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James Gardner

CEO Canopy Ministries

James Gardner is a lecturer and adjunct speaker for the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) and Answers in Genesis (AiG) as well as a former business executive.  At age 33, he started an electronics business that God greatly blessed.  He sold that business, retired at the age of 43, and entered full-time ministry.  Jim's extensive world travels to foreign mission fields include Europe, Asia, Australia, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.  Jim has led teams of speakers three times to Peru to lecture in churches, conferences and universities.

Fourteen trips for field work to the Grand Canyon, (two with ICR) in the last 17 years have provided outstanding training on the subject of the Grand Canyon and Noah's flood.  Additional field trips to Yellowstone, the Grand Circle and Glacier National Park provided first hand experience of the geology and archeology.

Jim has extensively taught on the subject of Creation vs. Evolution in the U.S. and internationally in churches, schools and colleges since 1993.  Jim has been married to Candy for over 30 years and they have a son, Cyrus, who is in the United States Navy.  Jim and Candy live in Mountain City, Tennessee.  Jim is the founder and CEO of Canopy Ministries.

Popular topics:
“The Consequences of the Path You Choose!”
“Dinosaurs and Dragons"
"Why Question Biblical Authority"
"Fossils, Grand Canyon and the Flood"
"Aliens, UFO's and Incredible Creatures"
"The Relevance of Creation"
“The Mystery of Ancient Man”
“Using Their Own Words Against Them!”
“The Fallen World”



Clay Brinson,
D.V.M.

Clay Brinson earned his B.S., M.S. and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Georgia. He is the founder and Medical Director of Highlands Veterinary Hospital in Abingdon, Virginia.

Dr. Brinson has extensively traveled to many parts of the world including Australia, New Zealand and Israel.  He has done field work with ICR at the Grand Canyon, Mount St. Helens and Israel.  He is in high demand as a teacher, especially for churches, Sunday schools and youth groups. His broad-based knowledge of the creation/evolution controversy makes him the ideal general speaker.

A long time supporter of ICR and AiG, Clay has been married to Gayle for over 30 years. They have three adult children, Travis, Dana and Courtney, and live in Abingdon, Virginia.  Clay is a board member of Canopy Ministries.

Popular topics:
“One Blood – The Biblical Answer to Racism”
 “What Is Truth, Really?”
“The Relevance of Creation!”
“Where Did All the Races Come From?”



Alan White
, Ph.D.

Alan White earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Tennessee and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Harvard University in 1981. He worked for 30 years at Eastman Chemical Company and reached the rank of Research Fellow. Alan spent his career at Eastman working in Research and Development in the fields of organic and polymer chemistry. Among his achievements are the discovery of a commercial biodegradable polymer and the improvement of many commercial polymer processes, including the new IntegrexTM technology for producing PET, the soft drink bottle polymer. Alan has been granted 41 U.S. patents and is an author on 18 scientific publications. He has recently retired to spend more time in research, writing and speaking in the area of creation science.

After graduation from Harvard, Dr. White became very interested in investigating whether there is any conflict between what we see in nature and what we read in the Bible. His investigation over these many years has led to a stronger faith in the truth of the Bible and a desire to share his understanding of these issues with others. Alan has taught in many venues in the US and has been on three creation lecture tours to Peru.

Alan has been married to Eileen for 37 years, and they have three adult children. Alan is a native of northeast Tennessee and is a board member of Canopy Ministries.

Alan enjoys speaking on these popular topics:

How Did Life Begin? Were you made by a random, natural process, or were you made by a supernatural process of creation? How you answer to this important question dramatically affects how you live your life. The scientific evidence related to the question of whether we evolved or were created is examined during this presentation. The evidence points to your being a special creation of God.

“The Wonder of the Stars” Stars are the most massive objects in the universe, and their number is beyond measure. The marvelous processes by which our star, the sun, provides the heat and the light we need will be revealed. Scientists have recently discovered that these massive stars produce tiny invisible particles called neutrinos which have a surprising characteristic. This universe is beyond our comprehension, and certainly does declare the glory of God.

“The Marvelous Design of the Human Body” Your body is the most complicated object in the universe. Each of your organ systems works perfectly with all the others. Every part of your body is made of complicated chemical structures. These chemicals are made of even smaller particles. Did you know that you are mostly made of quarks? Did you know that God’s nature can be seen in these tiny particles?

“Is The Bible Consistent With Modern Scientific Discoveries?” The Bible claims to be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. However, many would say that the Bible can’t be trusted when it comes to scientific issues. Which of these views is correct? During this presentation, the scientific evidence will be examined to see if it is consistent with biblical claims of the creation of human life in the beginning, a global flood, the collapse of the walls at Jericho, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. There is strong scientific evidence in support of biblical truth. It is reasonable to conclude that the Bible is inspired by God, that God understands science, and that the science in the Bible can be trusted.

