Praise the Lord and Pass the Beaker

I taught the Protestant Reformation and the Enlightenment today (which begs for a post some other day about the insanity of the AP World History curriculum), necessitating a brief conversation about the deists — you know, those guys who wore white wigs and talked a lot about "the Watchmaker."

I almost cried in relief when one of the most avowedly Christian students in class raised his hand and said, "So basically, these guys were saying that, like, God could have made evolution or whatever happen? So it doesn't have to be either/or?"

I answered in a vague affirmative (this is public school after all), prompting a contemplative "huh" and a light bulb above his head that was nearly palpable.

Attn: Eleventh Grade Biology Teachers — in lieu of thank you notes, send cash.