Friday, July 8, 2011

Answers in Genesis FREE Weekly Download – Radioactive and Radiocarbon Dating with Dr. Andrew Snelling

Posted by Christine Pack

I'm going to try to post these free weekly downloads from Answers in Genesis every week, time permitting, along with the biography of the scientist giving the lecture. I can't even begin to express how instrumental Answers in Genesis was in helping to form my biblical worldview. As a new Christian, I was still pretty evolutionary in my thinking. Then along came AIG.  I remember going through their LONG list of scientists on staff and just being amazed! And here's why: I had always been told and taught, from grade school all the way up through college, that science had "proved" evolution. Evolution was "fact." So, having had this life-long indoctrination, the first time I ever heard of "Young Earthers" as a new Christian, I immediately thought "cult!" But then several years later, along came Answers in Genesis, and here were all these scientists on staff, many of them with multiple and advanced degrees in the sciences.  In other words, it's not like these were guys with their PhDs in literature or something, weighing in on a subject they hadn't studied. These were scientists who had studied Archaeology, Biology, Zoology, Geology, Physics, Chemistry, Palaeontology, etc., etc., and who, after studying the evidence, were all saying, "It points to Young Earth, and here's why...."

Bottom line: I just really like how these scientists, working alongside Answers in Genesis, have turned that condescending, worldly dismissal of the Young Earth view on its ear. There are no "village idiots" in this bunch, my friends! You can say a lot of things about this group of scientists, but one thing you can't say is that they're stupid.
"It is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.' Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" (1 Corinthians 1:19-20)
So for all the Christian wonks out there who are geeked out over the idea that they can actually answer back (with science) to their evolutionary influenced friends who challenge the idea of Young Earth Creation with cries of "What about radiocarbon dating?" here is this week's FREE download (strike while the iron is hot - after a week, this link will no longer work). From the Answers in Genesis site:
"Few people who claim that radiometric dating proves the earth is billions of years old really understand the underlying assumptions. Using simple illustrations, Dr. Snelling examines these assumptions and equips viewers with information to counter the anti-biblical arguments."

 Biography 

Dr. Andrew Snelling,
Geologist
Andrew A. Snelling is a geologist, research scientist and technical editor. He completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Geology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, graduating with First Class Honors in 1975. His Doctor of Philosophy (in geology) was awarded by The University of Sydney, Australia in 1982 for his research thesis entitled “A geochemical study of the Koongarra uranium deposit, Northern Territory, Australia”. Between studies and since Andrew worked for six years in the exploration and mining industries in Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory variously as a field, mine and research geologist.

Andrew commenced in full-time creation ministry at the end of 1983, first working with the Creation Science Foundation of Australia until late 1998, including three years with Ken Ham before Ham moved to the U.S.A. From 1983 to 1992 Snelling was still required to be a geological consultant to the Koongarra uranium project. He was involved in research projects with several CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Organization) scientists, and in major international collaborative research effort with ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization) and university scientists across Australia, and with scientists from the USA, Britain, Japan, Sweden and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to investigate the Koongarra uranium deposit as a natural analog of a nuclear waste disposal site. As a result of these research endeavors, Andrew was involved in writing numerous scientific reports, and scientific papers that were published in international science journals.

In late 1998 Andrew joined the Institute for Creation Research near San Diego, as a Professor of Geology. His responsibilities included teaching Masters degree geology courses in ICR’s Graduate School, leading tours to the Grand Canyon, England and Yosemite – Death Valley, and research and writing projects. Andrew was a principal investigator in the 8-year, ICR-led RATE (Radioisotopes and the Age of The Earth) research project to which he made major contributions in rock dating studies using radioisotopes, and in studies of radiation halos (radiohalos) and tracks (fission tracks) in various minerals. He contributed two chapters to the first RATE technical volume in 2000, and three chapters to the second RATE technical volume in 2005, as well as being the primary production editor of both volumes. Andrew’s time at ICR was also spent writing a major new three volume book on geology, Creation and the Genesis Flood, which is expected to be published in early 2008.

