Covenant College Reflections

Covenant College OCTOBER 1972. A mont hly publicat ion of Covenant College, Lookout Mountain, Tennessee Reflections Or. John Lathers, head of the science department, chats informall y with freshman Ted Smick Understanding of big issues, vocational readiness are goals of science department Just 45 miles north of Covenant College's Lookout Whatever the treatment in the film might be, the Mountain-top campus late in September, a major Holly very fact that it was produced makes one point quite wood film producer staged the world premiere for their clear: the tensions between "modern science" and the latest release. It was a biographical treatment of the Christian faith remain a matter of deep public interest. life of Charles Darwin, and the premiere was held in the Covenant College is interested in those tensions, but same courtroom in Dayton, Tenn., where the famous not merely in a whimsical, historical fashion nor in a Scopes trial of 1925 tested whether Darwin's theories superficial manner. The science department at Cove of evolution could be taught in the country's public nant, and its highly qualified faculty of five, believes schools. that unless a Christian approaches the study of science with a th,irough-going God-centered perspective, superficiality will be the resu It. Chemistry professor Charles Don aldson wrote recently: '·The problem of relating the Bible to science (or of relating science to the Bible) has been an important and crucial problem for at least the three centuries since ew ton, and probably for even longer than that. According to Bernard Ramm crucial battles were fought over this issue in the nineteenth century, and conservative Chn tianity lost most of them .... He eeks to show why these battles were lost ... I believe his JUdg:;ient 1s correct that one of the ba ic reasons for continued defeat was that evangelical Christians fought over particular issues 111 an either-or manner without having a well-developed philo sophical framework." On the one hand, then, Covenant seeks for its students enrolled in courses in the natural sciences a broad understand ing of God's great creation at work. This is an emphasis not only for the science majors, but for every Covenant student. It is emphasized in the fresh man course called "Foundations of Modern Culture" with several weeks being devoted to the philosophic bases on which modern science operates, and it is stressed as well in other introduc tory courses in the various departments: biology, chemistry, physics, and math ematics. On the other hand, there is a grow Mr. Wenger ing commitment within the science department at Covenant to equip ev ery advanced science student with the specific vocational preparation he will need for his life calling. The conse quence of that commitment is likely to be the continuing development of programs such as the one announced last summer in medical technology, or another one in engineering now being considered. FAC ULT Y IS TOPS A science student at Covenant has a continuing treat so far as the faculty is concerned. The credentials alone are impressive, but the really important thing to students is that these are men with a heart for teaching: Dr. Keister • JOHN E. LOTHERS, biology. He is head of the science department this year, has his Ph.D. from the University atheisti c presuppositions that govern many 4. T o understand normal opcrat1nn of the of Kansas. His great care for detail is modern sci en tis ts. human body and some of the possibk mal matched only by his eagerness that 3. T o attain familiari ty wit h the modern fu nction, in ill ness. concepts in biology and to be able 10 com 5. To move to11ard proper Christian ,te,, every student have a good understand municate them. ardslup ol nature by attainin!! an unJcrstand ing of what he is learning. in!! of how nature h consutuied. • RAYMOND H. DAMERON in years is the veteran of the department. He taught chemistry at Covenant when The Bible does not seem to support that was the only science offered, but such a differentiation. Faith is always has now moved to the area of physics, presented as the strongest k ind of cer in which he holds his master's degree. tainty. The fa m ous chapter in Heb rews (chapter 11 ) pictures it this way. • CHARLES W. DONALDSON did It is more in keeping with the Bible, his doctoral work in chemistry at the therefore, to consider fa ith the strong, University of Pennsylvania after study certain foundation on which knowledge ing at Wheaton Co!Jege. This year, he can be built. Kno wledge is based on also became assistant dean of the fac fa ith. Before a man can know he must ulty. have faith in something. Th is applies to all men. The non-Christian might • JAMIESON C. KEISTER bridges have faith in logic, or the "scientific the gap between mathematics and method," or humanity at large. But physics, teaching some courses in both these are not the things that men ought areas. He holds his doctorate from to believe in ultimately. Georgetown University. The question then arises: In what should a man have faith as a basis for • JEROME WENGER is the newcomer scientific knowing? The answer is the to the department, having just come same if the question is broadened to this :au from doctoral studies in biology include all knowing. Because if the at the University of Arkansas. Bible is true, every part of the cosmos Presuppositions of a Christian is held together in a common unity by its Creator, so to know any part or any Philosophy of Science . .. aspect of it would require the same ABOUT 3 0 MAJORS (Before a faculty member is granted tenure at foundational truth. Those five professors have attracted Covenant, he is asked to prepare a paper ex To answer the question abovP. I will plaining some aspect of the relationship about 30 majors in the various fields, between his discipline and the Christian faith. outline articles of faith , or presupposi with about a dozen each in biology and The following is an excerpt from the tenure tion, that are distinctly Christian. This math and physics and about a third paper of Dr. Charles Donaldson of the chem may seem •;urprising to many, since that many in chemistry. istry department) they know of non-Christians who ap Already, some Covenant graduates pear to have a great deal of competence are beginning to distinguish themselves It is common for people to differenti in science. Are we not being rather in their activities after graduation. The ate between faith and knowledge, or chauvinistic to claim that the Christian most recent feather-in-the-cap was the between belief and certainty. Often religion is the proper basis for know acceptance of Priscilla Strom, a gradu the results of science (so-called know ing? My answer is that this claim is no ate last year, by two leading medical ledge) are taken to have a greater degree more chauvinistic than to say a man schools. Pris has now begun her medi of certainty than matters of faith (so must trust in Christ to be saved. I am cal studies at Emory University in called religion). Men are constantly just stating in a different way what all Atlanta. seeking for certainty on which to base Christians confess when they call Christ But the department takes very ser their security, and only when scientific the "King of Creation." Now, it is true iously its obligation to provide a basic investigation reaches its limits do they that non-Christians have made great framework for those hundreds of stu feel they need to exercise faith. Even strides in the area of science while re dents who will never be professional some Christians have accepted this dif jecting the Christian religion. But I scientists. A quick look at the goals ferentiation. They may wish to say maintain that their knowledge is limited of the "General Biology" course dem that their belief in God and the Bible becaus~ of its false faith -basis. In sci onstrates what is in store for the non ~re held with "certainty," but they entific activity, which deals with crea scientific science student: ,till put faith in Biblical matters in a tion in abstraction, they may be quite iifferent category from knowledge in 1. To gain a knowledge of nature which competent, but in knowing and in liv will lead to an in creased sensitivity to the ;cientific matters. And when pressed ing life in its fulness and integratedness beauties and well-planned mechanisms of liv they appear to hold more strongly to ing things and thus to an attitude of praise they are no better than immature child for the Creator. 'mow/edge than to faith. ren .. .. 2. To understand the approach o f the sci entist (the legitimate components that can lead to new discoveries) and the unjustified Soccer team takes on toughest schedule yet The athletic season began with much enthusiasm as 35 men reportea for soccer camp on August 14. After fo ur extremely successful seasons (51 wins, 6 losses and 4 ties), Coach Walter Bowman began to prepare for what will be the toughest schedule, the Scots have ever faced. The fact that Bowman will have to do it without the services of six starters (George Hopson, Greg Maffet, Peter Mol Dr. Roger Voskuyl of CASC plines should commend itself to stu lenkof, Rob Rayburn, David Stanton and will be dedication speaker dents throughout the country. Steve Young-all grad uated) adds a key ingredient for skepticism.

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