American Scientific Affiliation
Encyclopedia
The American Scientific Affiliation (ASA) is a Christian
religious organization of scientists and people in science-related disciplines. The stated purpose is "to investigate any area relating Christian faith and science." The organization publishes a journal, Perspectives of Science and Christian Faith which covers topics related to Christian faith and science from a Christian viewpoint.
Members of the American Scientific Affiliation are from various movements, such as evangelicalism
, and represent several Christian denominations including the Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists and the Orthodox.
The organization frequently runs seminars at many universities in the world, such as Baylor University
, the University of Cambridge
, and The Catholic University of America
.
. It was the idea of Irwin A. Moon, who talked Moody Bible Institute
president William H. Houghton into inviting a number of scientists of known orthodox Christian views to Chicago to discuss its formation. Those who attended were F. Alton Everest
, Peter W. Stoner
, Russell D. Sturgis, John P. VanHaitsma, and Irving A. Cowperthwaite, and the ASA was formed from this meeting.
Everest, a conservative Baptist electrical engineer at Oregon State College in Corvallis
was its president for its first decade. Under his leadership the ASA grew from 5 to 220 members. By 1961 its membership had grown to 860.
During the 1940s and 1950s, it served as the main evangelical forum for discussing the merits and drawbacks of evolution
, and for evaluating the works of prominent creationists such as George McCready Price
and Harry Rimmer
. The influence of an inner circle affiliated with Wheaton College
led it to reject strict creationism in favor of first progressive creationism
and then theistic evolution
, encouraging acceptance of evolution among evangelicals. This group was led by Russell L. Mixter
(later JASA editor from 1965 to 1968), J Frank Cassel, and in the words of Ronald L. Numbers "did for biology what Kulp was doing for Geology". (Also see the section on coverage of evolution in the ASA's journal, below.)
.
Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith (PSCF) began publication in 1949 as the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation (JASA). In its first year the journal was subtitled The American Scientific Affiliation Bulletin. In its first issue it announced its purpose as being:
From its beginning the journal included divergent views, and the editorial objectives of the journal, published in December 1950, were a clear indication of the ASA's non-doctrinal focus.
's view that the theory of evolution had logical weakness, an article on "presuppositions in evolutionary thinking" by Young Earth creationist E. Y. Monsma, J. Laurence Kulp
's indictment of "Deluge Geology", and Henry M. Morris
's anonymous reply to it.
Kulp's paper, Deluge Geology execrated flood geology
, which he stated had "grown and infiltrated the greater portion of fundamental Christianity in America primarily due to the absence of trained Christian geologists." He asserted that the "major propositions of the theory are contraindicated by established physical and geological laws" and focused on "four basic errors":
Kulp's conclusion was that a Christian was faced with two choices. Either: (1) the earth was created millions of years ago; or (2) God has apparently deceived humanity in providing data which does not support a 6,000 to 10,000 year-old Earth. He viewed "flood geology" as offering no third choice, that it was unscientific, ludicrous and "has done and will do considerable harm to the strong propagation of the gospel among educated people". He also accused George McCready Price
of ignorance and deception, including misrepresentation of geological data when defending flood geology
. The paper failed to evoke the fireworks that Kulp and ASA president F. Alton Everest
expected it to generate. In the opinion of at least one of the attendees at the annual convention where Monsma's and Kulp's papers were first presented, Monsma had lost the debate to Kulp, and Kulp was appointed that year to the executive council seat that Monsma had vacated. Kulp's influence was largely responsible for isolating flood geologists within the ASA, and Deluge Geology caused them considerable discomfort for years to come.
In 1964 JASA featured a pair of hostile reviews of John C. Whitcomb
's and Henry M. Morris
's The Genesis Flood
(introduced by book-review editor Walter R. Hearn, who stated that they had been "edited extensively ... to tone them down a bit"), and in 1969 published a highly critical commentary by J. R. van der Fliert, a Dutch Reformed geologist at the Free University of Amsterdam, who called Whitcomb and Morris "pseudo-scientific" pretenders. "To ensure that no readers missed his point," the journal "ran boldfaced sidebars by evangelical geologists applauding van de Fliert's bare-knuckled approach."
