The Debate and Its Prelude

By Jeffrey Romine Ph.D.

Herb, senior custodian at Westside High, is down to earth, practical, friendly, governed by common sense, and just can't believe Ralph, a high strung and energetic biology teacher who can't sit still when he learns that a student in his class believes in creationism. He instantly organizes a debate in order to squelch this anachronistic religious influence in his classroom. The only problem was that in his haste, he failed to identify someone to square up with his pro-evolution candidate, a power-hitting, man-eating, societally accomplished intellectual, skilled in debating tactics. Ironically, it's Herb who saves the day by suggesting that Ralph follow up on his one and only lead-the father of the very student, Heidi, who provoked the whole campaign in the first place. Left with no other choice, Ralph concedes to Herb's suggestion. Heidi's father, Jim Britton, on the other hand, is a man with no aspirations for public exposure, a scientist working in the confines of a quiet laboratory, who genuinely loves God and the Bible, but is faced with a "crisis of faith" when he learns that his daughter nominated him to occupy the other podium.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 13, 2017
• ISBN: 9781640794139

Book preview

Preface

Although this is a work of fiction, the concepts and resources cited are real, offering direction for readers interested in further study. I wish to introduce readers to what I call the tenets of knowledge, but in a more readable format than my nonfiction book, Knowledge unto Relationship; A Biblical Destiny . The aim of that book was to pursue the biblical framework of knowledge like following a philosophical line of thought, starting from the Tree of Knowledge and tracing its trajectory forward through law unto covenant relationship. My wife expressed her opinion about it, saying, It’s over everyone’s head. Well, I’m not sure I agree with her there, but I do agree that novels are an excellent way to engage readers in a less intellectually demanding way than a textbook. Of course, my book isn’t a textbook, nor is it even written like a textbook, but certainly a novel can serve as a more lucid medium for conveying the tenets. Consider Paul’s words regarding knowledge:

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in his triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him in every place. (2 Cor. 2:14)

For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness’ is the one who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Cor. 4:6)

Knowledge in itself is something that warrants examination. The tenets include such measures as whether we are convinced by what we know; what we know is correct or not; how certain we are of what we know; how fully informed we are. My hope is that interested readers will check out my book. If there is a ‘thirty-second’ message that I’d like prospective readers to consider before making a decision of whether or not to do so, it is this: Truth-seekers take up the quest to find God long before developing sound biblical knowledge. The same holds for those who reject the Gospel, often doing so long before gaining a proper understanding of it.

The creation evolution debate over origins serves as a perfect venue for introducing concepts related to knowledge. For example, the condition of holding opinion, deferring to the knowledge of others, is very different from the condition of knowledge, which implicates learnedness. The general public, being neither trained scientists nor trained theologians, merely holds an opinion in regard to their beliefs on origins. Thus, my ‘thirty-second’ message for prospective readers of The Debate and Its Prelude is that even for those readers who believe they have knowledge, a condition of learnedness, they still shouldn’t be too confident. The study of origins is among the very most speculative of all areas of scientific investigation. The Scripture makes bold statements as to God’s causative role in existence, casting a humble mold for our endeavors to bring forward a strong argument as the verses below suggest. For we are not able to foretell the future, nor is our knowledge of history unshakeable.

Now gird up your loins like a man, and I will ask you, and you instruct Me, Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? (Job 38:3)

Present your case, says the Lord, Bring forward your strong arguments, the King of Jacob says. Let them bring forth and declare to us what is going to take place; As for the former events, declare what they were that we may consider them, and know their outcome; Or announce to us what is coming. (Isa. 41:21–22)

Chapter 1

Morning of Debate

On days like this, Jim liked to take his morning cup out on the porch. The feel of early sunshine on his face, fresh air, chirping birds, the soothing sound of a train going by in the distance, and the taste of good coffee made a nice combination. Jim’s normal routine was more of an up and out; but today, he would stop and smell the roses. He needed to. It was the best way to calm his nerves.

To characterize Jim Britton as a nervous man would be a misgiving. Courage is proportional to the fear it overcomes. Many are the men whose temperaments are brash, insensitive, calloused, or uninformed toward their circumstances. Theirs is not a demonstration of bravery in the face of formidable opposition simply because of a hardened constitution. Failing to feel, they rush headstrong into battle.

A conscientious man, on the other hand, alert to circumstances beyond his control, whose thoughts are more penetrating and astute to pending dangers—he it is who stands in need of courage. Perhaps there is an intermediate position gained through practice and training. Public speaking causes no hesitation in a pastor, professor, a person holding public office, or anyone more accustomed to an audience.

