high school Biology and the Bible

Ok guys I don't want a fight in this thread, if you want to fight then find another thread to post on. I actually want intelligent thoughtful Bible based discussion on how to teach High school Biology in a manner befitting a Christian believer.

My pastor told me to pray about it before teaching evolution or other things that contradict the Bible. Teach what I'm told to teach and then pray again afterwards.

However my problem is that I grew up in a very secular upbringing. I know the theories of science. I can talk to you about ribosomes and DNA replication, but I don't know what goes against the Bible and what compliments it.

I love science and the more I know about the world and the more I learn, the more it makes me believe that God created everything and is wonderful. I don't know why people think science and God are at war. Its not true.

I've read the Bible countless times and I don't understand the contraversity. So i'm doing more research. Some people on the site have referred me to these resources below,


I thank you both and will try and read them along with the current lesson plans for what is being taught in a real world Biology classroom. I am to subsitute teach when the regular teacher goes on maternity leave sometime next month.

So like I said, no fighting, just good thoughtful advice please: How do you teach the doctrines of science and still hold true to your Christian faith??????


From SuperDave

Helol Ananda, if you are exploring intelligent design, there is a great video out there called "The Case For Creation", by Lee Strobel. It is available in most Christian bookstores, and from Lee's website leestrobel.com. There was an interesting theory presented by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay W. Richards, (a philosopher at Discovery Institute), in which they believe that God actually designed the universe in a way in which humans can investigate and explore His design. For example, the atmosphere that we breathe is transparent, allowing us a view into the cosmos. Our solar system is located in a spot in the Milky Way galaxy that is relatively free of dense star structures, allowing us an unencumbered view of the universe. The relative distances from Earth, and size of the sun and moon allows for perfect solar eclipses, allowing us to confirm Einstein's theory of relativity, and to confirm the properties of light. It didn't have to be that way, but it is. They believe, as do I, that God wants us to explore our surroundings through scientific research, for by doing so, we come to know Him better.

By the way, Guillermo Gonzalez was a noted astrophysicist at Iowa State university until 2008. According to a wikipedia article on Gonzalez, in 2006, Hector Avalos, a professor of religious studies, and noted atheist, coauthored a statement at the university opposing any attempts to present intelligent design as a scientific endeavor. 400 professors signed a total of three petitions. Two years later, Gonzalez was denied tenure at the university. Was Gonzalez denied tenure because of his Christian beliefs? I don't know. But it sure seems suspicious.

From Loveasaweapon:

Strongly recommended reading on this subject:

In Six Days: Why 50 Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation, Edited by Dr. John Ashton

Here's a link to where you can actually read the whole book online, although I would personally recommend getting a hard copy.

In Six Days - Index

http://creation.com/in-six-days-index

Each chapter in the book is by a different scientist, coming from all different scientific fields, and they each explain why they, according to science, believe in a literal six day creation.

God bless

Well i've been in homeschool for about 5-6 years one of the best programs that emplicated the Bible is A-Beka Academy...in the 10th grade there is a biology class that emplicates biology and the christian beliefs.
the book is called Biology:God's Living Creation.
even in my 9th grade science the talk about evolution but they teach it in a way that you wouldn't belief in evolution... it would probably make Charles Dawin change his mind about it...lol

There isn't much conflict between science and the Bible. Its just that some guy makes up wierd conclusions just because he wants to contradict the bible. Charles Darwins theories have been exageratted. When i was about 12, i did a research on Charles Darwins personal life. The guy had christian friends and there were some other crazy stuff i found out, some of which i have forgotten.

I'm all for teaching evolution. But NO ONE knows what happened. God is beyond all reason and powers. He could've made evolution as His way of allowing us to know the wonders of His power. Science and God aren't at war. So-called Christians and Science are at war.

Actually Darwin was a Christian. His original purpose of the trip was to see God's glorious nature up close. No joke.

That has got to be tough. I am assuming it is a secular school, otherwise it wouldn't be an issue. My wife is a teacher, and she keeps a Bible on her desk, and I don't think has ever been in a position to teach anything that is contrary to Scripture. But biology. . .you have a curriculum I assume you'd be required to follow for the school, but then you have our God to follow also, and while you may not be able to preach to these kids, I think there is an obligation to not lead these young, impressionable minds farther away from the truth.

