Ben Stein's work in his new controversial movie “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” has earned him praises and now an award from the intelligent design community.
The multi-talented star of his Comedy Central show “Win Ben Stein’s Money,” who is also known for his lead role in the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” was named the recipient of the 2008 Phillip E. Johnson Award for Liberty and Truth, an award created to honor one of the founding fathers of the intelligent design movement.
Stein will receive the award through Biola University’s masters in science and religion program in a ceremony on March 27, one month before “Expelled” hits theaters.
In his movie, Stein explores the long-standing controversial debate between supporters of Darwinism and proponents of intelligent design. Through interviews with experts and professors from both camps, he discovers an elitist scientific establishment that punishes the scientific proponents of intelligent design because they reject some of the claims of Darwin’s theory of evolution.
“If you just stand up and question Darwinism – that’s it – your career is over,” Caroline Crocker, a former biology teacher at George Mason University, shared in the film's trailer.
She is among several professors featured in the film who claims they were ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired in some cases for discussing problems with Darwinism.
Makers of the documentary said in a recent teleconference that the movie doesn't seek to champion intelligent design as the sole truth but calls for more academic freedom, where challenges to any scientific theory including Darwinism would be fairly considered.
Biola, a private Christian university in Southern California, established the award in 2004 to honor legal scholar and Berkeley law professor Phillip E. Johnson, who was the award's first recipient. Johnson, who became a born-again Christian as a tenured professor, is the co-founder of the Center for Science and Culture of Discovery Institute, the nation's leading think tank on intelligent design.
"The award," noted Biola, "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."
In 2006, the award was given to British philosopher Antony Flew, once considered the most prominent defender of atheism in the English-speaking world. He argued in books such as God and Philosophy (1966) and The Presumption of Atheism (1984) that one should presuppose atheism until evidence for God proves otherwise. He later abandoned his long-held atheism on account of design arguments and after “following the evidence where it leads."
Stein will be the third recipient of the Johnson award.
Comments
I saw the movie. It was very well presented. Each time Ben interviewed a scientist who considered Intelligent design (and they were blacklisted), he played the devil's advocate. It was a very fair movie, asking very real & honest questions. I loved it.
0-99 ticket stubs submitted = $5 per ticket stub
100-299 ticket stubs submitted = $1,000 donated to your school
300-499 ticket stubs submitted = $2,500 donated to your school
500 ticket stubs submitted = $5,000 donated to your school
so, why not, tracking schools to go. I don´t really see the problem, it´s just a way to track teachers to go there - for, if they all think like you - they are not really willing to seriously look behind different views and wont go. What if students then have questions the teacher can not answer, they might worry. I know more then one teacher who is in that problem here in my hometown. Having doubt in the evolution theory and no way out - here is a way and it is even paid well.
So keep on donating Ben, schools need the money and the education.
I'm so glad Ben Stein is finally taking on Darwin, the father of the Holocaust! Cuz' I always thought the roots of that sad episode lay more with the Blood Libel of the Catholic Church and there...you know...centuries of institutional bigotry. How dumb was I?
Way to go Ben Stein,
Now it appears they are offering $$ for people to go see their movie as they expect bad ratings.
http://iarnuocon.newsvine.com/_news/2008/02/05/1280114-create-the-controversy-expelled-movie-team-to-bribe-moviegoers
No, I also have a life (with my friends!), you sound envious....(though I may be wrong).
BW
Steve
clown...hahaha. yeah that's nothing like a jester. c'mon...is that all you've got?
Dear JITKC, I'm not sure jester is the right name I think you sholuld change it to clown. Kind regards Steve
That's so cute. stevie's got hisself a bunch of groupies. sycophants who thrill off of pretending to be christians so they can say "see! we're creative evolutionists. the best of both worlds"
I've got some close friends who are athiests who believe in the literal 6 day theory of creationism. Sounds dorky. So does your claim.
I"m sorry steve are you mad because we can refute your argument that Christian aren;t smart
Hello Tom, some of my closest friends are Christians who happen to accept evolution as an explanation for the biodiversity on this planet so I am quite aware that there are smart Christians around. Regards, Steve
prophet "Like I care."
back at you jack
citsonga,
"As an agnostic, your view of what God is seems really, really silly to me."
Like I care.
jesus4me "No wonder our wold is going upsidedown: Here is the equation- The US Supreme Court rules for the first time in favor of using case law to remove prayer from public schools in 1962"
Oh yes, Before 1962 the US was a grand and wonderful place, no racism, no poverty, no disease, no war, no hatred, no STD's, no abortions, no divorce, no homosexuals, no murders, no lynchng, no pollution, no alcoholics, no drug addicts, no fornication.......the US was a grand and glorious place. If only we had prayer in schools , the US would again be a perfect plce.....LOL .....LOL...........LOL
Dude, get a clue...........
Tom "He [God]wants His people to put Him first to worship Him"
Wow, God expects lowly humans to worship him. Does God have a fragile ego and is in need of worship and praise by the lowly human animal on a little speck of a planet in a galaxy made of billions of star systems in a universe made up of billions of galaxies. Surely, if God had the power and ability to create the cosmos , then God would have much better things to do than to expect the lowly human animal to sit around and tell him how great he is. I'm sure God-creator of the universe, if God exists, already knows he is pretty great. Dont think God needs his creation telling him that.
As an agnostic, your view of what God is seems really, really silly to me. I will say this though, your posts are interesting in showing me how religious folks view the world. As a scientist, I cant relate to it at all- makes no sense what so ever.
Religious belief is really rooted in science- the field of genetics. Some folks, such as you may be predisposed by genetics to be religious, thats a survival mechanism for you. I dont seem to have the religiosity genes.
What is it that bothers you atheists? If God does not exist to you, then why do you feel threatened with the evidence for a creation, and a Creator? If there is no threat, then you will not be bothered by it, but because the Truth is coming out and impacting many, many scientists who are forced to push failed Darwinianism into the feeble minds of our youth, we are having this debate. I'm so happy someone like Ben Stein is coming out with a factual documentary on the double standard that exists in today's scientific community, liberal academia, the news media, and in the once Christian university's which are now secular humanistic university's. No wonder our wold is going upsidedown: Here is the equation- The US Supreme Court rules for the first time in favor of using case law to remove prayer from public schools in 1962. Count down from 1962 all the way till today and see if there are more numbers of illegitimate children, STD's, lack of a moral compass because of situational ethics, etc., check out the rise in illegal drug use, promiscuity, AIDS, broken homes, etc. You be the judge. On another note, there is hope in Jesus Christ. Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near. When Christ comes back for His Church, and God's wrath is poured out on sinful, rebellious, and stubborn unrepentant humanity, don't blame God, and don't blame His messengers the Christians. We have tried to show you the way to Christ, yet you are blind in your "knowledge" and "wisdom".
1 Corinthians 1:18
[ Christ the Power and Wisdom of God ] For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
1 Corinthians 1:17-19 (in Context) 1 Corinthians 1 (Whole Chapter)
1 Corinthians 3:19
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their own craftiness”;
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (in Context) 1 Corinthians 3 (Whole Chapter)
I"m sorry steve are you mad because we can refute your argument that Christian aren;t smart or are you just throwing out words meant to hurt, kind of like throwing a temper tantram because we have called you on it and you have been found wanting. It isn't right because of mught, it is right because the evidence shows it to be. Sorry. Gods Blessing on ya both
In Christ Tom