Over 2200 people gathered at the W.O.R.D. Center this past weekend for the Creation or Evolution Summit hosted by Amazing Facts International and the Granite Bay Hilltop Seventh-day Adventist Church. Attendees came from near and far to better understand the scientific and biblical foundations of their faith.
Speakers for the weekend included Doug Batchelor, president of Amazing Facts International; Clifford Goldstein, author of Baptizing the Devil; zoologist Walter Veith; and Rich Aguilera, president of One Mustard Seed.
Though the styles of the different speakers were unique, each gave solid reasons for believing in God as the Creator who made our world in six literal days. Many people expressed appreciation for the weekend and its impact on their faith.
“I’ve been in public schools all my life, so I’ve never had an opportunity to hear the scientific support for creation,” said Zugey, a recent college graduate living in the Sacramento area. “Listening to these presentations has totally changed my perspective on our origins and strengthened my faith in God and the Bible.”
Building Faith Locally and Abroad
In addition to blessing the local community, the weekend drew people from afar. Brian and Shauna Bell, from Yakima, Washington, received an email about the event and made a family road trip to come,
“It was all excellent,” they enthused. “Our kids liked Rich Aguilera, and we all enjoyed the variety of speakers. They each added a unique perspective that was helpful for us.”
Each summit meeting was live streamed on the Granite Bay church’s YouTube channel. Collectively, the recordings have already received over 60,000 views. They are also posted on social media and the AFSummit.org website. The meetings have also been translated into multiple foreign languages using AI technology.
Amazing Facts will be repackaging the programs for television and broadcasting them around the world. “This is clearly a topic people are interested in,” says Batchelor, “so we want to make sure that they are available for people to watch for years to come.”
Why Talk About Creation and Evolution?
Until the middle of the 19th century, most Westerners believed that God created the world in six literal days. Then Charles Darwin and other scientists began promoting a naturalistic view of origins that denied God as the author of creation. Their new theory directly opposed the biblical creation account in Genesis 1 and 2 and rejected the worldwide flood recorded in Genesis 7.
The Creation or Evolution Summit sought to demonstrate that one can faithfully believe the biblical creation account while engaging with modern science.
“We are being called back to worship the Creator who made all things,” said Batchelor, referencing Revelation 14:7. “To reach non-Christians and atheists who are genuinely seeking truth, we need to provide them with logical answers and scientific evidence that supports the Bible’s account of creation.”
Solid Reasons for Faith
The Creation or Evolution Summit speakers presented solid scientific and intellectual evidence supporting the biblical account of creation. Goldstein’s presentations built a solid philosophical foundation for believing in God as the Creator. Veith presented questions regarding irreducible complexity, the Cambrian explosion, gaps in the geological column, and the lack of intermediary fossils, among others. Aguilera’s dramatic presentation on creation held the attention of young and old alike. Aguilera also gave an engaging presentation on Sabbath afternoon for over 150 children.
“Before I was a Christian, I used to feel sorry for people who believed in creation,” Batchelor said in his presentation. “I felt like there was no purpose for my life and often contemplated suicide. Then, I lived alone in a Southern California cave and realized that the beauty I saw could not have happened by chance. Discovering the God of creation in the Bible gave me hope and a purpose.”
Free Evangelism Training
The Creation or Evolution Summit was preceded by a week of free evangelism training provided by the Amazing Facts Center of Evangelism. Based on the popular three-month AFCOE program, the week-long training taught essential skills that attendees can put into practice in their home churches. About 125 individuals attended the training.
Matt White and his family drove from Alberta, Canada, to attend. As a relatively new Adventist who is actively involved in evangelism in his local church, he found the week of training helpful. “I realized that there is a method to the evangelism cycle that can help our church be a lot more successful in our outreach efforts.”
Patrick and Aline Fitzsimons, from Kildare, Ireland, made the Creation or Evolution Summit and AFCOE training part of their recent trip to the United States. “We’ve learned so much,” Patrick said. “Pastor Doug’s testimony was instrumental in bringing me to the Lord. So getting to meet him in person was a blessing.”
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