In the 1970s, Richard H. Bube
defended the viewpoint of theistic evolution
in the journal.
Sister organizations
Affiliations
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
religious organization of scientists and people in science-related disciplines. The stated purpose is "to investigate any area relating Christian faith and science." The organization publishes a journal, Perspectives of Science and Christian Faith which covers topics related to Christian faith and science from a Christian viewpoint.
Members of the American Scientific Affiliation are from various movements, such as evangelicalism
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
, and represent several Christian denominations including the Lutherans, Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists and the Orthodox.
The organization frequently runs seminars at many universities in the world, such as Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
, the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
.
History
The ASA was formed in 1941 by Christian scientists, who were concerned about the quality of Christian evangelism on the subject of religion and scienceRelationship between religion and science
The relationship between religion and science has been a focus of the demarcation problem. Somewhat related is the claim that science and religion may pursue knowledge using different methodologies. Whereas the scientific method basically relies on reason and empiricism, religion also seeks to...
. It was the idea of Irwin A. Moon, who talked Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute is a Christian institution of higher education and related ministries that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its founding, MBI's main campus has been located in the Near North Side of Chicago. MBI's primary ministries are education,...
president William H. Houghton into inviting a number of scientists of known orthodox Christian views to Chicago to discuss its formation. Those who attended were F. Alton Everest
F. Alton Everest
F. Alton Everest was an American acoustical engineer, a cofounder of the American Scientific Affiliation, and its first president.-Academic and acoustic research career:...
, Peter W. Stoner
Peter Stoner
Peter Stoner was Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena City College until 1953; Chairman of the science division, Westmont College, 1953–57; Professor Emeritus of Science, Westmont College; Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Astronomy, Pasadena City College.Stoner...
, Russell D. Sturgis, John P. VanHaitsma, and Irving A. Cowperthwaite, and the ASA was formed from this meeting.
Everest, a conservative Baptist electrical engineer at Oregon State College in Corvallis
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
was its president for its first decade. Under his leadership the ASA grew from 5 to 220 members. By 1961 its membership had grown to 860.
During the 1940s and 1950s, it served as the main evangelical forum for discussing the merits and drawbacks of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, and for evaluating the works of prominent creationists such as George McCready Price
George McCready Price
George McCready Price was a Canadian creationist. He produced several anti-evolution and creationist works, particularly on the subject of flood geology...
and Harry Rimmer
Harry Rimmer
Harry Rimmer was an American creationist, evangelist and writer of anti-evolution pamphlets. He is most prominent as an early pioneer in the creationist movement in the United States.-Early life:...
. The influence of an inner circle affiliated with Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
led it to reject strict creationism in favor of first progressive creationism
Progressive creationism
Progressive creationism is the religious belief that God created new forms of life gradually, over a period of hundreds of millions of years. As a form of Old Earth creationism, it accepts mainstream geological and cosmological estimates for the age of the Earth, but posits that the new "kinds" of...
and then theistic evolution
Theistic evolution
Theistic evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution...
, encouraging acceptance of evolution among evangelicals. This group was led by Russell L. Mixter
Russell L. Mixter
Russell L. Mixter was an American scientist, noted for leading the American Scientific Affiliation away from anti-evolutionism, and for his advocacy of progressive creationism.- Academic career :...
(later JASA editor from 1965 to 1968), J Frank Cassel, and in the words of Ronald L. Numbers "did for biology what Kulp was doing for Geology". (Also see the section on coverage of evolution in the ASA's journal, below.)
Executive directors
- Robert Herrmann (1981–1994)
- Donald W. Munro (1994–2005)
- Randall D. Isaac (2005–)
Presidents
- Ruth D. Miller
- Walter L. Bradley (2008)
- Edward B. Davis (2009)
- Jennifer Wiseman (2010)
Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation
The ASA's original constitution provided two goals for the ASA: "(1) to promote and encourage the study of the relationship between the facts of science and Holy Scriptures and (2) to promote the dissemination of the results of such studies." The establishment of the journal was seen as being in context of these goals. The journal is indexed in the ATLA Religion Serials DatabaseATLA Religion Database
The ATLA Religion Database or ATLA RDB, is an index of academic articles in the area of religion. It is updated quarterly by the American Theological Library Association . The database indexes journal articles, essays and book reviews related to a wide range of scholarly fields related to religion...
