{"id":689,"date":"2015-09-01T15:00:51","date_gmt":"2015-09-01T20:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/?p=689"},"modified":"2015-11-09T08:01:28","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T14:01:28","slug":"wels-schools-must-teach-evolution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2015\/09\/01\/wels-schools-must-teach-evolution\/","title":{"rendered":"WELS Schools Must Teach Evolution"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Mark Bergemann<\/em><\/p>\n

Evolution with its billions of years is a lie that has shipwrecked the faith of many. Why must we teach it? To prepare our students for a life in today\u2019s world. Specifically:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. To blunt the temptation of evolution for students.<\/li>\n
  2. To aid students as they minister to other Christians tempted by evolution.<\/li>\n
  3. To give students a pre-evangelism resource for leading certain people to listen to the gospel message (Bergemann, 2015).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Our WELS students are inundated with the teaching of billions of years (through social media, news media, TV, magazines, advertising, and especially from non-WELS friends). Our WELS students encounter secular evolution teaching everywhere. The constant 24\/7 message is that there is no creator god.<\/p>\n

    A basic understanding of evolution is expected of today\u2019s students. By teaching the basics of evolution, we can include the assumptions of evolution (no miracles, no flood, billions of years, and no god), mention a few of the many scientific problems evolution faces, and show from Scripture how the evolution story is completely incompatible with the Christian faith. A small start at meeting this goal is a 25 minute confirmation class video available free at www.LutheranScience.org\/video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    MLC professor emeritus Martin Sponholz (1999) strongly advocated teaching evolution to our students:<\/p>\n

    Shall our children, those that our Lord sent to us through His church, sent to us by their parents, be given lessons in science so separate from the main stream of worldly science that they do not know evolution or the commonly accepted systems of scientific thought when they get to the university? . . . I believe the best way for a Christian teacher to deal with evolution is to teach it right out front, plainly, to the youngest child that can understand the difference between man’s word and God’s Word. . . . We should teach evolution with its strengths. . . . We should teach evolution with its weaknesses. . . . We should teach evolution with its out-and-out false doctrines bringing the child of God face-to-face with the world that does not desire, much less love their Savior Jesus. In this way we as teachers may use any textbook the world might produce. Knowing such a book contains much that is false, we as teachers will develop fresh testimony straight from our hearts, write extra lessons showing God’s Word in authority over man’s wisdom, and leave the child to ponder in amazement even as Christ’s disciples, \u2018Even the wind and the sea obey Him.\u2019 When a teacher must explain some aspect of science as error before the Word, science will be taught as it is, as human attempts to explain. (p. 1-3)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    In addition to teaching evolution, we should also address the ways that historical accounts in Scripture (like creation and the flood) are attacked in today\u2019s world. When we teach the creation account, do we explain the difference between biblical \u201ckinds\u201d and the modern term \u201cspecies\u201d?\u00a0 In teaching the fall into sin, do we mention that death is the penalty for sin, not the means God used to create? When we teach the flood, do we point out that the ark appears to have been several times larger than needed to house all known kinds of land animals (both living and extinct, including dinosaurs)? When we teach science, do we explain how science is often wrong and how its theories and laws are regularly replaced with new theories and laws (Lutze, 2014)? Such arguments from reason serve to blunt the temptation of evolution.<\/p>\n

    There is a narrow Lutheran middle regarding teaching creation. Let\u2019s walk that narrow path while not falling into the ditches on either side. The ditch on one side incorrectly sees arguments from reason as able to aid in creating or sustaining faith. The ditch on the other side incorrectly sees no place at all for arguments from reason in our apologetic. Let us guide our students down this narrow Lutheran path.<\/p>\n

    Mark Bergemann serves as president of the WELS affiliated Lutheran Science Institute and as Evangelism Board chairman at Good Shepherd-West Allis WI. Mark is a retired electrical engineer and holds a BS from UW Milwaukee.<\/em><\/p>\n

    References<\/strong>
    \nBergemann, M., (April-June, 2015) Witnessing in a world where evolution claims \u2018there is no God\u2019 part 1: Why confront evolution in your witness?\u201d LSI Journal<\/em>. pp. 9-13.\u00a0     http:\/\/lutheranscience.org\/free<\/a> \u00a0(accessed Aug 20, 2015).<\/p>\n

    Bergemann, M. (April-June, 2013) The place of reason in defending the Christian faith. LSI Journal<\/em>. pp. 11-15.\u00a0 http:\/\/lutheranscience.org\/apologetics<\/a> \u00a0(accessed Aug 20, 2015).<\/p>\n

    Lutze, P. E., (2014) Science and the Bible in WELS elementary schools \u2013 part 1. Issues in Lutheran Education<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2014\/11\/17\/science-and-the-bible-in-wels-elementary-schools\/<\/a> (accessed Aug 20, 2015).<\/p>\n

    Sponholz, M. P., (1999) Teaching and unteaching evolution: The fossils say nothing<\/em>. Workshop Paper, pp. 1-3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/lutheranscience.org\/home\/180015283\/180015283\/
    \n180153907\/FossilsSay%20Nothing.pdf<\/a> \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0(accessed Aug 20, 2015).<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

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