Thousands of mainline church leaders and pastors have signed a letter rejecting a literal interpretation of the creation story in the Bible's Book of Genesis. The "Clergy Letter Project" signatories are urging school board members to "preserve the integrity of the science curriculum by affirming the teaching of the theory of evolution as a core component of human knowledge."
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh administrator Michael Zimmerman, who founded the project, says the letter has been signed by more than 10,000 clergy members in every state and territory of the United States. The signatures from leaders of Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian and other mainline churches represent a "groundswell of support for the compatibility of science and religion," he contends.
Zimmerman notes that about 450 churches across the U.S. took part in "Evolution Sunday" observances last week by holding Bible studies or offering sermons on the purported compatibility of evolution and Christianity. But those church leaders who took part in the Clergy Letter Project are asserting a very different proposition, he explains.
"These 10,000 members are saying that intelligent design, creation science, is not only bad science as defined by the world scientific community," Zimmerman says, "but that it is also bad religion. It is not consistent with their view of their faith."
Evolution, on the other hand, is compatible with these Christian leaders' faith and interpretation of scripture, the University of Wisconsin official says. However, when asked to what particular faith he himself subscribes, Zimmerman declined to answer. "I've stayed away from that question because the issue is more who the 10,200 clergy [who have signed the letter] are and what their message is," he says.
"I'm just a college administrator and a biologist," the Clergy Letter Project's founder explains, "so one person's faith who is not a member of the clergy really is irrelevant for this particular project. The Project isn't about my belief, but it's about the belief of Christian leaders around the country."
Zimmerman says the Clergy Letter Project was initiated in response to efforts to get intelligent design or biblical creation taught in schools. Specifically, he notes, he and the clergy with whom he worked to draft the letter were "called to action" by a series of anti-evolution policies passed by the school board in Grantsburg, Wisconsin.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
(c) 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved
