Todd Wood is a Ph.D. biochemist and is the president of Core Academy of Science, a young earth creationist think tank. Wood is a popular host and speaker and was featured in the widely distributed documentary-style film “Is Genesis History?”

A few years ago, Wood caught a lot of flak from creationist quarters because of an essay he posted on the Core Academy site.

“Evolution is not a theory in crisis,” wrote Wood.

“There is evidence for evolution, gobs and gobs of it … There is no conspiracy to hide the truth about the failure of evolution. There has really been no failure of evolution as a scientific theory. It works, and it works well.”

WHAT? Send the Ken Ham Bat Signal!

Then Dr. Wood added: “It is my own faith choice to reject evolution . . ..” 

While we were off-line and prepping for a feast of roast dinosaur with all the trimmings, the Texas State Board of Education was doing its best to sabotage science education in the state. The week before Thanksgiving, the Board met in Austin to adopt new science textbooks. 

By Friday, eight of twenty-two science texts had been rejected by the Board. 

Board member Evelyn Brooks voted against the textbooks because they didn’t give “considerable weight” to creationism. Students should be presented with both evolution and creationism in Texas public schools, according to Brooks.

Apparently, a majority of State Board members agreed. 

Fighting evolution has morphed into rejection of climate science. Also rejected were textbooks that, in the words of Board member Patricia Harding, “scared” children about climate change. 

If you’re not a Texan, why should you care? The sheer size of Texas public education makes the state a textbook juggernaut. If Texas ain’t buying it, it’s not being printed.

There is a reason why those who promote a six- to ten-thousand-year-old earth are always religious.

There is a reason why those who promote an instantaneous creation or a designed creation are always religious.

If evidence for a young earth or special creation or special design truly existed, there would be at least a few non-religious scientists supporting these positions, but there are not.

There are multitudes of religious people who, unlike Todd Wood, hold to faith and accept science evidence. Credit to Wood, however, for his intellectual honesty regarding his rejection of the evidence.

It is Todd Wood’s theology that demands he reject evolution, not the science. It is the Texas board members’ theology that demands they reject evolution, not the evidence.

As such, “both sides” have no place in a public-school classroom.