An Evangelist Confronts Hovind
Introduction
to My Correspondence with Dr. Hovind
and My Comments on His Videos
Dr.
James A. Smith, PE
Contents:
1. Correspondence with an acquaintance who intended to translate Dr. Hovind's videos into a foreign language.
The main theme of this correspondence is that Dr. Hovind's videos should not be further disseminated because he is an untruthful, ignorant man who furthers many injustices against nonChristians. Out of pastoral concern for him, we should confront him about his sinful behavior rather than encourage and exploit it as a means of evangelism.
2. E-mail Correspondence with Hovind.
I asked Dr. Hovind whether he has ever repented of and asked forgiveness for
two particularly egregious slanders against believers in evolution. This
correspondence documents his refusal to do so, despite being counseled on such
matters by several Christians.
Background to the contents:
I am a former scientist and detractor of Christianity who now lives in a foreign country, where my wife and I evangelize and do charitable works with proceeds from our own savings and modest donations from family and friends. I learned of Dr. Hovind's materials from a missionary family that offered them to me for my instruction in various aspects of the faith. Knowing of my background in science, this family also wanted to receive my comments on Dr. Hovind's work before dubbing them into the official language of the country in which we live.
My comments were unfavorable. The family recommended that I advise
them regarding which portions of the videos should be edited out, but I decided
that by doing so, I would only be engaging in a cover-up of Dr. Hovind's
fundamental dishonesty. Still, it was suggested that Dr. Hovind might
have repented of his behavior, so I initiated the e-mail correspondence
mentioned above.
Observations and Concluding Remarks
1. The e-mail correspondence shows that Dr. Hovind is a recalcitrant slanderer.
Dr. Hovind refuses to desist from and ask forgiveness for his habitual character assassination. These are Biblical grounds for expelling him from Christian fellowship. I believe that his home congregation is shirking its duties by failing to do so.
2. Dr. Hovind's materials deprive Christians of much stunning information about the universe.
I don't wish to belabor this point, so I’ll refer people to a good book by a nonChristian scientist: The Mind of God, by Paul Davies. I read it about 10 years ago, while I was still a detractor of Christianity, and I was astonished (and admittedly embarrassed!) to realize that I had simply never stopped to think how amazing it is that beauty, symmetry, and other aesthetic qualities of mathematical equations are good guides for discovering the truth about fundamental laws of nature. Similarly, efforts to analyze previously intractable phenomena (such as dissipative structures in nonequilibrium thermodynamics) provoke fruitful advances in mathematics. I still find “arguments from design” for existence of God unconvincing, but the mathematical nature of physical laws is thought-provoking. So is the ability of complex phenomena to arise from fairly simple rules (as modeled by Conway’s Game of Life -- see any of several Websites devoted to it). It's regrettable that Dr. Hovind leads many Christians to mock people who are aware of such marvels.
3. Dr. Hovind's fellow Christians bear much responsibility for damage caused by elevating a man of bad reputation to such prominence.
In The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare, Dr. Ed Murphy offers an instructive quote from The Expositor's New Testament (commenting upon 1 Timothy 3):
[There is] something blameworthy in a man's character if the consensus of outside opinion be unfavorable to him no matter how much he may be admired and respected by his own party …Thus to defy public opinion in a superior spirit may not only bring discredit on oneself and the church, but catch us in the devil's snare.
I believe that my own correspondence with Dr. Hovind shows how unwise Christians have been to dismiss nonChristians’ unfavorable opinion of him. We are instructed clearly by Apostle Paul to not allow such people to serve as pastors, elders, or deacons; a reasonable person would conclude that we shouldn't permit them to serve in any other prominent position. Those who have encouraged Dr. Hovind bear much responsibility for what he has become, and for Christians becoming objects of scorn among the scientifically educated.
Correspondence with an Acquaintance 19 May 2001
Correspondence with an Acquaintance 4 June 2001
Correspondence
with an Acquaintance 14 June 2001
Correspondence with Kent Hovind
ADDITIONAL ARTICLES
Comments on the Wilder-Smith Video