Russell M. Grigg M.Sc. (Hons.)
Creationist Chemist and Missionary
CMI–Australia
Biography
Russell Grigg was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and received his schooling and
university education in that country. He studied chemistry at Victoria University
College, Wellington (now known as Victoria University of Wellington), graduating
in 1948. He then worked for a number of years as an industrial chemist and then
as a manager in the paint manufacturing industry in Wellington and Christchurch.
After theological studies at the New Zealand Bible Training Institute (later known
as the Bible College of New Zealand, and now as Laidlaw College), he joined the
Overseas Missionary Fellowship in 1959. He served for 12 years, heading up OMF’s
publishing program in Jakarta, Indonesia. Here he met and married Miss Merle Cornelius,
another member of OMF, from Adelaide, Australia. Merle went to be with the Lord
in January 2009. Russell has three adult children and nine grandchildren.
In 1971, the family settled in Adelaide and Russell worked for 10 years with Rigby
Ltd., an Australian publishing company, rising to the position of Senior Editor.
Here he wrote two books, Australian Trains and Death in the Family: What
to Do, both published by Rigby Ltd.
In 1982, Russell rejoined OMF and served on the home staff for eight years. He was
State Director for South Australia.
During the 1980s, Russell became aware of a new magazine called
Creation Ex Nihilo that was published by Creation Science Foundation
(now Creation Ministries International) in Brisbane. The first few editions
had been written by an Adelaide doctor, Carl Wieland,
and turned out by him on the photocopier in his surgery. When Carl called a few
friends together to form a local committee in Adelaide, Russell went along. With
his science background, and several years experience in arranging meetings for missionary
speakers, showing films, and selling books in local churches, he felt he might have
something to contribute.
In the next few years, the Creation Science Foundation grew into a large
organization, with headquarters, offices and bookroom at Acacia Ridge in Brisbane,
and support groups in each State. The latter arranged meetings for CSF’s highly
qualified speakers in churches throughout Australia, as well as debates and other
public meetings in universities, Bible Colleges, and schools.
In 1988, when Dr Duane Gish came from the USA to speak
in Australia, Russell and Peter Sparrow, the Adelaide CSF representative (of
Creation Bus fame), tried to arrange a debate with one of the university
biology professors or lecturers. However, no one at either Adelaide University or
Flinders University was willing to accept the challenge. Clearly the evolutionists
in these universities did not want Dr Gish to be heard by the students on either
campus.
What to do? Russell came up with the idea of organizing a ‘Clayton’s
Debate’ (the debate you have when you are not having a debate) in which Dr
Gish would be the sole speaker. In the first hour, he would present ‘The Scientific
Evidence for Creation’, and then for another hour he would give and refute
‘The Alleged Evidence for Evolution’ based on the arguments that scores
of evolutionary scientists, including such well-known personalities as Dr Isaac
Asimov and Dr Stanley Miller, had used in over 200 debates with him in USA, Canada,
England, India, New Zealand, and other countries.
A meeting was advertised along these lines. Posters and leaflets were prepared,
with a range of different cartoons on each to catch people’s attention. Members
of Students for Christ enthusiastically supported the idea and put up the
posters all round the campus, as well as keeping a daily supply of hundreds of pamphlets
explaining the circumstances on the counter and tables in the cafeteria for students
to read while they were eating their lunch. When the time came, about 300 people
comfortably filled the lecture room, which was probably more than would have attended
had a more orthodox debate been held!
Since 1990, Russell has lived Brisbane, where he is a staff member of Creation Ministries
International. He writes scientific and theological articles for Creation
magazine, edits articles and books written by others, and reviews books and videos
on creation topics submitted to CMI from overseas.
Education
M.Sc. (Hons.) — Chemistry
Publications
Some Creation magazine articles written
by Russell Grigg
Other articles
Profile
Back to Other biographies and interviews of interest
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