|
 "...There
is not a shred of evidence in the fossil record to link the vertebrates to
any supposed ancestor among the invertebrates. Even this supposed
transition was supposed to take 100 million years, not a single
intermediate has ever been discovered. If vertebrates themselves have not
evolved, as seems certain, evolution theory is dead, and it is foolish to
speculate about evolution of groups within the vertebrates, or within any
other division."
 *
Duane T. Gish, Evolution: the Fossils Still Say No (El Cajon,
California: Institute for Creation Research, 1995) pp. 147, 148.
Dr. Gish earned his doctorate in biochemistry from the University of
California, Berkeley and is affiliated with California’s Institute for
Creation Research:
www.icr.org.
Champion of the Christian faith, he speaks from a half-century of
front-line experience exposing evolutionism’s shortfall. A Fellow with the
American Institute of Chemists, he has authored eight books, championing
the truth about God’s creation miracle. Renowned for his skill in
debating the creation v. evolution issue, he is nicknamed the "Bulldog."
The interview that follows was carried in a recent edition of
www.CreationDigest.com.
You have earned your
spurs in the trenches, as a distinguished scientist, debating the
controversy surrounding explanations for life on earth. Describe your
academic credentials.
B.S. (Chemistry),
U.C.L.A., 1949. Ph.D. (Biochemistry), University of California, Berkeley,
1953.
Research Assistant,
1953-1955; Assistant Professor, 1955-1956; Cornell University Medical
College, New York City.
Research Associate,
1956-1960, Virus Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley.
Research Biochemist,
1960-1971, The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo, Michigan.
Associate Director
and Vice-President, the Institute for Creation Research, 1971-present.
Author or co-author
of about 40 papers published in scientific journals. Author of about ten
books (five in print) and numerous articles on creation verses evolution.
Lectures in 49 of 50 states and in about 40 foreign countries.
And you are also a
believing and practicing Christian? And you believe in the miracle of
creation by God as described in Genesis?
I accepted Christ as
Savior and Lord at age ten and have always accepted the Biblical account
of creation described in the Book of Genesis.
Is there any reason
that religion and science should not complement one another rather than be
mutually exclusive? How about the suggestion that a Creator God
implicitly is the author of all science?
When the Bible is
correctly interpreted and the facts of science are correctly interpreted,
there are no contradictions between them. What we see of the universe and
what we discover in biology and all other fields of science reveal the
products of our Creator God.
What moment in your
life marked the beginning of your commitment to the Christian faith? What
single event solidified that faith?
My commitment to the
Christian faith began when I accepted Christ as Savior. Everything I
learned in my studies and research strengthened my confidence that all of
life had to have been created by an omnipotent Creator. There has never
been any doubt in my mind that the origin of life and of each basic kind
of plant and animal demands a supernatural Creator external to and
independent of the natural universe.
What do you consider
the single most persuasive evidence that convinced you that God created
the heavens and the earth by His command?
In my scientific
studies several things are most impressive in the evidence they give of
God’s creation. Concerning the origin of the universe, the Second Law of
Thermodynamics establishes the fact of creation. This law says that an
isolated system of any kind cannot begin in a state of chaos and disorder
and transform itself into a more highly ordered, more highly complex
system. The universe could not have created itself. The fossil record
reveals gaps so complete and of such immensity that biological evolution
can absolutely be excluded, but the evidence is just as predicted based on
creation. Finally, the evidence for design and purpose that is so
pervasive throughout the universe could not have been created by an
evolutionary process with no goal, no purpose, no intelligence, guided
solely by blind processes.
What do you see as
the single weakest link in the evolutionary hypothesis, from the
perspective of a scientist?
The weakest link in
the evolutionary process as most widely accepted, the neo-Darwinian
mechanism, is its total inability to explain the origin of totally new and
complex system. Even a growing number of evolutionists are losing faith in
Darwinism. For example, the Swedish biologist and evolutionist, Dr. Soren
Lovtrup, has stated that he believes "someday the Darwinian myth
will be ranked the greatest deceit in the history of science".
Unfortunately for Dr. Lovtrup, his suggested mechanism is every bit as
bad.
Recently I read that
you were honored for participating in at least 300 creation/evolution
debates and were affectionately nicknamed "bulldog" by some of your
admirers. Is it feasible to attack an opponent’s intellectual view while
showing Christian respect and regard for the person?
In debates with
evolutionists it is very important to show respect to your opponent and
maintain a cordial exchange of views, even when, on rare occasions, your
opponent is rude and attacks you personally. To do otherwise would weaken
your case.
How many different
individuals have you debated? Win, lose or draw, do you have any kind of
batting average assessing the results of these presentations?
I have debated more
than 200 individuals. I have never claimed to have won a debate, but
evolutionists themselves have stated in books and articles in scientific
journals that they believe creationists have won almost every debate.
Within your
knowledge, did you ever change the mind of a debating evolutionist or an
observing evolutionist in the audience?
The evolutionists
that are willing to get on a public platform and debate an informed
creationist are almost always so philosophically set in their minds
materialistically that no matter how persuasive the evidence presented by
the creationist may be, they refuse to consider this as evidence for
creation since they believe that no creator exists, therefore, there can
be no evidence for creation. No doubt, however, some with more open minds
have been impressed by the evidence for creation, although not willing to
give up their faith in evolution. We have had many testimonies by those
who came to debates as unbelievers, even atheists, and were persuaded and
became creationists and many of whom consequently became Christians.
What do you
remember to be the most difficult moment in all your debates? Your most
positive or rewarding moment?
One of the worst
debates I have had was with Ian Plimer, a geologist, at the University of
New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He was so bad, people in the audience
began to jump up and shout at him. He presented no evidence for evolution
whatsoever, but resorted to personal attacks against me. No doubt he won
no one to his position. The most rewarding times have been the hundreds of
occasions when one or several people in the audience have personally
thanked me for either contributing to events that led to their salvation
or provided a major turning point in their lives.
When all is said and
done, as a champion of scientific truth and the miracle of Creation, if
you could relive your distinguished career, what, if anything, would you
choose to do different? Would you still articulate these issues in the
debate format?
I would not choose
to do anything differently. I am convinced God directed me into scientific
studies and research to prepare me for the ministry of a creation
scientist, and that He eventually directed me to join the staff of the
Institute for Creation Research where that training and experience could
be most profitably utilized. I would still use every available debate as
one means of fulfilling the purpose God had for me.
Given your unique
experience and perspective, what words would you leave with those 300
audiences if they were all gathered together to hear your counsel?
I would emphasize
again the powerful positive evidence for creation and the vital truth this
establishes that, just as described in the Bible, God is our Creator, Lord
and Master and Father of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. |
