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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 10
- Folder 1: Lecture, “Science after Kuhn,” IVCF Conference --- Dec. 1998
- Folder 2: Lecture, “Portraits of Creation,” Berea College --- Nov. 1998
- Folder 3: Lecture, “The Creation/Evolution Debate,” St. Joseph’s College, Edmonton, AB --- Oct. 1998
- Folder 4: Lecture, “Science, Folk Science, and Worldviews,” University of Waterloo --- Oct. 1999
- Folder 5: Lecture, “Can God and Evolution Coexist?” Stanford University --- May. 1999
- Folder 6: Lecture, “The Creation: Intelligently Designed or Optimally Equipped?” CSCA meeting --- Oct. 1999
- Folder 7: Lecture, “Reason and Faith: When Athens and Jerusalem Cooperate,” Chapel Mediation, “In Awe of the Ordinary,” Cornell University --- Oct. 1999
- Folder 8: Lecture, “The Fully-Gifted Creation Perspective,” University of Waterloo --- Oct. 1999
- Folder 9: Lecture, “The Fully-Gifted Creation Perspective,” Seventh Day Baptist General Conference --- Aug. 1999
- Folder 10: Lectures, “Scientific Creationism, Good Science, Pseudoscience, or Folk Science?” and “The Fully-Gifted Creation Perspective" --- Mar. 2000
- Folder 11: Lecture, “Why Choose Functional Integrity Over Intelligent Design?” --- Jul. 2002
- Folder 12: Lecture, “Cosmic Evolution as a Manifestation of Divine Creativity,” April 2000, Nature of Nature Conference --- undated
- Folder 13: Lecture, “The Ordinary is Awesome,” Christ Community Church --- Apr. 2000
- Folder 14: Lecture, “Biblical Creation Narratives, Folk Science and Natural Theology,” Oxford Seminar --- Aug. 2000
- Folder 15: Lecture, “In Awe of the Ordinary,” Christ Community Church --- Nov. 2003
- Folder 16: Lecture, “Categorical Complementary and the Creationomic Perspective" --- undated
- Folder 17: Lecture, “Augustine, Evolution, and the Functional Integrity of Creation,” University of Waterloo --- undated
- Folder 18: Chapel talk, Wheaton College --- Mar. 1987
- Folder 19: Chapel talks --- Apr. 1987, Sept. 1988
- Folder 20: Chapel service address – “The Scriptures and the Creation in Mutual Illumination,” Milligan College --- Feb. 1995
- Folder 21: Address to Classis Georgetown --- Oct. 1988
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