The truth is this though--both evolution and creation, from a scientific point of view, are theories. One can support one or the other with evidence, but the scientific method requires that things be tested and replicated in order to be proven, and that is not possible here. Unfortunately, that is often not the way evolution and its offspring are presented in secular textbooks. You don't see, "It is hypothesized that the earth is six billion years old"--it's the earth IS six billion years old. I personally believe that a literal six day creation is far more reliably supported than is evolution.

In the book I mentioned to you, the chapters by:

Jerry Bergman
Henry Zull
Ariel Roth
Timothy Standish
Arthur Jones
Wayne Frair

Those all deal with biology specifically.

Here's a quote from one of them:

"While Darwin's model of natural selection is the one usually presented in basic textbooks of biology, it has been much criticized recently for a variety of reasons. It has a fatal flaw when it comes to the question of the gradual development of biological systems with interdependent parts, and this is the case for most if not all biological systems. The problem is that the very system of natural selection which Darwin proposed will tend to eliminate the interdependent parts of complex systems as these systems develop. The parts do not function until all the interdependent parts are present and the system works and provides some survival value to the organism. These non-functioning parts will tend to be eliminated by a natural selection process that should give preference to organisms that are not encumbered with extra useless parts." --Ariel Roth

God bless

You people are so wicked. You want to dilute the truth to suit yourselves. You take your own knowledge and worship it like God will accept your knowledge. You need to repent of this. God is not your vain imaginations!

Ananda, I understand you. I hear you. My friend, we cannot keep a bit of our old knowledge and try to mix it with his knowledge. For ages men have corrupted what is true and pure. And we were raised on this earth being taught these things from youth. And you know men have strayed away from the Lord so far. Now, some people ask, how are we to know the truth then, if we were not there? But these people do so to discredit the Lord.

I want to show you a better way. Jesus Christ actually reveals most of these things, which are hidden, and have been hidden since the beginning. You can't approach it that way. You have to let GOD BE TRUE, and EVERY MAN A LIAR. From this point you have to forsake ALL THE OLD, and then you can hear him clearer. The reason some people can't hear God is because they are too busy hearing their TVs and their teachers.

In a sense, I became dumb so that I could understand. I became foolish so that I could hear wisdom. God has revealed SO SO SO SO many things about his creation to me, things that would put Einstein out of business, and many other scientists, but that is not my focus. This world cannot benefit from this knowledge. This world is going to be destroyed, while people try to improve their natural lives. Vanity!

Pray and ask God for guidence,I am not much on science but I do know that God created heaven and earth.I think you must approach this as any other problem,ask God for wisdom and know that He will lead you safely through this as only He can.Just remember that Jesus is right there with you,He will never leave you nor forsake you,He will help you,just ask in faith,believing,God bless and keep you,AMEN.

Ramon, you are starting to concern me. The world is going to end, Jesus tells us that in the Gospels but He also tells us that we don't know when. Therefore we must live in this world and by nature will only know and prophecies in part. I'm not ready for the world to be destroyed yet, there are too many souls that need to be saved and I'm not ready to sit back and watch them to be all destroyed and cast into Hell. therefore we must strive to learn knowledge and truth about this world that God has created for us to live in. The end is not yet, so please learn to live in the present. Shake your head and focus, Prophecy, knowing all things, faith to move mountains is nothing without love. WHERE IS YOUR LOVE FOR HUMANITY?

I know you love GOD, but remember us lowly beings striving to do God's will on Earth ok? Don't be so discouraging, its off putting.Tell them about Hell but teach them to how they can live as CHildren of GOd now. for God is of the LIVING not the dead, so let us LIVE and let the WORLD live. FOCUS please,

Your sister in CHrist.
YouTube - MercyMe - Bring the Rain w/ Lyrics

We will praise God no matter what but we need to encourage not discourage our brothers and sisters.

