Wonderfully put! I've never seen the case for providential evolution put as well as you have put it!
ZC: you've been wondering about the difference between ID and thesitic evolution, or "providential design" as you like to call it. Well, I think Stultis has summarized it better than anyone.
So then, what are you arguing about? You are against teaching ID but for teaching "providential theism" in the classroom? Either way there is a Designer, is there not? Six of one, half a dozen of the other. The only possible difference I can see is that you PD'ers want the atheists to like you so you attack your fellow Theistic evolutionists and ignore the fact that the most dogmatic Darwinists themselves insist that G-d is "superfluous," G-d forbid. I certainly never see you PD'ers scolding dogmatic atheist Darwinists.
I suggest you read my Chanukkah post on the "religion" board.