Jim called himself a bench scientist. His hours of the day were spent in a laboratory, a fair distance from public settings. Of course, there were biweekly team meetings and monthly departmental meetings whereupon he presented his work when his turn came up in the rotation, and the occasional yearly medicinal conference that coerced him into the unhappy obligation of public speaking. Jim now found himself in the unenviable position of being astute to his situation, but not practiced.

His typical morning routine made room for the Lord. People call it their quiet time; and for Jim, this meant a good fifteen minutes of Bible reading followed by prayer for a similar length of time, seeking the Lord. On this morning, he devoted himself to a full hour, having woke earlier than usual, but mostly because he couldn’t sleep.

Jim’s wife joined him about ten minutes after he’d finished praying and while he was still taking in the sun, listening to the morning noises, smelling whatever flowery fragrance would waft his way. He loved the outdoors, hiking, camping, canoeing, cycling, and more. It kept him fit. Just being outside this morning gave a better start to his day, and he sensed a spiritual peace overtaking him, reassuring him that all was in God’s hands. No day was off to a good start that didn’t start with the Lord.

Rita tended to run slower, waking slowly, moving slowly. Like most couples, they permitted each other some leeway. They prayed together often, and made it a matter of importance to do so, knowing that it kept them on the same page, believing it made a difference. It ought to be striking, that, believing prayers make a difference, for the belief itself coincides with one’s motivation to pray. Jim’s thinking was that the first failure of faith is the failure to pray. And why? The logic is simply that if you don’t believe prayer makes a difference, then you won’t pray. Yet, the Lord says that when two or more are gathered together He is there, and this was the reason Jim was waiting on Rita this morning. He was taking no chances that his prayers would go unheard.

Now, a man’s countenance can give him away. It only took about two minutes before she broke the silence after catching a glimpse of Jim when taking a sip of her coffee. Rita wasted no time; turning to face Jim straight on, she spoke sternly. You’re uptight, aren’t you?

Slightly startled, he stared back at her, not reacting so much as trying to sense her mood, reading her tone of voice, recognizing in her abrupt body language that she meant business.

Her parents emigrated from Seville, Spain, but they admitted to an Italian persona and ancestry, thus her dark complexion, dark eyes, and dark hair. It also explained her impatience and sometimes-fiery personality. At the moment, she surely was direct, and this was not untypical of her.

Jim replied, What makes you say that?

She could read him too, and she immediately knew that she had the upper hand and needn’t answer his unnecessary question. Her glaring eyes spoke for her. The Lord’s peace may have been taking hold of Jim on the inside, but it wasn’t showing on the outside, at least not yet.

As for Jim, he couldn’t make a claim to ancestry. He was simply American. His grandparents on both sides were a mix of European nationalities, at least they thought so, for they had been in the US for many generations and had lost track. His personality was much calmer by comparison.

I guess it shows.

Jim conceded, half wondering why a man’s wife was able to structure such a strong argument in so few words. She is counting on you, and you know you’ll do fine.

How Rita managed to both reproach and encourage him in the same sentence, and why she couldn’t be merciful enough to separate her sentiments, Jim didn’t understand. All he knew this morning was that he wanted to pray with her, and didn’t want to jeopardize this opportunity. Rita was referring to Heidi, their seventeen-year-old daughter, counting on Jim to do well in the debate.

Their prayer commenced and, for all Rita’s idiosyncrasies, Jim appreciated her earnest words, words revealing an honest concern, appealing to God to help her husband, plainly and simply spoken. If only I could hear the Lord’s thoughts with the same directness that you make yours known.

Once again, Rita didn’t reply. Instead, she put her hand on his shoulder to give him his morning kiss so she could finish getting ready and make sure Heidi was up too.

Jim ventured to speak one more time, The way you wives can interrogate a man must be some kind of biological instinct.

Rita smiled, It’s evolutionary, playing into a way of lightening the mood, but after she was gone it wasn’t long before his facial expression was back to a full grimace.

There were just too many factors involved. Nothing was sitting right with him. He knew he ought to be thankful, eager for the chance to share his viewpoint in a public setting, but wow, not in a debate, and not with an opponent bent on humiliating him. He could feel his nervousness sweeping over him, reminding him that he was taking his focus off the Lord again.

How much easier this would be if I just knew the Lord’s mind, said Jim, speaking out loud to himself. If it was to be humiliation, then so be it, he could resolve himself to it, but if he was to make a compelling argument, giving his audience a real opportunity to hear the Gospel, then his excitement might show through and actually help him to make his case. It was not knowing that made it difficult. He felt uncertain.

