Creationism - National Center for Science Education

merged with. They wanted to prepare creationist textbooks in time for the 1972 textbook
adoption process, and needed authors with scientific expertise. A few years earlier the
CRS had declined to affiliate themselves with Segraves’ and Sumrall’s Bible-Science
group, but Morris wanted to produce creationist books too, so he agreed to a merger.
Thus was born the Creation-Science Research Center.
The main project of the new CRSC was development of the “Science and
Creation Series”: eight booklets, for grades 1-8, in student and teacher editions, plus an
overall reference book. Differences between the Segraves-Sumrall party and Morris’s
CHC group arose during this project. The reference book, Science and Creation
(Boardman, Koontz, and Morris 1973 [1971]) was completed; it consists of the standard
creation-science arguments, advocates strict young-earth creationism, and contains both
scientific and biblical references. William Boardman, listed as first author, has a
chemistry Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and is a chemistry professor at Biola.
Koontz, who has a Ph.D. in entomology from Oregon State, is a biology professor at
Biola.
Morris (1984:232-3) says he thought the textbook selection deadline was too
close for completion of the eight booklets (they had to be submitted in 1971), but that the
Segraves forged ahead at great expense to beat the deadline. Jimmy Phelps, assistant
superintendent of the Santee, California school district, and Morris are listed as series
editors; Kelly Segraves as managing editor. Consulting editors are W.J. DeSaegher, who
has a Ph.D. in English from UCLA and is chairman of the English department at
International University near San Diego, and the principal of Christian High School in
San Diego. Authors for the eight booklets (Creation-Science Research Center 1971a-h)
include Douglas Dean of Pepperdine, Clyde McCone of Cal State Long Beach, Bolton
Davidheiser of Biola, Donald Chittick, Robert Kofahl, and a number of public and
Christian school teachers.
Donald Chittick was a chemistry professor at George Fox College, a Quaker
school, and later became research and development director for company that converts
biological waste into fuel. He wrote a 1984 book The Controversy: Roots of the
Creation-Evolution Conflict advocating strict creationism. His own research, he says, is
based on the creationist assumption that coal formed rapidly as a result of the Flood, and
he believes that his creationist assumptions make him a better scientist, able to produce
better synthetic fuels. He appeals to Gödel’s theorem to argue that since truth or falsity
of a logical system cannot be determined within that system, the creation-evolution
controversy can only be determined by appeal to an external reference—and the Bible is
absolute truth.
According to the Creation-Science Report (1987): “The Science and Creation
Series was introduced into 28 states through the adoption process during 1973 and 1974,
thus forcing Science teachers to read the creation material as a viable alternative to the
evolutionary assumptions of science.” Morris, however, says they were “never used
much” and that they contain many errors. They were, however, used in the Kanawha
School District in West Virginia, where they formed “the core of a curriculum unit on the
subject of origins” according to a recent CSRC flyer. In 1974 Kanawha County was the
scene of violent demonstrations against secular humanism and related anti-Christian and
anti-American influences. The Board of Education did not want to ban all the books that