The greatest defender of the doctrine of Creation in church history has gone to be with the Lord. No single man in the last two thousand years has contributed more to the defense of the book of Genesis or been more effective in rallying the people of God to embrace the historical, grammatical, literal, normative interpretation of its text than a humble, mild-mannered hydrologist named Dr. Henry Morris. [    ]

The Theory of Evolution served as the philosophical justification for eugenics, abortion, Nazism, and Marxism. Its influence on American culture has been far-reaching, driving much of the modern understanding of psychology, education theory, law, economics, and bio-ethics. Few if any academic disciplines have been left untouched by the pernicious influence of the evolutionary worldview. But the most significant impact of the Theory of Evolution was on the Church itself.

Early in the battle, Christians conceded significant ground. Scriptural compromises, concern about academic respectability, and general ignorance of the philosophical nature of the battle left significant casualties. In the end, many Christians either adopted a dichotomous view of science and faith, or they abandoned long-held assumptions about the integrity of Holy Scripture. The widespread indoctrination in evolutionary theory of Christian children through the government school systems only further entrenched the problem.

Against this tide of skepticism, rationalism, and pseudo-scientism, the creation movement would emerge, forcing the antithesis between the religion of Christ and the religion of evolution. The recognized founder and leader of this movement was Dr. Henry Morris.

The origins of the Creation movement can be traced to the publication of his first major work, The Genesis Flood, which he co-authored with Dr. John Whitcomb in 1961. [The book was rejected by publishers until a man named R.J. Rushdoony put in a good word with a then obscure publishing house called P and R.] [    ]

His life message was this: Believe Gods Word! It is reliable. It was given to us by the Creator of the universe, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is completely accurate as to everything it says, and there is no tension between biblical orthodoxy and scientific truth. God created the world in six twenty-four-hour days, just as the Scripture states. Then sin brought death into the world. Next, the world was destroyed by a global flood of Noahs day. The Bible gives us the grid for interpreting scientific fact, not the unproven assumptions of Big Bang cosmology or evolutionary materialism in any form. Between these two positions, there can be no compromise. When applied to the facts as we find them, the biblical account of origins provides the only intelligent and truthful foundation for interpretation. All other approaches are incoherent. [     ]

His lifetime efforts in defense of the book of Genesis transformed the theological landscape in Christianity, influenced national policymakers, reached nations as diverse as Japan and South Africa, contributed to a mass exodus of Christians from government schools, and resulted in the single largest treasure trove of Genesis scholarship in history.

The twentieth century will be remembered for some truly remarkable defenders of the faith. I think of the still highly productive R.C. Sproul, of the now-deceased Cornelius Van Til, and of three of Van Tils most notable students, Francis Schaeffer, R.J. Rushdoony, and Greg Bahnsen. But in terms of having an immediate, practical, culture-transforming apologetic ministry where the battle raged most ferociously, an argument can be made that Dr. Henry Morris was the Christian man of the century. [     ]

Henry Morris is one of less than a handful of men most responsible for the modern home education movement and the rise of Christian schools.