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By Ed Gerritsen, April 2010
Collection Overview
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
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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
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