I am going to do daily posts on whatever strikes me as wacky or lending itself to mockery during my reading of the Biology for Christian Schools textbook (teacher’s edition) by William S. Pinkson, Jr. until I’m bored of it. Let’s start with the first paragraph of the introduction:
“Those who do not believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God will find many points in this book puzzling.”
Actually, I’m totally with Mr. Pinkson so far.
“The people who have prepared this book have tried consistently to put the Word of God first and science second.”
Startling way to begin a science textbook, but agreed.
“The position expressed by Dr. Bob Jones, Sr., as he said, ‘Whatever the Bible says is so; whatever man says may or may not be so,’ is the only one a Bible-believing Christian can take, but it does present some problems for a Christian high school biology student.”
I’ll say. Actually, I agree with everything Pinkson has written so far:
“Some of the conclusions a Christian must reach differ from those expressed by worldly sources [emphasis mine].”
Okay. Still with you… kind of. But then the example of a worldly source Pinkson says a Christian “must” differ from is encyclopedias, which might make statements “based on ‘supposed science.’” Then this:
If the “conclusions contradict the Word of God, the conclusions are wrong, no matter how many scientific facts may appear to back them.”
Whaaaaaaah???
That’s faith, I guess. But it’s rare to hear the rejection of any facts that contradict one’s beliefs stated so explicitly. It's certainly in stark contrast to the position of the Dalai Lama.
The struggle a Christian biology student might have when “considering information in the light of the Word of God,” Pinkson suggests, “is not easy,” but Pinkson offers two basic guidelines to keep in mind when reading his textbook
- Become very familiar with the Bible, and remember science must be based on observations or any conclusions are “mere guesses.”
- Christians must “disregard those guesses and beliefs that contradict the Bible.”
So remember keep those rules in mind as we continue.
Bonus: As this is the Teacher’s Edition, we also have the added benefit of his notes for educators, which read more like a "how to" for spotting doubters:
“Ask students whether they agree with the philosophy presented in the first part of the introduction. If they say yes, ask them what the philosophy is. If no, ask why not. Ask them to consider the ramifications of such a Biblical philosophy on their acceptance of science. Do the two contradict? They may have difficulty on this point…This discussion can serve as a good diagnostic tool [emphasis mine].”
Got to diagnose the chronically curious and grounded quick, or they might find the rest of the book hilarious.
Next: Chapter I: Science contradicts the Bible because it makes things better.
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