The Latest Creation Research

This year as a part of our Answers Mega Conference in Tennessee in a couple of weeks, a number of presentations will be given by creation scientists. This Research Summit will convene Thursday afternoon and evening (July 25) and Friday morning (July 26). Find out more about the Mega Conference and Research Summit on our conference website.

At Answers in Genesis, we understand the importance of backing up what we write and lecture about with high-quality scientific and theological research. That is why we have a research department headed up by Dr. Andrew Snelling, who has a PhD in geology. One of the many projects Dr. Snelling manages is the Answers Research Journal.

The Answers Research Journal (ARJ) is AiG’s professional, peer-reviewed technical journal for the publication of interdisciplinary scientific, theological, and other relevant research from the perspective of the recent Creation and the global Flood—all within a biblical framework. Dr. Snelling is assisted by other AiG scholars and an outside team of well-qualified scholars who review submitted papers before they are published.

When the ARJ was launched in January 2008, the Internet buzzed with controversy. Skeptics claimed the journal would never produce quality scientific research or discussion. Indeed, there were several attempts by skeptics to submit bogus papers, but these were readily detected as such. Over five years since our launch, we thank the Lord for His provision and blessing that has proved the skeptics wrong.

In fact, the quality of scholarship from such a wide range of creation researchers has surpassed our highest expectations. In the journal’s first five years, we have published over 1,200 pages of solid scientific and theological discussion in 82 papers. That is an average of around 16 papers per annual volume and an average of 240 pages per volume. That included 19 papers in 2011—our highest number per volume.

The journal is now into its sixth annual volume, and 2013 has seen the journal take off. By June 30, after only half a year, we have already published 17 papers in 264 pages—more than our average annual offering! With at least 13 more papers already prepared for publication or at an advanced stage of review, Volume 6 in 2013 will be our biggest yet, probably double the size of previous volumes. That represents at least one new paper published online every other week all through the year.

And the momentum looks like it will continue into the year ahead, as quality papers on relevant topics keep being submitted from a widening circle of creation scholars. Topics already discussed this year include the following:

• “An Initial Estimate Toward Identifying and Numbering Amphibian Kinds within the Orders Caudata and Gymnophiona”
• “A Further Examination of the “Gospel in the Stars”
• “Comprehensive Analysis of Chimpanzee and Human Chromosomes Reveals Average DNA Similarity of 70% “
• “Astronomical Distance Determination Methods and the Light Travel Time Problem”
• “Stone Tools From the Early Tertiary in Europe—A Contradiction to any Evolutionary Theory About the Origin of Man and to Long Geological Periods of Time”

No wonder some past papers have had nearly 100,000 hits!

Topics of papers currently in the pipeline include:

• “The Fear of the Lord and the Foundation of Christian Apologetics”
• “A Proposal for a New Solution to the Light Travel Time Problem”
• “The Human Beta-Globin Pseudogene is Non-Variable and Functional”
• Does natural selection exist?
• Avian Ark kinds
• Amphibian (frog) Ark kinds
• The second law of thermodynamics and the Curse

Dr. Snelling said the following about the journal:

Perhaps it’s the unique nature of the ARJ that has helped make it a success. Being completely online, we’ve removed many of the limitations inherent in bound ‘offline’ paper journals. Researchers aren’t limited by page counts, and they can include dozens of full-color images and tables to illustrate their results. And this has certainly enhanced the presentation of each paper. Authors are attracted to publish in the journal because online publishing offers significant advantages, such as a fast turnaround and papers available for free as PDFs in a 24/7 global reach.

Its credibility and reach firmly established, the ARJ is now building a solid future as a regular must-see resource for all serious creation researchers and those who want to be equipped with the latest creation research results and discussions. And for those who still like the feel of a paper journal in their hands or like having it on their bookshelves, future plans include reprinting selected papers collected into topical monographs. We trust that many of these ARJ papers will be relevant and read for years to come.

So if you haven’t been regularly visiting our Answers Research Journal, it’s time you did. We also feature newly published papers on the home page of AiG’s award-winning website.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken