However that is not what is happening at all. Creation-science evangelists are experiencing significant success which is why the movement is growing

That has even been the case when the scientist was considered quite competent as an evolutionist, but when the scientist changed his viewpoint to that of a creationist, suddenly the scientist turned nincompoop in the eyes of those who earlier admired him and considered him highly intelligent and well informed on all the issues.

Think about Christ's parable of the sower and the seed. When the seed fell on rocky and thorny ground, it could not grow. It could flourish only when it fell upon prepared soil. The seed represents the message of the cross. We Christians are to be the sowers, but we must understand that much of our seed is falling on the thorny, rocky ground of evolutionary philosophy. To be successful in reaching the un-Godly, we must get to work, clearing away those rocks and thorns and trees so the ground will be prepared to receive the seed.

A method has been developed to do just that. Creation evangelism first clears the way and then plants the seed. It provides evidence to show that Genesis and the rest of the Bible is not a collection of fairy tales. It shares the foundational information of Genesis and tells the Creation story carefully and accurately. In short, it explains the foundations of Christianity before proceeding to the rest of the gospel.

A small but increasing number of mission organizations are excited about this approach and are putting it to work. The response has been excellent! Those who have applied only part of the technique now want to go all the way.

New Tribes Mission has been using a Creation evangelism approach for some years now and with great success. Formerly, topical preaching methods were used to try to win tribal peoples of New Guinea and similar areas. The missionaries usually preached the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But the results were few and far between. New believers often lost faith and returned to their former pagan ways.

The organization now trains its missionaries to build a strong foundation before proceeding to the rest of the Christian structure and belief system. They call it the "chronological panoramic approach" or simply "chronological teaching." Now, when they come to a new tribe, evangelists start by sharing Genesis and its foundational knowledge. They explain who God is, the original paradise, where sin came from, where death came from, and so on. Only after many weeks or even months do they begin to share the Good News of Christ's birth, death, and resurrection.

The results have been marvelous! And other missions are following their example. Converts are now standing the test of time, simply because they finally understand the basis of the Christian faith. Strong foundations are being laid and built upon.

Over the last two decades, this type of "creation evangelism" has become a booming industry. Several hundred independent speakers promote biblical creation at churches, colleges, private schools, Rotary clubs. They lead tours to the Grand Canyon or the local museum to study the world through a creationist lens.

They churn out stacks of home-schooling material. A geology text devotes a chapter to Noah's flood; an astronomy book quotes Genesis on the origins of the universe; a science unit for second-graders features daily "evolution stumpers" that teach children to argue against the theory that is a cornerstone of modern science.

Answers in Genesis is the biggest of these ministries. Ham co-founded the nonprofit in his native Australia in 1979. The U.S. branch, funded mostly by donations, has an annual budget of $15 million and 160 employees who produce books and DVDs, maintain a comprehensive website, and arrange more than 500 speeches a year for Ham and four other full-time evangelists.

With pulpit-thumping passion, Ham insists the Bible be taken literally: God created the universe and all its creatures in six 24-hour days, roughly 6,000 years ago.

They churn out stacks of home-schooling material. A geology text devotes a chapter to Noah's flood; an astronomy book quotes Genesis on the origins of the universe; a science unit for second-graders features daily "evolution stumpers" that teach children to argue against the theory that is a cornerstone of modern science.

for instance we no longer teach that the planets revolve around the earth, or that the earth is flat, but at one time very respected scientists did teach these things.

I would like to see it discussed thoroughly but not be presented as if Christians can't have faith in Christ and at the same time hold various views on science and evolution. For me personally the most important thing is freedom and persuasion, not the feeling of being pushed or compelled into one view. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, and, as Saint Paul said, "Let every man be persuaded in his own mind."

If creationism is true (and I believe it is), then it has nothing to fear from being generous and admitting when it is wrong or doesn't yet have answers. If it is not true, then I would be the first to want to know, because I am only after the truth, whatever that is and wherever it leads.