“Dinosaurs” During this presentation you will get answers to the common questions about those terrible lizards, such as...Did dinosaurs really live at the same time with man? How did they get those large creatures on the ark? Have the dinosaurs been extinct for 65 million years? You will hear the surprising recent evidence that challenges the conventional wisdom about the dinosaurs!

“Radiometric Dating” Many believe that radiometric dating experiments have conclusively proven that the earth is 4.54 billion years old. During this presentation, the limits of carbon dating and the other radiometric dating methods will be discussed along with the assumptions on which the methods are based. It is not possible to conclusively prove what happened in the distant past. Whatever you believe about this is a matter of faith.

All of these presentations can be tailored to fit a particular timeframe and a particular audience, whether in a secular or religious setting.


Steve Falling
, Ph.D.

Steve Falling earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1979 from the University of California, Berkeley.  He has worked in the chemical industry for over 30 years in the research, development and production of organic chemicals.  He has 40 U.S. patents and several scientific publications.  During college he worked at NASA, Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.

Steve is interested in the evidence found in the fossil record.  As an organic chemist, he sees the impossibility of molecules-to-man evolution.  He especially loves nature photography and outdoor activities where he can enjoy God’s creation.  His emphasis is on pointing out nature’s evidence of the Creator and showing the flaws of evolutionary explanations.  Steve is a member of the Creation Research Society.

Steve and Julie have been married for 38 years and have two adult children and two grandchildren.  Steve is a board member of Canopy Ministries and he maintains the CanopyMinistries.org website.



Paul Bufford
, D.Min.

Paul Bufford earned his B.A. with honors from Bob Jones University and earned his Masters Degree in Education with honors from Dallas Theological Seminary.  He completed his Doctor of Ministry at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Since 1978, Paul has been and still is the much loved and respected Pastor of Abingdon Bible Church. Countless believers have grown under his discipleship and shepherding at Abingdon Bible. A passionate believer in the historical and scientific accuracy of the Bible, he is a great teaching pastor. Paul has done extensive research on the authority of the Bible and is particularly qualified to address the early chapters of Genesis. He even taught a 28 week series on Genesis 1-11 to equip his son with a solid foundation prior to his entering university science classes.

Paul has been married to Trudy for 36 years. They have three adult children, Betsy, Julie, and Josh, and live in Abingdon, Virginia.

Popular Topics:
“The Six Days of Creation”
“The Divine Plan for Marriage”
“The Death Penalty”
“The Image of God in Man”



Stephen Denton
, D.V.M.

Stephen Denton graduated with honors from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Biology.  In 1992 he earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.  In 1983 he completed an Equine Medicine and Surgery Internship at Ontario Veterinary College.  He currently owns Abingdon Equine Veterinary Services.

Dr. Denton has studied Intelligent Design and biblical creationism since 1996 and has done field studies with the Institute for Creation Research at both the Grand Canyon and Mount St. Helens. He has taught in a number of venues, but has a particular passion about sharing the scientific evidence for creation with children, youth, and young adults.

Steve, his wife Angela and son Luke live in Abingdon, Virginia.

Popular Topics:
“Mount Saint Helens”
“The Created Kinds”



Steven Merrill, M.D.

 

 

 

 

Steven Merrill is a medical doctor specializing in Family Practice.  He has practiced in Taylorsville, North Carolina for 27 years.  He graduated from medical school at Ohio State University and then from Family Practice Residency at Medical College of Virginia in Richmond.  He has done medical missionary work in jungles and cities of South America as well as in Russia and Romania.  He presently supports a mission to orphans and street children of Romania.  His special interest is teaching about early civilizations and the spiritual warfare that occurred during that time.  This ancient clash provided the groundwork for the anti-Christian worldview present in today's culture. 

Topics on which he commonly teaches are:

1) The 'mystery of iniquity,' and how it has propagated from Nimrod's time to today.
2) Which came first - polytheism or monotheism?  Evolutionists and Biblical creationists have differing views on this subject.
3) The connection of Nimrod's rebellion in Genesis 10 to today's crisis in the Middle East.
4) The ancient origins of evolution, abortion, and false religions.
5) Biblical and historical evidence for the existence of dinosaurs after the flood.
 


Nathan Merrill, M.D.
Nathan Merrill a recently-graduated medical doctor.  He currently is awaiting residency in family practice.  He completed his undergraduate studies in Biology, Chemistry, and Greek at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.  He also attended a year of Bible school at Word of Life Bible Institute in Schroon Lake, New York.  He has done medical missions in Argentina, Venezuela, Romania, and Russia.  Currently he is the director of a mission to orphans and street children in Sibiu, Romania.  His special interests include the philosophy of evolutionary thinking and teaching about ancient civilization. 