.
Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith (PSCF) began publication in 1949 as the Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation (JASA). In its first year the journal was subtitled The American Scientific Affiliation Bulletin. In its first issue it announced its purpose as being:
From its beginning the journal included divergent views, and the editorial objectives of the journal, published in December 1950, were a clear indication of the ASA's non-doctrinal focus.
Editors
The editors of the JASA/PSCF have been as follows:- Marion Barnes (1949–1951), Research Chemist, Lion Oil CompanyLion OilLion Oil Company was established in 1922. Thomas Harry Barton was instrumental in the development of the company.In 1955, Lion Oil was sold to the Monsanto Company along with what is now El Dorado Chemical Company. Lion Oil is the only oil refinery Monsanto has owned...
- Delbert N. Eggenberger (1951–1962), Research Physicist, Argonne National LaboratoryArgonne National LaboratoryArgonne National Laboratory is the first science and engineering research national laboratory in the United States, receiving this designation on July 1, 1946. It is the largest national laboratory by size and scope in the Midwest...
- David O. Moberg (1962–1964), Professor of Sociology, Bethel College, MinnesotaBethel University (Minnesota)Bethel University is a Christian higher education institution with approximately 6,000 students from 36 countries enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, seminary, and adult education programs...
- Russell L. MixterRussell L. MixterRussell L. Mixter was an American scientist, noted for leading the American Scientific Affiliation away from anti-evolutionism, and for his advocacy of progressive creationism.- Academic career :...
(1965–1968), Professor of Biology, Wheaton College, IllinoisWheaton College (Illinois)Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States... - Richard H. BubeRichard H. Bube-Academic career:Bube received his B.S. in physics from Brown University in 1946, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University.He was a researcher at RCA Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey from 1948 to 1962...
(1969–1983), Professor of Material Science, Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San... - Wilbur Bullock (1984–1989), Professor of Biology, University of New HampshireUniversity of New HampshireThe University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
- John W. Haas, Jr. (1990–1999), Professor of Chemistry, Gordon College, MassachusettsGordon College (Massachusetts)Gordon College is a liberal arts college located on the former Princemere estate in Wenham, Massachusetts, northeast of Beverly. Founded by Baptist minister A. J...
- Roman Miller (2000–2007), Professor of Biology, Eastern Mennonite UniversityEastern Mennonite UniversityEastern Mennonite University is a private liberal arts university in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, affiliated with one of the historic peace churches, the Mennonite Church USA. Its main campus is on the edge of the small city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, about three miles from state-owned...
- Ari Leegwater, (2008–), Professor of Chemistry, Calvin CollegeCalvin CollegeCalvin College is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin College is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed tradition of Protestantism...
Creation–evolution controversy
During the editorship of David O. Moberg (1962–1964), the ASA journal had a heavy emphasis on the creation–evolution controversy, with the subject being mentioned in the majority of issues, and the September 1963 issue being almost entirely devoted to it. Previously, the journal had also carried Bernard RammBernard Ramm
Bernard L. Ramm was a Baptist theologian and apologist within the broad Evangelical tradition. He wrote prolifically on topics concerned with biblical hermeneutics, religion and science, Christology, and apologetics...
's view that the theory of evolution had logical weakness, an article on "presuppositions in evolutionary thinking" by Young Earth creationist E. Y. Monsma, J. Laurence Kulp
J. Laurence Kulp
John Laurence Kulp was a 20th century geochemist. He led major studies on the effects of nuclear fallout and acid rain. He was a prominent advocate in American Scientific Affiliation circles in favor of an Old Earth and against the pseudoscience of flood geology...
's indictment of "Deluge Geology", and Henry M. Morris
Henry M. Morris
Henry Madison Morris was an American young earth creationist and Christian apologist. He was one of the founders of the Creation Research Society and the Institute for Creation Research...
's anonymous reply to it.
