''Biology for Christian Schools'' is a 1991 school-level biology
textbook
A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...
written from a Young Earth Creation point of view by William S. Pinkston and published by the
Bob Jones University Press
BJU Press is a publisher of textbooks for Christian schools and homeschools as well as trade and children's books.
History
Although Bob Jones University published its first trade book, ''A History of Fundamentalism in America'' by George W. Do ...
. The book has been controversial because it espouses the idea of
Biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the belief that the Bible "is without error or fault in all its teaching"; or, at least, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact". Some equate inerrancy with biblical i ...
; that whenever science and Christianity conflict, the current scientific understanding is wrong. The book promotes
creationism
Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...
, which is rejected by the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
, the
National Association of Biology Teachers
The National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) is an incorporated association of biology educators in the United States. It was initially founded in response to the poor understanding of biology and the decline in the teaching of the subject ...
and the
National Science Teachers Association
The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), founded in 1944 (as the National Science Teachers Association) and headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is an association of science teachers in the United States and is the largest organization ...
who state
creationism
Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...
and
intelligent design
Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins". Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for its bold attempt to ...
are
pseudoscience
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or falsifiability, unfa ...
.
Francisco J. Ayala
Francisco José Ayala Pereda (born March 12, 1934) is a Spanish-American evolutionary biologist, philosopher, and former Catholic priest who was a longtime faculty member at the University of California, Irvine and University of California, Dav ...
, a biologist at
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and pr ...
, wrote the book "rejects generally accepted scientific knowledge" and "explicitly rejects the scientific
methodology generally accepted by the scientific community."
2008 court decision
In 2005 the book became a subject in the lawsuit
The book states, "The people who have prepared this book have tried consistently to put the Word of God first and science second." ACSI sued the University of California for discrimination against its science courses that contain creationist ideas. In the March 2008 ruling the Judge quoted ''Biology for Christian Schools'' stating:
Association of Christian Schools International, et al. v. Roman Sterns et al.: Order denying plaintiff's motion for summary judgement and granting defendant's motion for partial summary judgement
U.S. District Court, Central District of California, No. CV 05-6242 SJO (MANx); Case 2:05-cv-06242-SJO-MAN Document 164, filed 28 March 2008. Access date 4 April 2008
References
External links
The Panda's Thumb (blog)
''The Panda's Thumb'' is a blog on issues of creationism and evolution from a mainstream scientific perspective. In 2006, ''Nature'' listed it as one of the top five science blogs, and Mark Pallen has called it "the definitive blog on the evol ...
DocumentsRejection of Summary Judgement for the Plaintiffs and Partial Summary Judgement for the Defendants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biology For Christian Schools
1991 non-fiction books
English-language books
Intelligent design books