Jonathan Sarfati
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
Dr Jonathan D. Sarfati (b. October 1, 19641 October 1964
25 Tishrei 5725 H
25 Bul 6123 AM) is a renowned creationist, physical chemist, spectroscopist, and chess master. He is most famous for taking an uncompromising stance on the origins of the universe, the earth, and life, and defending Scripture in a straightforward manner against any attempt to "reconcile" it with "scientific data" that contradict it.
Life and career
Jonathan Sarfati was born in Ararat, Australia in 1964. He moved to New Zealand as a child and received his early education there.[1] He graduated from Victoria University of Wellington with a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry with two physics papers substituted, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry, based on his thesis: A Spectroscopic Study of some Chalcogenide Ring and Cage Molecules. He has also had papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals including co-authoring in the journal Nature on high-temperature superconductors in 1987, when he was 22 [2].
Degrees
- B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry (with condensed matter and nuclear physics papers substituted)
- Ph.D. in Spectroscopy (Chemistry)
Religious history
Ethnically Jewish, Sarfati converted to Christianity in 1984. In 1996 he moved to Brisbane, Australia to work for the Creation Science Foundation (now Creation Ministries International) as co-editor of their magazine, Creation, and the peer-reviewed Journal of Creation.
Writings
Sarfati has written numerous publications, including five books. Refuting Evolution, his first book, a rebuttal to the National Academy of Sciences' teachers' guidebook Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science, was published in 1999. It has since sold more than 450,000 copies. This was followed by a sequel, Refuting Evolution 2, a response to a major PBS/Nova 7-part series and a Scientific American article.
His latest major book, Refuting Compromise is a rebuttal of the day-age creationism of Dr Hugh Ross, which treats the days of Genesis 1 as long ages, in an attempt to harmonize that account with the belief that the earth is billions of years old. "15 Reasons to Take Genesis as History" is a short book (co-authored with Don Batten) to summarize the theological case for taking Genesis at face value.
Sarfati has also authored a number of booklets, besides contributing chapters and articles to numerous books and magazines, as well as many of the articles on the Creation Ministries International and Answers in Genesis websites. He is a popular speaker at churches and conferences on the issue of creation versus evolution.
Chess
Sarfati also maintains a keen interest in chess. A former New Zealand national chess champion (1987/88),[3] he represented New Zealand in three Chess Olympiads. He also tied Rey Casse in the Australian Junior Championship (1981), but was declared ineligible because of his New Zealand residency (yet Casse was born in England). He was three times New Zealand junior champion. In a tournament in Wellington in 1988, he drew with former World Chess Champion Boris Spassky.
He enjoys playing chess "blindfold", i.e. played from memory without sight of or any physical contact with the board, and has been known to play twelve such games simultaneously (see some games and photos).
Sarfati was one of the top 1000 reviewers at Amazon.com. In addition to chess-related books, his reviews also cover religious and scientific books.
Publications
Books
- Refuting Compromise 2004
- Refuting Evolution 2 2002
- Refuting Evolution 1999
- 15 Reasons to Take Genesis as History
- Rescuing the Bible from John Shelby Spong (ISBN 0890514178)
Videos
- Designed for Life Recorded at the Seattle Creation Conference. 2007
- Refuting Compromise Recorded at the Seattle Creation Conference. 2007
- Arguments Creationists Should NOT Use
- Chemicals to Living Cell: Fantasy or Science
Articles
- Uncut chapter from In Six Days: Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation, ed. John F. Ashton, ISBN 0890513414, 2001
- Loving God with all your mind: logic and creation, Journal of Creation 12(2):142–151, 1998
- Biblical chronogenealogies, Journal of Creation 17(3):14–18, 2003 (defends Masoretic chronology of Gen. 5 & 11, and rejects gaps)
- Book review: Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins, Journal of Creation 12(1):29–34, 1998
- Stem cells and Genesis, Journal of Creation 15(3):19–26, 2001 (opposes embryonic stem cell research; supports somatic/adult stem cell research)
- Olfactory design: smell and spectroscopy, Journal of Creation 12(2):137–138, 1998
- What’s Wrong With Bishop Spong? Laymen Rethink the Scholarship of John Shelby Spong Apologia 4(1):3–27, 1995
- Presuppositionalism vs evidentialism, and is the human genome simple? (6 June 2005 reply to feedback)
- Defending vital doctrines and the deity of Christ (23 May 2005 reply to feedback)
- Is the absence of short-lived radionuclides a problem for the Biblical timescale?
References
- ↑ "Dr Jonathan D. Sarfati B.Sc. (Hons.), Ph.D., F.M." Creation Ministries International. Accessed March 7, 2008.
- ↑ A. Mawdsley, H. J. Trodahl, J. Tallon, J. Sarfati, and A. B. Kaiser. "Thermoelectric power and electron-phonon enhancement in YBa2Cu3O7-8" Nature, 328:233-234, July 16, 1987. Accessed March 7, 2008.
- ↑ "Title and Trophy Holders", Chess in New Zealand, New Zealand Chess Federation. Accessed March 7, 2008.
Related Links
- Biography of Sarfati by Creation Ministries International
- Interview in Creation magazine Creation 26(3):36–41, June 2004
- Interview on ChristianLogic.com website
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See Also
| Born | 1 October 1964 + |
