Walt Brown (creationist)

Walter T. Brown is an American engineer and young earth creationist (YEC), who is the director of his own ministry called the Center for Scientific Creation. According to his self-published book, Brown has a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served in the US military until he retired in 1980. ["About the Author," "Center for Scientific Creation", "In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood (7th ed.)" ( [http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ online edition] ). Accessed 27 December 2007. ISBN 1932307222] Brown is considered one of the leaders of the creationism movement. [ [http://skepdic.com/creation.html "Creationism and creation science"] , The Skeptics Dictionary: A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions, Robert Todd Carroll, Wiley; 1st edition, August 15, 2003, ISBN 0471272426]

Biography

Since retiring from the military in 1980, Brown has been the Director of the Center for Scientific Creation and has worked full time in research, writing, and speaking on origins theory. ["About the Author," "Center for Scientific Creation", "In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood (7th ed.)" ( [http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ online edition] ). Accessed 27 December 2007. ISBN 1932307222]

In 1998, Brown was appointed to a committee reviewing Arizona's state science standards. However evolution was retained in the Arizona state science standards after a final decision in August, 1998. [ [http://acept.asu.edu/news/newsletter/vol3/rissing.html "Evolution Included Into the Arizona Science Standards"] , Steve Rissing, ACEPT Newsletter, Volume 3 Spring 1999] [ [http://jinnetics.tripod.com/sp.html "Evolution education now added to state high school standards"] , Jayson Peters
Arizona State University State Press, Aug. 25, 1998]

Claims and criticism

In Brown's "In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood" he claims to provide evidence against evolution and for creation science and flood geology (including hydroplates). It is divided into three sections, the first of which explores discoveries made by scientists that Brown says do not fit the theory of evolution. [ [http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/LifeSciences8.html CreationScience.comndash 5. Natural Selection] ] The second section outlines various alternate explanations to geological and astronomical subjects such as the mid-oceanic ridge and comets, which Brown asserts modern science cannot explain. The final section presents a variety of other questions encountered in the creation-evolution controversy.

Brown's "The Scientific Case for Creation" was reviewed by Jim Lippard who said Brown made serious errors, including using "mistaken claims about what others have written." [cite news | url=http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/2595_issue_27_volume_10_number_2__11_17_2003.asp#A%20Final%20Response%20to%20Walter%20Brown | title=A Final Response to Walter Brown | publisher=National Center for Science Education |date= Summer 1990 | first= | last= | accessdate = 2007-02-19]

Philosopher Robert T. Pennock describes Brown's position as being typical, other than the unique feature of his hydroplates hypothesis, of YECs in desiring to explain all major terrestrial features in terms of a catastrophic Biblical flood. [cite book | last = Pennock | first = Robert T. | authorlink = Robert T. Pennock | title = Tower of Babel: The Evidence Against the New Creationism | publisher = The MIT Press | date = February 28, 2000 | pages = 451 pages | isbn = 026266111X, p13]

TalkOrigins reports that Walt Brown has had contentious relations with other creationist organizations. [talkorigins.org [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/wbdebateoffer.html "Walter Brown's Debate Offer"] ] [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/wbrown2.html "More on Walter Brown's debate offer"] , Jim Foley ,TalkOrigins, September 30, 2004] Answers in Genesis has a standing offer to Brown to publish some of his material in their journals [ [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/2571/ "Maintaining Creationist Integrity: A response to Kent Hovind"] , Carl Wieland, Ken Ham and Jonathan Sarfati, Creation Ministries International website, 11 October 2002updated 16 December 2002 and 2 August 2006] but Brown has declined. The old earth creationist organization Answers in Creation has published material rebutting Brown's hydroplate theory. [ [http://www.answersincreation.org/walter_brown_hydroplate_theory.htm "Creation Science Rebuttals: Center for Scientific Creationism Walter Brown's Hydroplate Model"] , Glenn R. Morton, Answers in Creation website, copyright 2003] The Christian American Scientific Affiliation website features a debunking of Brown's video "God's Power and Scriptures Authority" by Steven H. Schimmrich of Kutztown University. [ [http://www.asa3.org/archive/asa/199803/0079.html "Re: Walter Brown Jr. Video"] , Steven Schimmrich, American Scientific Affiliation, March 9, 1998] Brown also has repeatedly claimed that no "evolutionist" will engage in a written debate with him, [ [http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/275993.aspx "The Global Flood as You've Never Seen It"] , Christian Broadcasting Network News, 30 November 2007. Accessed 27 December 2007.] but has been accused of discouraging or avoiding such debates. [ [http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/homs/wbrown.html "Fossil Hominids: Response to In the Beginning"] , Jim Foley, TalkOrigins website, February 21, 2002] [ [http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CA/CA342.html Claim CA342] , Mark Isaak, Index to Creationist Claims, TalkOrigins, Copyright © 2004] An abortive attempt at such a debate was held in 1989 and 1990 in the pages of Creation/Evolution, the National Center for Science Education journal, before Brown refused to continue. [ [http://www.ncseweb.org/resources/articles/2595_issue_27_volume_10_number_2__11_17_2003.asp#A%20Final%20Response%20to%20Walter%20Brown "A Final Response to Walter Brown"] , Jim Lippard, Creation/Evolution, Issue 27 (Volume 10, Number 2 - Summer 1990)] Joe Meert of Gondwana Research, a journal promoting research related to the origin and evolution of continents, had a signed contract for such a debate with Walter Brown in 2000. Brown apparently disputed the terms of the signed contract and it did not take place; [ [http://gondwanaresearch.com/hp/walt_brown.htm Walt Brown's Pseudochallenge] , Joe Meert, [http://www.gondwanaresearchonline.com/General/Index.aspx Gondwana Research] website, updated March 26 2006] although Brown has his own account of the situation. [ [http://www.trueorigin.org/Meert1.pdf "Summary of Joe Meert/Walt Brown Communications Concerning a Written Debate"] , "Peggy", TrueOrigin website] According to Georgia State University biology professor Fred K. Parrish, who was "tricked" into a April 1985 public debate with Brown, Brown debates around the U.S. and has a set of preconditions (such as Brown speaks first, the debate moderator sits on his side, etc). [ [http://www.americanhumanist.org/humanism/suckered.html "I Was Suckered Into A Debate—And Survived!"] , Fred K. Parrish, Creation/Evolution, XXII, 1988.]

Books

Self-published by Brown (as the Center for Scientific Creation):
*"In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood", Center for Scientific Creation (7th edn ISBN 1-878026-08-9).

References

External links

* [http://www.creationscience.com Center for Scientific Creation]
* [http://wiki.cotch.net/index.php/Walt_Brown Walt Brown at the evowiki]
* [http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CH/CH420.html CH420:Hydroplate claim]
* [http://mypage.direct.ca/w/writer/hydro.html A Few Silly Flaws In Walter Brown's Hydroplate Theory] by Joyce Arthur