Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

Glimpses of the Religious WorldRev. L. E. Kilpatrick, D. D.1031 E. Glenrosa AvenuePhoenix, Arizona 85014EVOLUTIONARY THEORY: ITS STANDLNG TODAYI once had a university professor who said, "It takesa generation to get a new idea into our university — andanother to get it into elementary and secondary schools."His reasoning was that students in graduate schools tendto hold with their mentors, and are unwilling to concedethe validity of a new idea of a rival professor. Hence, theyspend a lifetime of resistance. Then, if the new idea cansurvive that generation it has a chance. Most scientistswho hold evolution as a valid explanation of the world aswe know it, would doubtless say, "Of course, no onebelieves in evolution as Darwin proposed it." Yet, thevariations or qualifications suggested do not touch thebasic divergence of the theory from the understanding ofthe creationist.Garret Vanderkool, Assistant Professor at theInstitute for Enzyme Research, University of Wisconsin(writing in the Banner), says, "The theory of evolution hasbeen in existence and more or less accepted for more thana hundred years. A large body of circumstantial evidence,much of which was available to Darwin already a centuryago, is explained by it. This includes such things as thefossil record, similarities in form among animals andplants, and the geographical distribution of animals andplants. . . .". . . As we all know, the theory offers a naturalisticalternative to the creation account contained in the Bible,and this is considered to be a highly desirable thing bythose who do not want to recognize the Creator. Theproponents of evolution have done such an effective jobof propagandizing this religious theory, in the name ofempirical science, that some formerly orthodoxtheologians are revising their interpretation of the Bible tomake room for it."From the scientific point of view, evolution mayhave been a plausible hypothesis in Darwin's day, but ithas now become untenable, as a result of fairly recentdevelopments in molecular biology."Vanderkool then cites Dr. D. E. Green and Dr. R. F.Goldberger, Molecular Lnsights into the Living Process,published by Academic Press, "As a prime example" ofthe scientific literature, questioning even the probabilityof evolution being an acceptable explanation: "There isone step (in evolution) that far outweighs the others inenormity: the step from macromolecules to cells ... ajump of fantastic dimensions ... In this area all is conjecture."How long will it be before a docile belief inevolution will cease to be necessary for academicrespectability?RELATED "EVOLUTION" NOTESIn Wisconsin, the Department of Natural Resourceshas refused to make changes in their film, "For You4Naturally," which drew objections for its references to theearth as being millions of years old.Mississippi's law against teaching evolution in thepublic schools has been overturned by the State SupremeCourt. This is the last of such state laws in the country.The "Carbon-14" system of dating antiquarianmaterials has been declared untrustworthy as reports arecoming "thick and fast" from various countries in whichsome scientists judge it to be in obvious error. (Theseitems from EP)LETTER ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF A GIFTThe American Tobacco Co.245 Park AvenueNew York, N.Y. 10012I received the gift box of Silva THINS FilterCigarettes.Much as I dislike destroying the work that humanlabor has produced, (I don't smoke) I dislike it even lessthan to pass on to someone else, something that is not onlynot beneficial, but is positively harmful. Therefore, I havedestroyed these two packs of cigarettes.If you are interested at all in the welfare of ourcountry, you will at least cease trying to promote the useof the nation's resources for polluting the air that the nonsmokermust breathe, for creating fire hazards, forproducing ashes and charred butts to mess up our landscape,besides injuring the health of the user of yourproduct.Sincerely yours,Lester E. KilpatrickP.S. This is an "open letter."GROWTH IN PRAYEREast Asia Millions carries a report of a missionary inThailand, among the Lisu. "Prayer is yet a bitmaterialistic. One after another these new believers askthe Lord to keep the pigs and chickens from dying and toprotect everyone from sickness. But a couple of weeks agoAloo prayed, 'Lord, give us hearts like Yours — straightand true.' That's growth."GET McINTIRENot all the reported difficulties in which CarlMclntire finds himself can be brushed off as injusticewhich he imagines. When his efforts at getting a hearingfor a radio station, for Shelton College, for permission tohold rallies are met with obviously discriminatorytreatment, his ecclesiastical enemies may find'enlargement and deliverance arise . . . from anotherplace," for Mclntire, as did Jeremiah, from "the princesand all the people," while the "priests and the prophets"(26:16) were silenced.COVENANTERWITNESS