Will He Debate?

A number of people have asked Answers in Genesis if we would be open to the possibility of debating the TV personality known as “Bill Nye the Science Guy” (of PBS TV and the Disney Channel)—after Nye’s harsh anti-creationist video went viral on YouTube.

At last count, over 4.8 million people have watched him make a number of misrepresentations about the creationist position. We posted our own rebuttals to YouTube (“Bill Nye, Creationism is Highly Appropriate for our Children” and “Ken Ham Responds to Bill Nye ‘The Humanist Guy’”). We did publicly challenge Bill Nye to a debate on my blog, but we have also made a formal invitation.

I wanted to let you know that a few weeks ago, we sent a letter to Mr. Nye in Seattle (and also to his agent in New York City), suggesting that he participate in a creation-evolution debate. You see, we had heard through a nationally known reporter with the secular media that Mr. Nye had agreed in principle to debate with one of our PhD scientists. The reporter told us that Mr. Nye’s had indicated that if his expenses would be covered, he would seriously consider a debate.

In our letter to Nye, we suggested that the debate theme could be something like, “Which model of origins, creation or evolution, is confirmed by observational science?” (and we have offered him the opportunity to come up with an alternative topic). We also proposed that our debate advocate be Dr. Georgia Purdom of AiG, who holds a doctorate in molecular genetics. And we added that the debate would not necessarily be limited to biological topics, which is Dr. Purdom’s field. We are awaiting Nye’s response.

We have also recently heard suggestions that high-profile theistic evolutionists be invited to debate AiG, including Dr. Karl Giberson, formerly of BioLogos and Eastern Nazarene College. He has often had AiG in his cross-hairs. In a recent commentary in Huffington Post, he took a swipe at Congressman Paul Broun of Georgia, who rejects evolution. He also wrote negatively about AiG and me in that  commentary.

We can be hesitant about debating a person like Giberson who calls himself a Christian (while being an evolutionist) because such a debate might make secularists happy to see Christians arguing again. But because the theistic evolutionists are becoming more and more aggressive, and their views are infiltrating Christian colleges, seminaries, and leading churches, I think it’s time we engage more of these compromising Christians in a very public way. It doesn’t have to be Dr. Giberson. He would be a logical first choice because of his constant anti-creationist writings, but we would welcome the opportunity to consider debating any well-known theistic evolutionist.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken