MICHAEL A. SMITH

            I have dedicated my life to learning and consider myself a perpetual student. My educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Philosophy and a Master of Arts in History. I am pursuing a Ph.D. in History at LUO. I recently completed a master’s degree in English focusing on Nonfiction Writing from SNHU. I thrive on engaging in various activities instead of limiting myself to a single field.

            Teaching and working with students are my true passions. I find fulfillment in imparting knowledge and guiding others. My primary areas of interest revolve around American Religious History and writing. I have a book in the editing phase that explores the Scopes Trial and the emergence of Christian Fundamentalism. Its publication is eagerly awaited. 

            The term "revolution," as coined by Thomas Kuhn, holds significance in only three historical events: the Copernican Revolution, the Darwinian Revolution, and the Einsteinian Revolution. These transformative moments sparked a paradigm shift in our thinking and ignited the ongoing conflict between science and the Bible, which originated in the 1500s. Unfortunately, many Christians view science with suspicion and perceive it as evil, while non-Christians often regard Christians as ignorant. Repairing the divide between science and the Bible is an area I am deeply interested in exploring.

            Before dedicating myself to academia, I spent a decade working as a technical writer in corporate communications for BMW Manufacturing. I also have professional experience with Schlumberger, Int. and Wells Fargo, Inc., both esteemed global corporations. I have had the privilege of residing in various locations, including Greenville, SC; Peyton, Colorado; Temple, Texas; and my current residence on the beautiful Outer Banks of NC. Living by the beach has challenges, but I am willing to sacrifice.

            At present, I am engrossed in three book projects. The first one, titled "Of Monkeys and Men: The Rise of Christian Fundamentalism and the Scopes Trial of 1925," explores the fascinating history surrounding this trial. The second project delves into the involvement of BMW with the Nazis, shedding light on an often-overlooked aspect of the company's past. Lastly, I am honored to be the biographer of Dr. Charles Townes, a remarkable individual born in Greenville, SC, who attended Furman University. Dr. Townes, who lived for nearly a century, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 and the Templeton Prize in Religion in 2005. His dedication to teaching and research until the end inspires me as I aspire to grow old while engaging in intellectual pursuits.

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What May Be the Greatest Sign We Overlook?

I saw a rather remarkable advertisement today for an old edition of American Britannica Encyclopedias, and it reminded me of just how useless those books are today. I remember well in the 1970s those guys selling the World Book Encyclopedias door-to-door. They were a must-have in those days because of limited resources and access to a library. Imagine buying twenty-five books that contained all the world’s knowledge, and each year you received an addendum for what had been learned in the new year, contained in a rather lean volume, but you were obligated to keep up with all the new occurrences.

Then the internet happened and after a rather slow start, the race for knowledge was on. Today every bit of that knowledge is at your fingertips…cell phones, ipads, laptops and you can instantly answer almost any question posed. People sit in church and fact-check their ministers. Students fact-check their teacher. We are learning at such a rate and volume as to declare the 25-volume American Britannica obsolete.

I recently was forced to update a factoid that I had taught for a while. Are you ready for it? Human knowledge today doubles at the rate of every eighteen months. Think of that. Every eighteen months we now have twice the information we had before. It makes one’s mind weary just to contemplate it. It certainly makes one feel old, outdated, and unable to keep up.

This fact alone has greatly changed education. We can no longer teach rudimentary facts. We now teach students where and how to access vast databases, and how to analyze and understand knowledge. We teach them to think critically, analyze clearly, and write succinctly. You basically teach yourself and build knowledge, hoping to become a subject matter expert.

In thinking about all this, I am reminded of two verses in the Holy Scriptures. One is an Old Testament reference in Daniel 12:4 where the prophet is told to shut up the prophecies until the time of the end; “many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased.” (Dan. 12:4 KJV). Again, in II Tim. 3:7 the writer, speaking of the last days says they would be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (II Tim 3:7 KJV).

Have you considered that we know more today than ever in human history, and yet that expansive knowledge does not seem to be able to stop a virus that is devastating the planet? We can launch men into space, and yet we are not able to make peace between the occupants of our planet. We can find the money to wage war, but we are not able or willing to make sure every person on the planet can live in freedom, be free from want, and fulfill their human potential. Maybe it is time we come back to the old paths, seek the Lord, and walk therein. It is evident that the new paths are not working so well.

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