Christian Union: The Magazine Spring 2017 | Page 53

H A RVA RD | On Campus
Evidence for Intelligent Design
DISCOVERY INS TITUTE CELEBR ATE S 25TH ANNIVERSARY
By Catherine Elvy, Staff Writer
A
during the event in November at The
Ritz-Carlton in McLean, Virginia.
The last year or so has been espe-
cially dynamic for Discovery Institute.
In December, the organization
published its latest book, Darwin’s
House of Cards: A Journalist’s Odyssey
Through the Darwin Debates. Author
For the 2017 event, speakers in-
cluded molecular and cell biologist
Jonathan Wells, Yale Ph.D. ’86; de-
velopmental biologist Ann Gauger,
who completed a postdoctoral fellow-
ship at Harvard University in 1993;
and molecular biologist Douglas Axe,
the Cambridge-educated author of
Harvard alumni George Gilder ’62 (left) and Bruce Chapman ’62 co-founded
the Discovery Institute, an organization that supports scientists and educators
who embrace the intelligent-design movement.
Undeniable: How Biology Confirms
Our Intuition that Life is Designed.
As for Gilder, the Massachusetts
resident is no stranger to complex
fields. In addition to his work with
the Discovery Institute, he publishes
the Gilder Technology Report and the
annual Gilder/Forbes Telecosm Confer-
ence. He also serves as chairman of
George Gilder Fund Management.
Chapman, of Seattle, is a former
director of the U.S. Census Bureau,
deputy assistant to President Ronald
Reagan, and director of White House
Office of Planning and Evaluation.
In 1985, he was appointed U.S. Am-
2
Tom Bethell suggests Darwin’s theory
is outdated and propped up by assort-
ed fallacies. The Oxford-educated
journalist also asserts new scientific
discoveries challenge the long-cham-
pioned empirical evidence behind
evolutionary theory.
In other milestones, the organiza-
tion’s Center for Science and Culture
marked its 20 th anniversary with a gala
in August in Seattle that featured the
premiere of a new documentary.
Among its extensive outreach ef-
forts, the Discovery Institute held its
second-annual Intelligent Design
Education Day this spring in Seattle.
pair of distinguished Harvard
University graduates recently
reflected on their evolving efforts to
highlight the merits of intelligent design.
Through the Discovery Institute,
the pair operates a hub for scientists and
educators who say nature suggests sig-
nificant evidence of intelligent design.
“We do not only believe in intelli-
gent design in the universe; we believe
such a design manifests itself across the
sciences and pervades economics and
culture,” said George Gilder during a
gathering to mark the silver anniver-
sary of the Discovery Institute.
In 1991, Harvard alumni Gilder
’62 and Bruce Chapman ’62 found-
ed the Seattle-based Discovery Insti-
tute, which serves as a polestar for the
movement asserting certain features
of the universe distinctly reflect intel-
ligent cause. “Not only is God the
creator; but human beings are creative
in His image,” said Gilder.
Today, Discovery Institute is in-
ternationally recognized as a focal
point of the intelligent design move-
ment via its literary, conference, me-
dia, and colloquia efforts. The public
policy center also operates branches
focusing on economics, technology,
citizen leadership, and education.
In reflecting on the growth and
transformation of Discovery Institute
upon its 25 th anniversary, Gilder point-
ed to the role of divine oversight in the
organization’s expansion. “Bruce and
I believe that this evolution expresses
an intelligent design, a unified vision
that transcends the various programs
at Discovery Institute,” said Gilder,
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