IT'S ALL ABOUT what the children should be taught—that raging, ongoing debate between evolutionists and those who advocate "intelligent design" creationism.

In March, the National Center for Science Education, based in Oakland, California, defended the teaching of evolution in public schools by releasing "Creationism Disproved?"—the third in a series of videos showing students how evolution works. And in April, Ben Stein, an actor-attorney, released a documentary film, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed, claiming to prove that scientists who question Darwin's theory of evolution are being expelled from the scientific community. What caught my attention in an article in The Blade newspaper (Toledo, Ohio) about Stein's film and the "polar-opposite" reactions to it, was this comment by one of the movie's producers: "What you're seeing is that there's nothing down the middle" (April 28, 2008).

Basically, the questions surrounding the issue are: Should the public schools teach children that they and everyone else have evolved through a long process of material development? Or should they be taught that an intelligent designer, namely God, created human beings all at once? As a Christian Scientist, I don't see a middle ground in this debate because it's stuck in a mortal, material model of creation. Christian Science presents a higher ground—a spiritual model.

Christ Jesus provided this spiritual model. His birth, healings, and resurrection—and all of his teachings—point to God as infinite Spirit, as the only Cause and Creator, and to the beautiful spiritual qualities that make up everyone's real being as God's sons and daughters, made in His spiritual image and likeness. Jesus said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48).

God's likeness is not to be found in matter but through the spiritual perception of God's true nature as immortal Truth, eternal Life, and divine Love. Jesus' life and works gave scientific proof of his teachings, healing and spiritually regenerating people's lives. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and proved the divine Science behind Jesus' works, wrote: "Jesus of Nazareth was the most scientific man that ever trod the globe. He plunged beneath the material surface of things, and found the spiritual cause" (Science and Health, p. 313).

While the public schools may not be ready to take on this model—the divine Science of being—as a basis for teaching creation to children, spiritually minded adults can utilize even the most ordinary everyday moments with children of all ages to nurture in them an awareness and appreciation of themselves and others in their immortal, spiritual identity. Also, the importance of the Christian Science Sunday School in the spiritual education of children cannot be overemphasized. To this end, Science and Health clarifies a high goal: "The entire education of children should be such as to form habits of obedience to the moral and spiritual law, with which the child can meet and master the belief in so-called physical laws, a belief which breeds disease" (p. 62).

While I was praying one recent evening about nurturing the spiritual nature of creation in children, a line from a hymn kept surfacing in my thought: "His majesty shines in creation's wondrous story" (Maria Baum, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 292). Creation evolving from Spirit—entirely spiritual, always whole and harmonious—is indeed a "wondrous story." It's wondrous because it's true and provable, a story so natural to little children and adults alike; a story that's such a joy to learn that you just can't get enough of it.

Now I'm not talking about human platitudes and moralizing that can be off-putting to children, young people, and fellow adults. I'm talking about the actual living of spiritual qualities in our interactions with one another—patience, generosity, compassion, purity, integrity, refinement. These are just some of the qualities with which we can fill the pages of our lives, and bring out in others through unconditionally loving them as God loves them.

When we love living the story of our spiritual identity as God's children, this is naturally attractive to children and adults alike. It truly promotes the spiritual education of everyone—drawing out the beautiful qualities already within each one of us. This kind of living makes people want to listen to the real, spiritual story of creation—from parents, grandparents, Sunday School teachers, and, most significant, in quiet communion with God Himself. |css