Journal of Creation 28(2):41, August 2014
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Coming to accept the Creator, and special creation, through different paths
A review of Transformed by the Evidence: Testimonies of Leading Creationists by Doug Sharp and Jerry Bergman (Eds.)
Leafcutter Press, Washington, 2014
How does one ‘swim upstream’ and become a creationist? This work helps answer the question. Editor Jerry Bergman begins with a brief analysis of the failures of evolutionary theory, and then elaborates on his impressive credentials.
This book is an anthology of mostly autobiographical articles by Dr Jerry Bergman, Dr Richard Lumsden, Dr D. Russell Humphreys, Dr Royal Truman, James Wight, Steve Miller, Dr Robert A. Herrmann, Tom Hennigan, Kitty Foth-Regner, Dr Wayne Frair, Doug Sharp, Joshua Gilbert, Guy Forsythe, Michael Gailey, Dr Jean Lightner, DVM, Jaap Kies, Rudolf Steinberg, Mark Stewart, Larry Kisner, Lee McCracken, Karl Priest, Tom Vail, Kerby Rials, Jonathan Bartlett, Dr Richard Bliss, Dr Jonathan Henry, Russ Miller, and Paul Humber.
The authors, most of whom are college educated, come from many walks of life, including those of a scientific or religious bent. Some were raised in Christian homes, had grown nominal or had drifted away, and then had come back to the Faith and become creationists. Others were atheists who had become impressed by the evidence supporting a creator. Some had been theistic evolutionists for a while before realizing its unworkability and becoming creationists. One common thread in the testimonies was growing dissatisfaction with the explanatory power of evolution, and realization that only a creator would do.
This work is suitable for the layperson. It includes colour photographs of many of the individual authors, and is presented in an easy-to-read, non-technical format. Each chapter is independent of every other chapter. A few of the articles have references for further reading.
This book indirectly provides a description of major personages in the creationist movement in decades past. The authors report having been influenced by the founders of the Creation Research Society, now fifty years ago. Luminaries mentioned are Dr Henry M. Morris, Dr Duane T. Gish, and others like them. This book can therefore serve as an excellent informal resource on the history of the creationist movement in recent decades.
Conflicts with evolutionists
Not surprisingly, many evolutionists do not take kindly to having their hegemony challenged. Some of the authors had difficulties with their colleagues in academia after having come to question evolution. For instance, when Richard Lumsden verbalized his coming to Christ as his Saviour and Lord, he was expelled from the science faculty at Tulane University.
Karl Priest describes the underhanded tactics of evolutionistic pressure groups trying desperately to prevent evolution from—horror of horrors—being questioned. Evolutionists also raised quite a stir to prevent the book Of Pandas and People from being used as a supplementary educational text.
Interesting information
The articles in this book touch on many different scientific matters. These include the failure of the big bang theory, inadequacy of abiogenesis, insights from information theory, the biological role of insects, functionality of nitrogen fixation, mathematics, evidences for a young earth, the Earth’s magnetic field, the Grand Canyon and catastrophism, Flood geology, the two-model approach to teaching origins, and more.
The articles in the book also get into such diverse social–political topics as the true character of feminism, Marxist influence in Latin American nations, biblical theology, eschatology and the end times, types of professed atheism, evolutionism and atheism in the former Soviet Union, etc.
Conclusion
The West’s media and academia are thoroughly steeped in evolutionism. It takes a great deal of independent thinking to buck this tide. The authors who have done so, and are featured in this book, can be an inspiration to others.
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