I rather prefer what Arthur C. Clarke wrote in one of his essays, reprinted in “1984: Spring”:

I would defend the liberty of consenting adult creationists to practise whatever intellectual perversions they like in the privacy of their own homes, but it is also necessary to protect the young and innocent.

This is an appropriate point to post the quotation I mentioned a few weeks ago from an evangelical theologian. The following is one paragraph from page 26 of Conrad Hyers “The Meaning of Creation: Genesis and Modern Science”, John Knox Press, Atlanta, 1984.

It may be true that scientism and evolutionism (not science and evolution) are among the causes of atheism and materialism. It is at least equally true that biblical literalism, from its earlier flat-earth and geocentric forms to its recent young-earth and flood-geology forms, is one of the major causes of atheism and materialism. Many scientists and intellectuals have simply taken the literalists at their word and rejected biblical materials as being superseded or contradicted by modern science. Without having in hand a clear and persuasive alternative, they have concluded that it is nobler to be damned by the literalists than to dismiss the best testimony of research and reason. Intellectual honesty and integrity demand it. It has been only too easy to dismiss the biblical teaching of Creator and creation by dismissing scientific creationism. It has been equally easy to conclude that scientific evidence leads to naturalistic conclusions and a nonreligious world view, since scientific and religious statements have already been placed on the same level. If the resulting evolutionism offers a kind of dinosaur religion, by the same logic biblical literalism turns religion into a dinosaur.

Hyers is a Lutheran.

Salaam

Ken Smith