QUIETLY and unannounced, the district supervising teacher slipped into the back of my classroom to observe my teaching techniques. As I bravely continued the unit on "Creation and Evolution" for my seventh-grade students I was a bit puzzled why she selected this particular time to visit my class.
As a history teacher, I had been forced into taking a stand on the concepts of evolution taught in the textbooks. Most world history texts begin with early man, and the theory of evolution is subtly and skillfully presented. To present the equally valid concept of Creation I had worked up a special unit, using a scientific rather than a religious approach. It was this unit that my supervisor "accidentally" walked into.
Class ended, and it was time for lunch. The supervisor waited till the students had left, then excitedly approached.
"Lou," she exclaimed, "that was the finest presentation on Creation and evolution in a classroom that I have ever observed."
I sighed in relief and thanked her for the compliment.
"I am so delighted that you presented both sides fairly, and allowed the students to make their own decision," she continued. "May I make a suggestion?"
"Of course," I replied, somewhat apprehensive.
"Why don't you write this unit and have it published? At least present it to the school board so they can adopt it for use in our district. All the students need to learn this."
Her enthusiasm fired mine, and we were soon lost in talking shop. We lost track of time, discussing ways to present this controversial topic to students. The bell rang, students filed in, and we realized that the lunch hour had been sacrificed to the flames of knowledge.
The Community Survey
Being a teacher, I realized that any unit I prepared for school board approval was doomed to disuse. There are few things overworked teachers dislike more than having another teacher's pet project thrust upon them. Yet school board authorization was essential. How to obtain this without enraging my fellow teachers was the problem.
In answer to prayer —and let me give God the full credit for all that follows — the thought of taking a community poll was born. Fearful that this idea might bring more dismay than delight, I care fully worked out the details and hand picked the best workers in our local Crescent City Seventh-day Adventist church.
This was to be a trial test of one hundred homes to see if the poll idea would work. There would be no publicity, so that if the idea proved to be unworkable the damage would be minimum. I was surprised to discover that one of my selected workers was currently taking a poll for the Federal Government. Kay had received poll instructions and offered to train our workers in this fine art.
We met quietly one Sabbath after noon for training and the test run. The workers were paired off for encouragement and comfort, and we prayed together that God would especially use us in this ministry.
I took my wife and little daughter, mostly for moral support, counting on little Rachel to melt the hearts and open the doors. Our first contact revealed two things. First, the poll questions I had so cleverly designed were far too long and complicated. Second, the people were very interested and friendly. Never had I seen doors open so quickly and people talk so freely. The big problem became one of getting away from the homes we were contacting so we could cover our territory.
The workers returned to the church for an evaluation and testimony session. All voiced the same problem, that the questions were too long and needed to be shortened. They were equally agreed on continuing the poll, for the response from the public was very sincere and warm. We shared many wonderful experiences, among them was the request of a young Christian mother, a Latter-Day Saint, to be allowed to take the poll with us.
Plans were made to begin the survey in earnest the following Sabbath. New poll questions were made and printed. Territory maps were outlined so that every part of Del Norte County would be sampled. News releases were given to the local newspaper and radio stations.
I personally contacted the school superintendent and explained what our church was doing. I also visited the members of the school board. These men were told that the poll was a public service by our church for the school district. It was not a protest or a plan to tell them how to run the public school system.
One of the board members, a wonderful Methodist Christian, was deeply touched by our project.
"Lou," he said, "your church is to be commended for taking the time and effort for such a wonderful service to our school district."
Workers quickly rallied to the call for service. The Seventh-day Adventist church in Brookings, Oregon, heard of the poll and volunteered their services, which we gratefully accepted. Other Christians from local churches came to us, asking if they could help, and they did.
A local radio station announced, with out contacting us, that they would take the poll on the air. In this way, people not sampled could also have an opportunity to voice their opinion. The manager, Bill Stamps, then telephoned me and asked for poll sheets and, hopefully, some volunteers to man the telephones. For three days the members of our church worked shifts at the radio station, talking to people who were interested enough to call in.
In a few weeks the goal of contacting 1,000 homes was reached. I compiled the statistics, and wrote a report for the school board, which was presented on February 22, 1973. In our polling we had identified those who attended church and those who did not. This was to avoid any charge that we had rigged the poll results by only contacting our Christian friends in the community. Before seeing the poll results, keep in mind that Del Norte is a small county of about 16,000 population.
