When I first moved here for graduate school in the early '80s, Dallas was still considered the "buckle" of the "Bible belt." Great churches like First Baptist Dallas, one of the original megachurches in the nation, dotted the north Texas landscape and defined a certain conservative Christian attitude that affected not only worship, but also business, politics, education, and even the leadership of sports teams (like Coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys). And while there are still great churches and preachers in Dallas, it's safe to say that "our" belt is hanging a bit too loose these days.
Driving home from church recently, I spotted one of two new billboards sponsored by a local coalition of atheists. "Don't believe in God? You are not alone" was their message, an attempt, the group declares, to let the city know that good people in Dallas, like atheists, don't need God. I'm sad to see the ads go up in my city, but not really surprised. The drift away from conservatism in religion, and in politics, is much more obvious in our nation today.
One of the failures in our culture involves the shift from, or at least the dilution of, a solid biblical worldview among Christians, which ties directly back to how Scripture is read and interpreted. Dr. Henry Morris III writes this month on "Conflicts Between Text and Theology" in the new Acts & Facts column Biblical Worldview.
In Austin, Texas, education officials have been wrangling over the language of science standards for the state's public schools and textbooks. Evolution activist Eugenie Scott from San Francisco flew down to the state capitol in an attempt to bully the State Board of Education to adopt her atheistic viewpoint on science. Dr. Scott wasn't happy with the results, and the language finally approved by the board may actually have become stronger in allowing students to exercise much-needed critical thinking skills as they critique all sides of a scientific theory.
In this month's Acts & Facts you will read of new efforts in Washington to manipulate Americans into kowtowing to a new "science elite," as described by Dr. Randy Guliuzza. Hand-in-hand with this national push for government-backed "consensus science" is "Censorship in Texas," highlighted by Dr. Jim Johnson, who carefully lays out the strong-arm tactics of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in refusing to allow ICR's 27-year-old graduate science program to move to the Lone Star State.
"Science" is the critical word in this fight. Who has the right to define science and how it should be conducted and taught?
Zoologist Frank Sherwin and Science Writer Brian Thomas take their pruning shears to the so-called Tree of Life, Darwin's failed attempt to link various species of creatures into one biological family. Even the evolutionists are admitting defeat on this "theory." And Dr. John Morris reports on his recent trip to the Galapagos Islands for a film shoot. His conclusion: Galapagos is a showcase for creation, not evidence for evolution.
In spite of the battles raging against truth, we are encouraged at ICR. Proclaiming and defending truth has been our mandate for nearly 40 years, and our commitment to truth--uncompromising biblical truth--remains as high as ever.
* Mr. Ford is Executive Editor at the Institute for Creation Research.
Cite this article: Ford, L. 2009. Time to Tighten Our Belt. Acts & Facts. 38 (5): 3.
