By Fred C. Melton
Brethren, it is an ill wind that blows no good. There is an attack being made on the “Christian” community at its most vulnerable point – the children. The teaching of evolution to children is certainly nothing new, but the crystallization of evolutionary doctrine among the worlds young people today is increasing at an alarming rate. Not only are school teachers everywhere captives of evolutionary thought, but the mass news media contribute heavily toward a favorable image of the theory. Television especially wields a tragic influence through certain educational programs, panel discussions and even isolated remarks sprinkled through the “kiddy” programs.
England is a terrible example of what the evolutionary theory (together with other irreligious forces) can do to a modern nation. Evolution is an accepted fact among the British school children today–quite beyond question. This is reflected among an adult population of which 94 percent look upon themselves as belonging to a religious denomination (mostly Anglican) while less than 7 percent of these “religious” people care anything at all about their church.
Brethren, the same thing is happening in America and we must wake up to the danger. The cold fact is that we are losing a great number of our own children to evolutionary thought and I am afraid we are largely to blame for it ourselves. It is frequently objected by members of the church that “we are just laymen, and are not qualified to teach our children anything about these scientific matters.” Now, brethren, this is just what the evolutionists want you to think and as long as they can keep intelligent people in this frame of mind, they will continue to infiltrate your childs mind with atheistic propaganda of the worst sort.
Who Is A Layman?
A leading geneticist, Dr. William J. Tinkle, gives the following description of a layman:
“Who is the average layman? Not a school drop-out, certainly not a moron, but a person of ability and intelligence. In fact, every person is a layman outside his own little field of specialization. The developments of science should be made available to such persons…
“A century ago, the facts of science, meager though they were, seemed to favor an evolutionary development of man. But the public failed to appreciate those facts and replied, It is absurd. Now that one discovery after another has pointed to divine creation rather than evolution, the public bows sedately and says, We must agree with the evolutionists because they are scientists. What a paradox!”
Recently, while on tour lecturing at colleges and universities around the world, A. G. Tilney Secretary of the Evolutionary Protest Movement, was asked by a young antagonist, “Sir, what are your qualifications for speaking on the subject of evolution?” “Common sense, young man,” replied Tilney, “common sense.” Indeed, most of us are not scientists and probably not even scientifically minded, but we do have enough “common sense” to read and evaluate to a large extent what learned men of science have written, provided it is not too technical. As Brother Homer Hailey would say, “God is the author of two laws – the spiritual and the physical — and God expects us to find out what those laws are and abide by them.”
Again, good brethren have suggested that the young Christians faith should he strong enough to withstand the onslaught of evolutionary teaching that he receives in the public school systems of the land, and indeed he should. However, it is quite evident that many of our young do not possess such faith. How many times have we seen frail, young Christians completely lose what faith they did possess because they failed to receive the answers they believed they must have. Occasionally, I suspect that some mature Christians are just a little afraid of what “science” might discover. Brethren, it is no longer enough to answer our childrens inquiries with stock quips such as 11 which came first, the egg or the chicken.” These kids want answers commensurate with those they receive from their evolutionary teachers. Spiritual answers first, to be sure, but do not forget that true science is also Gods law and the young must be taught to understand that fact. They need to understand the reasons why the whole rotten hypothesis is a physical impossibility.
The revolutionary (evolutionary) new high school textbooks, Biological Science Curriculum Studies, “Blue,” “Green” and “Yellow,” have been in the American school system now for about ten years and they have already prepared many a young mind for future evolutionary indoctrination at the college level. It was said of these books in 1963 that:
“Little more than the covers of the three B.S.C.S. textbooks would be left if all evolutionary concepts were removed, because in these books the entire subject of biology is intertwined with evolution. The B.S. C.S, books are drastically different than any previous biology text. Conventional college and high school texts relegate evolution to specific portions of the books. Teachers may skip over or enlarge on this subject as they see fit.”
A New Textbook
As a direct result of the 1964-65 textbook controversy over the B.S.C.S. books in Texas, Arizona, and California, the “Creation Research Society” which is made up of a number of prominent scientists and teachers, started work on a high school biology textbook, Biology-A Search for Order in Complexity, which presents the Creationists point of view. This excellent textbook, now published by the Zondervan Publishing Co., is a first class production and should be requested by every Christian to be used by their local school board. There are a number of other scientific books and pamphlets published in England and America that present the Creationists point of view, and they are designed to be understood by the average “layman,” as well as high school and college- students.- A list of suggestions is available from this writer.
According to the press and some leading magazines and school textbooks on biology, every single scientist in the world now believes in organic evolution. Yet, the truth is that an ever-increasing number of eminently qualified men in every field of scientific endeavor either have serious reservations about the theory or oppose it openly.
Brethren, this is a crucial sector of our battle against the sin of disbelief. If we are not very careful, we are going to be weighed in the balances, and found wanting.
TRUTH MAGAZINE, XVI: 28, pp. 9-11
May 18, 1972