Resource: Wells, Jonathon. “PBS: Pushing Bad Science.” The Discovery Institute; “The Party’s Over.” The Discovery Institute; “Why Darwinism is False.” The Discovery Institute.

Summary: In the past year, Jonathan Wells has written three articles about the persistence of Darwinism in the secular arena in spite of all the compelling contrary evidence and lack of supporting proof of the evolution theory.

Do the American people deserve better from their “Public” Broadcasting System? Jonathon Wells believes so. As the year-long celebration of Darwin’s accomplishments comes to a close with a special on answers to riddles that Darwin couldn't explain in his day, Wells reflects on Darwin’s significance. In many places of the world those who revere Darwin spared no expense (often the taxpayer’s money) to celebrate.

There are hundred of scientists through the years who have offered much greater contributions than Darwin to the world who have not had one day of celebration. His most significant contribution has not been to science but to a “materialistic philosophy.” So why did this year-long celebration take place? Wells said it is due to Darwin’s insistence on totally natural explanations for the rise of life on earth. [http://www.evolutionnews.org/2009/12/pbs_pushing_bad_science.html].

Those who promote a secular viewpoint find Darwin’s theory fitting their agendas. Chris Mooney believes not only is Darwin “brilliant—he is a way of life.” When natural or physical evidence cannot be found to support his evolution theory, it is not cause for concern for it is accepted that evidence “must nonetheless be assumed to exist to the exclusion of other causes.” Not everyone is celebrating though. Science journalist, Susan Mazur, believes “evolutionary science is as much about the posturing, salesmanship, stonewalling and bullying that goes on as it is about actual scientific theory.”

[ http://www.discovery.org/a/13741]

In May, Wells published the paper “Why Darwinism Is False.” He addresses the falsehoods of Jerry A. Coyne’s evidence and conclusion that evolution is true. It is a systematic and compelling rebuttal by exposing the lack of evidence of fossils, embryology, vestiges and bad design, biogeography as well as selection and speciation. What seems confounding is no matter the amount of comprehensive evidence proving it false, Darwinism persists in spite of the lack of supporting evidence. Wells believes students, if given accurate information and the “freedom to exercise critical thinking” could read Coyne’s book, Why Evolution is True, and learn how “Darwinists manipulate the evidence and mix it with theology to recycle a false theory that should have been discarded long ago.” [http://www.discovery.org/a/10661]

Culture/Institutions

Resource: Klinghoffer, David. “Waking a Spiritually Slumbering Generation.” The Discovery Institute

Summary: Reaching our “spiritually slumbering generation” will take careful reading and interpreting of our culture.

Report: Why are believers in America not reaching those who are more commonly being called the “nones”? These “nones” are those who have found no institutional religious choice appealing. If given a choice of religions, they would check the box, “none of the above.” Klinghoffer believes he has a possible approach which could be considered one of the most ancient of evangelistic strategies in history. Filling in the gaps about Abraham’s life from the Bible with resources from Jewish oral tradition, he has determined that Abraham had shared the “lost knowledge of the One God with ‘thousands and myriads’ of other people.” What made Abraham such a great evangelist? Klinghoffer believes while he “aggressively argued for the truth” it was “his flexible approach” which reached out to an unbelieving world. Read more about reaching the spiritually slumbering generation on-line [ http://www.discovery.org/a/12601 ].

Education and Development

Resource:  Dr. Darrell Furgason, “The Pathway to Excellence:  Developing a Biblical Perspective on All of Life,” World Report (Association of Christian Schools International)

Summary:  Christian educators must have a biblical worldview regarding all areas of life before they can pass that perspective on to their students and, thereby, achieve excellence in Christian education.

Report:  Dr. Darrell Furgason is concerned with the “intellectual mediocrity in Christian education.”  In this article, he describes an approach to education which will allow Christian teachers to achieve excellence by implementing a curriculum that “addresses and answers, from a biblical perspective, the questions of life in every area of society.”  First, he draws upon Romans 12:1-2 to point out the importance of promoting critical thinking skills which will help students “recognize ideas that are true and to distinguish them from those that are false.”  Second, he encourages Christian educators to help their students learn to identify and answer “the questions of life that confront all of us as human beings.”  In doing so, we want to cultivate in our students a hunger for truth leads them to actively seek out what is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8).

Third, Dr. Furgason claims that Christian teachers must themselves learn to recognize and demolish “the many philosophical fortresses that influence and shape the society we live in” – including scientism, Marxism, relativism, postmodernism, and theological liberalism.  Finally, he points out the necessity of Christian educators personally holding, and teaching, a comprehensive biblical worldview.  As he states, many teachers in Christian schools have been educated in secular universities where they have not learned how to bring a biblical perspective to their subject matter.  In other words, they may be Christians in their hearts but not in their heads “in terms of the ideas one holds to be true.”  They must, therefore, make a deliberate effort to “recognize and replace ideas and paradigms they absorbed in their degree programs” so they are no longer held captive by the secular philosophies which shape our age.

While the article is written primarily for teachers in Christian schools, its principles can be a useful guide for Christian teachers in secular schools as well.

The article is available for download at http://www.acsi.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=CJb4t3dJ%2bMg%3d&tabid=714

Education/Development

Resource: Michael Bauman, “The Ethics of Meaning: The Case for a Conservative Hermeneutic.” Summit Ministries Web Resources

Summary: It is assumed in academia that the meaning of texts is given by the reader, not the author, resulting in a thorough-going relativism when it comes to interpretation. If this is the case, then authentic communication is no longer possible.

Report: Do words and/or texts have fixed meaning? Contemporary academic theories of interpretation suggest that the reader has the authority to determine the meaning of texts. According the Michael Bauman, this is as a hermeneutical practice in vogue due to the dominant intent of contemporary academics to undermine Western tradition, especially the classic texts which preserve for us the best Western civilization and values. However, taken to its logical end, taking the meaning of texts from the author results in a thoroughgoing relativism that would render communication (and even the academic practice of grading) to be absurd. In fact, the theory itself undermines its own ability to be communicated.

http://www.summit.org/resources/essays/2008/02/the_ethics_of_meaning_the_case.php

Photo: Little Man

Community/Government

Resource: George Weigel, “The Just –War Tradition”, National Review Online

Summary: A discussion of the just war tradition as not a “presumption against war” but as a principled use of force in pursuit of peace.

Report: George Weigel challenges the modern notion that the use of force is antithetical to the pursuit of peace. Weigel challenges the myth that peace is merely the lack of conflict and that the just-war tradition is a “presumption against war.” He calls for a return to the traditional just-war tradition that existed until the 1960’s where the principled and discriminate use of force by legitimate public leaders in the pursuit of the common good was seen as a moral obligation and not a “necessary evil.”

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTcyOTljYjM1NmRkZWI0ZGFmZDkzOGU1M2VlZDk2MWQ=