Teaching Controversy

It's that time of the semester in science methods...the time when we are wading back into talking about how to approach teaching (potentially) controversial topics for Christians who teach science. Talking about how to teach topics like the age of the Earth, Darwinian evolution, human sexuality, climate change...it's an adventure, for sure.

I have included some version of this series of lessons as long as I've taught Elementary Science Methods, which goes back to 2006 now...this is my 20th time teaching the course! As I shared with my students in class today, it never gets "easier" for me to teach this content...but it does get "better." What I mean by that is, I recognize that there are a wide variety of viewpoints held by Christians on these topics, and it's always challenging to balance grace and truth. That part just doesn't get easier, and that was true when I was teaching middle school science, and it's definitely still true now that I'm teaching future teachers.

In our last class meeting, I advertised the topic of the day as teaching the age of the Earth, and we did talk about that. But, as I pointed out to my students, we actually spent more time talking about the Bible, than about scientific evidence. I wanted to name this specifically for my students, because I think that so often when (some) Christians ask the question, "So...just how old is the Earth?" the real question they are asking is, "Do you believe that the Bible is literally true, or not?" And I think that's an entirely reasonable question to ask, but it's not the same thing as thinking about the scientific evidence for the age of the Earth.

Apollo 17 [Public domain] via Wikimedia Commons.

The thing I hope my students take away from this series of lessons is that science and faith are NOT at war with one another, despite what some cultural critics (or agitators?) would like to try to have Christians believe. Science is good at answering some kinds of questions, while religion is good at answering other kinds of questions. Science is one way of knowing; religion is another way of knowing--and these two ways of knowing are not mutually exclusive, in my way of thinking.

All of this is to say that I take a high view of Scripture--as in, I definitely do believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. At the same time, scientific inquiry has revealed much about the nature of creation, and I'm grateful for the wisdom and thoughtfulness God has given to humans to search, and discover, and wonder, and make sense of their observations of the creation--all the domain of science.

I recognize that my students--most of whom would, I believe, describe themselves as Christians--do not all share the same viewpoints when it comes to controversial topics, such as the age of the Earth. Some believe that the Earth is very, very old. Others believe that the Earth is about 6000 years old. Others are probably somewhere in the middle. Others have admitted to me that they have never really thought much about it, and wonder why people make such a big deal about it all anyway. And because this diversity of belief is present--even among a group of professed Christians--I find a helpful way forward is to begin with that idea: we are all Christians, but that doesn't mean we agree about everything.

But here's the thing I pointed out to them in class: we actually DO AGREE on ALMOST EVERYTHING. I bet 95% of our beliefs are identical. Maybe 99%? But it's that small, small fraction of disagreement that we somehow want to make into the whole thing. And so that's what I'm hoping for, that we can agree on almost everything, and behave charitably and with understanding on the small fraction where we might have different viewpoints.

I know that this is probably countercultural, to suggest that we look towards where we agree instead of where we disagree. So often I think this is the antithesis to what our society does. So often individuals are looking for points of disagreement, instead of looking for common ground. So often we are fighting to be able to say, "I am right!" Which often means, of course, that, "You are wrong!"

So what I attempt to model for my students is a different way, a way that says, "Look, there are Christians who believe ____, and there are Christians who believe ____, and there are Christians who believe ____. Notice that we are all seeking to follow Christ, which is what we have in common. And in these areas, yes, we might differ. But look at how much we have in common!"

It's not easy work for me. Honestly, it stresses me out every time I approach this part of the semester. I enjoy it, but it's a challenge for me, every single time. But as I said before, even though it doesn't get easier, it does get better. After our last class, a couple of my thoughtful students sent me messages of encouragement, expressing gratitude for the fact that we are taking time to dig into teaching these challenging topics. Here's one, which I share with permission:

Hi Dr. Mulder, 

I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed today’s class. You gave us the freedom to wrestle with these topics on our own, with a friend, and with you.  

Thank you for the guidance and insight you  shared with great thought and consideration. You are doing a fantastic job with very tricky topics but topics that are vital to know about and know how to approach in our classrooms. You are equipping is for the future in a big way!  

Thank you again for taking us into deep waters that are so beneficial for us but are not places that many professors are willing to go. I am looking forward to our next few classes. 

This was a word of grace for me, which I really needed after agonizing about class, yet again. The fact that students take the time to reach out like this gives me some confidence that it's worth it for me to continue to try and navigate these murky waters with my students--not only for their own learning, but for the good of their future students as well! Maybe my modeling of this approach to teaching controversy through a lens of emphasizing commonality over disagreement will help them to do this with their own students in the future? I certainly hope so.