GOD AND THE ACADEMIC WORLD

Late one winter afternoon in Chicago during my graduate school days, a terrible blizzard arose. I sat in the classroom along with my fellow classmates listening to a lecture from our professor and watching the snow come down in white sheets. Then about a third of the way into our class, a tremendous thunderclap arose. Very unusual to hear thunder during a snowstorm. The class grew very tense. As is my nature in such a time, I made a joke. "Wow, God must be angry." There were a few snickers, but instead of the Professor moving on or rolling his eyes and dismissing my rude interruption, he stopped his lecture and immediately launched into a very different lecture. He began in his crisp English accent, with an air of condescending self-importance, "You see Steven, what has obviously happened is that a warm air mass has just bombarded this cold air front we are now seeing that is causing both this precipitation..." and on and on and on and on he went for at least 15 minutes talking about all the scientific knowledge he could remember on meteorology and perhaps trying to explain away his own anxiety (and this was supposed to be a psychology course?). After he was finished he smiled and looked at me and said, "What to you think of that Steven?"

"Wow, God must be really smart to know how to do all that." I said as the class burst into uncontrolled laughter.

True story. But it expresses the depth many in the academic world will go to quite those who believe. Ironically, their disbelief is felt with more of a fervent zeal than most religious adherents. Ben Stein, in his movie "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed", has done a great service to all those who feel the same and have experienced persecution or ridicule for their beliefs. The move doesn't ask you to believe, but merely asks, why can't I question? Why are some questions or some lines of thought not allowed in some academic environments and universities? My little story above, is certainly the merest vapor of a hint of what others have experienced. I've been very blessed to have a supportive environment to teach my classes and express my questions as I saw fit. Truly I feel academically free. But many other professors, particularly those who want to ask questions about intelligent design do not have that freedom or luxury. May God be with those who truly believe and those who choose not to.


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