I vividly remember the first time I corresponded with Henry Morris, the creationist icon.
For whatever reason, although I considered myself a voracious reader, I'd never heard of Henry Morris and the Institute for Creation Research until about 1995. Since 1970, ICR has been the most prestigious "think tank" for young-earth creationists, and today is headed by Henry's sons, John and Henry III (the elder Morris passed away in 2006).
Upon reading one of his books, I thought it would be a good idea to write Henry Morris a letter and ask a question about a certain Bible passage. Understand, in his world, this would like jotting a quick question to the President of the United States.
Henry being Henry, however, he not only answered my question personally, but took some time to explain the passage. This was my introduction to a giant in the field of biblical apologetics.
It is with fond memories that I recall this week the great man who had such an impact on cultural thinking. In particular, I'd like to highlight three of his projects – Henry was a prolific writer – and hopefully introduce a new generation of conservative readers to a humble man who loved the Bible and adhered to its authority.
In 1961, Henry teamed up with Dr. John Whitcomb to produce the watershed (pun intended) book, "The Genesis Flood." This book thrust the issue of creationism to the forefront and brought origins debate a new level of credibility in the church and the wider culture. For many years, since the disastrous Scopes Trial in 1925, Bible-believing Christians had gone underground somewhat in their thinking and had left such issues as evolution alone, much to the delight of proponents of Darwinian philosophy.
"The Genesis Flood" (still in robust print from Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing), however, made it OK again to publicly embrace the Genesis records as factual history.
Although some of the material in the book is now dated – creationists often refine their research, just as evolutionists do – "The Genesis Flood" is still a terrific reference for anyone interested in the subject of origins.
Next, I want to look at "The Modern Creation Trilogy," published by creationist juggernaut Master Books.
(A personal confession: I was the editor for this project way back when. In fact, in the publishing world, projects are selected only after careful consideration by an editorial board, made up of marketing, editorial and sales people. "The Modern Creation Trilogy" remains the only project I personally "authorized." When Henry told me about it on the phone, I blurted out, "We'll do it!" Fortunately, the publisher, a wise fellow, agreed and I didn't get into trouble!)
The three-book set, beautifully boxed, contains these titles: "Scripture and Creation"; "Science and Creation"; "Society and Creation." Written by Henry and John, these books are among the best I've ever read on the subject of origins. The authors raise so many salient points that I think readers will be astonished at the compelling arguments against evolution.
Among the startling observations (this coming from "Society and Creation"):
"Thus German scientists – especially the geneticists, anthropologists and psychiatrists, all firm believers in Darwinism – played a vital role in the atrocities of Hitler's Germany," the book claims. "And the frightening concomitant is that, at least until Hitler's actual military aggressions got under way, American and British scientists (who were also, for the most part, evolutionary racists at that time) seemed to approve this philosophy, or at least to condone it, in the name of science."
Of course, evolutionists have disputed this charge, yet it's found in the historical record. Henry was among the first creationists to bring this information to light.
I heartily recommend "The Modern Creation Trilogy" to anyone interested in origins issues; it's especially invaluable for students who are doing research.
Last but not least, John Morris' spectacular "The Young Earth" is the best book I've ever read on the subject of geology, from a creationist perspective.
John is perhaps the best writer around when it comes to boiling down scientific jargon for a lay reader; his gift is in his ability to succinctly (and even movingly) write about the philosophy behind evolutionary presuppositions. For example, in "The Young Earth," he makes the great point that there are two ancient accounts of Hannibal crossing the Alps, and no one disputes that it happened. On the other hand, there are 23,000 ancient manuscripts of the New Testament, but certain liberal scholars say it's myth.
This is where John shines as a researcher; his science is solid (a geology degree from the University of Oklahoma; go Sooners!), but his insight into the philosophy behind naturalism gets the reader's attention and gives great confidence to Bible-believing Christians.
So … if you are a person interested in the subject of origins, or especially a student studying the subject, you simply must have these books: "The Genesis Flood"; "The Modern Creation Trilogy"; and "The Young Earth."