Adventist physician and creation seminar presenter Doug Newton, Walla Walla General Hospital medical director of the Emergency Center, didn't know what to expect as he prepared to present his seminar for the first time in an non-Adventist church.
By the time Arden Kinser, Battle Ground Friends Church pastor, had welcomed him to the platform that first night, Newton knew he had something special on his hands. The church was full with standing room only as he began Friday, May 18. The next day, chairs would be brought in to accommodate the overflow.
In his presentations Newton covered information from the aftermath of the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens and how canyons (like the Grand Canyon) can develop in a short time (not millions of years as often claimed). He shared evidences for creation and the flood. Newton held the attention of the audience with a display of artifacts, laid out on 14 big tables.
Much of the success of the seminar can be attributed to the way a local Adventist church cooperated with other area churches.
Lutz Binus, Hockinson Heights Church pastor, was approached by one of his elders in September 2006 about hosting a seminar focusing on a scientific defense for Creation. He immediately thought of the appeal such a seminar might have for the Christian community in his area.
So he approached several pastors in the community and asked them if they would be interested in co-sponsoring such a program. Three pastors agreed, and a Friends (Quaker) minister agreed to host the seminar at his church.
Binus has organized a forum and video presentation as follow-up for the seminar. The response of those who attended the seminar has been encouraging, and Binus is looking forward to involving his church in further bridge-building ministry and fellowship with other Christians in the community in the near future.
Doug Newton, M.D., explains the meaning of one of his dinosaur displays.
Dr. Newton with one of his dinosaur displays.
