[Links to the main sections of this long report on the Centre for Intelligent Design are given at the bottom of this page. If you want to disagree, discuss, add to or comment on the research, feel free to do so on our community forum. That's what it's there for.]
Peter Loose
A quick search using the Whois listing found that the domain name of C4ID's web site, c4id.org.uk, was registered to a UK individual, Peter Loose. It was registered on 14th September 2010. We had come across this name some years ago and, indeed, is known personally by one of the BCSE members.
Some years ago Peter Loose was the organiser of a national UK tour by Discovery Institute founder Phillip Johnson. The tour appears to have largely centred on the Elim Pentecostal movement. According to a very recent search, Loose is a member of the Elim Church National Management Board and “is committed to facilitating world-class Christian Apologetics to Churches and the wider sceptical community.”
According to Wikipedia “Apologetics is the discipline of defending a position (usually religious) through the systematic use of reason.” This doesn't seem to be consistent with C4IDs view that the Intelligent Design that Loose has pushed is purely a scientific position. Loose is not a scientist either. He's a former BBC engineer who “then established international technology businesses, later sold, and retired in his 40s to concentrate on Christian ministry.” (Note, at the time of writing in 2010 Peter Loose is 68.) See http://www.uccf.org.uk/about-us/our-team/contacts/trust-board/peter-loose
Perhaps, but our BCSE member states that “though his companies and those he was involved with had a number of subsidiaries at various times. The one I worked for was an offshoot of the main company, which was called European Electronic Systems and was based at Woodham Ferrers near Chelmsford."
"EES had a very poor reputation among IT engineers in the region: not least because promotion there was said to be more dependent upon assiduity in attending prayer meetings rather than demonstrable ability at designing circuits. Evidently having Jesus on the board as an executive director wasn't a terribly good idea, because the firm went bust in 1990."
Loose is also an activist in getting religion into state schools. According to the web site of UCCF, “Peter and Faith [his wife] lead Chelmsford Crusaders (their home town) among ‘teenagers plus’ from diverse backgrounds. He is a passionate trustee of their town-wide supported Christian Ministry to Secondary Schools.” See http://www.uccf.org.uk/about-us/our-team/contacts/trust-board/peter-loose
UCCF (Universities and_Colleges Christian Fellowship) is the umbrella organisation for evangelical Christian Unions in British schools and colleges. BCSE research has identified it as a source of concern to those worried about creationism getting into schools. It seems to be heavily influenced by creationists. Loose is a trustee of UCCF.
Loose is also treasurer of a local religious organisation in Chelmsford – it's called Chelmsford Schools and Youth Ministry or SYM for short. It seems that SYM is active in promoting creationism and Intelligent Design – see its web site at http://www.symchelmsford.org/index.html (where creationism and biblical literacy are promoted) and, more specifically, at http://www.symchelmsford.org/lessons.html where details are given of how schools are influenced.
“Glyn [a staffer] has worked closely with a number of schools in Chelmsford, building relationships with students and teachers and supporting RE departments. As well as setting up and supporting lunchtime groups and assisting teachers during their classes, Glyn has also planned and delivered a number of key stage 3 lessons.”
“SYM has a team of dedicated associates working with us, delivering a range of high standard, stimulating and specialised lessons. From medical doctors to philosophy graduates to reformed drug addicts to youth pastors, SYM has been blessed with a wealth of collective knowledge and experience to draw upon. The associates team specialise in delivering key stage 4 and A Level lessons in philosophy, theology and lifestyle choices.”
The same web site discusses the National Curriculum.and, specifically, science. What appears to be on offer is SYM's own material:
Key Stage 3
Religion versus Science: are they in conflict?
Creation and theistic evolution explored.
What is “Intelligent Design”?
Note that neither creationism nor Intelligent Design have anything whatsoever to do with Key Stage 3 of science; nor Key Stage 4. It is against the law to teach Intelligent Design or creationism in the school science lesson. However, the web site also suggests that Intelligent Design is pushed as part of RE as well:
Modern design argument: What is Intelligent Design?