The only knowledge and truth we need to know about is Jesus. I hope it doesn't concern you that this is vain. I love people, but what is love if I, for the sake of acceptance, do not tell the truth about this. These people are trying to add evolution to God, as if he ever teaches that mess. Not to be discouraging, but to be encouraging one to obey Jesus. We can't hold on to our own knowledge when dealing with God. It may seem subtle to a lot of people, but this is yet another vain imagination that tries to exalt itself against the knowledge of Christ. Love for humanity is also nothing without the love of God.

if we are God's children shouldn't we learn and explore the world He created for us? how do you suggest we "know" God? by doing things for each other and learning things God made and did for us, by gaining knowledge of the world GOD created for us and the Truth of things that concerns people, isn't getting to know about God's creation also getting closer to seeing God's plan for the world. I don't know all truth comes from God and we are unable to figure it out by ourselves. we run into trouble when men take God out of the equation. I think we need to add science to God but instead place and acknowledge God's hand in science, human knowledge and the world.

I think it is important knowledge if it comes from God.

i have a headache any suggestions?

God stands alone from man science. Men can try forever to figure God out on their own, and they will NEVER succeed in that. God has to REVEAL himself to you in order for you to really know about him, and even then, as you said we will still know in part. The issue is that men have not sought God, but Images of God. God's word stands alone, he doesn't need man to add to him, nor take from him. In fact, God's word is independent, and true to itself. Yes! His word was made flesh and came and lived among us, but why didn't people know him? Because their minds were carnal. You can study life all you want, but if you miss Life then you have labored in vain.

I understand you are a science teacher. I don't say science is bad, I say Man science is worthless. God science is the only true science. Man science is not science at all. It is just a failed attempt if we think we can arrive at truth by our own will. It is God's will working over all, and then if our will bends to HIS will then the two meet and conform together. But his will never bends to our will, nor our minds. He is God, we are dust.

Yes. And Darwin himself said (I've posted this before) that for his theory to be proven, we would have to find fossils of "bridge species". However, a group of "scientists" seized on his idea and worked hard to give it the appearance of scientific fact. In a BBC interview some time back, the nephew of one of the original evolution proponents admitted, and I'm paraphrasing here, "we probably really latched onto this idea because of our sexual preferences". Translation, "If there was no God, we could practice our perversions with impunity".

You are right. God is not at war with science. But I believe that He, and His representatives here on earth (Christians), are at war with that group of people who advance another "religion" under the guise of "science". Evolution is not science. It is simply another unproven theory; sort of like "creation".

Sorry for the rant, but calling evolution "science" really ticks me off. The way it should be taught, in my opinion, is "Here is the theory of evolution. Here is the theory of creation. Here is the evidence. You decide."

What would qualify as a bridge species to validate evolution?.
Its not saying we can jump branches (species) on the tree of life, you can only go up it. When you dig, you find whats further down the tree, when you dig deeper, you find whats simpler and further down than that, so your not going to be finding a fossilized rabbit in the cambrian period.

As for the original question, dmdave has the same answer as me.
"Here is the theory of evolution. Here is the theory of creation. Here is the evidence. You decide."
In the sense I agree we need exposure to different beliefs that will challenge or develop our own. There is a little peeve, in the sense of how much classroom time to give unsubstatiated theory's such as the contraversy of the theory of gravity vs intelligent falling.
What should be noted and taught first is the quality of evidence and critical thinking skills, then the 'you decide' part is much less likely to be bought by students just because an authority they trust endorses it (i.e. the teacher).

9 times out of 10, kids are not given the evidence that made the theories, but are just given books and verbal words that 'report' the findings. So I think the critical thinking skills is really a win-win for all who merit evidence seeking. All in all, I think there is a fair way, and a fair way is the same no matter what belief you have.

yes i think critical thinking is crucial for all people to learn, it is the laziness of the mind that cause so many to stumble. thank you all for your responses i will continue to pray about it all and hope God will show me what to do and present it in a way that still Glorifies His name but allows the students to function in this world that does not respect the name of God.

Lord lead us. amen

well i have science biology class i think.....and it is not pleasing.....rather talk about history

Gods creation is simply amazing, the grasslands, dersets, mountains, beaches, seas, the creatures, etc.
Some look at the creatures, some at the vegetation, others at the microscopic structures, others even at the origin of such. They all try to get a glimpse of His wisdom and awesomeness. God bless