This is the online edition of In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood
(7th Edition) by Dr. Walt Brown. The online version of the book is designed to be read online.
A PDF version or hardbound print version may be ordered.
Copyright © 1995–2008, Center for Scientific Creation. All rights reserved.
Click here to order the hardbound print edition of this online book.
Resource Materials
Many resources are available to help students form conclusions. Teachers and school officials are encouraged to examine the following list of resources and select those they feel are appropriate for their learning situations. Regardless of which specific resources or activities the teacher selects, every effort should be made to provide a balance between at least the two basic scientific models of origins—evolution and creation.
Video Tape
The Great Debate: Evolution vs. Creation (50 minutes). This excellent video features a debate between Professor Evolution and Dr. Creation, each played by Terrence R. Mondy, who was selected as the outstanding high school biology teacher for Illinois, 1999–2000. Entertaining, informative, interesting, and accurate. Appropriate for high school through college audiences. Available from Creative Media, 6305 Ojibwa Lane, McHenry, IL 60050 for $22.95, which includes mailing and handling.
Books for Student Reference:
From the evolution perspective:4
From the creation perspective:
Contrasting the creation and evolution perspectives:
- Richard Bliss and Gary E. Parker, Origin of Life, Evolution/Creation, Master Books, 1979.
- Richard Bliss, Gary E. Parker, and Duane T. Gish, Fossils: Key to the Present, Evolution/Creation, Master Books, 1980.
- Francis Hitching, The Neck of the Giraffe, Ticknor & Fields: New Haven and New York, 1982.
- Michael Denton, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, Burnett Books Limited (London), 1985.
- William R. Fix, The Bone Peddlers: Selling Evolution, Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984.
- Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe, Evolution from Space, Simon and Schuster, 1981.
- Gordon Rattray Taylor, The Great Evolution Mystery, Harper and Row, 1983.
Outside Speakers
Invite outside experts to answer students’ questions. These experts would usually be an evolutionist and a creation scientist. Teachers should not assume this role and defend one point of view. Teachers are encouraged to create an atmosphere of inquiry by stimulating and motivating students to arrive at their own conclusions independently. Having expert witnesses just before the students begin writing their papers will help the students concentrate on unresolved questions. It might be instructive, especially at the high school level, to formulate questions beforehand in class. Students who favor evolution should question the creationist witness, and students who favor creation should question the evolutionist witness. This will increase the level of interest and the desire to prepare adequately.
Student Debates
Brief student debates increase student interest and involvement in this project. Students could be given five minutes to state their cases regarding some evidence, followed by two-minute rebuttals. A sign-up sheet could be posted for students to seek an opponent to debate selected topics. One such debate each week, lasting possibly 15–20 minutes, could provide an important stimulus for all students. Videotaping during nonclassroom time can be effectively used, allowing teachers to select the best debates for classroom viewing.
Bulletin Board Displays
Students should be encouraged to bring to class any magazine, newspaper, or journal articles on the subject of origins. After they have been posted on a bulletin board for several days, discussions concerning the quality of the articles, the evidence cited, and the identification of hidden assumptions can be very informative. Letters to the editor by students could provide additional interest. Teachers may wish to offer incentives for any student whose letter is published, such as excusing the student from another writing exercise.