Creation Ministries International

Dr. Carl Wieland is the Managing Director of Creation Ministries International

Creation Ministries International (CMI) is a network of creation ministries which started in Australia, and now also has offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and Singapore.

Outreach and structure

CMI publishes Creation magazine and the technical Journal of Creation. Creation has been published (originally as Ex Nihilo) since 1978, and it has readers in 140 countries.

Outreach mainly comprises the publications, the web-site, and speaking engagements, mainly in church services. The "Creation Bus" is a converted Adelaide bus which tours outback and rural areas of Australia, fulfilling speaking engagements at churches and schools in smaller communities. The "Ark Van" is a van with a set of detailed models of Noah's Ark which visits churches, Sunday schools, schools, agricultural shows, and community events in Australia.

Each national CMI organisation is legally autonomous, but co-operates with each other. Each Ministry is controlled by a board of directors who are elected by members of the organisation.

The Australian ministry publishes the magazine and journal, and operates the web-site, Creation.com, on behalf of each national organisation.

Question evolution! campaign

For more information please see: Question evolution! campaign

The Question evolution! campaign, launched by Creation Ministries International, is a worldwide "grass-roots movement to challenge the anti-Christian dogma of evolution". The focus of the Question evolution! campaign is on 15 questions that evolutionists cannot answer. The campaign will be primarily conducted in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and South Africa.

In May of 2011, Creation Ministries International and the Traditional Values Coalition decided to jointly work together to advance the Question evolution! campaign. The Traditional Values Coalition is a church lobbying organization that lobbies for over 43,000 American churches.

The campaign features tracts, t-shirts, badges, mugs, etc. and students are being encouraged to participate in the campaign.

Question evolution! campaign and Texas

See also: Question evolution! campaign and Texas

Texas is a very influential state in the United States when it comes to biology textbooks. A supporter of Creation Ministries International with a large Christian YouTube audience has declared he is going to aggressively promote the Question evolution! campaign in Texas.

(graphic obtained from Wikimedia commons, username:Huebi , Title of picture:Map of USA with Texas highlighted, see: license agreement)

The popular Christian YouTube producer, Shockofgod, has vowed to promote the Question evolution! campaign aggressively in the state of Texas due to its large influence on textbooks throughout the United States. Shockofgod is an ex-atheist and his channel features many anti-atheism videos and has received millions of channel views since its inception.

In 2010, the Utne Reader declared concerning Texas's influence on national textbooks:

“

The politicized textbooks would be a problem just inside Texas, but economic factors have given the state a huge influence over textbooks throughout the country. Unlike many other states, Texas makes the decisions on a state level on what books local school districts can buy. So when the state makes a decision on what books to purchase for its 4.7 million high schoolers, publishers take notice. The only bigger market for textbooks in the country is California, a state whose budget is in such disarray, it announced that it won’t be buying new books until 2014. In the meantime, an anonymous industry executive told Washington Monthly, “publishers will do whatever it takes to get on the Texas list,” even if that means caving in to right-wing activists.

”

Texas is expected to purchase $1 billion in textbooks in 2012-13.

Darwin film

CMI is producing a documentary film challenging evolution, for release in 2009, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species. The $US5 million film is, they say, "among the biggest documentary film projects undertaken by any faith-funded Christian organization in the world"

Support Groups

CMI in Australia has a number of volunteer auxiliaries known as "Support Groups", located mainly in each of the state capitals.

Creation Ministries International and atheism

See also: Creation Ministries International and atheism

Creation Ministries International (CMI) has a large number of articles concerning atheism compared to most biblical creation organizations.

Below is CMI's collection of articles critiquing atheism:

• Atheism, agnosticism and humanism: godless religions

2010 Global Atheist Convention

The worldwide atheist community was challenged to a debate by Creation Ministries International as prominent atheists were speaking at a 2010 global atheist convention in Australia. Richard Dawkins, PZ Myers and other prominent atheists refused to debate Creation Ministries International.

Scientists and Speakers

The following scientists and speakers work for CMI.

• Adrian Bates (New Zealand)
• Gary Bates (United States)
• Dr. Don Batten, plant physiology (Australia)
• Philip Bell, zoology (United Kingdom)
• Dr. Rob Carter, Marine biology (United States)
• Dr. David Catchpoole, plant physiology (Australia)
• Richard Fangrad, electronics (Canada)
• Dr. John Hartnett, physics (Australia, part time)
• Dr. Mark Harwood, satellite specialist (Australia, part time)
• Dr Johan Kruger, zoologist (South Africa)
• Dr. Pierre Jerlström, molecular biology (Australia)
• Dr. Jonathan Sarfati, physical chemistry (Australia)
• Dr. Emil Silvestru, geology (cave specialist) (Canada)
• Calvin Smith (Canada)
• Peter Sparrow (Creation Bus, Australia)
• Dr. Tas Walker engineering, geology (Australia)
• Rod Walsh (Ark Van, Australia, part time)
• Dr. Carl Wieland, medical doctor (Australia)

History

The video From a Frog to a Prince, produced by Creation Ministries International, features the atheist and evolutionist Richard Dawkins being stumped by the question of a creationist. The interviewer asked Dawkins for an example of genetic information arising from a mutation. A shortened version of the video has been translated into 10 languages.

The history of CMI can be traced back to 1977, when Dr. Carl Wieland started the Creation Science Association in South Australia, and Ken Ham and John Mackay started Creation Science Educational Media Services in Queensland around the same time. In 1980, the two organisations amalgamated and renamed the Creation Science Foundation, based in Queensland. Wieland had started publishing the magazine, and with the amalgamation, this was taken over by Ham and Mackay.

In 1986 Ham left CSF and went to work for the Institute for Creation Research in California. Mackay left in 1987 and started his own creation ministry. Wieland returned to take over management of the organisation, which remained (and remains to this day) in Brisbane, Queensland.

CSF opened an office in the United Kingdom in 1993.

In 1994, Ham left ICR and started a branch of CSF in the United States, but because of legal technicalities, could not use that name, and instead called the organisation Answers in Genesis. The other CSF offices changed their name to Answers in Genesis soon after.

Also in 1994, an office was opened in Auckland, New Zealand. Canada followed in 1998, when the Creation Science Association of Ontario, which had been in existence since 1978, joined the group. The South African ministry began in 2002.

In early 2006, following a decision by AiG (US) to break from the international group (along with AiG (UK)), the remaining organisations changed their name to Creation Ministries International and commenced their own web-site.

Later in 2006, CMI opened new offices in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Dispute with Answers in Genesis

For more detail, see Answers in Genesis: Dispute with Creation Ministries International

In early 2006, Answers in Genesis (U.S.) stopped distribution of Creation magazine and the Journal of Creation, switching the subscribers to their new magazine, Answers. CMI claims that this was unethical, unlawful, and harmed their ministry. After failing to obtain a satisfactory resolution on the dispute, CMI began legal proceedings against AiG (U.S.) in May 2007. CMI notes that the dispute is settled, as of April 2009.

Bibliography

• What we are
• The history of AiG–U.S. to early 2007

See Also

• Richard Dawkins and Creation Ministries International

External Links

• Creation Ministries International website
• Creation Ministries International at CreationWiki
• Christian apologist Rev. Joe Boot on Creation Ministries International - YouTube video

Age of the earth:

• Age of the earth -101 evidences for a young earth and universe
• How old is the earth? - Refuting evolution - Chapter 8 by Dr. Jonathan Sarfati

Refutations of atheism:

• Atheism by Mariano Grinbank
• Atheism, agnosticism and humanism: godless religions