Reconciling evolution: evidence from a biology and theology course
- PDF / 1,130,742 Bytes
- 8 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 97 Downloads / 159 Views
Evolution: Education and Outreach Open Access
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Reconciling evolution: evidence from a biology and theology course Ethan R. Tolman1, Daniel G. Ferguson2, Mark Mann3, April Maskiewicz Cordero4 and Jamie L. Jensen2*
Abstract Background: Many individuals reject evolutionary theory due to a perceived conflict with their religious beliefs. To bridge this gap, educators have attempted different approaches including approaching evolution rejection as a consequence of deficit thinking and teaching students the nature of science (including the scientific process and peer review process as well as questions that science can and cannot answer).Teaching the nature of science has shown promising gains in the acceptance of evolution, although acceptance rates remain low. We propose a further approach: the use of a reconciliatory model designed to help students accept evolution within the framework of their religious beliefs. We tested this approach in both biology and theology classrooms at a Nazarene-affiliated university. Both professors approached the subject in a reconciliatory fashion. Results: This study found that by utilizing a reconciliatory approach, the students in both classrooms saw significant gains in evolution acceptance, with gains being greatest in the biology classroom. In addition, we saw no decrease in student religiosity. Conclusions: Implications of this are discussed. The results of this study confirm the effectiveness of a reconciliatory model, which opens several avenues for further research. Keywords: Evolution, Higher education, Theology, Biology, Acceptance Background Overall acceptance of evolutionary theory in the United States is exceptionally low. A 2019 Gallup poll found that 40% of Americans still hold creationist views (Brenan 2019). Additionally, polling in Europe conducted by the Pew Research Center (Science and religion in Central and Eastern Europe 2017) found that 29% of Greeks, 26% of Russians and 23% of Poles believe humans “existed in (the) present state since (the) beginning of time.” Experts have argued that rejection of evolutionary theory in the United States is strongly correlated with religious affiliation. Forty-two percent of Christians say humans have remained the same throughout time *Correspondence: [email protected] 2 Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, 4102 LSB, Provo, UT 84602, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
compared to 18% of the overall population (Exploring Different Ways of Asking About Evolution 2019). This large rejection of evolution amongst American Christians can be attributed to a number of things including a belief that God is an ally or co-pilot of America (Reinforced Theistic Destiny 2012), epistemology of appealing to authority (Borgerding et al. 2017; Peterson 2019), or socio-cultural factors including ingroup-outgroup anxieties and existential fear. Not surprisingly, acceptance varies by denomination. For instance, white Evangelical Protestants have the highest percentage o
Data Loading...
