I trust as you read the preceding article that you joined with us in the celebration of ICR's 30 fruitful years in creation ministry. Truly God has wrought great things, and we give Him all the glory.
We think of the creation movement's beginning as the publication of The Genesis Flood by ICR's founder, Dr. Henry Morris, and Dr. John Whitcomb in 1961. At that time there was almost no interest in creation in either scientific or Biblical circles. Theistic evolution dominated scholarly Christian thought, and those who cared about the Bible had retreated into the Gap Theory. This book, however, energized a growing movement, and with the founding of ICR in 1970, the movement came of age. The subsequent, worldwide resurgence of interest in creation evidences and Biblical literalism, has mobilized Christians and astounded critics. While seldom admitted by those in mainstream evolutionary science, we are winning this battle of ideas. Things will never be the same.
But what of the future? Where do we go from here? Since assuming the role of ICR President five years ago, I have prayed much about this, and would like to share these plans with you and include you in the process.
In many ways, our plans are simply to "stay the course," improving programs already in progress. My twin goals of research and communication will not change, but they can be extended.
The research thrust at ICR emanates from the ICR Graduate School, and these are times of great strides. Your attention has been drawn to the RATE research on radioisotope dating, and we expect major breakthroughs here. Similarly, ICR's Grand Canyon research, especially the discovery of an estimated one billion, 24-inch-long nautiloid fossils in the Redwall Limestone, oriented in a preferred direction by a massive underwater mudflow, has the potential of changing the face of geology! Genetic and breeding research has produced stunning insights into the limits of the Genesis "kind," and undercut evolutionary claims. Computer modeling of paleoclimates during the Ice Age demonstrates the viability of catastrophic thinking and the impotence of uniformitarianism. These and other projects must continue and be extended.
ICR's book and video ministry will continue as well, with great things expected from the upcoming RATE book and an up-to-date book on flood geology by Andrew Snelling. The popular study tours will also continue, with additional destinations planned for Great Britain and the Galapagos Islands.
Obviously, the outreach ministries of ICR must continue, but America is changing and we will flex with it, to take this timeless message to a changing culture. Therefore, the radio group is adding more adventure drama programs while expanding into foreign markets. The seminars are targeting new areas and freshening their approach. Children's ministries are blossoming with the rapidly growing home school movement.
One of the biggest cultural shifts is due to the Internet, a powerful tool for education. ICR already has the Creation OnLine course at the high school level, and will soon release "Advanced Creationism" at a semi-technical level. On the horizon is an additional graduate major in "Creation Studies" to be offered completely online. Plans are to expand the breadth and content on our web site, making it a full creation resource with answers to frequently asked questions, creation news, Acts & Facts, and Days of Praise online, an adventure site for kids, research articles, and archival materials.
Perhaps the biggest unknown for me regards the future of ICR's two stalwarts, my father, Dr. Henry Morris, and Dr. Duane Gish. Our prayer is that God would grant each one many more years of good health and vitality, but realistically, we must find ways to continue the writing and speaking ministries they started into the future, even after they are gone. Obviously, no one person could replace either of them, but the functions they defined are indispensable. A wrong step would be devastating. I covet your prayers for wisdom.
In all things, however, I have great confidence. ICR has never been stronger. The arguments for creation are more convincing, the research is more productive, the opportunities are more wide-ranging, and our powerful Creator God undergirds them all.
Join me in celebrating God's blessings for the last 30 years and in anticipating even greater blessings in the days ahead, until He returns.
