Rob Webb

How to be a Young-Earth Creationist in a Rocket Science World

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love” (1 Corinthians 16:13–14 NLT).

Rob Webb

Have you ever wondered how many Christians, particularly young-earth creationists, actually work in the rocket science business? Maybe you even want to be a rocket scientist when you grow up. When I worked in rocket science, most of the people I worked with did not believe in God, and if they did, they didn’t fully believe the whole Bible. I’ll tell you a little bit about what it was like to work in a place like this as a Christian who believes the Bible (yes, biblical creation scientists do real science)!

Coming to Faith in Christ

When I was growing up, my family rarely went to church. The only times I remember going were when my mom would insist on us going for special events, like Easter and Christmas. So I grew up not really knowing much about God or His Word (the Bible). But then, in college, from one of my football buddies, I finally heard the gospel clearly for the first time, realizing I was a sinner (Romans 3:23) and needed God’s mercy (Ephesians 2:4).

When I became a Christian (child of God), it was like a light switch (darkness to light) had “flipped on” in me, and I began looking into different questions that I had, like dinosaurs in the Bible and the days of creation. My search led me to the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) and Answers in Genesis, which helped me answer my questions from the Bible. I then realized that it’s really important to start all my thinking from the biblical worldview (looking at everything through biblical “glasses”). And, praise God, this led me to biblical creation, officially becoming a Young-Earth Creationist (YEC).

Rocket Science Career

When I was a kid, I always loved looking at the stars and wondered how I could (maybe one day) make it up into space as an astronaut. I also loved watching the NASA space shuttles launch astronauts into space on TV, which I thought was super cool! And it was this experience that really helped fuel my love for rocket science. I even began trying to build my own miniature rockets in the backyard in hopes of one day being part of a real rocket science team that would launch really big rockets into space!

But rather than being an astronaut, I instead decided that I wanted to build the rockets that would send astronauts and spacecraft into space. So, after high school, I chose to go to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to get a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering, which I received the year prior to becoming a follower of Jesus Christ.

Shortly after that, I moved to Colorado to start my career with a rocket company in the area, where I decided to do more schooling to get a graduate degree. So, then I received a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering, with a concentration in astrodynamics and satellite navigation, from the University of Colorado–Boulder.

I then began applying my new set of skills working for some exciting and fun NASA programs. This included sending spacecraft to planets in our solar system (like Mars and Jupiter) and even other asteroids! On top of that, I was part of the first mission to “touch the sun,” called Parker Solar Probe, which was definitely a cool mission! Plus, I was also part of NASA’s Pegasus rocket program, which was really neat because this rocket does not launch from the ground (like most rockets do). Instead, it gets launched on the bottom of a big airplane that’s flying over the open ocean!

And lastly, before God directed my family and me to the Northern Kentucky area to work full-time with Answers in Genesis, I was also involved with the International Space Station (ISS) commercial resupply program. This was a really cool program that launched huge rockets to the ISS to deliver supplies, like food and water (even turkeys for Thanksgiving), and all sorts of science equipment up to the astronauts onboard!

Challenges in the Rocket Science Industry

It was tough being a YEC during my ten-year rocket science career (John 15:18). And it was a huge bummer that all of the NASA missions that I worked on were always based on evolution (and not God). This included stuff like the constant “search for alien life” (E.T.) and to better “understand” how and where our solar system came from (without God). These goals obviously do not line up with the reading of Genesis, which says the earth was created by God before the sun (and not the other way around)!

This was because the people I worked with, in both college and industry, followed a view of origins based on naturalism (meaning “nature is all that exists” without needing God). Some even thought that being a YEC meant believing silly things like the earth is flat, which is not only funny but also clearly false! This type of thinking is called a straw-man argument and actually showed they really didn’t understand the true definition of science (historical versus observational science).

I did work with a small number of Christians in the rocket science industry, which I thought was great at first. But I quickly found out that none of them truly believed in biblical creation, and many of them actually doubted that the Bible was truly the Word of God and inerrant (that the Bible is perfect and never wrong).

I couldn’t believe that some Christians didn’t believe the Bible’s account of creation! When I first became a Christian, I just figured every believer correctly understood the Bible, from Genesis 1–11, as actual, literal history. So the Christians I worked with had fallen into the “trap” of twisting God’s perfect Word in order to “squeeze” man’s imperfect ideas (like evolution, millions of years, and the big bang) into the text. So, in their worldview, they made these bad ideas more important than God’s Word!

Taking Back Rocket Science to the Glory of God

When you learn about subjects like math or history in school, you become smarter (gaining knowledge) in that subject. And this allows you to then apply that knowledge in the world (gaining wisdom). But did you know that this process of gaining knowledge and wisdom is only possible because of God? It’s true! So that’s why we need to always have God’s Word be our starting point for all knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). As the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, put it:

I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments . . . Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. (Colossians 2:2–4, 8 NLT)

In other words, all the stuff that makes you truly smart (real wisdom and knowledge) is not found in the world but rather only found in Christ. The Bible says he is always the same (Hebrews 13:8) and always promises to keep everything together by his power (Hebrews 1:3). This is what makes rocket science possible (and fun)!

So, this means it’s only the Bible that gives us a basis for science. And this really means we need more young Christians (maybe you?), who totally believe God’s Word and won’t leave the Bible out of their thinking, to take back rocket science (plus every other science field like chemistry, geology, and biology), all to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)!

Conclusion

So, if you’re a Christian (if God is your boss) and you maybe want to one day work as a rocket scientist (or any other type of scientist) when you grow up, then remember to always focus on God’s commands to be strong and stand firm in your faith (1 Corinthians 16:13). Put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11) against every attack and opinion from the world that is opposite of what God says (2 Corinthians 10:5). And most importantly, don’t forget to always honor and obey your parents since this is the first commandment with a promise that things will go well for you (Ephesians 6:2–3).

God promises to give lots of wisdom to those who ask him (James 1:5) by reading and studying your Bible every day (2 Timothy 3:16). This way, you won’t get tricked by any worldly “wisdom” (claims from the world that don’t line up with the Bible) and help you not to follow the thinking of this world (Romans 12:2). And remember that your boss, Jesus, promises to defeat every enemy, including every form of worldly thinking, placed under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:25).

These are the promises from God that really helped me stay committed to him and his Word during my rocket science career, and I hope they help you as well!