On Thursday, February 23rd, audiences around the country have a rare opportunity to sit in a movie theater and see the splendor of our planet portrayed on the silver screen. However, it’s not the scenery, cinematography, or score that makes this a unique event, but the fact that this film rightly credits the beauty and complexity of the universe to its Creator. In this one-night only event, viewers will be exposed to evidence consistent with the biblical worldview and the position that God is the Creator and sustainer of the universe.
The documentary “Is Genesis History?” seeks to answer its title question by exploring the scientific markers for the age of the earth, the evidence for biological evolution, and the accuracy of the historical account of creation. Del Tackett (creator of the Truth Project) interviews experts in the fields of biology, geology, astronomy, paleontology, archaeology and biblical interpretation in an effort to answer this central question. As Del hunts for answers, he takes the viewers on a journey to such incredible sights as a marine wildlife preserve in the Caribbean, an active dinosaur dig site in Wyoming, museum archives full of Hebrew artifacts, the diversity of zoos and natural history museums, the splendor of the Grand Canyon, and the ruins of Mount Saint Helens.
Where did we come from? Is it reasonable in our modern era to believe in the claims of Scripture? Does nature show evidence of design? Didn’t God create using the Big Bang? How was the earth formed and what processes shaped it? How and when was the world created? How did our planet become filled with such amazing and diverse creatures? Isn’t the science settled on evolution? Was there really a global Flood? What about radiometric dating of the rocks? What does the fossil record tell us? What about the soft tissues found in dinosaur bones? This documentary explores these questions in addition to many others. In short, the title says it all.
Unlike similar projects, this film was produced with careful attention to the most current arguments and with the direct involvement of the creation science community. At the 2015 Origins Conference (a joint meeting of the Creation Biology Society and Creation Geology Society), my colleagues and I were informed that this documentary was being produced and involved in a “town hall” dialogue regarding the scope and direction of the film even before its production. At the 2016 Origins Conference, we saw a screening of the film that showed that the filmmakers (Compass Cinema and Fathom Events) are committed to an accurate examination of the young-earth creationist position.
In contrast with other such films, which have typically been limited to contributors from a single organization, “Is Genesis History?” features scholars from an assortment of universities, ministries, and research institutes. These researchers are credentialed, PhD scientists with decades of experience in their fields (possibly even centuries, I haven’t crunched the numbers). The result is a documentary that has been lauded by many creation ministries, none of which were directly responsible for its production. For a community with an unfortunate reputation of “not playing well with others,” this is incredibly encouraging.
Please, join us on Thursday, February 23rd to support and learn from this great documentary. It will be showing at 7:00PM in Leesburg at the Cobb Village 12 Cinemas (limited, reserved seating) and in Winchester at the Carmike Apple Blossom 12. I recommend buying tickets in advance, either on-site or online, as this event could easily sell out. For more information, go to www.isgenesishistory.com and feel free to contact me at dalee@phc.edu.
To paraphrase Dr. Randy Guliuzza, the natural response to studying the beauty of God’s creation is to worship the creator. “Is Genesis History?” certainly prompted this response for me, and I believe it will for you as well.
