by Jackie Perseghetti

"Awesome!!" Cole exclaimed, nearly bursting with excitement. "This is too cool!"

Grabbing for the nearest pencil, he flipped open his science journal and scribbled down his findings.

Devin, the class clown, looked at Cole and snickered. "Ewwww. Ahhhhh," he mocked.

Having successfully gained everyone’s attention, Devin pointed at Cole and blurted out, "Eureka! I’ve discovered the geek germ!"

Laughter exploded in the classroom.

"All right, class. There’s only a few minutes left," boomed Mr. Jemison, their science teacher. "Tomorrow will be a lecture in preparation for the final exam. Judging by how poorly many of you did on the last test—with a few exceptions—" he added, nodding in Cole’s direction, "you’d better come prepared to take good notes." The bell rang, and students quickly headed for the lunchroom. Cole lingered, gathering his supplies.

"Uh, Mr. Jemison?" he asked hesitantly. "Could you tell me my grade so far?"

Mr. Jemison browsed through his class book and punched a few buttons on his calculator. "As it stands now, you have a high B. In order to get an A, you need to earn 95 percent or higher on Friday’s exam. I know you can do it, Cole. You’re one of my star students."

He gave Cole a reassuring nod and returned to his work. Cole knew he could pull it off if he studied hard. Getting an A in science would give him a straight-A report card, and that meant his dad would buy him the remote-controlled airplane he had wanted for so long.

"We’ve got a lot to cover," Mr. Jemison stated the next day in class. Tapping a button on the remote control, he projected a picture of the solar system. "Billions of years ago, our solar system was created by spontaneous combustion commonly referred to as the big bang. We know this to be true because . . ."

Cole barely heard the next points of the lecture. Everything his teacher said conflicted with what he knew from the Bible.

". . . we know the Earth is old because of special radioisotopic dating techniques scientists use," Mr. Jemison said matter-of-factly.

Before Cole knew it, his hand was raised and Mr. Jemison’s voice came to a surprised halt.

"Yes, Cole? Is there something of interest you’d like to add?" Cole’s throat went dry, and he almost wished he hadn’t raised his hand. All eyes were trained on him, waiting.

"Uh, Mr. Jemison," he stammered, "You mentioned the Earth is billions of years old and began with a big bang. How can scientists know this as fact when they weren’t there?"

Snickers rippled around the room.

"Well, Cole, since none of us were there, and since none of us knows anyone who was there, it stands to reason—"

"But I know Someone who was there," Cole interrupted. "God was there, and He explains how it all happened in Genesis."

A hush fell over the room.

"Cole, religion has nothing to do with science," Mr. Jemison answered curtly. The bell signaled the close of class and students began to leave.

"What a loser!" Devin spat.

"I used to think you were smart!" another student said.

Friday came with great anticipation. Cole had studied hard for final exams. Excited at the thought of earning his remote-controlled plane, he cleared his desk and waited for the test.

Mr. Jemison placed the test facedown on Cole’s desk.

"You may turn over your tests and begin," he announced to the class.

Cole flipped over his test so quickly, it nearly slipped off his desk. After writing his name in the corner, he briefly scanned the page. There were five true/false questions concerning the big-bang theory. To answer them according to his beliefs would mean he’d miss them all and automatically get a 90 percent and a B for his final grade.

Cole’s heart sank. He glanced at Mr. Jemison. The nearby poster of Albert Einstein simply quoted: "If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts." Cole completed his test and turned it in.

"May I have a word with you, Cole?" Mr. Jemison asked after class, holding Cole’s graded test in his hand. "I know what you did. Why?"

Cole looked down. "Sir, evolution and the big bang are theories based upon the idea there is no God, so doesn’t that make them a type of religion? I can’t agree that these theories are facts when the Bible has never been proven wrong."

Mr. Jemison sat back in his chair, speechless. Cole’s willingness to sacrifice his grade for what he believed left Mr. Jemison with a lot to think about. He reread Cole’s answers to the true-false section.

"Religion has nothing to do with science, Mr. Jemison."

Cole received a B in the class and didn’t get his plane, but he got a more satisfying reward—the feeling of accomplishment in standing up for what was right.

Besides, Cole knew there was always his birthday. . . .

	Q: What is a bird’s favorite game? A: Air hockey. Adam O., 9, Arkansas Clubhouse Jr. Click here to subscribe