Well yesterday the seminary made the announcement that Dr. William Dembski will be joining the faculty beginning next fall. This is a really really BIG deal. Others have described it as a coup for the seminary to land this guy. Keri and I knew about it for a couple weeks but I resisted the temptation to be the Matt Drudge of Southern Seminary by scooping the story first! Along with Dembski’s arrival, the seminary will found a new Institute for Science and Theology. There are only 3 such institutes in the country, and none of them are remotely evangelical in theological orientation.
Demski is well known as one of the primary thinkers behind the Intelligent Design Movement in modern science. In short, Intelligent Design challenges Darwinian Evolution on explicitly scientific grounds. The work is really impressive, and really illustrates the fact that Evolution really serves as a linchpin and mechanism for supporting Naturalism as a worldview. It has gained such prominence in the scientific culture for reasons and presuppositions that have as much to do with worldview (dare I say religion?) as with science. Dembski, at the forefront of this movement, has become a polarizing and controversial figure in the world of science. In case you were curious, the guy actually has 2 PhDs – one in mathematic and one in philosophy, making him uniquely equipped as a leading philosopher of science. (For that matter, he apparently has a total of 7 degrees, including a seminary degree).
He will be joining our division – the division of Worldview and Culture. His addition will bring us to another level in terms of recognition for our program (the PhD in Apologetics and Worldview). It really elevates us, so this is a particularly good thing for me personally too.
Here’s a good article about Dembski coming to Southern.