Glenn Morton (1950-2020)

I just got word that Glenn Morton passed away on August 5.  You can see a brief obituary here.  I never met Glenn, but I certainly knew of him.  Back in the 1980s, Glenn was an active young-age creationist researcher, looking at questions in by geology.  As he continued "digging," he had an increasingly difficult time figuring out how to explain his findings in the context of the Flood geology of the day.  So he left, and eventually became a fairly regular critic of young-age creationism.

I don't want to say too much here, because I didn't know him personally, and I definitely don't know the whole story.  But his personal testimony is heartbreaking.  According to Glenn, "It appeared that the more questions I raised, the more they questioned my Christianity."  I can't tell you how many times I have heard that precise testimony.  Shoot, I can even add my own testimony to the pile, having been essentially accused of heresy by a prominent creationist just this week.

There's something really defective in a group that deals with disagreement by demonizing the opposition and excommunicating people who think differently.  That's how cults work.  That's how con artists work.  But I think it's even worse than that.  If you say you can only be a good Christian if you believe in young-age creationism, you just added something to the gospel.  That makes the you the actual heretic!

Now before you go bonkers on me, yes, of course we should still contend for our models and ideas.  Obviously, I have invested in many such models and ideas of my own, for what I think are very good reasons, and if you disagree, I will probably think you are wrong.  But there has to be some point where love of God and love of neighbor overrule my intellectual life.  I can't go around telling people that my intellectual opponents aren't "faithful Christians," or that their beliefs aren't really "biblical faith."  Insofar as I have done this in the past, I repent and reject it.  I must do better.

And to the doubters out there feeling the anger and bitterness of rejection, Jesus said, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:28-30).  You don't have to have all the answers.  You don't have to be certain.  Just come to Jesus, and he will give you something much better than you could have ever imagined.

Rest in peace, Glenn Morton.  May your life inspire us to be better reflections of Jesus.

Feedback? Email me at toddcharleswood [at] gmail [dot] com. If you enjoyed this article, please consider a contribution to Core Academy of Science. Thank you.

Have you read my book?  You should check that out too!