Paul Garner
Paul Garner has a BSc in geology and biology and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London. He works full-time as a speaker and researcher with Biblical Creation Ministries. He is also a Committee Member of the Biblical Creation Society, co-editor of the BCS journal, Origins, and is on the Board of Genesis Agendum.
Garner is one of the "leading" creationists in Britain but appears to have never practised as a geologist. A lot of his promotion of creation appears to centre on tiny rural churches in East Anglia.
Nowadays Garner runs his own "creation science" blog at http://thenewcreationism.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/attenboroughs-first-life-part-two/. This is mostly to promote his 2009 book The New Creationism (see below).
However, as is so often the case with such creationist blogs, the comment function has been turned off.
According to the web site of Biblical Creation Ministries Garner preaches creationism in schools: "Paul travels all over the UK – and overseas – speaking in churches, public meetings, schools, sixth-forms and universities."
Before anyone thinks that Paul Garner is an impartial scientist, the BCM statement of belief unequivocally shows that he is a religious fundamentalist:
We believe that the following are either consistent with Scripture or implied by Scripture:
* The Creation was accomplished in six consecutive natural days, each consisting of an evening and a morning. The days of Creation do not correspond to long geological ages.
* The biblical genealogies trace the human race back to Adam, who was created on the sixth day. Even allowing for some gaps in the genealogies, the creation of Adam cannot have been more than a few thousand years ago.
* The Flood of Noah has significant implications for the study of earth history. Geology must always therefore be studied with reference to the Flood.
* The Gap Theory, which seeks to explain the fossil record by inserting geological ages between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2, has no basis in Holy Scripture.
* No apparent, perceived, or claimed evidence in any historical or scientific field of study can be valid if it contradicts the record of Holy Scripture. Evidence is always subject to interpretation by people who are fallen, fallible, and limited in knowledge .
Garner has no training in theology whatsoever.
Nor has Garner ever produced a one iota of science to back up his creationism. No peer reviewed papers on "creation science" by Garner has ever been published. (The stuff published in BCS's journal is simply not even remotely been peer reviewed.) He has produced a populist creationist book, though, The New Creationism. It's been reviewed in the obscure Grace Magazine by John Peet who just happens to work with, er, Paul Garner at Biblical Creation Ministries.
It appears that the only favourable reviews were in the publications of organisations that accept young earth creationism. Garner has said that he is "pleased to say that my book has been positively reviewed in many Christian periodicals, including Evangelical Times, Evangelicals Now, Future First, The Banner of Truth Magazine, the Creation Research Society Quarterly, Grace Magazine and The Bible League Quarterly."
Evangelical Times is, of course, one and the same as Evangelical Press who were the publishers of the book!
The book has been seriously criticised by BCSE member the Rev Michael Roberts (himself a trained geologist) in a thread on the forum of Premier Radio.
Garner is believed to worship at the Cambridge Presbyterian Church and has certainly been using the church to push creationism onto young people. For example on 19 November 2010, he was presenting to the church's youth group the “Seven Cs of History: Creation”....This was one of a series he was presenting there over several months. As far as BCSE can make out, this church pitches at students and has links to Christian Unions and has been very active in promoting young earth creationism. It doesn't appear to be a very big church as it has no premises of its own.
The BCSE's community forum has frequently been used to "discuss" Garner's science. For example there is a thread at http://www.forums.bcseweb.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2375&p=21639&hilit=garner#p21639 covering his undistinguished opinions on the ice age.
The Biblical Creation Ministries' web site libels (twice) the BCSE and people associated with it. See http://www.biblicalcreationministries.org.uk/b/index.php/resources linking to Pastor David Anderson's vile web site and blog, BCSE Revealed. BCSE would like to know who is paying for this stuff.
It doesn't surprise us that BCM libels us. Creationists seem to think they have a have an opt out from the ninth commandment.
