Creation magazine: The best option
Editorial
What book would be the best book to give to a skeptical friend? That’s a question I am often asked. They may be referring to a colleague who has questions about the Bible, or a neighbour who has no connection with a church.
Usually, I ask for more information and explore options about what their friend is interested in. Instead of a book, I’ll often end up recommending a gift of Creation magazine as a first step. And if you are looking for something to provide answers I would recommend the same to you.
The advantage with Creation magazine is that it covers so many different topics. Regularly, its articles include biology, geology, astronomy, cosmology, zoology, history, botany, and more.
Some may think that a geologist would want a geology book, and a biologist would like a biology book. However, they might prefer to spend their leisure time with a topic different from what they work at all day. With Creation magazine, the astronomy article may be the one that interests the geologist, and a biologist could be intrigued by the scientist interview.
The other advantage of Creation magazine is that each page is colourfully illustrated. So, even if people are not very interested, a colourful picture will often catch their attention. And the articles are short and quickly read. Before they know it, they are drawn into reading more. We hear many stories from people who learned about their Creator in this way, and began their journey to faith.
The first step may be to pass your copy of Creation to your friend, once you’ve finished reading it. However, if possible, it’s always better to arrange a gift subscription, because the magazine is mailed every three months. That gives a regular and automatic reinforcement of the message. Down the track, you might find your friend mentioning something published in the magazine, and you will realise that their ideas are changing.
Once again, this issue of Creation magazine is full of interesting, up-to-date, information. Like the report on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and what the discovery of oxygen in its atmosphere means (p. 42). Or the Dead Sea Scrolls, and their significance for the reliability of the biblical manuscripts (p. 49).
Particularly amazing is the discovery of repair mechanisms that keep DNA, the gene molecule, working properly—after all, it won the 2015 Nobel Prize for chemistry. What does that mean for the origin of genetic information and its associated molecular machinery (p. 56)
Also you will enjoy the feature on the American Bald Eagle (p. 34) and the World Heritage Jurassic Coast of southern England (p. 26). On top of that, there is a sobering historical insight, a timely warning, about how life-saving hospital reforms were stymied for a generation due to the prejudice, false beliefs, and self interest of the professionals (p. 52).
When you have finished, don’t toss your old issue into a cupboard to collect dust and eventually be thrown away. Take an opportunity to pass it onto a friend or relative, or leave it in a doctor’s waiting room. But, make sure you and your family have finished reading it first.
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