Creation Research Society
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The Creation Research Society (CRS) is a Christian research group that engages in creation science. The organization has produced various publications, including a regular periodical and creation-based biology textbook.

During the first few years of its existence, different beliefs about Creationism and disagreement over its statement of beliefs resulted in various members of the board and voting members being forced out of the organization.

History

Formation

The organisation that would eventually be known as the CRS was formed out of increasing dissatisfaction among creationist scientists with the American Scientific Affiliation (ASA), due to its falling under the influence of theistic evolutionists in the late 1950s. It was originally formed as the Creation Research Advisory Committee in February 1963 by Walter E. Lammerts and Wiliam J. Tinkle with assistance from Henry M. Morris, after over a year of invitations to a number of creationist scientists, many of whom declined. It originally consisted of a group of ten creationists: Lammerts, Tinkle, Morris, John W. Klotz, Frank Lewis Marsh, Edwin Y. Monsma, Duane Gish, Wilbert H. Rusch, John J. Grebe, and R. Laird Harris. The CRS formally came into existence in June 1963, with the original advisory committee constituting the new society's 'steering committee', with Karl W. Linsenmann, David A. Warriner and John N. Moore joining it at that time. At about the same time, Morris recruited Harold S. Slusher, Thomas G. Barnes, Willis L. Webb and later Clifford L. Burdlick. Finally, Paul A. Zimmerman joined it. By the end of the year had expanded to approximately fifty members. Members with at least an M.Sc. (or equivalent) were eligible to be voting members.¹

Early purges

This early growth allowed Lammerts to purge committee members who were insufficiently active or orthodox: Monsma and Webb for inactivity, Harris for heresy (he opposed a literal six-day creation) and Warriner (who had recently lost his university position and had suggested that the society hire him as a paid promoter). These four members were replaced by George F. Howe, Bolton Davidheiser and H. Douglas Dean. The latter left after only two years, Dean because of his unorthodox views (he allegedly believed that God created 7 or eight "basic types" from which life evolved), and Davidheiser because he was unable to work with Seventh Day Adventists on the committee (who he regarded as dangerous anti-Christian cultists). Marsh, an Adventist, left about the same time because he interpreted the society's holding its meetings over the weekend as a religious affront.

By the end of 1964, the society had grown sufficiently that Lammerts decided to purge the society of (Old Earth) Gap and Day Age creationists:

In 1967, Lammerts arranged for Morris to succeed him as chairman of the board, in order to ensure continuing fidelity to flood geology.²

Textbook project

In response to the Sputnik-inspired emphasis on science education, and the resultant Biological Sciences Curriculum Study textbooks (which emphasised evolution for the first time), creationists in the early 1960s were searching for an orthodox and up-to-date creationist biology textbook. The CRS responded with Biology: A Search for Order in Complexity, published in 1970 by Christian publisher Zondervan, which was a mixed success, selling out its first run of 10,000, and being approved by a number of state textbook committees, but being adopted by few public schools and after an Indiana school that attempted to make exclusive use of it, a state court banned its use (in Hendren v. Campbell) stating:³

Beliefs and stated purpose

The issue of a statement of belief caused considerable controversy within the CRS during its formation, with considerable wrangling over wording, and little consensus beyond keeping out evolutionists. Especially contentious was the extent to which the Society should be explicitly committed to Flood Geology and a six literal-day creation.⁴

The CRS eventually adopted the following statement of belief, mandatory for all members:⁵

1. The Bible is the written Word of God, and because it is inspired throughout, all its assertions are historically and scientifically true in the original autographs. To the student of nature this means that the account of origins in Genesis is a factual presentation of simple historical truths.
2. All basic types of living things, including man, were made by direct creative acts of God during the Creation Week described in Genesis. Whatever biological changes have occurred since Creation Week have accomplished only changes within the original created kinds.
3. The great flood described in Genesis, commonly referred to as the Noachian Flood, was an historic event worldwide in its extent and effect.
4. We are an organization of Christian men and women of science who accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The account of the special creation of Adam and Eve as one man and one woman and their subsequent fall into sin is the basis for our belief in the necessity of a Savior for all mankind. Therefore, salvation can come only through accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior.

The society's stated purpose is "publication and research which impinge on creation as an alternate view of origins".⁶

The CRS' statement of belief was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling of Edwards v. Aguillard. Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. wrote that "If no valid secular purpose can be identified, then the statute violates the Establishment Clause."⁷ He continued noting information on CRS and Institute for Creation Research including "a review of their goals and activities sheds light on the nature of creation science."⁸ He then explained, "the intent of the Louisiana Legislature was to promote a particular religious belief" and the court ruled that teaching creationism was unconstitutional.⁸

Publications

The Creation Research Society Quarterly has been published since July, 1964. Creation Matters containing popular level articles has been published bi-monthly since 1996. CRS has also published an assortment of special papers, monographs and books. Creationist publications have been criticized by scientists, such as Massimo Pigliucci⁹, as "nonsense" in their attempt to blend faith with empirical fact. Glenn R. Morton is an author of more than 20 articles published by CRS in an attempt to "solve scientific problems" of creationism.¹⁰ Morton later left the creationist movement complaining "The reaction to the pictures, seismic data, the logic disgusted me. They were more interested in what I sounded like than in the data!".¹⁰

Van Andel Creation Research Center

The Society established the Van Andel Creation Research Center in Arizona with funding from the Jay and Betty Van Andel Foundation. The center was established to research and test a biblical creation model and mount a challenge to the prevailing evolutionary model accepted by scientists and public universities.¹¹

Footnotes

References

• Numbers, Ronald (2006-11-30). The Creationists: From Scientific Creationism to Intelligent Design, Expanded Edition. Harvard University Press, 624 pages. ISBN 0674023390.  (Book excerpt)

External links

• Creation Research Society Web page