I have followed with interest the discussion (“Is James Shapiro a Design Theorist?”) initiated by Bill Dembski and now involving James Shapiro, Ann Gauger and Douglas Axe. The nub of the issue seems to relate to conflicting conceptions about what constitutes a legitimate scientific explanation (what philosophers call the “demarcation problem”).
The British Guardian newspaper reports on recent developments in UK governmental policy on teaching evolution in free schools (which, though state funded, are normally not required to follow the national curriculum):
With regret, ENV recently noted the passing of biologist Lynn Margulis. Margulis, a scientist whom I admired greatly, was never a stranger to controversy, going so far as to call neo-Darwinism “a complete funk” and asserting that “The critics, including the creationist critics, are right about their criticism. It’s just that they’ve got nothing to offer by intelligent design or ‘God did it.’ They have no alternatives that are scientific.” She was a scientist who wasn’t afraid to think creatively, disregarding the scorn of her colleagues. According to the Telegraph, a response to one grant application she made said: “Your research is crap. Don’t ever bother to apply again.”
Frank Turek and Bob Cornuke (the REAL Indiana Jones) will be leading a “Footsteps of Paul” cruise in July 2012! Our ship will be Oceania’s beautiful “Regatta.” We’ll present evidence and insights about the New Testament while we tour the Biblical sites of:
- Ephesus (Ephesians, Paul’s home for three years, and his confrontation with Diana worshipers in Acts 19)
- Athens (Paul’s Acts 17 speech)
- Corinth (1 and 2 Corinthians)
- Malta (See the site and anchors of Paul’s shipwreck from Acts 27)
- Rome (Romans, and where Paul was imprisoned and executed)
We’ll also visit other beautiful and interesting sites such as Istanbul, Sicily, Pompeii, Sardinia and Santorini.
Douglas Gresham, stepson of C.S. Lewis, will join us in Malta and give us a special presentation there!
We hope you can join us! Go here for all the details http://www.livingpassages.org/tours/footstepsofpaul.htm or call 1-888-771-8717. Space is limited so sign up soon!