Facilitator: Heidi Curnutt
gardeniapassion@yahoo.com
(425) 316-8775
Teacher: Steve Carrier
Age: 14 & up
Prerequisite: Curiosity
Cost: $25 per month;
$10 per year copy/supply fee
Text: No text is required. Students receive summary handouts nearly every week.
Bibliography (source material) includes, but is not limited to The Holy Bible; The God Particle (Lederman); Darwin on Trial (Johnson); Evidence that Demands a Verdict (McDowell); Truth Series (Meyer); Discovery Institute (various materials); A Brief History of Time (Hawking); The Hidden Face of God (Schroeder); Michael Behe (various materials); The Wedge of Truth (Johnson); study notes.
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Description: Naturalism is the notion that the universe and everything in it is a product of natural causes. For the pure naturalist, there is no room for Creator God, only theory and interpretation of observed science. While ‘naturalism’ is the prevailing theory in Western civilization, it does not have the consensus of the secular majority. Only about nine percent of the population can be considered pure naturalists. The rest of our society leaves room for Creator God in some form, and more than half of our society (fifty-one percent) believes that man is a product of creation, and evolution had no part in our origin. Strangely, the Creationist and the Naturalist share the same science, however they do not draw the same conclusion and in reality, a debate between the evolutionist and the creationist cannot have a winner. The creationist will claim that it is unfair to invoke theory, and the naturalist will claim that it is unfair to invoke the supernatural. So where do we stand, and what is the job of the Christian in all this? It is three fold. (1) To understand that we are created by a loving God for both purpose and relationship, and that this reality is the most exquisite truth possible. (2) To understand and make sense of the world around us and the science that explains it. (3) To stop trying to win the debate and concentrate on winning the soul. This course, Navigating the Culture of Naturalism explores cosmology, physics, chemistry, bio-chemistry and just a little math. The class examines what we know for sure, and how we can express it to a confused society in a courteous manner. There is no Darwin-bashing, no name calling or snickering over fraudulent science--only a straight forward, honest presentation of the world around us. The secondary theme presents ‘relationship’ as the only real and effective means to communicate the faith. In short, we have a choice of ships we can board, the scholarship and the relationship. Scholarship is fine, but it is ‘relationship’ that will win the day.
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Have a great summer!