EVOLUTION AT DORDT

Dear Rev. De Jong:

In the July/August 1987 issue of THE OUTLOOK, an article appeared, titled “Evolution at Dordt College,” in which you quote from a lecture by Dordt professor Richard Hodgson at Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan.

It is important for you and your readers to know that Dordt College is opposed to the theory of evolution, declaring in its statement of purpose that “In the beginning, the Bible tells us, God created all things . . . . The creation belongs to God and is under His sovereign rule . . . .” Because of our commitment to the biblical doctrine of creation we were, of course, very disturbed by your report of Professor Hodgson’s presentation concerning creation and evolution at the Hillsdale Conference.

This matter was brought to the attention of Dordt’s Board of Trustees, which appointed a committee to work with me in dealing with this issue. We (the committee and I, along with other members of the administration) have carried on extensive conversations with Professor Hodgson. As a result of these conversations we were able to formulate a statement which we placed before the Board of Trustees.The Board, after some revisions, adopted the statement which reads as follows:

“The Dordt College Board ofTrustees, through a duly appointed committee, has met with Professor Richard Hodgson and discussed with him the views he expressed concerningcreation and evolution in a conference held at Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, Michigan on April 10, 1987.

“Professor Hodgson has acknowledged, with great sorrow and regret, that he failed to make his position clear and, at many points, spoke in such a manner as to give the impression that he favored an evolutionary interpretation of the origin of the world and mankind.

When asked how he could have been so greatly misunderstood, Professor Hodgson responded by pointing out that the format of the meeting was a debate between himself and Dr. Duane Gish from the Institute for Creation Research in San Diego, California. Since Dr. Gish was presenting the view of “recent creationism,” Professor Hodgson was asked to present other views of origins along with the reasoning upon which these views were based.

“When asked to state his own position, which he will do in greater detail elsewhere, Professor Hodgson declared that he acknowledges that God is the Creator of the World and of mankind, and that he rejects both evolution and theistic evolution. He further indicated that it is his constant desire to teach only in harmony with the Word ofGod and Reformed confessions.

“On the Basis of our inquiries up to this point, while we remain very concerned about the impressions left at the Hillsdale Conference, we believe that we are justified in retaining Professor Hodgson as a member of the faculty of Dordt College.”

We have also asked Professor Hodgson to state his own position—explaining from his point of view what happened at the Hillsdale Conference. This statement is enclosed. 

Again, I trust that Dordt’s commitment to the biblical doctrine of creation is clear. I trust also that the above demonstrates our concern to deal forthrightly with scientific issues, but always in light of the Word of God as interpreted in the Reformed confessions.

Sincerely,

J.B. Hulst

President

   

• Editor’s note: the gist of Professor Hodgson’s 9-page “Explanation”, which was too long for us to include here, is indicated in the Board’s decision. The above letter was followed by another, which we gladly relay to our readers.

Dear Rev. DeJong:

The Dordt College Board of Trustees met on September 10 and 11, 1987. At this meeting a statement was adopted as an addendum to the earlier pronouncement of the Board concerning the position of Professor Richard

G. Hodgson regarding creation and evolution. The statement is as follows: “We have addressed the problem which developed because of Professor Hodgson’s presentation at the Hillsdale Conference (April 10, 1987). However, because we remain troubled by statements made at the Conference which could be reflected in his instruction of our students, we, the Dordt College Board of Trustees, have decided to appoint a committee to study and evaluate further Professor Hodgson‘s position regarding creation and evolution. We do this because we must assure ourselves that the teaching of Professor Hodgson is fully in harmony with the Word of God as interpreted in the Reformed confessions.”

I would appreciate it if you would print this along with the material which was previously sent to you.

Sincerely,

J.B. Hulst

President

C. VANTIL ON THEONOMY (“Augustine-Calvin-Van Til” in July-Aug. OUTLOOK)

Dear Sir,

As rather close friends of Dr. Van Til since 1952 we have been privileged to hear his views on many things. We knew, for instance, the great respect he had for Dr. Bahnsen’s grasp of philosophy, but we also knew that be emphatically disagreed with his “foolishness of theonomy.”

He did indeed wish that Dr. Bahnsen could take his place at Westminster, but his opinion, expressed with regret six years ago to his pastor, Stephen Miller, was that he came to have reservations about that because of his theonomic views.

Mr. Schlissel’s article in the OUTLOOK gives the erroneous impression that Dr. Bahnsen with his theonomic views was Dr. Van Til’s choice to succeed himself. It was not.

Sincerely,

Alice Zebley

180 Camp Hill Rd.

Fort Washington, PA 19034