Nate Loper
Nate Loper is a biblical creation researcher, speaker, and educational tour leader specializing in geology, biblical archaeology, and the integration of Scripture with earth history and the Ancient Near East.
He has served as a pastor, teacher, author, and public speaker on topics of science, biblical history, and archaeology. Having lead creation tours in many national parks in America, he is most widely known for his work at the Grand Canyon, where he has led over 1,000 days of rim tours, inner-canyon hikes, and multi-day Colorado River expeditions interpreting the canyon’s stratigraphy, fossil record, and geomorphology within a young-earth and global Flood framework.
From 2020 to 2025, Loper served as Executive Director of Canyon Ministries, which provides daily Christian rim tours, guided hikes, backpacking trips, and multi-day river expeditions in Grand Canyon National Park. In this role, he oversaw teaching programs, guide training, river operations, and national outreach. He currently serves with Canyon Ministries as Director of Ministry Outreach, focusing on international teaching, conference speaking, and the development of educational resources in biblical creation, Flood geology, and biblical archaeology.
Creation Science Research
Loper has participated in and helped coordinate major field research projects in creation geology. In 2017, he was part of the team for the Grand Canyon bent rock layers research project of Dr. Andrew Snelling and Dr. John Whitmore during the Colorado River expedition featured in Is Genesis History: Mountains After the Flood, providing logistical coordination and support for the field research investigating large-scale rock folding within the Grand Canyon.
He is also a co-author and initiating researcher of the multi-year study on the rapid filling and failure of post-Flood Hopi Lake (Western Bidahochi Formation Basin), conducted with Dr. Steve Austin as the lead geologist. Loper made the initial discovery that led to the project, including early aerial survey work, and helped organize field investigations that resulted in the paper Shoreline Transgressive Terraces, Tufa-Encrusted Landforms Indicate Rapid Filling and Failure of Hopi Lake (2024). The study investigates possible lake shore terrace strandlines in support of the catastrophic lake spillover model as a major mechanism in the incision of the Grand Canyon, a model held my most leading creation geologists.
Biblical Apologetics
Loper has written for publications such as Answers Magazine and other apologetics outlets, and has spoken at churches, schools, universities, and conferences on topics including creation science, the authority of Scripture, and the historical reliability of the Bible. He is a frequent presenter at the Creation Research Society (CRS) Conference, the International Conference on Creationism (ICC), and other national and international creation and apologetics events. His presentations address Flood geology, biblical archaeology, and the relationship between the geological and archaeological record and the biblical text.
Biblical Archaeology
Loper has studied and taught biblical archaeology and Egyptology in museum and academic settings around the world, including the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, and the British Museum in London.
His master's degree research focuses on the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt, particularly the Hyksos (Fifteenth Dynasty), and their possible identification with the biblical Hebrews. His work in Egypt includes study of the Giza Plateau, the Nile Delta, and sites associated with Joseph and the Exodus. He regularly teaches from primary inscriptions, reliefs, and archaeological contexts in museum and field settings.
Growing up in the American Southwest, Loper has also conducted decades of fieldwork in Native American archaeology, with particular emphasis on the Four Corners region. His research includes documentary archaeoastronomy and solar-alignment studies in the Grand Canyon, Natural Bridges National Monument in Utah, and dozens of other sites, examining solstice and equinox horizon markers, architectural orientations, and rock art within Ancestral Puebloan and related cultural landscapes.
International Tours
Loper directs and leads Egypt Christian Tours, an international tour ministry focused on the archaeology, history, and geography of the Bible in Egypt. These programs emphasize the historical context of the patriarchs, the rise of Israel in Egypt, the Exodus, and the interaction between Egyptian civilization and the biblical world. Instruction is conducted with Egyptian guides on-site at major archaeological locations such as the Giza Plateau, the Nile Valley, Sinai, and key museum collections, integrating textual study, material culture, and biblical chronology.
Loper also leads international trips through London Christian Tours, which provide instruction in creation apologetics, biblical archaeology, and church history through visits to major museums, historic churches, and archaeological sites throughout London and the United Kingdom. These programs focus on the Christian heritage of Britain, the transmission of the biblical text, and the development of Western Christianity from the early church through the Reformation.
In addition to his work in the United Kingdom and Egypt, Loper continues to lead and teach on educational expeditions in the American Southwest, including Grand Canyon field studies, museum-based programs, and creation science research trips.
National Park Service Collaboration
Loper has worked with the National Park Service on interpretive and educational projects, including development of scientific and historical content for the visitor center at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. His collaboration has included consultation with both regional monument staff and the NPS Washington, D.C. field office on geology, volcanology, and cultural history interpretation.
Media, Photography, and Videography
Loper is an accomplished travel, landscape, and field researcher photographer and videographer. His imagery and video work have been used in documentaries and educational programming by organizations such as National Geographic and PBS, as well as by major news outlets across the United States. His visual documentation has supported scientific field projects, archaeological research, and public education in geology, biblical history, and cultural heritage.
Educational Resources
In addition to field teaching and conference lecturing, Loper is involved in research, writing, and the development of educational resources, including museum-grade 3D models of geological formations and archaeological artifacts for classroom and public instruction. His work seeks to present a data-driven defense of biblical creation and history while engaging directly with physical evidence from geology, paleontology, and biblical archaeology.
Official Links