Note also that the web site claims “As well as RE and philosophy courses taking advantage of this service, general studies, citizenship and science departments have also benefited from our team of experienced specialists.” This is very close to admitting that the law is being broken.
There's also some crass hypocrisy here. The proponents of Intelligent Design say that it has nothing to do with religion - a position from which it is impossible not to conclude that it therefore has no place at all in religious education. Or are they just lying?
So there we have it. One of the people who has taken a significant role in the establishment of the Centre for Intelligent Design has also been actively getting Intelligent Design into schools, by the look of it for years. The very same person who got Wedge Document man Phillip Johnson to tour the UK.
SYM has close connections to Christian Unions in schools in Chelmsford.
For the record here are the details of the 2005 tour organised by Peter Loose (from http://www.ecalpemos.org):
“Dr. Andrew Snelling and Professor Phillip Johnson undertook a lengthy speaking tour throughout Great Britain from late October through mid-November. They spoke to over 8,000 people in 26 different venues. Peter Loose and the Elim churches of the United Kingdom who organized the tour were extremely pleased with the greater-than-expected turnout. Both public and church meetings were held during the tour. The largest meetings were held at the [Elim] Kensington Temple Church in London and at Charlotte Chapel in Edinburgh. Dr. Snelling was particularly thrilled to speak to the students at Emmanuel College in Newcastle-on-Tyne. [Wrong, it is in Gateshead.] This government-funded school had produced great controversy because it teaches creation. Evolutionists such as Richard Dawkins are indignant. Yet, this schoolis one of the best in the country, and Prime Minister Blair was supportive of the school in parliament two years ago.”
Well, there's revelation!. Peter Vardy, who founded Emmanuel College, sued a British publication, Tribune, in 2010 for saying that his schools taught creationism, and he won. See http://www.secularism.org.uk/vardy-sues-over-creationist-clai.html
Snelling is, of course, a young earth creationist who works for the Institute for Creation Research. Whilst he was trained as a geologist, he seems to have a big problem with what he thinks about how old the earth is. It seems to vary according to who is paying him. See http://www.noanswersingenesis.org.au/realsnelling.htm
Summary
The good denizens of Chelmsford and district need to take a very careful look at what Peter Loose, openly a creationist fundamentalist, is doing in their schools. AS do the rest of us in the United Kingdom. This man was central in bringing Phillip Johnson over to the UK to promote Intelligent Design, without, incidentally, even bothering to cover up that it is just a front for young earth creationism.
To spell it out further, Johnson looks to be chief architect of the Wedge strategy to socially re-engineer society along Christian fundamentalist lines. Michael Behe was also a central key player in establishing the Wedge strategy from 1993 and now Loose has been central to a new ID organisation that has invited Behe to be its launch agent. Looks like the same game of a few years back.
But it's worse than that. Loose seems to be a self appointed compulsive meddler in education in the Chelmsford area and elsewhere and looks to have got creationism into since lessons there (or, at least, attempted to do so). Yet Loose is a failed businessman, whose business went bust because of his chronic lack of judgement about religion and his consequential incompetence in managing people.
C4ID claims that it is not aiming to get Intelligent Design into schools. Yet its agents, (Behe, Loose and Barnard) have been up to their necks for years in getting Intelligent Design and creationism into schools.
(Footnote: We have been unable to confirm that Peter Loose is the son of Leonard Loose (https://www.csm.org.uk/news.php?viewmessage=77), long time and founding member of what is now the Creation Science Movement.)
Navigate your way around this report using the following links:
First Page: Centre for Intelligent Design Executive Summary
Introduction to the Centre for Intelligent Design
How Many People are Behind the Centre for Intelligent Design?
Timing of the Centre for Intelligent Design
Who Runs and Organises the Centre for Intelligent Design?
Professor Norman Nevin OBE
Dr Alastair Noble
Dr David Galloway
Previous Page: John Langlois OBE, Centre for ID Guernsey
Current Page: Peter Loose
Next Page: Centre for Intelligent Design Strategy
The Channel Islands Connection
Centre for Intelligent Design's Headquarters
Supporting the Show – Messrs Michael Behe, Steve Fuller and Geoff Barnard
Miscellaneous Intelligence