Kulp's paper, Deluge Geology execrated flood geology
Flood geology
Flood geology is the interpretation of the geological history of the Earth in terms of the global flood described in Genesis 6–9. Similar views played a part in the early development of the science of geology, even after the Biblical chronology had been rejected by geologists in favour of an...
, which he stated had "grown and infiltrated the greater portion of fundamental Christianity in America primarily due to the absence of trained Christian geologists." He asserted that the "major propositions of the theory are contraindicated by established physical and geological laws" and focused on "four basic errors":
- The "confusion that geology and evolution are synonomous"
- Assuming "that life has been on the earth only for a few thousand years, [and] therefore the flood must account for geological strata"
- Misunderstanding "the physical and chemical conditions under which rocks are formed"
- Ignoring recent discoveries, such as radiometric datingRadiometric datingRadiometric dating is a technique used to date materials such as rocks, usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates...
, that undermined their assumptions
Kulp's conclusion was that a Christian was faced with two choices. Either: (1) the earth was created millions of years ago; or (2) God has apparently deceived humanity in providing data which does not support a 6,000 to 10,000 year-old Earth. He viewed "flood geology" as offering no third choice, that it was unscientific, ludicrous and "has done and will do considerable harm to the strong propagation of the gospel among educated people". He also accused George McCready Price
George McCready Price
George McCready Price was a Canadian creationist. He produced several anti-evolution and creationist works, particularly on the subject of flood geology...
of ignorance and deception, including misrepresentation of geological data when defending flood geology
Flood geology
Flood geology is the interpretation of the geological history of the Earth in terms of the global flood described in Genesis 6–9. Similar views played a part in the early development of the science of geology, even after the Biblical chronology had been rejected by geologists in favour of an...
. The paper failed to evoke the fireworks that Kulp and ASA president F. Alton Everest
F. Alton Everest
F. Alton Everest was an American acoustical engineer, a cofounder of the American Scientific Affiliation, and its first president.-Academic and acoustic research career:...
expected it to generate. In the opinion of at least one of the attendees at the annual convention where Monsma's and Kulp's papers were first presented, Monsma had lost the debate to Kulp, and Kulp was appointed that year to the executive council seat that Monsma had vacated. Kulp's influence was largely responsible for isolating flood geologists within the ASA, and Deluge Geology caused them considerable discomfort for years to come.
In 1964 JASA featured a pair of hostile reviews of John C. Whitcomb
John C. Whitcomb
John Clement Whitcomb, Jr. is an American Old Testament theologian and young earth creationist. Whitcomb is sometimes credited for establishing the modern young earth creationist/creation science movement by authoring with Henry M...
's and Henry M. Morris
Henry M. Morris
Henry Madison Morris was an American young earth creationist and Christian apologist. He was one of the founders of the Creation Research Society and the Institute for Creation Research...
's The Genesis Flood
The Genesis Flood
The Genesis Flood: The Biblical Record and its Scientific Implications is a 1961 book by young earth creationists John C. Whitcomb and Henry M...
(introduced by book-review editor Walter R. Hearn, who stated that they had been "edited extensively ... to tone them down a bit"), and in 1969 published a highly critical commentary by J. R. van der Fliert, a Dutch Reformed geologist at the Free University of Amsterdam, who called Whitcomb and Morris "pseudo-scientific" pretenders. "To ensure that no readers missed his point," the journal "ran boldfaced sidebars by evangelical geologists applauding van de Fliert's bare-knuckled approach."
In the 1970s, Richard H. Bube
Richard H. Bube
-Academic career:Bube received his B.S. in physics from Brown University in 1946, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University.He was a researcher at RCA Laboratories in Princeton, New Jersey from 1948 to 1962...
defended the viewpoint of theistic evolution
Theistic evolution
Theistic evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution...
in the journal.
Related organizations
The following organizations are related to the ASA:Sister organizations
- Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation
- Christians in ScienceChristians in ScienceChristians in Science is a British organization of scientists, philosophers, theologians, ministers, teachers, and science students, predominantly evangelical Christians, concerned with the dialogue between Christianity and science...
Affiliations