Letters From Grandpa #248

LETTERS FROM GRANDPA

• 248

Dearest grandchild

Today’s letter will deal with Dr. James M. Tour. There are at least two reasons I want you to know about him. First, he is one of the most famous scientists in the world, and yet he begins every day with two hours of Bible study. He believes that meditating on the mind of God will give him insights (Ps. 119:99). His track record is remarkable! Regardless of what you plan to do with your life, reading the Bible is a good way to start your day too. Second, among the many endeavors of this famous scientist are his experiments with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries. Perhaps some day men like Dr. Tour will be able to help cure disabled people like Josh. One remarkable succes involves spinal cord injuries. They severed the spinal cord of a lab rat, and after only 24 hours of their revolutionary treatment mobility was already being restored. Within two weeks the rat could walk without losing balance, stand on his hind legs and use his front legs to feed himself pellets. This is but one example. Dr. Tour has published over 650 research papers and has received over 120 patents.

`At the risk of boring you with too many details, here are a few of his honors listed in Wikipedia: “Tour was inducted into the National Academy of Inventors in 2015. He was named among "The 50 most Influential Scientists in the World Today" . . . Tour was named "Scientist of the Year" by R&D Magazine in 2013. Tour won the ACS Nano Lectureship Award from the American Chemical Society in 2012. Tour was ranked one of the top 10 chemists in the world over the past decade by Thomson Reuters in 2009. That year, he was also made a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Other notable awards won by Tour include the 2008 Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology, the NASA Space Act Award in 2008 for his development of carbon nanotube reinforced elastomers, the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS) for his achievements in organic chemistry in 2007, the Small Times magazine's Innovator of the Year Award in 2006, the Southern Chemist of the Year Award from ACS in 2005, the Honda Innovation Award for Nanocars in 2005, the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award in 1990, and the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award in 1989. In 2005, Tour's journal article "Directional Control in Thermally Driven Single-Molecule Nanocars" was ranked the Most Accessed Journal Article by the American Chemical Society. Tour has twice won the George R. Brown Award for Superior Teaching at Rice University in 2007 and 2012.”

Dr. Tour is a devout Christian. Lee Strobel quotes him in The Case for Faith as saying: "I build molecules for a living, I can't begin to tell you how difficult that job is. I stand in awe of God because of what he has done through his creation. Only a rookie who knows nothing about science would say science takes away from faith. If you really study science, it will bring you closer to God."

Dr. Tour, however, experienced the wrath of evolutionists in 2001 when he joined hundreds of other scientists in signing the following statement: “We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.”

While Dr. Tour feels that any scientific theory should be able to stand up under careful scrutiny, he was saddened when his fellow scientists sought to exclude anyone who signed that dissent statement from societies of academic achievement. He said: “Shame on those proponents of Darwinism who exclude the dissenters for their views in a field where many scientific mysteries remain.” One scientist

from China quipped: “In China we can criticize Darwin but not the government. In America you can criticize the government but not Darwin”.

Tour continued: “I used to believe that my outward confession of skepticism regarding evolution was also of little consequence to my career as a scientist. Specifically, in the past, I wrote that my standing as a scientist was “based primarily upon my scholarly peer-reviewed publications.” Thirty years ago, that was the case. I no longer believe that, however. Ever since the time of the legal case referenced above, I have seen a saddening progression at several institutions—which is a further testament to the disheartening collateral damage resulting from lawsuits. I have witnessed unfair treatment upon scientists that do not accept macroevolutionary arguments and for their having signed the Dissent statement regarding the examination of Darwinian Theory. I never thought that science would have evolved like this.” His advice to his graduate students is therefore both direct and revealing: “If you disagree with theories of evolution, keep it to yourselves if you value your careers”.

“Based upon my faith in the biblical text, I do believe (yes, faith and belief go beyond scientific evidence for this scientist) that God created the heavens and the earth and all that dwell therein, including a man named Adam and a woman named Eve . . . As a scientist and a Christian (Messianic Jew), I am unsure of many things in both science and faith. But my many questions are not fundamental to my salvation. Salvation is based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah), my confession in him as Savior and my belief in his physical resurrection from the dead. Indeed, the physical resurrection is an atypical example where God works beyond the normally observed physical laws of science in order to accomplish his purposes. Therefore it’s called a miracle. And thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.”

Thanks for taking time to read this letter. Please read the Bible! I love you,

Grandpa Boyce