Cast your cares, be anxious for nothing, who of you by worry can add a hair… Jim knew the Scriptures. When he was obedient to them, he felt the Lord’s peace. How simple could it be? The troubling aspect about this whole thing was that it was forcing Jim to step up and stand fast in the absence of knowing the Lord’s mind. Why is it that God seems to look for ways to grow a man’s faith? These were thoughts running through Jim’s mind for some days now.

Breakroom 6:30 a.m. (Seven months earlier)

Ralph limped into to the breakroom and separated the morning paper, handing the sports and comics off to Herb, thankful the Coffee was ready, smelling good as usual. They were routinely the first two in the breakroom every morning and this gave them about a half hour or so together before others showed up. Herb liked to get there before his maintenance staff arrived; and Ralph was an early morning guy, exercising and taking in the news before classes started. It was regularity more than anything else, but after almost eight years they knew each other well, that is to say, well enough to know how to get along.

Herb noticed the limp but didn’t comment. It was better to wait until Ralph brought it up. Because of where they lived, Ralph agreed to get the morning paper, and in return, Herb went a little out of his way to get the coffee Ralph liked. It was amicable enough on the surface, but below the surface, there was a bond that had formed between them. Neither would admit to it, openly, that is, that they liked each other. Ralph respected Herb’s opinion even if he frequently disagreed with it. Herb respected Ralph’s honorable and good citizenship, participating actively, trying to make a difference.

He made a quick scan of the paper, catching sight of an article on religion and science. Ralph liked to know what was on people’s minds, but it didn’t take much for him to cast a wary eye when a perspective wasn’t to his liking. He was quick to fire off a scathing letter to the editor when necessary to set the record the straight, and this was true on more than a few occasions. Herb often voiced opposition to this hotheadedness, as he called it, but usually to no avail. It wasn’t that Herb was anti-intellectual. Rather, he operated more on common sense than high principles, or prejudice (as he saw it). For this reason, he really didn’t get too concerned over the latest news stories.

Ralph wasn’t very far into reading his article before his face turned sour.

What’s up with you? Coffee no good? Ralph looked over the top of his paper back at Herb,

No, it’s not that. It’s these dammed, sorry… Ralph interrupted himself.

If he didn’t apologize now, then he would need to do so later. It’s these people. They just never give up. Ralph taught biology and had done so for some thirteen years all told, including his teaching before he came to Westside High. He loved science. He was determined to make sure his students had a healthy understanding of it; it disturbed him to no end when the public was misled.

Beyond his day job, Ralph was somewhat politically active at a local level. In both of the townships he’d lived in, he kept up with the local news. To him, teaching was his way of making a needful contribution to society, believing each individual can make a difference. This wasn’t some idyllic fluff. His own parents were recipients of good will when a capable lawyer stepped in and took their case, saving them from losing their property to a mortgage scandal.

There is an article pushing creationism.

Recognizing the caution in his tone of voice, and not wanting any backlash himself, Herb acquiesced, nodding. There was no need to say more. Herb knew this was a hot-button issue, one that he had pressed a few too many times before. At first it was fun, seeing a grown man get his temper up so easily; but later, they came around to some honest conversation when Herb decided he really wanted to know why this topic should get under his skin so easily.

A stout man, barrow chested, broad shouldered, and wide around the midsection, retirement wasn’t far off. Herb’s big girth was still firm even after all these years since playing football back in high school, although he had long since lost his cardio fitness. He was strong, and never hesitated to lend a hand with the lifting, even heavy lifting. Herb had been promoted to head custodian before Ralph was hired on, and since then there had been relatively few changes in his staff. This had the subconscious effect of forming an impression in Ralph’s mind that Herb was the most stable man he knew.

He had a friendly way about him. He naturally tended to befriend people, albeit Ralph surely proved a tougher case for him. Most of the faculty and staff instinctively liked Herb—not to mention he was also a steadfast church going man too. Herb had his own way of seeing things. He liked to go easy on people. There were lots of different churches in town and he favored all fellow churchgoers with no qualms about denominations. He was the same way when it came to politics. The way he saw it, politicians were regularly swapped in and out every election. There was no point in getting too uppity about this or that policy, for on average it all balanced out anyways. As for the faculty, they each had their own take on life; Herb respected them, Ralph included. Who was he to think he had it right? He let people be people.

The contrast between them couldn’t be more vivid. Weighing in at a mere hundred fifty pounds, Ralph’s stature was slight next to Herb’s at nearly twice that weight. Herb moved slowly with a ponderous motion compared to Ralph’s quick reflexes, light on his feet, and built like a long-distance runner. Ralph was very athletic and in great cardio condition, but not all that strong when it came to lifting. His cardio was resilient; he could easily run a half marathon without getting winded.

Ralph finished his second cup, What do you have going on today?

We are taking out a row of bushes along the north wing, replied Herb.

