AiG Reaching into Russia

Recently, AiG speaker Dr. Terry Mortenson returned from a very busy 17-day trip (January 13–30) to Russia and Albania, speaking on creation (almost always through a translator). Terry wrote a report for his blog from which I have included some excerpts here to excite us about how AiG is reaching around the world.

In Russia, I spoke 10 times at a seminary in Samara for a conference on creation attended by about 120 seminary students, pastors, and other church leaders—some of whom traveled over 300 miles to attend. All the talks were videotaped, and most were streamed live on the Internet. Several hundred people from other parts of Russia and Ukraine either watched live or downloaded the lectures since the conference.

Dr. Mortenson being interviewed on Russian TV with Pastor Victor Ryanguzov (back to camera) of Transfiguration Baptist Church in Samara, Russia.

In Moscow I gave two public lectures at a college of economics. It was exam time so only about 50 students and laypeople came, but 12 of them (including some non-believers) stayed afterwards for an hour to ask questions. The next day, I gave two lectures to about 150 at Second Baptist Church. Later at the national headquarters of the Russian Baptist Union I did a one-hour, video-taped interview that will be put on the Internet in the future. From Moscow I flew three time zones east to frigid Novosibirsk, Siberia (about -25 degrees Celsius). I spoke seven times for a seminary conference of about 120 people (many were seminary students and pastors). Some men traveled up to 700 miles to attend. People were very hungry for the information I shared.

Well—I’m tired already, just thinking about all the traveling and speaking—I know how draining that is! Terry continues as follows:

The last night there, I participated in a three-hour “discussion” with scientists before an audience of about 90 students and lay people. This meeting was also sponsored by the seminary. One of the men on the panel was a polytheist geneticist with some doubts about evolution. Another was an atheist astrophysicist. Then there was a young-earth creation biologist and me. It was an interesting evening and all the questions were aimed at the geneticist and astrophysicist, neither of whom gave much evidence for their views.

… From Novosibirsk I flew to Albania—a long day from 4 AM until midnight across five hours of time-zone change. In Tirana, Albania, I enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of the Campus Crusade for Christ national director and his family, Ylli and Nikki Doci. I spoke four times in the large auditorium of the CCC office building to a group of university students, a group of high school students, a mixed group of students and lay people, and then a Sunday morning church service that meets in that facility. At most of these sessions many of the people stayed after the lecture for 30–45 minutes of Q and A. I also spoke to three different groups of students at the K–12 international Christian school in Tirana for the kids of missionaries, business people, and diplomats from many countries. One of the children was quite impacted by my presentation, and after talking to his mom, she is now open to consider the gospel.

… So here is a summary of the known results of the trip.

• 28 lectures and 10 Q and A sessions
• All my translated PPT slides in two languages left in five cities for people to copy and use (including Albanian ITS guy)
• Eight lectures videotaped in Russian and streamed on Internet. These will be made into a DVD set for sale hopefully in June (with all the video talks, all my PPT slides, three published papers that have been previously translated into Russian, and a link to the Ukrainian creationist website where people can purchase the Russian version of Coming to Grips with Genesis)
• One TV interview taped for an potential audience of 300,000
• Two videotaped interviews for two Russian Christian web sites
• One talk videotaped and two radio programs recorded for Albanian CCC
• Many non-believers challenged in their thinking
• Many Christians (including some missionaries and many pastors and seminary students) encouraged, challenged, and equipped
• Russians and Albanians want to translate more AiG literature and DVDs to get more truth into the hands of believers for strengthening their own faith and for witnessing to the lost.

You can read Terry’s entire report by going to his blog.

Here is a sample of one of my slides that has been translated into Russian and was shown by Dr. Mortenson at his talks throughout Russia.

College President and AiG Friend Retiring

Over the years, AiG has been pleased to partner with Pensacola Christian College in Florida on a number of things. For example, many of our speakers (including myself) have given talks on this attractive campus to Christian educators and pastors who use the campus for specialized conferences.

One of our staff members, closely affiliated with PCC, has informed me that the school’s founder and long-time president, Dr. Arlin Horton, at the age of 85, is retiring effective May 10.

The Hortons have been heavily involved in producing Christian textbooks for the past 40 years. Back in the 1970s, a Christian school administrator working with the Hortons helped create a Christian publishing group, called A Beka Book—the administrator named it after Mrs. Beka Horton, Arlin’s wife. At least 100,000 homeschoolers are using their textbooks today, and many Christian schools are as well. Soon after the publishing group started, Pensacola Christian College opened, and today, there are almost 4,000 students enrolled (including those at its graduate school and seminary).

Dr. Troy Shoemaker will be the next PCC president, and I ask you to pray for him as he will take on this large responsibility in May.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken