Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Christianity Today: A New Creation Story

A reader was kind enough to pass this story on today.  Christianity Today has decided to follow the Atlantic's lead and has published a story subtitled Why do more homeschoolers want evolution in their textbooks?  Sarah Zylstra writes:
Christian homeschool science textbooks have long taught young earth creationism (YEC) almost exclusively. But observers say a growing number of parents want texts that also teach evolution.
"Homeschooling has broadened so much, and now includes many Christian groups who have never adopted [YEC]," said homeschool pioneer Susan Wise Bauer, a history professor at Virginia's College of William and Mary. "Also, there are a lot of younger evangelicals who have come to a different way of understanding Genesis, while still holding [on to their] evangelical roots.
Numbers on the trend are hard to pin down. Still, BioLogos president Deborah Haarsma says that it's "fairly common" for homeschooling families to request materials from her organization, which promotes theistic evolution. Some of these parents still believe in a young earth, says program director Kathryn Applegate, but they want their children exposed to different perspectives.
This is good news.  Although the magazine historically has not supported EC/TE, that they are tackling it at all is worth taking notice of.  Like the historical Adam issue, this will only increase in visibility within the Christian community.  The lock that YEC has on home schooling must be broken if there is to be any progress in this area.

What remains to be seen is if some of these curricula that address evolution do it honestly.  I already know that Abecka does not.  There is evidence that BJ does not either.  Still, this is a movement in the right direction away from the YEC gnostic perspective.

This magazine has come a long way from their anti-evolution diatribes of the 1990s.  I got fed up with it and canceled my subscription right around then and have not picked it up since.  I might have to.

4 comments:

  1. Threw you a trackback from Panda's Thumb, but got an error message. I picked this up from you. Thanks!

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  2. Anonymous3:25 AM

    I am a home schooling parent and it is almost impossible to get science curriculum that is NOT pro-Young Earth/anti-Evolution. Even those that purport to present both sides of the issue do not do so in a fair manner.

    I have decided to just go with secular materials in the end.

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  3. I am sorry for that. My son has just read "It Couldn't Just Happen," which he fortunately knows is full of holes. Now we are faced with the prospect of "Darwin on Trial," written by Phillip Johnson. I reviewed another of his books, "Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds." That review is here: http://scienceandcreation.blogspot.com/2008/06/review-of-defeating-darwinism-by_28.html. I am hopeful there will be other options soon.

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  4. Anonymous2:05 AM

    I believe that homeschoolers should be exposed to Young Earth Creationism, Old Earth Creationism as well as Theistic Evolution. This should not be all in the same year, however. To do so would confuse children. Children should know that there are different views in reference to creation.

    Charles E. Miller, Jr., BA, MA

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