Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Professor evolves into movement crusader

Once a proponent of evolution, Thomas Woodward is now determined to defend intelligent design.

By MARY SPICUZZA
Published November 22, 2005

TRINITY - Long before the current debate over evolution and intelligent design flared into an all-out culture war, Thomas Woodward began waging his own battle against Charles Darwin's theories.

That was in the early 1970s, after Woodward entered Princeton University as an aspiring chemistry major - and an atheist on a mission.

"I was a crusader for evolution," he said. "I thought that anyone who didn't believe in evolution was irrational. I was furious that students would believe in creation."

But the crusader found their arguments so compelling that he changed his mind.

Woodward started traveling around the country to attend meetings with other Darwin critics, the Ad Hoc Origins Committee.

That group helped form the basis of the intelligent design movement.

Woodward, 55, now is a professor at Trinity College in Pasco County where he teaches the history of science, communications, and systematic theology. He's on a mission to share the message of intelligent design, a controversial theory that says features of the universe and living things are the product of an intelligent cause or agent, rather than simple evolution or natural selection.

His decades of devotion to the movement have also resulted in a book he wrote, Doubts About Darwin: A History of Intelligent Design .

"His history of intelligent design is essentially a first-person history," said Michael Behe, one of the nation's leading proponents of intelligent design.

Behe, a professor in the department of biological science at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, said Woodward and his work have helped show that intelligent design is "a sincere movement by well-meaning people rather than some shadowy conspiracy."

And he calls Woodward a "very nice, personable fellow" who is "intellectually serious."

Woodward says his life has been devoted to intellectual skepticism, not blind faith.

He grew up in a Protestant family in central Ohio, but became an agnostic by his junior year in high school. He entered Princeton University as a staunch atheist.

"I just thought Christians were an embarrassment to the academic world," Woodward said.

But once in college, he started talking with Christians about their faith. By the end of his freshman year, he was back to being what he calls "a theist," or someone who believes in God.

Woodward now describes himself as a "C.S. Lewis Christian," a reference to the famous author, who wrote countless books including The Chronicles of Narnia series.

Woodward was so inspired by the writer that he became the founder and chief executive officer of the C.S. Lewis Society. Its mission, according to its Web site, is "to empower believers and engage the lost with Biblical truth and evidences for faith."

The society, which hosts conferences and debates, targets university students and university professors with "Biblical Christianity," according to the Web site.

Woodward says that it "just so happens" he believes in God, but adds it was critical thought that brought him into the intelligent design movement.

"Does intelligent design begin with the assumption that the machines in the cell are the result of deliberate design?" he said. "The answer is no. It drew that conclusion after studying the data."

He said there is nothing inherently religious about intelligent design, nor about his belief that evidence contrary to evolution be taught in public school classrooms.

Many evolutionary biologists disagree.

Kevin Padian, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California at Berkeley, says he believes it's dishonest to say intelligent design is not about religion.

"It's a religious notion," he said.

Padian said he does not know Woodward, but calls intelligent design "creationism in a tuxedo" and a "sociopolitical movement by right-wing fundamentalists."

Nonsense, Woodward says, adding that he hardly knows any fundamentalists in the movement.

Local university professors said they may mention it in their classes - briefly.

"Intelligent design won't be taught in USF biology other than a sort of interesting political aberration," said Sidney Pierce, the chair of the biology department at the University of South Florida.

Still, Pierce said he has no objection to intelligent design being taught in philosophy or religious studies courses.

Woodward seems annoyed, but relatively unfazed, by the naysayers. He is working on another book , Darwinism Strikes Back , and has no intention of giving up his work to expose doubts about evolution.

Those who know him believe it.

"For Tom, it's not by any means jumping on the bandwagon," said James Lanpher, Trinity College's vice president for academic affairs. "It's been sort of a life focus for him for some time."

--Times researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Mary Spicuzza covers education in Pasco County. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6241 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6241. Her e-mail address is mspicuzza@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 22, 2005, 02:15:27]