Jonathan Sarfati

Dr Jonathan D. Sarfati (b. born::October 1, 1964) 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. Since 1996 he has been employed as a research scientist and editorial consultant for Creation Ministries International. In 2010, he transferred from CMI-Au to CMI-USA.

Jonathan Sarfati PO Box 350 Powder Springs, GA 30127

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. 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.

In 1996 Sarfati 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. There he became well-known for his insightful writing and his ability to recall a multitude of obscure details. In 2010 he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to work with CMI in the United States.

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.

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.

In 2004, he wrote Refuting Compromise as 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.

A major book published in 2008, By Design, is subtitled, Evidence for nature’s Intelligent Designer—the God of the Bible. This "presents case after case for amazing design in the living world, and demolishes theories of chemical evolution of the first life. Yet unlike many in the prominent Intelligent Design Movement, he is up-front about the truth of the Bible. This enables him to refute many anti-design arguments, and answer the key question: ‘Who is the Designer?’"

In 2010, he wrote The Greatest Hoax on Earth?, a detailed refutation of Richard Dawkins' book The Greatest Show on Earth. In 2012, he updated a classic general apologetics book, Christianity for Skeptics, by Steve Kumar. His latest books (2015) are Busting Myths, containing interviews with 30 Ph.D. scientists, and The Genesis Account: A theological, historical, and scientific commentary on Genesis 1–11.

Sarfati has also authored a number of booklets, besides contributing chapters and articles to numerous books and magazines, as well about 500 articles on the Creation Ministries International website (a more complete list is found on his bio page). 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), 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

• The Genesis Account: A theological, historical, and scientific commentary on Genesis 1–11 (2015)
• Busting Myths 2015 (with Gary Bates)
• Christianity for Skeptics 2012 (with Steve Kumar)
• The Greatest Hoax on Earth? 2010
• By Design 2008
• 15 Reasons to Take Genesis as History 2006 (with Dr Don Batten)
• Refuting Compromise 2004
• Refuting Evolution 2 2002
• Refuting Evolution 1999
• The Genesis Account: A theological, historical, and scientific commentary on Genesis 1-11 2015

Articles (a selection)

• Archaeopteryx (unlike Archaeoraptor) is NOT a hoax—it is a true bird, not a “missing link” by Jonathan Sarfati. Creation Ministries Internationa.
• Biblical chronogenealogies by Jonathan Sarfati. Journal of Creation 17(3):14-18, 2003
• Bonebox bashers blasted: Update on James ossuary claims by Jonathan Sarfati, Creation 26(2):15, March 2004.
• Can it bee? by Jonathan Sarfati. Creation 25(2):44–45, March 2003.
• Defending vital doctrines and the deity of Christ (23 May 2005 reply to feedback)
• Evolution Falls Flat! by Jonathan Sarfati. Creation 20(2):41, March 1998.
• Lobster eyes—brilliant geometric design by Jonathan Sarfati. Creation 23(3):12–13, June 2001.
• Loving God with all your mind: logic and creation, Journal of Creation 12(2):142-151, 1998
• In Six Days: Why Fifty Scientists Choose to Believe in Creation: Jonathan D. Sarfati, physical chemistry ed. John F. Ashton, ISBN 0890513414, 2001
• Is the absence of short-lived radionuclides a problem for the Biblical timescale?
• New four-winged feathered dinosaur? by Jonathan Sarfati. Creation Ministries International. 28 January 2003.
• Olfactory design: smell and spectroscopy by Jonathan Sarfati. Journal of Creation 12(2):137–138, 1998
• Presuppositionalism vs evidentialism, and is the human genome simple? (6 June 2005 reply to feedback)
• Pterosaurs flew like modern aeroplanes by Jonathan Sarfati, Creation 28(3):53, June 2006.
• Review of Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins by Jonathan Sarfati. Journal of Creation 12(1):29-34, 1998
• Science, Creation and Evolutionism: Response to the latest anticreationist agitprop from the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Science, Evolution and Creationism, 2008
• Stem cells and Genesis by Jonathan Sarfati. Journal of Creation 15(3):19-26, 2001
• What’s Wrong With Bishop Spong? Laymen Rethink the Scholarship of John Shelby Spong Apologia 4(1):3–27, 1995
• Which came first, the dino or the bird? by Jonathan Sarfati. Creation Ministries International

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

Seminars from the Seattle Creation Conference, 2007.

Seminars from the Seattle Creation Conference, 2013.

Available Presentations

Title	Description
Designed For Life	New discoveries are constantly pointing to intricate design that Darwin never dreamed of. Indeed, human designers are constantly learning from 'nature', in a growing field called biomimetics. Such design—and the information for this design—point to a Designer.
Refuting Compromise	Since the rise of uniformitarian "science", there have been many compromises of Scripture away from its original meaning. But this has had baneful effects on the authority and sufficiency of Scripture. It also undermines the sin-death causality that underlies the Gospel teaching that Jesus died for our sins.
The Christian Roots of Science & Busting the Myths of Evolution	Why did science flourish in the West, and only the West? The biblical worldview provided the presuppositions that allowed science to flourish while it was stillborn in other places such as Greece and China. Evolutionists deny this biblical foundation for science by accusing Christianity of superstitions that held science back. Jonathan deftly busts the myth of the ‘Dark Ages’—a time marked by many scientific advances. He also busts the myths of Galileo, belief in a flat earth, and more.
Science or ‘Spin’? Real Science Supports the Bible!	What is ‘real science’? Jonathan discusses the distinction between ‘origins science’ which seeks to explain what happened in the past and ‘operational science’ which is testable, repeatable, and is the source of things like cell phones and antibiotics. He shows how what we see from operational science—things we observe today—support the Bible’s statements about origins and an intelligent Designer—the God of the Bible.
Creation Declares the Glory of God! - Incredible Design in Nature	We can tell when something shows evidence of having a human designer. So when things in nature show those same characteristics—only on a much more complex level—it makes sense to attribute that to a Designer as well. Jonathan discusses several evidences of magnificent design in nature, including DNA, molecular machines, the complexity of the cell, and more. He also demolishes arguments of ‘bad design’.
Six Days…Really? Refuting Compromise from the Scriptures	A six day, young earth understanding of Genesis is the only one that comes from the text itself, which is why the rest of Scripture interprets it that way. Long-age views are a modern aberration that comes from imposing outside ideas of uniformitarian “science” upon the text. See how compromising views render the Bible meaningless to a dying world. You’ll be encouraged and energized to hear there is no need for compromise and that there are answers. The evidence for Creation and the Bible’s account of history is all around us if only we know how to look for it, and Jonathan will show you how to do just that!
Are Miracles Scientific?	Miracles are not very common in the Bible. What laws of nature can and can't say about them. Hume's circular argument against miracles. Can an atheist even defend the natural law that he uses to attack miracles? Miracles are really an addition to natural law, rather than an exception. Are miracles a threat to science? Why should we trust the biblical reports on miracles (authenticity of text, reliability of authors) Chronological snobbery Refuting the pagan copycat thesis

Related Links

• An awesome mind: A talk with one of Christianity’s foremost defenders, Jonathan Sarfati by Gary Bates. Creation 26(3):36-41, June 2004.
• Jonathan Sarfati by Conservapedia
• Jonathan Sarfati by A Storehouse of Knowledge