Biblical Creation Ministries was delighted to host a speaking tour in March and April by Dr Todd Wood of the Center for Origins Research (CORE) at Bryan College in Dayton, Tennessee. Dr Wood gave public lectures about his research on the famous Galápagos Islands in Coventry, Cambridge and Wimborne. In a fascinating historical overview, we learned that many widely held beliefs about Charles Darwin’s voyage to the islands are, in fact, modern myths. For instance, the famous finches were not the critical influence on his thinking that many have suggested – indeed, Darwin did not even know that he had collected finches at the time! In the second half of his talk, Dr Wood applied the methods of baraminology (see below) to the fauna and flora of the Galápagos Islands to test common ideas about their origin and history. The results suggested that Darwin was right to infer that the island species were related to mainland ones – but that he went too far in proposing the universal common ancestry of all species. Dr Wood’s lecture in Cambridge was recorded and we hope to issue a DVD in due course.

In addition, Dr Wood conducted a well-attended workshop on creation biology which was greatly appreciated by all who were there. One person wrote afterwards: “Many thanks for organising last Saturday. I found it not only enjoyable, but also profitable.” The material included an overview of the history of creationist thinking on species and speciation, as well as an introduction to baraminology – a creationist system of identifying and classifying the original created groups as a first step in reconstructing the true history of life. Attendees received a special workbook prepared by Dr Wood.

Dr Wood also spoke at an evening service at Soham Baptist Church on ‘Learning to Listen – Experiencing God in the Things He Has Made’. This was a salutary reminder that sometimes we need to step back from all the questions about creation that so often crowd in and simply revel in the beauty and wonder of the natural world that God has made.

In between meetings, Dr Wood was also able to visit Down House – Charles Darwin’s former residence in Kent – as well as a number of historical sites associated with Darwin in Cambridge. He also had occasion to visit the Sedgwick Museum in Cambridge and the famous Stonehenge site in Wiltshire.

For Dr Wood’s tour, we shipped over some books from the USA, mostly titles that are not readily available in the UK. A few copies remain available for purchase – but it’s first come, first served! Please send your orders (with cheques payable to ‘Biblical Creation Ministries’) to Paul Garner, 54 Frank Bridges Close, Soham, Cambs CB7 5EZ. The prices below include postage.

CORE Issues in Creation Number 1: A Creationist Review and Preliminary Analysis of the History, Geology, Climate, and Biology of the Galápagos Islands by Todd Wood £19.00

CORE Issues in Creation Number 2: Johannes Buteo’s ‘The Shape and Capacity of Noah’s Ark’ with a foreword by Todd Wood £7.50

Variation and Fixity in Nature by Frank Marsh £9.50

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