Cordova on Virtual Mars Hill: Defense of Design and Creation (Audio)
One of our contributing authors had an opportunity to answer hard questions about intelligent design, creationism, and the Bible in an internet chatroom.
Ed. Note— Sal Cordova submitted this link to an audio interview he had on March 29 with an internet group of Republicans that had contacted him. This group, called GOPcord, uses a gaming technology called Discord to chat about topics, a popular medium for voice and text communication for various special-interest groups. GOPcord has no website and the members use internet ‘handles’ to remain anonymous (the interviewer goes by the name ‘Tiger’). Nevertheless, the interview was surprisingly civil, with Sal having an opportunity to answer pre-supplied questions for over an hour. He considered this an opportunity similar to that of Paul on Mar’s Hill (Acts 17) to introduce strangers to views they had encountered and wanted to learn more about. The questions were tough but cordial, and thoughtfully posed, dealing with subjects as diverse as:
- Versions of intelligent design theory
- Do miracles occur?
- Quantum mechanics evidence for design
- ID as a bridge to God
- Young-earth creationism, evidence and distinctions from ID
- Natural selection
- Origin of Life
- Problem of evil and suffering
- How faith and science interact
- Did God make us to hunt for him?
- What makes for a good scientific theory?
- Why is ID not convincing the public? Or is it?
- Dating methods and a young earth
- Can creationism be tested?
- Predictions of creation
- Belief and evidence
You can listen to this interview on Internet Archive.
Graphic by David Coppedge.
Sal provided us with this description:
I was interviewed on a Podcast about YEC by a group of Republicans who somehow found me and contacted me. The interview lasted 1.3 hours. [I made a few mis-statements like Armitage getting 6-million dollar settlement (it was a six-figure settlement). There are a few places one can figure out what my intended meaning was.]
Mr. Cordova also provided the opening remarks of the audio broadcast where he introduced himself:
I’m Salvador Cordova, and I’d like to thank everyone here for giving me a chance to introduce my work.
In 2001, as my father was terminally ill, I nearly left the Christian faith because I was troubled by 3 major questions.
- If there is a God, why did He let the world become such an evil place?
- Why is God so hidden?
- What is the evidence of God? In other words, is there evidence of miracles, because if there are miracles, there must be a miracle maker.
The theories of intelligent design and creation have convinced me there is evidence of miracles, and I’ve concluded that in addition to seeing miraculous prayers answered in Jesus name, biology is a testament to the miracle of life.
After I found satisfying answers to these three questions, I was restored to the Christian faith.
I own a small investment and research business. My principal client for my research work is world-famous applied geneticist John C. Sanford a now retired Professor at Cornell of 40 years.
Like myself Dr. Sanford at one time believed in evolution, but subsequently rejected evolution in favor of the theories of intelligent design and special creation by God through a miraculous process. One of Dr. Sanford’s goals for creating GMOs was to help feed the starving masses on the planet. But as Dr. Sanford genetically re-engineered plant genomes, he eventually concluded there must have been a Great Genetic Engineer in the Sky who created the original genomes found in life.
In 2014, I signed a contract with Dr. Sanford’s foundation to do research including investigative reporting work on developments at the National Institutes of Health, the NIH, particularly the billion-dollar ENCODE and ENCODE-related projects which have upset certain evolutionary biologists.
ENCODE has uncovered spectacular computer-like machines in the human cells, particularly what are known as Chromatin complexes. There are about 100 trillion cells in the human body, and thus 100 trillion networked computer-like machines in every adult human.
In fact some have said the human nervous system has more connections than all the routers and switches on the entire global internet.
As the NIH ENCODE and ENCODE-related projects have highlighted the amazing nano-technology in the human genome which evolutionary biologists even to day insist is junk rather than exquisite technology, evolutionary biologists like Dan Graur have said, “IF ENCODE is right, then evolution is wrong.”
Because it is becoming apparent that recent scientific discoveries at the NIH are upsetting evolutionary biologists like Dan Gruar, I was called upon to investigate research developments such as ENCODE and other projects at the National Institutes of Health.
I’m a former scientist and engineer in the defense and aerospace industry, but I am now being retrained in molecular biology and biophysics through the generous support of Dr. Sanford’s foundation.
One of Dr. Sanford’s landmark claims in support of the theology of a literal Adam and Eve is his “genetic entropy” thesis which predicts the human genome is slowly dying. Jesus said, “this world is passing away” and it appears our genomes and the human race are at risk of eventual extinction due to the accumulation of harmful gene mutations in each generation.
Although this is grim news for humanity in this life, to the extent that the genetic entropy thesis confirms the Adam and Eve account of the Bible, it lends credibility to the Christian faith, and thus in this sense it is good news.
Dr. Sanford’s thesis is testable especially in light of NIH initiatives like the NIH Precision Medicine Initiative which is slated to track the genomes of 1 million people. Thus we might have the chance to see if over time the human genome is indeed deteriorating.
Listen to the entire 78-minute interview at Internet Archive.
Salvador Cordova has appeared on National TV, radio shows, newspapers, books and magazines for his work in promoting Intelligent Design and Creation Science. He is a former scientist and engineer in the aerospace and defense industry and presently serves as a professor and researcher in the area of Christian apologetics at small Bible College through the generous support of a private foundation. He also manages a small privately held investment fund which he has run on the side since 1997. He has 4 science degrees including an MS in Applied Physics from Johns Hopkins University and is presently working on a PhD. On April 28, 2005, he became one of the few creationists to ever appear in a cover story of the prestigious scientific journal Nature which covered his work on behalf of intelligent design. The most famous member of the Intelligent Design club he organized at George Mason in 2005 is Biologist Caroline Crocker who was featured in the Ben Stein’s motion picture documentary Expelled. Mr. Cordova is currently working on research with renowned Cornell geneticist John Sanford, inventor of the gene gun.
Sometimes you have to hunt for design to detect it. In living things, it is usually more awe-inspiring than it first appears.