Todd's Blog

Very subtle. Feedback? Email me at toddcharleswood [at] gmail [dot] com.

Registration for Origins 2012, the annual joint conference of the Creation Biology and Creation Geology Societies is now open at the CBS website, http://www.creationbiology.org/origins2012 . The format for this year's conference will follow the successful format from Origins 2012. We'll open the conference on Thursday with a field trip to the Shenandoah National Park, followed by technical presentations and a poster session on Friday. Then on Saturday, we've invited seven theologians to present on the them of "Genesis, Creation, and the Flood." The speakers are: Abner Chou , Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, The Master's College Jud Davis , Associate Professor of Greek, Bryan College Douglas Kennard , Professor of New Testament, Houston Graduate School of Theology Stephen Lloyd , Pastor of Hope Church, Gravesend, Kent James Mook , Professor of Systematic Theology, Capital Bible Seminary James Stambaugh , Ph.D. Candidate, Baptist B...

Last Sunday (April 15), I was privileged to attend the official opening of the new Origins Exhibit in the Hickman Science Center on the campus of Southern Adventist University. At the opening ceremony, we heard from SAU biology chair Keith Snyder and SAU president Gordon Bietz emphasizing the importance of the traditional doctrine of creation. In an age where such talk is usually met with scorn and derision even among Christians, I was excited to hear such open enthusiasm for creation at such a prominent university.   SAU President Gordon Bietz   The exhibit itself has three segments: The cell, the geologic column, and intelligent design. The cell portion of the exhibit is an artistic model of a cell complete with three-dimensional nucleus and paintings on the wall depicting cellular components and processes. A touchscreen provides a key to understanding the artwork.   The nucleus of the cell exhibit   The geologic column portion of the exhibit pr...

WOW! Read this essay by northern Alabama teacher Vic Minish: Reflections on the TCF Writer’s Guidelines and Life in the Classroom If you're thinking TLDR, here's an incredibly important snippet: Those of other religions, and the atheistic scientist were not enemies, but image bearers to whom we were called to bear witness of the good news. The idea reframed the discussion. Denominational plurality is not the enemy. "Yankees"(Northerners) are not the enemy. Science is not the enemy. The good news means there doesn’t have to be suspicion all the time. Even when others hold similar kinds of reservation about us, we don’t have to return the favor. We can lay our life down for others with joy – even when they castigate us. I hope that baits you into reading the whole thing. Mr. Minish, if you ever stumble across this little post, thanks for a great reminder! Feedback? Email me at toddcharleswood [at] gmail [dot] com.

You know, I'm not a very politically active or informed person. I'm not a registered member of any political party. I don't watch Fox News or CNN. I know that law is not my expertise, so when I get a letter from a trusted friend saying that my opinion is "legally and politically naive" I listen. No one needs to " turn the screws " on me. I'm a big boy, and I can make my own decisions to take down a blog post that in retrospect doesn't meet my own quality standards. That said, I do think a few comments are in order. Despite my naïveté, I still think the "academic freedom" law just enacted in Tennessee is really, really wrong-headed. The problem as I see it is a cultural one that cannot be solved by the law. The evolution issue is extremely complex and challenging. It's not easily resolved at all. Just look at the diversity of opinion that divides those who question all or part of evolution. Some are species fixists, som...

But the evolution bill becomes law anyway. According to the governor's statement quoted by the Memphis Commercial Appeal : I have reviewed the final language of HB 368/SB 893 and assessed the legislation’s impact. I have also evaluated the concerns that have been raised by the bill. I do not believe that this legislation changes the scientific standards that are taught in our schools or the curriculum that is used by our teachers. However, I also don’t believe that it accomplishes anything that isn’t already acceptable in our schools. The bill received strong bipartisan support, passing the House and Senate by a three-to-one margin, but good legislation should bring clarity and not confusion. My concern is that this bill has not met this objective. For that reason, I will not sign the bill but will allow it to become law without my signature. Read the whole story here: Tennessee evolution bill becomes law without governor's signature Feedback? Email me at toddcharles...

This morning, I was busily writing up my response to Senter's paper , when I saw the latest Nature has an article on the latest feathered dinosaur discovery. Ironic ain't it? This new dino, Yutyrannus huali , is a giant tyrannosauroid (maybe one ton in life). The fossils are pretty exciting too, since there are three individuals, which gives opportunity to look at individual variation. The "feathers" are of the filamentous variety rather than the fancy sort that birds have. Yutyrannus is a pretty "big" deal (get it?), since it's  40 times as big as the previous largest-known feathered dinosaur. For smaller dinos, especially like Microraptor , feathers could function in some sort of aerodynamic capacity for gliding, but that's really not possible for a one-ton monster. The authors of the study on Yutyrannus suggest that the feathers could either be a kind of hold over from earlier stages of evolution or might actually represent a cold clim...

Presented without comment: Gov. Bill Haslam says he may sign a proposal that critics deride as the "monkey bill" for once again attacking evolution. ... Haslam says he's talked with the State Board of Education about whether the bill will affect the current curriculum and what's being taught in schools regarding evolution, and he was told it won't. Source Feedback? Email me at toddcharleswood [at] gmail [dot] com.