and form water. Even the word store implies too much purpose, and statements that plants store starch should be changed to say that these plants accumulate starch. To the average reader this may seem like quibbling, but the author of this article of close to 4000 words is quite in earnest. His desire is to urge authors to eliminate all purposive allusions in science texts and for teachers to do the same in their lec tures and tests. Five times he refers to the influence teleological statements have upon the thinking of students. In at least one state university in coming freshmen have been given a test to indoctrinate them with the idea of a purposeless universe. If they an swered a question with a statement to the effect that flowers are colored
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