Popular topics:
"Cloning and the perfect human"
"Philosophy of Post-modern Science"
"Technology of Ancients"
"Origins of Evolution"
"Global Warming"
 


Bruce Hicks
, B.S.

Bruce Hicks earned his B.S. in Biology and Environmental Health from East Tennessee State University. Bruce retired with over 30 years of credited service in the Environmental Health Program with the Virginia Department of Health.

At ETSU, scientific training and evolutionary indoctrination almost destroyed Bruce’s faith, but belief in the authority and truth of the Bible in matters of history and science prevailed. Now Bruce has a passion to help young people and adults understand this also.

Bruce is a native of Virginia and is married to Margaret Payne Hicks, formerly of Morristown, Tennessee.  They reside in Abingdon, Virginia and have a married son in Raleigh, North Carolina and a married daughter in Richmond, Virginia.

Popular topics:
"Frauds and Misrepresentations of Evolution"
"The Global Flood"
"Dinosaurs and Your Worldview"
"Race and Evolution - The Dispersion at Babel"
 


Mark Franjione
, B.S.

Mark Franjione earned his Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics & Computer Science from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He is a Senior Software Engineer for Host Engineering, Inc., Jonesborough, Tennessee, developing Microsoft Windows based software tools for the industrial automation market.  In 2002 Mark also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from Life Christian University, Tampa, Florida.

Mark grew up in a church that baptized infants, but he became a believer as a teenager during a service when he renewed his baptismal promises.  He says “I chose that day that what I said I believed was truly what I believed.  He was baptized as an adult in 1995 when he learned the importance of a public declaration of Jesus Christ as his Savior.  Mark has come to understand the true importance of knowing Jesus Christ, not only as his Savior, but also as his Creator.

As a mathematician, Mark appreciates the mathematical impossibility of evolution.  He has written a software program which illustrates population growth rates.



James Denton
, M.D.

James Denton graduated from Abingdon High School in 1972 and then earned his B.A. in chemistry with a minor in Biology from Virginia Tech.  He earned his M.D. from the University of Virginia and then a surgical degree from the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 1985.  He also earned a degree in vascular surgery from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Denton currently practices in Abingdon, VA as he has for many years.  Much respected as a surgeon, Dr. Denton has also served as president of the Virginia Surgical Society.

The incredible complexity of the human body has convinced Dr. Denton that evolution of such a wonderful design is impossible.  He often teaches in Sunday school classes and has a particular burden for teaching the truth about origins.

Jim has been married to Kenyon Marie for over 26 years and they have three adult children.  They live in Abingdon, Virginia.



Brad Dayvolt
, B.S.

Brad Dayvolt earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University in 1976.  Originally from Evansville, Indiana, Brad has worked at Eastman Chemical Company for 34 years and is currently a Senior Technical Associate.

His interest in creation science and origin issues is wide-ranging. His passion, however, is for helping to expose evolution as the greatest scientific and spiritual hoax of all time, and then pointing hoax victims to the truth of God’s word.

He serves in logistical support and as an occasional speaker and teacher for local creation ministry efforts.  He resides with his wife in Kingsport, Tennessee.

 



Glenn Shoaf
, Ph.D.
Glenn Shoaf earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1986 and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986.  He is currently a Senior Development Associate at Eastman Chemical Company where he has worked for 17 years in engineering  research and development.

Glenn is the father of four children, ages 6 to 15.  He and his wife home-school their children in Jonesborough, Tennessee.

Popular topics:
“The Genesis Flood and the Ark”
"Global Warming"

 

 



Charles Jackson,
Ed.D.

Charles Jackson earned his B.S. in Biology and his M.S. in Environmental Biology as well as a M.Ed. from George Mason University.  He earned his Doctorate in Science Education from the University of Virginia in 1994.

Dr. Jackson has spent 25 years teaching science & science education, including at the university level. His extensive teaching experience makes him an expert in the area of Public Education. Charles is a lifetime member of the Creation Research Society, a charter member of the East Tennessee Creation Science Association, the founder of Points of Origins Ministries, a staff member of Creation Truth Foundation, and a lifetime member of Mensa.  Dr. Jackson  is especially interested and gifted in teaching young people the truth of the Biblical record of creation and the lie of evolution.  Charles was one of the team members on the 2005 lecture tour in Peru.

Dr. J  and his wife Bonnie live in Noble, Oklahoma.

Popular topics:
“Where Did Information Come From?”
“Science In The Classroom”
“Philosophy of Science”
“Bird Evolution?”


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