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Howard J. Van Till Collection

Overview

Abstract

Biographical Note

Detailed Description

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Howard J. Van Till Collection, 1967-2008 | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

By Ed Gerritsen, April 2010

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Collection Overview

Title: Howard J. Van Till Collection, 1967-2008

ID: COLL/505

Primary Creator: Van Till, Howard J. (1938-)

Extent: 1.0 Cubic Feet. More info below.

Arrangement: Folder level description

Abstract

Professor of physics at Calvin College. The collection includes critiques, book reviews, advertisements, articles, prepared statements, reactions, correspondence, a lecture, and an interview. It details the controversy regarding Van Till's book, The Fourth Day.

Biographical Note

Howard J. Van Till was born on 28 Nov 1938 in Modesto, California. Van Till attended Calvin College and graduated with a BS in 1960. He furthered his education at Michigan State University, where he earned his PhD in physics in 1965. As he was doing post-doctoral research at the University of California at Riverside he was also teaching at the University of Redlands. His area of focus was in solid-state physics.

In 1967 his alma mater, Calvin College, asked him to join the faculty of the physics department. Van Till accepted the position, and he would remain with the college for the next thirty years. He began his career at Calvin teaching Astronomy 110. Eventually Van Till switched his focus of solid-state physics to astrophysics. He even went on sabbatical leave for a year to the University of Texas-Austin and the McDonnell Observatory in 1974.

Besides being a gifted educator and lecturer, Van Till was also a talented writer. He has written a great number of publications in professional journals such as Journal of the American Scientific Affiliation as well as religious periodicals like the Banner. However, in 1986 Van Till faced controversy regarding his first book, The Fourth Day. Soon after the book was released some members of the Christian Reformed Church community strongly criticized Van Till's work and even questioned the validity of his faith. For four years Van Till was investigated by the college regarding his eligibility to teach. Despite the investigation, Van Till continued to work at Calvin College until his retirement in the late nineties. Standing by Van Till's side throughout the ups and down was his wife Betty and their four children-Steven, Roger, Nancy, and Mary Beth.

Van Till is one of the founding members of the International Society for Science and Religion. He has been a member of professional societies such as the American Astronomical Society and American Scientific Affiliation. Van Till continues to speak and write on issues of science and religion. More recently, Van Till has expressed his journey from Calvinism to free thought, and even gave a presentation to the Freethought Association of West Michigan in 2006.


Box and Folder Listing


Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Box 6],
[Box 7],
[Box 8],
[Box 9],
[Box 10],
[Box 11],
[Box 12],
[Box 13],
[Box 14],
[Box 15],
[Box 16],
[Box 17],
[Box 18],
[Box 19],
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Box 8
Folder 1: Paper, “Genesis and Evolution,” P. Van Inwagen --- undated
Folder 2: Paper, “A Recent Creation Interpretation of the Big-Bang and the Expanding Universe,” Russell Akridge --- undated
Folder 3: Paper, “From Illusion to Restriction: A Critical Review of the Fourth Day,” H. Vander Goot --- undated
Folder 4: Papers, “Creation, Cosmology, and the Classroom” (C. Menninga) and “Creation as Cosmos,” (J. Stek) --- 1985
Folder 5: Articles by William A. Dembski and related materials --- undated
Folder 6: Article, “Against Humanistic Biblical Interpretation,” T. E. Wilder --- 1991
Folder 7: Articles on Genesis 1-3 (by J. Timmer, C. Hyers and D. Holwerda) --- undated
Folder 8: Calvin Dialogue articles by Gordon Spykman --- undated
Folder 9: Article, “The Christian Reformed Church and Science,” G. Remelts --- 1989
Folder 10: Article, “Toward a Theistic Creationism,” L. Verduin --- 1979
Folder 11: Articles by P. E. Johnson --- 1990-1994
Folder 12: Banner article, “Intelligent Design: New Kid on the Block,” W. A. Dembski --- Mar. 1998
Folder 13: Paper, “Contours of a Christian Natural Science --- 1981
Folder 14: Paper, “Contours of a Christian Natural Science” Seminar on Kuyper and Dooyeweerd --- undated
Folder 15: Paper, “The Cosmos: Nature or Creation?” --- 1983
Folder 16: Paper, “On the Evolutionary Character of Cosmic History,” CCCS Conference --- 1985
Folder 17: Paper, “What Shall We Do With Big-Bang Cosmology?” Calvin Fall Conference --- Sept. 1986
Folder 18: Paper, “Cosmic History: Intricate Illusion or Creator’s Handiwork?” --- 1987
Folder 19: Paper, “Scientific World Pictures with Bonds of a Christian Worldview,” Dordt College --- 1988
Folder 20: Paper, “Creation and Evolution at Calvin: Introduction to a Complicated Matter,” Reformed Believers United --- 1991
Folder 21: Papers and related material for Theology and Science Consultation, Center for Theological Inquiry --- May. 1993

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Box 5],
[Box 6],
[Box 7],
[Box 8],
[Box 9],
[Box 10],
[Box 11],
[Box 12],
[Box 13],
[Box 14],
[Box 15],
[Box 16],
[Box 17],
[Box 18],
[Box 19],
[All]


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