Duane Gish passed into the presence of his Lord on March 5, at the age of 91.
Dr. Gish will be unknown to many of today’s young Christians, but those a little older may well have come across his writings on biblical creation. He was better known in America, but had a worldwide ministry. He was nicknamed ‘Creation’s Bulldog’ by some.
He was a graduate of the University of California. He was impressed by the work of Henry Morris in the 1960s and so joined in propagating the scientific case for creation against evolution. Dr. Gish was a founder of the Creation Research Society. He believed in research and not mere talk.
Work on fossils
He gave up his well-paid research in biochemistry to lecture, debate and write on the subject. He took part in over 300 debates. So successful was he that many evolutionists would not stand against him.
He wrote several books on the subject, but is probably best known for his work on fossils and for his writings on the origin of life.
Though a fully committed evangelical, he limited his lectures to scientific issues. However, there were many who testified that, through these talks, they came to faith in our Lord Jesus. Ken Ham, of Answers in Genesis, says that it was Dr. Gish’s talk at his school that persuaded him of the truth of Scripture on this matter. As a man, Duane Gish was described as a Christian gentleman, had a good sense of humour and was popular with his audiences.
