"Is Genesis History?" Video Review
by Cowboy Bob Sorensen
There have been a few biblical creation science movies made lately that have been released in cinemas. Those have been through special arrangements for one night only, but audiences have received them enthusiastically, and there are occasional extra showings added. Unfortunately, they have not been in locations where I can attend, so I have to wait for the videos to be released. One of these was Is Genesis History?, first shown in the United States on February 23, 2017.
The short description:
Much of the material presented will probably be familiar to those of us who have studied creationary material for a spell, but of course, there was still a prairie schooner of other things to learn. I felt like many of the people interviewed were old friends in a way.
The main theme of Is Genesis History? seemed to be about paradigm. That is, someone's framework for interpreting data and making sense of the world. It is not a matter of "You have your facts, we have our facts", or some such. We all have the same facts, the same evidence, and what matters is how we deal with all of it. For an article on knowledge, see "How Do You Know It Is True?"
Let me take a side trail for a moment. Think back to the last Perry Mason or other show you saw that had courtroom scenes. Both sides of a case have the same evidence, and usually question the same witnesses. The origins controversy, like legal matters, is forensic — it is using evidence and reason in an effort to determine what happened in the past.
Okay, we're back again.
The interviews with scientists and scholars were not shot in a studio or auditorium, but in various locations where they displayed their specialties. This helped keep the 1 hour and 40 minutes movie from getting bogged down.
Del Tackett conducted quite a few interviews, as indicated above. (Is it just me, or does his voice sound a bit like Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs and the secular How the Universe Works fame?) Scenic locations, labs, views of specialty work, and more helps keep the viewer's interest. Also, something that I thought was clever and appealing was the use of what looked pencil sketches that were very quickly drawn. These were used for illustrations, and as transitions between scenes. Highfalutin special effects are fun, but this nice change was effective. I'll continue after the short clip below.
More clips like this are available on their site and on YouTube.
Since a great deal of biblical creation science involves the Genesis Flood and recent creation, a large part of Is Genesis History? is spent on geology, paleontology, fossilization, and the like. However, we also get into biology, dinosaurs, dinosaur soft tissues, the meaning of the creation account in Hebrew, archaeology, the Ice Age, and more. Del brings us to the main point on why all of this matters in a proper understanding of Scripture and salvation.
The use of Scripture is vital, and I am glad the film makers did not fall for the myth of neutrality. I take a presuppositional approach to apologetics, and the most basic form is to believe the Bible. You can convince someone that there is a Creator, but that isn't much help if they are not told about who did the creation, and about our Redeemer.
An angry tinhorn can watch this and ignore the collection of evidence for our position. Someone like that needs to settle down and just consider the science and theology of a recent creation, and the evidence that shows the paucity of fish-to-filmmaker evolution. It is difficult for atheists and anti-creationists to be intellectually honest and see evidence for our point of view, but it's certainly worth a try.
I hope people will watch Is Genesis History? and even buy it. There is discussion material as well as a guide to the film available.
There have been a few biblical creation science movies made lately that have been released in cinemas. Those have been through special arrangements for one night only, but audiences have received them enthusiastically, and there are occasional extra showings added. Unfortunately, they have not been in locations where I can attend, so I have to wait for the videos to be released. One of these was Is Genesis History?, first shown in the United States on February 23, 2017.
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| DVD cover from Is Genesis History? |
More than a DocumentaryI was able to rent a streaming version of the video and watch it on the television through our Roku device, and I regret not watching it sooner. It is available for purchase or streaming/rental through their site. They also have extra materials available for purchase or for free. Don't be getting skittish about a creation science film, we're not bogged down with a great deal of technical jargon. Does it go the other way and get condescending? Not hardly! Reasonably intelligent people can understand it.
The film is the first step on a journey toward understanding the history of the Earth according to Genesis. Follow Del Tackett as he travels across the continent with over a dozen scientists and scholars to see fascinating new evidence for creation and a global flood.
Much of the material presented will probably be familiar to those of us who have studied creationary material for a spell, but of course, there was still a prairie schooner of other things to learn. I felt like many of the people interviewed were old friends in a way.
The main theme of Is Genesis History? seemed to be about paradigm. That is, someone's framework for interpreting data and making sense of the world. It is not a matter of "You have your facts, we have our facts", or some such. We all have the same facts, the same evidence, and what matters is how we deal with all of it. For an article on knowledge, see "How Do You Know It Is True?"
Let me take a side trail for a moment. Think back to the last Perry Mason or other show you saw that had courtroom scenes. Both sides of a case have the same evidence, and usually question the same witnesses. The origins controversy, like legal matters, is forensic — it is using evidence and reason in an effort to determine what happened in the past.
Okay, we're back again.
The interviews with scientists and scholars were not shot in a studio or auditorium, but in various locations where they displayed their specialties. This helped keep the 1 hour and 40 minutes movie from getting bogged down.
Del Tackett conducted quite a few interviews, as indicated above. (Is it just me, or does his voice sound a bit like Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs and the secular How the Universe Works fame?) Scenic locations, labs, views of specialty work, and more helps keep the viewer's interest. Also, something that I thought was clever and appealing was the use of what looked pencil sketches that were very quickly drawn. These were used for illustrations, and as transitions between scenes. Highfalutin special effects are fun, but this nice change was effective. I'll continue after the short clip below.
More clips like this are available on their site and on YouTube.
Since a great deal of biblical creation science involves the Genesis Flood and recent creation, a large part of Is Genesis History? is spent on geology, paleontology, fossilization, and the like. However, we also get into biology, dinosaurs, dinosaur soft tissues, the meaning of the creation account in Hebrew, archaeology, the Ice Age, and more. Del brings us to the main point on why all of this matters in a proper understanding of Scripture and salvation.
The use of Scripture is vital, and I am glad the film makers did not fall for the myth of neutrality. I take a presuppositional approach to apologetics, and the most basic form is to believe the Bible. You can convince someone that there is a Creator, but that isn't much help if they are not told about who did the creation, and about our Redeemer.
An angry tinhorn can watch this and ignore the collection of evidence for our position. Someone like that needs to settle down and just consider the science and theology of a recent creation, and the evidence that shows the paucity of fish-to-filmmaker evolution. It is difficult for atheists and anti-creationists to be intellectually honest and see evidence for our point of view, but it's certainly worth a try.
I hope people will watch Is Genesis History? and even buy it. There is discussion material as well as a guide to the film available.