Results of the Survey
Total persons surveyed were 1,518. Of these 1,212 were contacted in their homes and 306 by radio. Those polled were related to 40 per cent of the children in public school. Of the 919 church people polled 91 per cent wanted Creation taught, 54 per cent wanted evolution taught. Of the 599 nonchurch people polled 85 per cent wanted Creation taught, 64 per cent wanted evolution taught. Of the total 1,518 individuals polled 89 per cent wanted Creation taught, 58 per cent wanted evolution taught.
Based on the poll results, the following interpretations were presented to the school board:
1. That the majority of parents wanted both Creation and evolution taught to their children, with Creation having the largest support.
2. That parents were fair-minded, feeling that both theories should be presented in the public schools.
3. That the community was not op posed to evolution, which was already being taught, but did clearly support Creation, which was not being taught.
In conclusion, we repeated that the poll was a public service for the community and school board, and that we would offer no suggestions or recommendations as to what the school board should do.
The board expressed their sincere appreciation for our efforts. It was clear that they accepted the poll as a mandate from the community to teach Creation. To this end, they asked the superintendent to set up a district committee. This was done, and I was asked to serve on the committee.
Interest in the community was so great that many Christians from other churches wanted to do something. Representatives from about twelve different churches met together and formed a group known as the Citizens for Scientific Creation. This citizens' group began to work on plans for making Creation a part of the public school curriculum.
In April of 1973, the citizens' group invited Prof. Harold W. Clark to speak in Crescent City on Scientific Creation. Professor Clark gave a public lecture at the Crescent Elk School Auditorium, spoke in three local churches, and met with the school district committee on Creation. This was a valuable foundation work for what was soon to come.
One year after the taking of the poll Del Norte County became the first school district in California, and perhaps the nation, to have a workshop on Creation. Much prayer and the special guidance of the Lord made this possible. The Citizens for Scientific Creation pledged to pay half the expenses and the school board agreed to sponsor this workshop, providing college credit for teachers.
Realizing the need for a good attendance, the local churches gave their support. The actual details were under the direction of the citizens' group, and the school district furnished the auditorium, facilities, and financing.
In order to raise our share of expenses, the citizens' group charged a small registration fee for this workshop. Contacts with other churches and school districts were made within a hundred-mile radius of Crescent City. Some 251 persons attended, of which there were 34 from our local school district. There were 18 ministers at the workshop, and 21 persons took the course for college credit.
This success resulted in a new development in our activities. A complete report of the workshop was presented to the school board, along with a recommendation that the school district committee be expanded to include concerned local citizens.
The board saw wisdom in this re quest, and we now have a teacher-citizen committee working on this creation/ evolution program. Both creationists and evolutionists are on the committee, one of them is the Seventh-day Adventist minister, Pastor Ivan Christen.
This enlarged committee is reviewing various Creation materials. We have been given a budget of $300 with which to begin purchasing suitable materials for the public school. This is one of our most pressing problems, finding proper materials. Most publications on Creation are religious and Biblical, often denominational. Some of these are not scientifically acceptable. There are few scientific materials now available for public school use. One book our district has already purchased is Creation, Nature's Designs, and Designers, from the Pacific Press. This excellent book, writ ten by ten scientists, gives a colorful, scientific basis for accepting the truth of Creation. Other school districts have also purchased this book, which needs to have a much wider circulation.
If I have left the impression that all has been "peace and safety," let me hasten to explain. There has been, and still is, opposition to Creation being taught in the public schools. While I can respect and appreciate this dedicated resistance from evolutionists, it really hurts to see Christians taking the other side, especially when so many of them oppose us on the basis of ignorance.
One Small Step
The pioneer work in Del Norte County was a very small step in a much larger work that grew out of this initial effort. From our small isolated county the work spread to central California. There a program has bubbled and boiled, like a Biblical account of battle between Israel and the Philistines.
The Cupertino Elementary School District, near San Jose, is the largest elementary school district in California. It became the next school district to be polled concerning the scientific teaching of Creation. A Citizens for Scientific Creation group has formed there and many remarkable developments have resulted. Details concerning the Cupertino experience may be obtained by writing "Citizens for Scientific Creation," P.O. Box 164, Saratoga, California 95070.
The experience in the Del Norte and Cupertino districts has proved that the Creation-evolution issue in public schools can be a highly effective means of bringing together the finest Christian elements in a community. It also has proved that there is a large reservoir of unutilized public support for an academically fair, constitutionally just, and scientifically valid program for teaching origins in public schools.
