The A-Team Blog :: Science

One year ago today, Garrett posted some excerpts from an interview Gary Habermas did with former atheist Antony Flew. This evening, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the A-Team post, Biola University will be awarding Dr. Flew with The Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth for 2006. Timbo and I are here to cover the festivities live.

We arrived 50 minutes before the ceremony (7:10 pm) to assure we got good seats. Being the only attendees here for some 15 minutes, we had no trouble finding a seat by a plug. We’re in the third row back, and we’ll be sitting behind such personalities as Jonathan Wells, Guillermo Gonzales, and other well-known scientists/philosophers /theologians.

Since there’s not much going on at the moment here’s some info from Biola on the award:

The Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth was given to Flew for his lifelong commitment to free and open inquiry and to standing fast against intolerant assaults on freedom of thought and expression. Flew drew scorn from skeptics following his shift in views. When informed that he was this year’s award winner, he remarked, “In light of my work and publications in this area and the criticism I’ve received for changing my position, I appreciate receiving this award.”

Biola University established the Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth in 2004 to honor legal scholar and Berkeley law professor Phillip E. Johnson, who was the award’s first recipient. The award recognizes Johnson’s pivotal role in advancing our understanding of design in the universe by opening up informed dissent to Darwinian and materialistic theories of evolution. Flew is the second recipient of this award, which will be presented on May 11 at Biola University through the university’s Masters of Arts in Science and Religion (MASR) program.

7:40 pm: Timbo finished his Dr. Pepper.

Almost 8:00: About 100 people are here. They are mostly students, though we've spotted a few profs.

8:05pm: Philip E. Johnson has entered, whose name is on the award. Other notables are Michael Behe, John Mark Reynolds, Charles Thraxton, Craig Hazen, Doug Geivett, and John Bloom.

8:07pm The guest of honor, Dr. Antony Flew has entered the building.

8:10pm: The ceremony has begun. Dr. John Bloom is making opening remarks. On stage seated from left to right is Philip E. Johnson, Stephen Meyer, Gary Deddo, Bloom's seat, Gary Miller, and Dr. Flew.

8:12pm: Stephen Meyer is interviewing Dr. Johnson in "Oprah style" about how he got into the Naturalism debate.

8:15pm: Dr. Johnson is discussing the importance of definitions in legal briefs and the application of that in science. How Naturalists define science determines their research results.

8:20pm: Dr. Johnson- The laws of logic apply to every field, including law and science.

8:25pm: Dr. Johnson- Naturalists don't follow the evidence where it leads. Dr. Flew did, which is why we are awarding him tonight.

8:27pm: Dr. Johnson- Who more appropriate to comment on dishonest methodology than a professor of law!

8:33pm: Gary Deddo, Dr. Johnson’s IVP editor, is talking about the publications and the new feschrift in honor of Dr. Johnson.

8:35pm: Gary Miller, provost of Biola University, is giving the award.

8:37pm: Miller notes the problem of questioning status quo, it helps to have tenure. He is giving a bio of Flew, noting his work promoting atheism.

8:39pm: The audience recognized Flew with standing applause. Dr. Bloom is reading a statement by Gary Habermas since he could not attend this evening.

8:42pm: Dr. Habermas- Antony Flew showed courage by announcing his change of mind.

8:45pm: Dr. Flew is offering remarks on academic freedom on what influenced his conversion to deism. Quoting Plato- "We must follow the argument wherever it leads." He has become like Jefferson, being a deist. His god is not interested in or concerned about human behavior.

8:50pm: Dr. Flew- The truly interesting question is how life began. He depends on David Berlinski's article on the origins of life. It is impossible to produce a chemical account of how Darwinian evolution began.

8:55pm: Dr .Stephen Meyer is recounting his encounters with Dr. Flew.

9:01pm- The ceremony is over- time for the punch and cookie reception!