Comment on La Sierra University Granted Window to Show its Faithfulness to Church’s Creation Belief by Professor Kent.
BobRyan: Zimmerman’s campaign points to the deep confusion among various Christian denominations when it comes to whether or not they should actually believe the Bible if it contradicts classic atheist evolutionism.
Yes, it’s clear that millions of Christians accept theistic evolution but remain devoted to the Bible. However, as Seventh-day Adventists, we know from 3SG 90-91 (and possibly 3SG 92-94; still waiting for Bob to clarify) that such Christians are outright liars in their proclaimed belief in the Bible.
You see, 3SG 91-92 makes clear the following:
1. TE’s exist (a very important point we are indebted to Bob for pointing out this very important point).
2. TE is the worst form of infidelity known to both humankind and heavenkind.
3. Higher critical reasoning upon reading 3SG 90-91 demands that theistic evolution cannot be wed to the Bible, which even Provine, Darwin, Patterson, Dawkins, Pitman, Ryan, and Nixon all agree with. What this apparently means is that if you believe in evolution, you cannot believe in the Bible. Period. End of story.
4. FB#6 needs to be radically changed to embrace and hopefully actually quote 3SG 90-91.
5. Withought 3SG 90-91, there is no basis for original sin, Jesus’ death, and salvation. In essence, without 3SG 90-91, the Seventh-day Adventist Church would not be distinct from other Churches.
6. La Sierra University is wholeheartedly sold on theistic evolution. The entire biology and religion departments, the entire administration, and entire board need to be fired. The local conference and union officials need to be fired for not making LSU subservient to 3SG 90-91. The NAD Education Department officials need to be fired, along with many of the GC officials, for their failure to reign in the all-for-evolution indoctrination at LSU. Of course, Ted Wilson cannot be fired, because someone has to fire all those beneath him.
7. By-faith-only belief in “reptiles-to-birds” must hereafter be considered happy fiction storytelling.
Professor Kent Also Commented
La Sierra University Granted Window to Show its Faithfulness to Church’s Creation Belief
BobRyan: Certainly I agree with you that there is in fact no logical way to marry TE to the Bible if you really take both of them seriously and think about it for a minute. Darwin was so convinced of that that he gave up Christianity entirely. Dawkins, Provine and Meyer are all on record as coming to the same conclusion.
Bob Ryan won’t do it, Sean Pitman won’t do it, David Read won’t do it, Shane Hilde won’t do it, Ron Stone won’t do it, Wesley Kime won’t do it, Ken won’t do it, Dawkins won’t do it, Provine won’t do it, Meyer won’t do it, Eddie won’t do it, and Professor Kent won’t do it.
Okay. But millions of Christians do marry TE and the Bible. How sad that they succeed in such an illogical venture. Let’s pray for them.
La Sierra University Granted Window to Show its Faithfulness to Church’s Creation Belief
And we should pay heed to Darwin?
La Sierra University Granted Window to Show its Faithfulness to Church’s Creation Belief
I hope, believe, and pray that LSU will remain squarely within the Church’s fold.
It will be tragic if this website actually creates a dilemma with WASC that leads to revocation of accreditation, or pushes the university the wrong direction. In either case, some here will view such an outcome as a victory.
Recent Comments by Professor Kent
Gary Gilbert, Spectrum, and Pseudogenes
Nic Samojluk: No wonder most creationist writers do not even try to submit their papers to such organizations.
Who wants to waste his/her time trying to enter through a door that is closed to him/her a priori?
You have no idea what you’re writing about, Nic. As it turns out, there are in fact many of us Adventists who “waste” our time publishing articles through doors that open to us a priori. Even Leonard Brand at Loma Linda, a widely recognized creationist, has published in the top geology journals. I mean the top journals in the discipline.
The myth that creationists cannot publish in mainstream science is perpetuated by people who simply do not understand the culture of science–and will remain clueless that they do not understand it even when confronted with their misunderstandings. Such is human nature.
Southern Adventist University opens Origins Exhibit
Pauluc,
Your questions about conservation genetics are very insightful. I don’t understand how all these life forms were able to greatly increase in genetic diversity while simultaneously winding down and losing genetic information to mutations. Sean seems to insist that both processes happen simultaneously. I had the impression he has insisted all along that the former cannot overcome the latter. But I think you must be right: God had to intervene to alter the course of nature. However, we can probably test this empirically because there must be a signature of evidence available in the DNA. I’ll bet Sean can find the evidence for this.
I’m also glad the predators (just 2 of most such species) in the ark had enough clean animals (14 of each such species) to eat during the deluge and in the months and years after they emerged from the ark that they didn’t wipe out the vast majority of animal species through predation. Maybe they all consumed manna while in the ark and during the first few months or years afterward. Perhaps Sean can find in the literature a gene for a single digestive enzyme that is common to all predatory animals, from the lowest invertebrate to the highest vertebrate. Now that would be amazing.
Wait a minute–I remember once being told that SDA biologists like Art Chadwick believe that some animals survived on floating vegetation outside the ark. Now that would solve some of these very real problems! I wonder whether readers here would allow for this possibility. Multiple arks without walls, roof, and human caretakers.
Southern Adventist University opens Origins Exhibit
Ellen White said, “In the days of Noah, men…many times larger than now exist, were buried, and thus preserved as an evidence to later generations that the antediluvians [presumably referring to humans] perished by a flood. God designed that the discovery of these things should establish faith in inspired history…”
Sean Pitman said, “All human fossils discovered so far are Tertiary or post-Flood fossils. There are no known antediluvian human fossils.”
Ellen White tells us that humans and dinosaurs (presumably referred to in the statement, “a class of very large animals which perished at the flood… mammoth animals”) lived together before the flood. Evolutionary biologists tell us that dinosaurs and humans never lived together. You’re telling us, Sean, that the fossil record supports the conclusion of evolutionists rather than that of Ellen White and the SDA Church. Many of the “very large animals which perished at the flood” are found only in fossil deposits prior to or attributed to the flood, whereas hunans occur in fossil deposits only after the flood (when their numbers were most scarce).
Should the SDA biologists, who are supposed to teach “creation science,” be fired if they teach what you have just conceded?
La Sierra Univeristy Fires Dr. Lee Greer; Signs anti-Creation Bond
For those aghast about the LSU situation and wondering what other SDA institutions have taken out bonds, hold on to your britches. You’ll be stunned when you learn (soon) how many of our other schools, and which ones in particular, have taken out these bonds. You will be amazed to learn just how many other administrators have deliberately secularized their institutions besides Randal Wisbey, presumably because they too hate the SDA Church (as David Read has put it so tactfully).
Be sure to protest equally loudly.
Gary Gilbert, Spectrum, and Pseudogenes
@Sean Pitman:
So clearly you believe that science can explain supernatural events. Congratulations on that.
