The Latest on the “Ape-like” Fossil Australopithecus sediba

A few months ago, the remains of another supposed “ape-like” fossil named Australopithecus sediba received major news headlines. There has been a lot of controversy among both evolutionists and creationists concerning these remains. Our cutting-edge research journal, Answers Research Journal (edited by Dr. Andrew Snelling), has recently highlighted this discussion with a technical paper and responses that included an article by AiG’s Dr. David Menton, and close friend of AiG, Dr. David DeWitt, a professor at Liberty University.

I thought this would be a good time to once again highlight for you the Answers Research Journal. Now up to Volume 3, there is such a wealth of information in the articles in this leading creationist publication. It is totally free, available on the AiG website. Dr. Snelling continues to update this journal regularly with peer-reviewed articles. For instance, just look at the list of papers from the current edition:

• Those Enigmatic Neanderthals by Anne Habermehl, Independent Scholar
• Numerical Simulation of Precipitation in Yosemite National Park with a Warm Ocean: A Pineapple Express Case Study by Larry Vardiman, Institute for Creation Research, and Wesley Brewer, Fluid Physics International
• Untangling Uniformitarianism by John K. Reed
• Inherit the Wind by Jerry Bergman
• Baraminological Analysis Places Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, and Australopithecus sediba in the Human Holobaramin by Dr. Todd Charles Wood
• Proposed Bible-Science Perspective on Global Warming by Rod J. Martin, Independent Researcher, Santa Clarita, California
• Geomorphology of Uluṟu, Australia by Ken Patrick, Cedarville University, Cedarville, Ohio
• Numerical Simulation of Precipitation in Yosemite National Park with a Warm Ocean: Deep Upper Low and Rex Blocking Pattern Case Studies by Larry Vardiman and Wesley Brewer
• Why Orthodox Darwinism Demands Atheism by Jerry Bergman
• Baraminological Analysis Places Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis, and Australopithecus sediba in the Human Holobaramin: Discussion

There are of course many other excellent papers in the other volumes of the journal.

I decided to highlight just one small section of the journal in this blog post—covering the topic of the supposed ape-like fossil called Australopithecus sediba. This is a great example of iron sharpening iron. It also illustrates how creation scientists can publish papers to open up discussion to help others in understanding issues in the creation/evolution debate. I appreciated the thought-provoking responses written by Dr. Menton and Dr. DeWitt, but written with a Christ-like spirit. It is so thrilling to see people like Dr. Menton bringing us back to ensuring we base our thinking on the revealed Word of God—and conduct exemplary research at the same time. Dr. Menton states the following in his article:

Todd Wood (2010) raises some provocative questions for creationists about the nature of man. In particular he poses the question “what precisely is human (that is, descendants of Adam and Eve)?” and seems to imply that this problem could not be adequately addressed until the recent advent of cladistics and baraminology. But King David addressed the issue of “what is man?” nearly 3,000 years ago in Psalm 8:4–7:

4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field,

And in his letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul declared:

All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. (1 Corinthians 15:39)

And finally in the Acts of the Apostles, Luke declared:

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth (Acts 17:26)

Thus according to Scripture, man is a single/specially created kind (min) made in the image of God and is both superior and distinct from all animals. Moreover, all humans are of “one blood” being direct descendants of the first human pair, Adam and Eve. This Scriptural truth is consistent with the fact that today geneticists and physical anthropologists recognize only one living human species (Homo sapiens). Living humans are so similar, that even the once-accepted idea of different races of humans has now been rejected.

It is only in the fossil record where there has been an effort (mostly on the part of evolutionists) to distinguish several different species of Homo. Some Homo specimens like Homo neanderthalensis, are numerous, well-preserved, and clearly human, while others like Homo habilis are fragmentary fossils of questionable relationship to man.

I encourage you to read the entire response by Dr. Menton, and also that of Dr. David DeWitt.

I also encourage all of you to become familiar with the Answers Research Journal and read the wealth of creationist research that is being published in this leading creationist research journal. This is one way of keeping up to date with the latest in creationist research.

Coming to the ARJ Soon

Keep watch for these papers soon to be released on the Answers Research Journal:

• The Geology of Israel within the Biblical Creation-Flood Framework of History: 1. The pre-Flood Rocks (by AiG's Dr Andrew Snelling)
• Anisotropic Synchrony Convention—A Solution to the Distant Starlight Problem (by AiG's Dr Jason Lisle)

By the way, take a look at the blog post today by Dr. Georgia Purdom (PhD, molecular genetics) about the pros and cons of the Intelligent Design Movement.

Cedarville University

By the time you read this, I will have spoken to students and faculty at the chapel of Cedarville University this morning. Praise the Lord for those Christian colleges (even though they are small in number) that take a stand on Genesis and invite AiG to present the message of biblical authority we are so well known for.

Devotion

Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem

(Isaiah 40:1-2) Comfort you, comfort ypi my people, says your God. Speak you comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.

“Soul winners” are to speak as comforters with the Good News message of sins forgiven through the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken