As a child growing up in San Diego, I learned early on that my grandfather, Henry M. Morris, was a great man. Not a good man, mind you—but a truly great and remarkable man, uniquely gifted by God to perform a special work for His Kingdom. At the time, I was unaware of the many books he had written, the multitudes who had heard him speak, or even the early formation of ICR. I simply knew that people treated him with a great reverence everywhere he went, often enthusiastically sharing personal testimonies about the profound impact he had made on their lives.
As a man who eschewed publicity, such outpourings of gratitude and love were rather awkward for him. But with grace and humility, he would consistently defer all glory and praise to God. This made a deep and lasting impression on me, but it wasn’t until my high school years that I began to fully comprehend the enormous influence this man—and especially the ICR ministry he started—had made on the world of Christian apologetics and scientific thought.
At my parents’ insistence, I (rather reluctantly) spent a week of my summer vacation attending the annual ICR Summer Institute. By this time, ICR was well into its second decade of ministry, and by God’s blessing had grown tremendously in both size and reputation. Several scientists had joined ICR by then, either on a full-time basis or as adjunct faculty, and over the course of the week I was privileged to hear stunning scientific and apologetic arguments from such renowned leaders as Drs. Duane Gish, Steve Austin, John Morris, and Tim LaHaye.
Each lecture demonstrated some unique aspect of why the Scriptures were absolutely and literally true. Most noteworthy, the common thread seamlessly woven throughout all the messages clearly showed that the Genesis account of creation offered a much better explanation for understanding the scientific evidence of primeval history than evolution ever could. I learned many things that summer, but the most meaningful can be summarized as follows:
- The marvelous complexity of our world and universe clearly declares God’s existence (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1). Evolution simply has never occurred. Ever.
- The Bible, God’s written record of things past and things to come, was given by direct inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16).
- God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). As such, the Bible in its entirety is completely and perfectly true.
What I first believed would be a week of wasted time turned into a relevant and transformative experience that greatly strengthened my faith in Christ and settled forever in my heart that the Bible is indeed the very Word of the Living God. As each day passes, I am more strongly convinced its histories are authentic, its science is accurate (and far in advance of its times), its practical wisdom for daily living is unsurpassed, and its understanding of the human heart is perfect for every need. And it all started, at least for me, through the ministry of the Institute for Creation Research.
Perhaps you have a similar story that demonstrates the relevancy of ICR’s ministry in your life. If so, I’d really like to hear it. Please mail it to my attention, or email me at stewardship@icr.org. Can I get a witness?
* Mr. Morris is Director of Donor Relations at the Institute for Creation Research.
Cite this article: Morris IV, H. 2011. Can I Get a Witness? Acts & Facts. 40 (8): 21.
