Origins Resources

Adventist educators face the challenge of preparing students to live in a secular society where evolution is accepted as the foundation of science and belief in creation is often minimized or belittled.  

In just a few minutes of lesson-planning time, you can explore short media presentations on 60+ topics that can expand your understanding of important origins-related issues.  Non-narrated versions with scripts make it easy to share what you learn with your students.  Find out how these resources correspond to ByDesign science lessons by clicking on a unit below:

Science Skills   Life Science   Earth Science 

Christian families are raising children in a society heavily influenced by evolutionary ideas.  How can you help your kids understand the issues and the evidence?

Whether you are a homeschooling family, a family whose children are exposed to evolutionary ideas in public school, or a family who is interested in exploring origins together, Origins Resources can help you help your children develop a solid, biblical understanding of origins that will strengthen their faith—as well as yours—rather than shake it.  For your own personal growth or as part of your child’s education, check out resources like these:

• The Big Bang and the Origin of the Universe
• Dinosaurs
• The Geologic Column
• Irreducible Complexity
• Origins 101
• Reliability of the Bible
• Science, Worldview, and the Bible
• Scholarly Articles Made Simple (the work of Adventist theologians about questions related to the creation and flood accounts in Genesis)

Paul describes Christians who can “[Hold] fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that [they] will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict (Titus 1:9).  It isn’t enough to teach our young people that God is the Creator.  We also need to equip them to deal with the scientific arguments they will encounter.

Creation is foundational to our identity and beliefs as Seventh-day Adventist Christians.  What we believe about origins has implications for eternity.  

Many Christian churches have compromised their belief in biblical creation, and unfortunately, a large number of young millennials who leave active involvement in the church perceive it to be anti-science.  Many believe the Adventist church is not a safe place to ask questions or seek answers.  How can your church help someone find answers to questions about creation or evolution and other origins topics?

Browse resources to expand your own understanding of important origins-related topics like these and tell your parishioners about them:

• The relationship between science and Scripture
• How to evaluate scientific claims (especially when they conflict with the Bible)
• The claims of evolution and what the evidence shows
• Evidence from biology, geology, and paleontology that is consistent with the Bible
• The importance of creation and the flood to Adventist and Christian beliefs
• The role of faith when unanswered questions remain

Be sure to check out Scholarly Articles Made Simple here, where summaries of articles by Adventist theologians are provided.  These topics are among those addressed:

• Are the “days” in the creation account literal 24-hour days?
• Is there a time gap between when God created the material of earth and creation week?
• Why do we believe that life on earth is thousands rather than millions of years old?
• Was Noah’s Flood really a world-wide flood?

Adventist teachers and pastors face the challenge of equipping students and church members to live in a secular society where evolution is accepted as the foundation of good science and belief in creation is often minimized or belittled.  Unfortunately, nearly half of young millennials who leave active involvement in the Adventist Church perceive it to be anti-science, and many believe it is not a safe place to ask questions or seek answers.

In addition to more than 60 media presentations available on this website, the Origins Institute at Southern Adventist University can provide speakers for teacher in-service, church, camp meeting, or professional development events.  

Possible topics include:

• Science, worldview, and the Bible
• How to evaluate scientific claims (especially when they conflict with the Bible)
• How Origins Resources supplement the ByDesign science curriculum
• Understanding the claims of evolution and evidence from biology, geology, and paleontology that is consistent with the Bible
• The role of faith when unanswered questions remain
• What Adventist theologians have concluded about their study of the creation and flood accounts in Genesis

Testimonials:

“After focusing on the new ByDesign curriculum in the morning, we spent a highly interesting and informative afternoon being introduced to the Origins Resources and learning up-to-date, intelligent, thoughtful and extremely useful information on the creation-evolution debate.  For me this was the more valuable aspect of the day.  This outstanding presentation is one of the better in-service programs I have attended.”  Cheryl Jacko, acting superintendent, Mountain View Conference

“Your content, presentation style, and ability to unpack such ‘big’ thinking into words that we could really understand and digest were fabulous.  I learned so much and really appreciate your hard work and the resources you provided.”  Sheri Crooker, Instructional coach, Washington Conference

To schedule a speaker, email craney@gccsda.com.