CViE National Conference 2024 – REVIEW FOR OUR SUPPORTERS
 Review of the CViE National Conference 2024 For the supporters of Christian Values in Education Pre-programme CViE’s tenth National Conference took place at The King’s Centre, Chessington on Saturday, September 28, 2024. The theme was ‘Foundations’, considering the importance of creation as a foundational truth, in a world where evolutionary ideology is commonplace. We were pleased to collaborate with Truth in Science, whose speakers – Professors Stuart Burgess, Steve Taylor and Andy MacIntosh – provided our main talks this year. It was a privilege to have such a wealth of expertise shared with us through the day, each of them providing sessions through the programme for both adults and children. We were favoured with a beautiful day and were thankful for a strong attendance once again, with over 350 coming from a wide area. We were especially encouraged to see over 150 children and young people, for whom there were a variety of breakout sessions. We were also pleased to welcome new visitors from other churches including some locally, and to have some encouraging conversations with them in the intervals. We hope to publish video of the main talks in due course on our website. The day began with a welcome to all, followed by reading and prayer by the Chair of Truth in Science, Stephen Hyde, Pastor of Hope Chapel, Redhill.  Hand and feet: God’s Incredible Design Professor Stuart Burgess The first main session was led by Stuart Burgess, Professor of Engineering Design at Bristol University. In a recent article, Stuart wrote ‘when we share evidences for creation, we can get so caught up in obscure details that we miss the obvious. God made His handiwork so clear that even a child can see it.’[1] This was certainly so in a talk titled ‘Hands and feet: God’s Incredible Design’, which explored the amazing design features in the hand that allow for their dexterity and precision, and pointed out the superiority of the Christian understanding of their purpose and origin to the evolutionary view. Professor Burgess shared some very recent research he has undertaken which has again proved the amazing complexity of these vital parts of the human body, ultimately leading us to the beauty of the Gospel and the wonderful point expressed that the Lord Jesus’ hands and feet were nailed to the cross, showing such love to His people. It was a very accessible presentation and many spoke afterwards of how much they appreciated knowing more about the way hands and feet are formed, especially in helping them understand how common conditions occur.  Dinosaurs Dragons and DNA Professor Steve Taylor After lunch, a second talk entitled ‘Dinosaurs, Dragons and DNA’ was given by Steve Taylor, Professor of Electromagnetics and Physical Electronics, whose expertise and focus area is Mass Spectrometry and Instrumentation. In an article in Creation magazine, Professor Taylor stated ‘As we consider the vastness of deep space, the intricacies of the human brain, the powerful forces holding the nucleus of each atom together, we may conclude that God is indeed immense, great in intelligence and in power. If God is thus, why shouldn’t creation take six 24-hour days? He could have done it in six hours or six seconds if He had chosen to. Such a God can do whatever He chooses, whenever He likes, consistent with His own nature.’[2] His presentation used his own current research and experience to undermine the evolutionary theory of millions of years through, for example, the powerful and seemingly irrefutable evidence of soft tissue in dinosaur bones. A discussion of research in radiocarbon dating that supports the Biblical record left the listeners in no doubt as to how scientific evidence consistently concurs with what Christians already know from the Bible. Genesis 1-11: Foundational Truth Professor Andy McIntosh In the final session, Professor Andy McIntosh delivered a memorable presentation entitled ‘Genesis 1-11: Foundational Truth’. Professor McIntosh is well-known as the author of the Day One publication Genesis for Today, alongside his extensive professional career as Professor of Thermodynamics and author of over 200 research papers, as well as lecturing widely on the science of design and the theological necessity of keeping to a straightforward understanding of Genesis. In a 2019 article for Answers in Genesis on the human voice, he stated: ‘there is One Voice which is unique above all others: Christ himself. He spoke to the winds and the waves and calmed the storm on Galilee. One day all will bow before him whose Voice has the power of creation and judgement.’[3] Professor McIntosh drew the day to a close with a powerful spiritual presentation focusing on how those chapters lay the foundation for all Christian doctrine. In Genesis we learn of sin and suffering and death, and how these were the product of the Fall and not due to any process of evolution. These chapters give us an understanding of the creation ordinances and how the departure from them explains the moral decline of our world. It was a particularly heartfelt message that all present were pleased to hear.  Exhibitors As always, CViE was pleased to host a number of Christian organisations to promote their work in supporting those involved or interested in the education of children. This included the Christian Institute, Lovewise, Christian Concern, Answers in Genesis, Creation Ministries, the Christian Home Education Support Service, Day One, and Christian Bookshop Ossett (and others!). These all contributed to the atmosphere of the day, and meant that all in attendance spent a day in fellowship, being helped in many different ways in being faithful Christians in education today. As in previous years, we were grateful for supporters who funded the ‘Cultivating a reading habit’ vouchers which enabled all the children present to purchase books from the many exhibitors.  Children’s programme The National Conference is very much a family event, and there was a great sense of gratitude to God in seeing 150 young people, including over 75 in their teens, attend at a number of sessions specifically designed for the different age groups. This diverse menu was prepared with a view to addressing all educational choices, whether state schools, faith schools or home education. There were breakout sessions for all ages delivered by the three Professors, who learned about ‘Olympic Bicycles – Designing the fastest bike in the world’ (Stuart Burgess), ‘Fossils and Feathers’ (Andy McIntosh) and ‘What Happened to the Dinosaurs?’ (Steve Taylor). Sarah Kerley also delivered a session in the morning to the youngest age group on God’s design in butterflies. There were also opportunities for games and activities for the children during the afternoon, which were enjoyed by all. This involved a number of hard-working people who helped organise these sessions, which was greatly appreciated. We were pleased to receive some positive feedback afterwards via the survey including several on the break-out sessions which was helpful in planning for future events, God-willing. Please feel free to contribute if you have not yet done so. One is shared here: ‘It was great that the youngsters were also able to be taught by the main speakers. Stuart Burgess’s bike talk was especially popular in our household. They came home enthusiastic about the teaching they had received and proceeded to tell others about it unprompted for days afterwards.’  End of day To round off the day, an epilogue summarised the events and introduced a new CViE booklet – ‘Gambling’ – a revised version on the dangers of gambling (available free of charge), After a brief summary of the work of the charity, a reading was given from the opening of Revelation 21. After a day focusing on the wonders of creation with the evidence seen around us in so many ways, it seemed appropriate to consider the hope we have as believers that one day we will see a new heaven and a new earth, the former things passed away and to see our Saviour face to face. May we each be prepared for that great day. This was followed by the singing of Charles Wesley’s hymn ‘Love Divine’, it’s final verse a prayer that we might be found in glory at last, by God’s grace: ‘Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love and praise.’ We would thank everyone who gave so willingly of their time in organising the day, especially to our friends from Truth in Science. Most of all, we give praise and thanksgiving to the Lord for His goodness in providing all our needs once again, and pray that the day will have proved not just useful, but a true blessing to many. [1] https://answersingenesis.org/evidence-for-creation/design-in-nature/beauty-undeniable-witness/ [2] https://creation.com/stephen-taylor-electrical-engineering-in-six-days [3] https://answersingenesis.org/human-body/the-wonder-of-the-human-voice/ |
