When I went to college, my older cousin told me, “Treasure your time at school. Looking back, those were the golden years of my life.” While every season of life has ups and downs, I think we all know how special and formative those years of learning and building lifelong connections can be. An important goal of the Center for Science and Culture is to bring intelligent design science to bear in those pivotal years.

That’s what the Summer Seminars on Intelligent Design accomplish. Students otherwise told to nod along with the “settled science” get a chance to dive deep into design theory. Not only do they learn the science. They also explore the history and philosophy of intelligent design, with either science or humanities as their focus.

The application deadline is March 31. More information is here. In less than two weeks, we will need to start deciding how many participants we can accept for this year’s fully subsidized summer program, to be held in the amazing natural setting of Glen Eyrie Castle in Colorado Springs. 

These seminars meet an important need in the lives of many up-and-coming scientists, professors, and cultural leaders. And you don’t have to take my word for it.

“Theism Gets Hammered”

Jacob Butschek, one of our 2023 international seminar students, shared his story with me. “Theism gets hammered by society and universities,” he says. “While preparing for my psychoanalysis exams, I started to doubt my Christian faith and whether God even existed. I started to investigate various worldviews and the arguments for them, but I didn’t go into much detail at that time. I only answered my questions superficially.”

Then Jacob found Stephen Meyer’s Return of the God Hypothesis and the argument for design. “Books by Meyer are on a different level, scientifically. And since I like to dig deep and really get questions answered (as long as I am able to grasp them), I decided to join the Summer Seminar last summer.”

The program gave him the knowledge and encouragement he needed to defend his beliefs. In Jacob’s words, “The rich material from the Summer Seminar definitely helps me to step up my game in being prepared to share my convictions regarding intelligent design.” He went on to say, “I think the Summer Seminar can really help anyone searching for truth and looking for answers regarding our universe and the big questions in life.”

Continued Mentoring

Not only does Jacob share intelligent design in his circles, but he also decided to give back after his experience: “The Summer Seminar and all the people involved have been really helpful! Compared to the tremendous value of the Summer Seminar, my gift was just a little something! I am just really thankful for each and every one of the people involved who make all this possible, who invest their time in ID research, who assemble the Summer Seminar.”

It can be hard watching college students lose confidence in their convictions. That’s why the work doesn’t end with the Summer Seminars.

CSC Fellows and staff continue to mentor these students following the program. Educational seminars, networking meetings, and outreach events build up young scientists and scholars in the U.S., UK, Africa, South America, Asia, and continental Europe.

If you’re an undergraduate, graduate student, or professor, consider applying now (before March 31). Or help us get out the word by sharing this with a student.

Visionary donors made the framework of these programs possible. Will you make an investment in a future leader this summer who can spread the truth about intelligent design?