Bill Nye & Ken Ham Debate, Feb. 4, 4:00pm PT

For those of you who haven't heard, there will be a debate taking place tonight from the Creation Museum in Kentucky. There has been an ongoing conversation on YouTube over the past several months between Bill Nye and Ken Ham (among others) about whether or not Creationism ought to be presented to students in schools alongside the theory of Evolution. There is a lot more to it than that, but basically, the comments on the YouTube videos stirred up many questions and debates among viewers.

Many know Bill Nye for being "The Science Guy" with his awesome TV shows from the mid-90s, which I still show my students (who absolutely love his enthusiasm for science and learning). Ken Ham is the founder of the Creation Museum and Answers In Genesis. Both men love science and have a passion for what they believe to be true. They both agreed to hold a debate and discuss science and their positions.

I talked briefly to the students this morning about how the debate originated and encouraged them to watch it with their family, if interested. It begins at 4pm PT (7pm ET) and will be approximately 2.5 hours long. The debate will be broadcast live on YouTube for anyone to watch that has an internet connection! Click here to go to the debate website: http://www.answersingenesis.org/

Many of my students don't yet know the depths of this ongoing debate, so I briefly discussed with them the differences between evolutionists and creationists. Several students were very fascinated, several students couldn't care less, and the rest were somewhere in between. I love discussing these issues, but did not have time to get into the details. Some of my students shared that they heard that you have to believe in evolution in order to be a scientist. I replied by briefly explaining the difference between macroevolution and microevolution and that it is a complicated issue for Christians. I have a biology degree and have many friends who are Christians who believe certain aspects of evolution to be true, while I also have many friends who believe the opposite. I shared my personal beliefs (the short version) and explained that ultimately, this is an issue that God doesn't base our salvation upon, and we want to still be respectful of the opinions of others. It is a very tough subject and one that could turn into a great discussion time at home! :-)

I hope you enjoy it as much as I will!
--Mr. Riedl

P.S. - If you aren't able to view it live at 4pm, then you should be able to rewind the debate after it starts. Since it is on YouTube, you can also watch it later on their YouTube channel. Click here for more Frequently Asked Questions.