Faith, reason, and the educated Christian Creationism - College and ...

University
students meet
in Argentina
F
ocusing on the theme, “The Certainty
of His Coming,” more than 160
Adventist students from public institutions
of higher learning in Argentina,
Chile, and Paraguay converged on the
youth camp “Los Quebrachos” in central
Argentina in June 2003 for their
fifth annual session.
The meetings were organized and cohosted
by the Education and Youth departments
of the Central Argentine
Conference and the Córdoba Adventist
Student Association. The picturesque
hills and creeks characteristic of central
Argentina brought a sense of peace, unity,
and spiritual communion to these
students who daily face challenges to
their Christian faith and lifestyle in a
secular environment. At the same time,
the meeting offered a unique opportunity
for fellowship, prayer, and renewal.
Various plenary sessions and rotating
seminars were presented by several local
and invited speakers, including Humberto
M. Rasi (representing the General
Conference AMiCUS Committee), Antonio
Cremades (director of the Geoscience
Research Institute, South American
Office), Carlos Mesa (Education Department
director, Austral Union), and
Mario Vergara (Youth Department and
ADRA director, Austral Union). Their
presentations dealt with the cultivation
The student group
gathers for a
picture.
of an intelligent faith, a Creation approach
to the challenges of atheistic
evolution, the need for an individual response
to Christ’s calling for total commitment
to His mission, and practical
ways of serving human needs through
community projects sponsored by
ADRA. The students gave personal testimonies
on how they share their faith
with teachers and fellow students.
The Córdoba Adventist Student Association,
established in the early 1960s, is
the oldest and most active among such
organizations in Argentina. Most of its
members attend the National University
of Córdoba, whose international prestige
attracts students from many Latin
American countries. The Adventist Student
Association plays a double role on
campus. On the one hand, the group
contributes to campus life by offering
seminars on professional, religious, and
scientific topics. On the other hand, the
group has secured formal recognition
from the university administration,
which allows its members Sabbath privileges.
They also participate actively in
the life of several Adventist congregations
in and around the capital city of
Córdoba.
The students departed from the
meeting refreshed and energized, with
the desire to serve as Christ’s ambassadors
in their public university campuses,
while preparing themselves and others
for His glorious return.
Horacio Rizzo is the Education and
Youth Departments director of Central Argentine
Conference. His E-mail:
horaciorizzo@hotmail.com
Creationism
Continued from page 12.
to balance ecological systems.
• Even though we do not have a
complete understanding of how
our world fits into the rest of the
universe, and what kinds of contribution
we can make to it, there
can be no doubt that the existence
of our world has a purpose.
• The Adventist worldview is based
on the profound theme of the
great controversy between Christ
and Satan. The Bible tells that in
the last days, Satan will work
mightily to deceive the world. A
facet of this deception may be the
theory of evolution.
Conclusion
Creationism is a robust paradigm, fully
capable of undergirding the scientific
enterprise in the new millennium. Wider
acceptance of creationism by the scientific
community in the future will depend,
in part, on how well theologians can
convince scientists of the priceless value
of revealed information. In addition, this
approach will gain greater credibility as
more scientists conduct research on the
basis of the creationist perspective.
George T. Javor (Ph.D., Columbia University)
teaches and does research in the
Department of Biochemistry, Loma Linda
University School of Medicine, Loma Linda,
California, U.S.A.
Notes and references:
1. T. Dobzhansky, The American Biology
Teacher 35 (1973): 125.
2. B. Hanson, G. Chin, A. Sugden, and E.
Culotta, Science 284 (1999): 2105.
3. S. J. Gould, Science 284 (1999): 2087.
4. N. R. Pearcey and C. B. Thaxton, The Soul
of Science: Christian Faith and Natural
Philosophy (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books,
1994).
30 Dialogue 15:3 2003