-Submitted by David Drumm (Nal), Guest Blogger
Erskine College is a small, private, four year Christian liberal arts college located in South Carolina. William Crenshaw, who taught at the college for 35 years, earning tenure, an endowed chair, and teaching awards was fired for his dissent of Erskine’s teaching of science.
Erskine offers a Bachelor of Science degree and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Crenshaw commented:
Science is the litmus test on the validity of the educational enterprise. If a school teaches real science, it’s a pretty safe bet that all other departments are sound. If it teaches bogus science, everything else is suspect…. I want a real college, not one that rejects facts, knowledge, and understanding because they conflict with a narrow religious belief. Any college that lets theology trump fact is not a college; it is an institution of indoctrination. It teaches lies. Colleges do not teach lies. Period.
Erskine College is part of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church (ARP) that holds to the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible. Since the Bible is an inanimate object incapable of fallibility or errancy, this really means that ARP’s interpretation of the Bible is infallible and inerrant.
ARP is a small denomination with only 250 churches. This number is too small to maintain a faculty and student body of only ARP members. Crenshaw’s firing will send a message to the other 39 faculty members that academic freedom will not be tolerated.
Erskine’s majors include Biology, Natural Science, and Physics. This incident should draw the scrutiny and reevaluation of its accreditation in these areas. The risk of losing its accreditation will do more to discourage potential students than anything Crenshaw said.
A BS degree from Erskine is going to mean diddle squat when applying to a reputable graduate school.
H/T: Inside Higher Ed, Pharyngula.
“Just as people of your ilk like to say to Christians who do not like smut on tv, “turn the channel”
Problem with that is, we eventually run out of channels. It’s as easy as finding a “no urine” section of a public swimming pool. Not going to happen. So you finally have to take a stand and start cleaning things up and taking back things.
With the exception of few replies to this biased piece of garbage, most of you would be better served to consider all of the great state schools you should support and wipe the dust off of your evolving feet as you run from scary, bigoted Christians. The world is much better off with you “tolerant” self-appointed experts offering social criticisms against an institution that was founded and supported by a church that has never hidden its beliefs. Just as people of your ilk like to say to Christians who do not like smut on tv, “turn the channel”. You too should turn your attention to one of the many colleges that support your world view. There are many of them out there. Take your pick.
I don’t know what Mr.William Crenshaw considers to be “real science” but neo Darwinism’s lifeless chemicals-to-man evolution does not meet the definition of science mentioned in the National Academy’s guidebook for science teachers, Chapter 3, 1998.The definition makes clear that “Science is about what is observable and measurable. In addition, “explanations thatcannot be based on empiricle evidence are not part of science.” Yet, the Academy urges teachers like Crenshaw and others to teach neo Darwinism as science. That is also the reason that most articles about evolution never define the term “evolution.”
See:Darwin’s Influence on Modern Thought, Scientific American, July 2000, p.80,
You will see that Darwin’s chemicals-to-man evolution series can only rest on faith in a story. That’s one reason why I believe in Genesis.
The bible does not contradict science in any way. Evolution is in diametric opposition to the Scripture. 2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Listening with greedy ears to every one that comes along, but never learning anything” 2 Tim 4:3 “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” 2 Thess 2:11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,
Lret the Bible speak for itself
and by the way In the begiining God.
Hilarious video. Thanks for the laugh!
Dr. Carl Sagan:
Anonymously Yours
Oh really Oh really Oh really Oh really Oh really ?
Yes, really.
The material in question hasn’t been mentioned here. I’m curious as to what he was trying to teach. I’m guessing it was something about evolutionism. Yes, if he tried to tell the class it is a fact that humans are distant relatives of field mice, then that would have been a BIG problem, since we have no evidence of such, and that wouldn’t qualify as science, but instead, a just-so story.
As a current biology major here at Erskine, I can assure you we more than deserve the degree we are getting. A degree in any of the sciences here more than guarantees you acceptance into any major graduate program. We ARE taught the basics of evolution, we don’t simply “skip over it” due to the beliefs of the church. The work we do here is known statewide for its difficulty. I myself disagree with Crenshaw’s firing, but this article fails to mention the other side of the story, such as Crenshaw’s bad-mouthing of students and other faculty etc.
FFLP,
Was he trying to peddle the adult fairytale also known as evolutionism?
Oh really?
Science isn’t at odds with God. God created science. Science isn’t some kind of entity that has powers. Science is simply knowledge gained by observation. Testable, provable, measurable, weighable, countable, etc…
Oh really?
If this nutjob was trying to peddle something other than plain old science, then that’s where the problem is. I’m curious as to what he was trying to teach.
Oh really?
If he’s an atheist, like someone said, then there’s the problem. Atheism is devoid of logic and common sense.
You don’t say, and how do you know?
It’s extremely suspicous when he’s leaving out what these science facts are that allegedly disagree with some “narrow religious belief”. Was he trying to peddle the adult fairytale also known as evolutionism?
Science isn’t at odds with God. God created science. Science isn’t some kind of entity that has powers. Science is simply knowledge gained by observation. Testable, provable, measurable, weighable, countable, etc… If this nutjob was trying to peddle something other than plain old science, then that’s where the problem is. I’m curious as to what he was trying to teach. If he’s an atheist, like someone said, then there’s the problem. Atheism is devoid of logic and common sense.
nikki haley, ain’t she just special.
Well LK,
It appears that the present governor of SC is a) a liar, b) pandering to the party, c) on drugs herself (Nancy Grace comes to mind), d) took a campaign donation, e) out of touch with reality, f) power has gone to her head, g) can’t think straight, h) all of the above…..
From your article I think there is a difference between being hired and tested and and 1 and 50 percent testing positive…Just call me skeptical from anything else I read….
I hope Professor Crenshaw has a good lawyer and cause of action.
AY: “SC gov. calls reporter ‘little girl’ over story
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s first woman governor called a female reporter a “little girl” over an article detailing at least $127,000 in taxpayer dollars the governor and other state officials spent on a European economic development trip.”
——
Little Miz Nikki is just so full of… bad ideas:
http://www.rawstory.com/rawreplay/2011/09/nikki-haley-i-so-want-drug-testing-for-jobless-benefits/
The good news is if they start killing each other over obscure biblical bullshit soon enough the decent people can start pointing out how insane it all is and maybe hold the insane at bay.
Hah! I’m afraid we have all of history to indicate the falseness of that faint hope. There will always be far more rough than diamonds, far more space than things in it, always far more ways to wreck perfection than to improve on it. SDo it goes. 🙂