Luther College religion professor spars with Darwin

(Story by decorahnews.com's Ben Gardner):

In person, as well as in his books, Luther College religion professor Dr. Robert Shedinger is measured and soft-spoken. This is in contrast to the provocative subjects often tackled in his academic writing: the contemporary mental health complex, the similarities between Islam and Christianity, and the methodology of religious studies.

In his new book, "The Mystery of Evolutionary Mechanisms," Shedinger explores the science and religion debate, specifically, what he sees as a growing Darwinian ideology within the culture that doesn't engage coherently with questions about the origin and diversity of life.

Shedinger began researching the science and religion dialogue after Luther College philosophy and religion professor Dr. Loyal Rue retired in 2011. Shedinger took over Rue's Science and Religion course and in preparation immersed himself in the classic literature exploring creationism, evolution, and intelligent design. He approached the intelligent design books with skepticism, believing it likely wasn't theologically or scientifically rigorous. To his dismay, he found the intelligent design arguments convincing and intellectually coherent.

During a sabbatical semester in the spring of 2014, Shedinger continued his science and religion reading, with particular attention to the scientific literature related to the theory of evolution by natural selection. Beginning with Charles Darwin's "Origin of the Species" and sweeping through contemporary peer-reviewed journal articles, Shedinger spent much of his sabbatical reading about evolutionary biology. He was soon disappointed. He found the evidence and theories inconclusive and was particularly disappointed when scientists attempted to make statements related to the origin and purpose of life. Consequently, he was dismayed at the broad cultural acceptance of a theory he deemed intellectually dubious.

Critics of Shedinger's argument note that the theory of evolution by natural selection doesn't make any claims about the origin of life. The theory of evolution by natural selection is a scientific theory describing biological phenomena, and doesn't comment on metaphysical theories about the origin and purpose of life.
"The Mystery of Evolutionary Mechanisms" is a critical examination of, in Shedinger's words, the "grand narrative of Darwinian triumph that greatly overstates the empirical validity of modern evolutionary theory."

Shedinger sees this mystery as a good thing, and an area where religious reflection has validity: "The mechanisms driving the evolutionary process truly remain a mystery more than one hundred fifty years after "On the Origin of Species," a fact that can free religion scholars to think in more creative ways about the positive contributions religious reflection might make to our understanding of life's origin and diversity."

When not teaching and preparing his courses at Luther College, Shedinger has recently been absorbed in the voluminous correspondence of Charles Darwin. Reading letters and correspondence is an intimate avenue to providing historical context fof an intellectual debate, and Shedinger has so far read nearly 5,000 pages of Darwin's personal correspondence. Shedinger says, "I wanted to get a better sense of how his work played in its original context."

On October 3, at 7:00 p.m. in Olin 102 at Luther College, Shedinger will deliver a lecture entitled: "Religion, Science, and Evolution: Confessions of a Darwinian Skeptic." His book, "The Mystery of Evolutionary Mechanisms: Darwinian Biology's Grand Narrative of Triumph and the Subversion of Religion" is published through Cascade Books and is currently available for purchase.