On the Shoulders of a Giant

The passing of a great defender of the Christian faith, Dr. Henry Morris, has closed a long chapter in the history of the fight over biblical authority and accuracy. Most Christians are probably unaware of how this unassuming scholar founded the modern creation movement, now worldwide in its scope and impact, and of the surprising manner in which he did it.

God used a soft-spoken, bespectacled professor of civil engineering from central Virginia-Dr. Henry Morris. The resurgence of the creation movement in America (which had been relatively quiet since the Scopes trial of 1925) was not launched at a major rally or by any controversy in the courts or schools. Instead, the movement's trigger was the 1961 release of the groundbreaking book The Genesis Flood (co-authored by Dr. Morris and eminent theologian Dr. John Whitcomb).

This gentle scholar was to spearhead an international movement that would shake the very foundations of the evolution establishment.

And what a stir that book on Noah's Flood would create then-and continues to create today! The impact of this now-classic work was such that many historians have called Dr. Morris a giant-perhaps unparalleled-in the battle for biblical inerrancy during the last half of the twentieth century. As he defended the most-attacked book of the Bible, this gentle scholar was to spearhead an international movement that would shake the very foundations of the evolution establishment. Groups like Answers in Genesis stand on the shoulders of this great man who wrote more than 60 books that range in topics from the spiritual to the secular.

Soon after The Genesis Flood's publication, Dr. Morris was invited to speak nationally on Noah's Flood and the creation account of origins. These experiences, combined with a growing network of Bible-believing scientists and engineers, led him, along with now-famous Christian novelist Tim LaHaye, to start the Institute for Creation Research in 1970.

For his many accomplishments, Dr. Morris never appeared to boast. He came across as quiet and reserved. But that appearance could be misleading for those who did not know him well. Dr. Morris was formidable in creation/ evolution debates, but he exhibited grace and a gentlemanly fashion.

This good and faithful servant of God probably received one of the warmest “well done” accolades ever heard in Heaven as he entered the presence of his Creator-and Savior-Jesus Christ.