Comment on Dr. Ariel Roth’s Creation Lectures for Teachers by MiddleGround.
Ken, the answer to your question is fairly straightforward. While some of the academics in the church visit Educate Truth with regularity, the majority are appalled by the tactics and lack of Christian civility and want no association with it. So, in large part, it’s an awareness issue. Further, most of the academics are disgusted by the discord that these debates create, and probably don’t wish to draw attention or add further fuel to the debate. For the most part, their job is to train medical professionals, not professional scientists or professional apologists, and the apologetics that some want to be front and center in education are, by necessity, of secondary importance. Nothing is going to change that.
In the SDA system, there is only one program that advances the relationship between science and faith through active research (a few others claim to, but lack a publication record), and that is Loma Linda University. The department chair of the biology program, Leonard Brand, is a leading and well published authority on issues related to intelligent design. You can easily Google his contact if you wish to offer the kind of support that results in an official title for his position. I know that he would be open to support if have something financial in mind. In all frankness, titles like you are proposing are created only through substantial gifts.
I hope this answers your question.
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NCSE Report: Adventist Education in the Midst of a Sea of Science
It seems to me that Sean completely misrepresents the complaints by Christina, Sterling and others. They are not objecting to the paycheck issue, which seems to be Sean’s incessant comeback to each complaint. They are objecting to a torched earth approach here that is clearly an inappropriate method of church discipline and order. The church should never conduct its busines of discipline and order through public proclamations, such as newspaper ads and billboards that denounce individuals and their convictions. There are more appropriate means for this, and you people should take seriously your divine obligation to protect the reputation of the church.
There’s no question that the Educate Truth approach casts Adventism in the worst possible light. I have to agree with Christina that the Adventist church leadership will never officially condone this approach. In fact I’m surprised they have not officially condemned it. I imagine they have not done so out of fear of the way you people would go after them. Fear motivates. It’s the wrong motivation.
I’m sure you people will click “dislike” and treat me as if I don’t believe in YEC (I do) and the requirement that Adventist faculty teach the Adventist position (I do). If you haven’t noticed, there are lot of individuals who agree with your position but disagree with your tactics, and you uncharitably treat them as the enemy, which they are not. They’re on you side with the key issue! You people should rethink what you write, for as Christina pointed out eloquently, others view your comments and criticisms as very unchristlike. And they most certainly are.
Have a good sabbath.
