The Disdain Towards Evangelical Intellect

I read with some interest a recent article in the New York Times about a science teacher in Florida and his attempts to teach evolution to students who have been resistant because of their Christian beliefs. The article is predictably paints the evangelicals to be complete morons who are, to use ironic language, clearly dragging down the genetic pool and will be inevitable victims of natural selection in the future. Hey, it's the New York Times, after all, which has never shown an affinity towards evangelical perspectives.

I won't go into detail about it, and I don't profess to be a biologist or anthropologist, but I have never seen evolution, in its proper context, as being a in conflict with faith. Evolution is a scientific tenet, not a philosophical reality. It does not (again, I stress, in its proper context) explain the heart of our purpose, existence, feelings, and beliefs any more than the Bible explains the geological formation of the earth's core and crust. There are other books that go far more in depth in terms of the relationship between faith and science, and specifically the Genesis account of creation and evolution.

But there are some Christians that have drawn a line in the sand and have made this a key battleground in an attempt to save the Christian faith. And there are some evolutionists who have similarly found this to be an opportunity to somehow completely eradicate Christian faith. I think both groups have greatly overestimated the stakes in this game.

What really saddens me is just how much disdain and scorn existed in the posted comments by some of the readers, many along the vein of painting Christians in a broad brush as best, nimrods and at worst, the scourge of society. The contempt and condescension of many of these readers was palpable. Here are some examples:

• I am getting really sick of the need to continue justifying evolution, or the teaching of the subject, to a bunch of people who have - by definition - irrational minds. Some things are just wrong, people, including a belief in some all-powerful man in the sky. Use your brains. Try to think. Please.

• Evolution is real, deal with it. These religious christian groups need to accept certain realities and stop living in their lala land. Else there's no difference between them and Al Qaeda trying to influence the hearts and minds of young individuals with lies that sets them up for failure and harms the nation.

• Something I've never understood about the rationale that evolution is no better than creationism (since both are technically theories) is why other creation myths aren't then allowed to be taught in school. Maybe you're right--maybe life did spontaneously appear at the will of God. Or maybe at the will of Brahma. Or the voodoo sky serpent. Or the infamous Flying Spaghetti Monster (may we all be touched by his noodly appendage).
  Why can't we just step back and let the Creationist retards get stupider and stupider until they can't even feed themselves and they eventually become extinct?

• Well, I suppose that in about 200 years Americans will have evolved enough to accept the theory of evolution non "alongside", but instead of religious faith. I believe Europe has some advance on this issue..."

Wow, can you feel the love?

It's unfortunate that there is such rancor around this, and this belief that Christians are complete idiots is so pervasive that I often get backtracking and embarrassed acquaintances and colleagues who are stunned when they find that I'm an evangelical Christian. Look, Christians over the years haven't always had moments of glory when it's come to intellectual thought or theory, and some of our most backward-thinking breathren have unfortuntately been the most loud. But just as I'm sure there are intelligence-challenged believers in Christ, there are also legions of numbskulls who are humanist, agnostic, or atheist. Do you really believe that every atheist can deftly defend their philisophical poisition like Richard Dawkins? The different between the Christian dimwit and the non-Christian dimwit is that the Christian dimwit has at least subconsciously acknowledged that there are limits to human knowledge and reason. That seems in of itself a pretty intelligent starting point.

I have to say that I find the comments a little alarming, because it does little to dispel the suspicion of hard-core Creationists that there actually is a "culture war" out there where those who seek to champion evolution are allied with those who not only have strong antithapy and disrespect for the Christian faith, but are people who are bent on creating a world where faith is marginalized and religion is widely accepted as a foolhardy fraud. The result? An increasing arms race as both sides dig their heels in and sharpen their swords.

It also seems to me that Christians in do need to stand up and be counted in their fields. It's not that different than other forms of bigotry, but as people come into real-life contact with Christians who are well-spoken, intelligent, and can articulate their worldview and positions well, this myth of Christian irrationality will slowly, pardon the ironic term, evolve as people's views shift from media and television caricatures to "the brilliant colleague in my chemistry research lab" or the "sharp director in my fixed income group" who also happens to be a devout Christian.

My hope is that with these relationships, there will be greater dialogue and respect, free from the suspicions that "Christians are trying to create a brainwashed theocracy" and that "Evolution teachers are trying to turn your kids into atheists". And maybe, just maybe, that dialogue will touch on a far more core issue than the establishment of humankind: the need and hope for redemption for each member of that species.