Heaven has welcomed another creationist into its fold. Dr. D. James Kennedy, founder and senior pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church (CRPC) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, went home to the Savior early on September 5th, with wife Anne and daughter Jennifer Kennedy Cassidy by his side. His health had been failing since he suffered a heart attack in December 2006. He officially retired as senior pastor just last month.
A dedicated young-earth creationist, Dr. Kennedy accomplished a great deal in his 76 years on earth. He began his pastorate at CRPC in 1959, and founded Coral Ridge Ministries in 1974 to spread the message of Christ through Truths that Transform, a daily 30-minute radio broadcast, and The Coral Ridge Hour, a weekly television message. He developed Evangelism Explosion International, a lay-witnessing training program used in many churches, established Westminster Academy for pre-kindergarten to high school students and Knox Theological Seminary, and authored and co-authored numerous books on the faith.
Dr. Kennedy believed strongly in the message of biblical creationism and a young earth. He addressed the first International Conference on Creationism in 1986, and became president of Creation Studies Institute in 2004 when it joined Coral Ridge Ministries. He believed that the empirical evidence disproved evolution, and that the message of creation was foundational for the Christian Church. As the description for his Truths that Transform message "The Creation and Fall of Man Part One" states:
Why is the Creation account in Genesis so important? Because if it didn't happen, then we don't need Jesus today! That is what is at stake in the creation/evolution debate.
We honor Dr. Kennedy's commitment to the truth of God's Word and to the accuracy of the Genesis account of creation. For more information regarding Dr. Kennedy's life and faith, visit www.DJamesKennedy.org.