Weren’t those just put in a few years ago? Herb gave a look that explained his opinion about the unnecessary removal. He seemed able to make his eyes bulge slightly out of their sockets when he didn’t like something he had to do, and he could look pretty intimidating with his football scowl. Yes, but some teachers are complaining they are growing too tall. Either we do it or pay to get it done, Herb added.

Despite his opinion about the bushes, Herb was not one to rock the boat. The newly purchased landscaping equipment arrived, and he compensated himself by assuming the task of its assembly, which he enjoyed. By now, he had observed too many outsourcings to risk rubbing his employer the wrong way. He got along one way or another, tipping the balance in his favor toward the tasks he liked, but his general plan was to execute on orders as the best means of holding his job until retirement. This too made him very unlike Ralph who was often making waves about perceived injustices, and was now teaching at Westside because his former place of employment proved too unresponsive to his concerns.

For all this disparity, they were alike in a few meaningful ways. Both saw their labor as contributing to the needs of the school. And, even if Herb saw his as more or less meeting the whims of whatever administrators were running things, all in all, the school was well maintained. Another commonality was that they were both inclined to like the students. For Herb, it was only natural; but here, he was shoulder to shoulder with Ralph who felt it his duty and calling to make a difference.

They agreed a well-maintained building provided a better study environment, and well-intentioned teachers were better suited to the needs of the students. Indeed, this was how Ralph referred to them, as students. They were there to learn under his care. Herb was never able to make this adjustment. Perhaps because he was older, old enough to be their grandfather; to him, they were kids. So long as they managed to stay clean from drugs and alcohol, they were on the right track.

There was one other point that they strongly agreed upon. Nothing messed up kids’ lives worse than early dating, premature relationships, and the consequences of immature behavior. Over the years, Ralph saw too many students drop out for reasons that could have been avoided. He felt it a terrible interruption to their education at a time when it would have lasting consequences. Herb abhorred abortion and felt sorry for babies born to parents with no true commitment to one another as in the security of marriage. The wonder of birth was supposed to be a time of delight and happy blessing. How sad for the baby that is received as a burden, a disruption.

If only these kids would exercise common sense and self-control, Herb would say, society would be so much better off.

Others were in the breakroom now.

I’ll see you at 2:00, said Ralph on his way to class.

That is when they both took their afternoon breaks. Perhaps it was this additional daily encounter that did the most to solidify their friendship. Herb had friends downtown and he often would get wind of rumors coming their way, and Ralph found Herb’s connections a great conduit for information. This kept their conversations active—afternoon check-ins that made for a good follow up to their morning conversations, Herb filling in Ralph on the most recent city news, and Ralph filling in Herb on the latest gossip with the students and teachers. This afternoon Ralph would report on something more than gossip.

Go Dog Go

Jim’s youngest son was almost four and he liked reading to his kids. He had fun changing the words around, wondering if they would catch on. To countermand this, it was normal for Heidi to oversee these sessions. She felt a need to intervene on occasion because to her it was better if the kid at least understood what the story was about, correcting her dad’s exaggerations.

Look here, Tommy. This is what we call a vector, having both direction and momentum, whereas a scalar only has momentum, pointing to the line of cars that were about to run over a duck at the street crossing. What dad means, Tommy, is that if those cars don’t swerve they are going to run the poor duck over.

The stoplight turned red and all the cars crashed, piling up one behind the other.

See, she added, cars need to be careful, and ducks shouldn’t cross the street until it’s safe.

Jim didn’t mind her interruptions. Maybe she was learning something too. On the other hand, Heidi couldn’t tell if what her dad was really doing was keeping himself entertained. Either way, she didn’t like the idea of letting things go over someone’s head. He often did this and, even if all he was doing was sensitizing his kids to what he called a knowledge gap, she didn’t like it.

Heidi was in her junior year. Already thinking about college applications and SAT scores, she knew she would be off long before Tommy was ready to figure dad out, and mom was no help. She had her own way of teaching, and book reading wasn’t her thing. (It put her to sleep.) Anyway, Heidi had taken to catching her father, as she thought of it, and knew at some point Tommy would learn to catch on too, however painful his learning curve might be.

Caught by Heidi

A good cheerful & affectionate daughter is the greatest blessing a man can have after a good wife.

She marched right back into his study not ten minutes later and slammed a book down on his desk.

You don’t fool me.

She knew she had read this somewhere and she knew where to look. Her dad had assigned her to read Ronald Numbers’ account of six-day creationism. Titled The Creationists, it was a historical rendering of the movement following Darwin’s 1859 publication of The Origin of the Species. Heidi had finished reading it two months before and that quote stuck with her,