In June 2007 Andrew’s employment began with Answers in Genesis as their Director of Research. He continues though to reside in Brisbane, Australia and commute regularly as necessary to the USA.

Andrew’s talents have enabled him to be involved in extensive creationist research in Australia, the USA, Britain, New Zealand and elsewhere, majoring on the radioactive methods for dating rocks and evidence for the Flood. Such research has included the formation of igneous and metamorphic rocks (for example, granites and schists, respectively), all types of mineral deposits, sedimentary strata and landscape features (for example, Grand Canyon, USA, and Ayers Rock or Uluru, central Australia) within the biblical framework of earth history. Technical papers by Dr Snelling on regional metamorphism and rock dating have won the prestigious “Technical Excellence Award” as best technical paper at the 1994 Third and 1998 Fourth International Conference on Creationism respectively. As well as writing regularly and extensively in many international creationist magazines, journals and publications, Andrew was founding editor in 1984, and served as editor for almost 15 years, of the Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal (now Journal of Creation), and is currently serving as the Editor-in-Chief for the Sixth International Conference on Creationism.

Andrew has traveled around Australia, the USA, and widely overseas (Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China) speaking in schools, churches, colleges, public and university meetings, to both lay and technical audiences, on the overwhelming scientific evidence consistent with the biblical account of Creation and the Genesis Flood, based largely on his own research. Andrew’s research has demonstrated that a global flood about 4,300 years ago explains many rock layers and most fossil deposits found around the world. Building from that foundation, Dr Snelling has made predictions as to what should be found if a catastrophic global flood actually happened (for example, the existence of extensive, fossil-bearing rock layers). Additionally, Andrew’s research has indicated that radioactive decay rates have not been consistent in the past, having been grossly accelerated, so the radioactive methods for dating rocks at millions and billions of years old are not reliable, and the rock evidence overall is consistent with a young earth.

Andrew was raised in a Christian family in Sydney, Australia, is married to wife Kym, and has three adult children. Andrew’s interest in geology began very soon after his conversion at 9 years of age. His very firm conviction in the authority and veracity of the Scriptures brought him to the creation/evolution controversy early in his teens, so that by the commencement of university studies, Andrew already had a clear Scriptural perspective on the literalness of Creation and Noah’s Flood, and an unmistakable call from the Lord for a life-long involvement in creationist ministry.

 Education 

B.Sc. Applied Geology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, First Class Honours
Ph.D. Geology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

 Associations 

Geological Society of Australia
Geological Society of America
Geological Association of Canada
Mineralogical Society of America
Society of Economic Geologists
Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits
Creation Research Society

 Honors and Awards 

At the Third International Conference on Creationism in Pittsburgh (1994), he was presented with the Technical Excellence Award for the best technical paper, a paper on evidence for regional metamorphism within the creationist timeframe.

At the Fourth International Conference on Creationism (1998), he gained the first three prizes for technical excellence: first prize for his studies on anomalous radiometric “dates” of recent lava flows from Mt Ngauruhoe volcano, New Zealand. The second and third prizes were for co-authored papers with John Woodmorappe on the cooling of granites, and Steve Austin on radiometric “dating” of a rock unit in the Grand Canyon respectively.

 Publications 

Books

Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth, Vol. 1, edited by Larry Vardiman, Andrew Snelling and Eugene Chaffin

Radioisotopes and the Age of the Earth, Vol. 2, edited by Larry Vardiman, Andrew Snelling and Eugene Chaffin

The NEW Answers Book, Featuring 15 authors such as Ken Ham (who also served as general editor), Dr. David Menton, Dr. Andrew Snelling, Professor Andy McIntosh, Dr. Georgia Purdom, Dr. Jason Lisle, Dr. Terry Mortenson, and Dr. Clifford Wilson.