A Salute to Creation Trainer Mike Riddle, 1949-2026
The transformational power of God and
the hope found in Jesus is seen through
the life of a creation giant in the faith
Living with Purpose
A Salute to the Life and Legacy of Mike Riddle
by Dr. Sarah Buckland-Reynolds
In my own life, 2026 has been a year of several unexpected passings within my circle of acquaintances. The passing of each of these individuals came as profound shocks as I remember them full of life mere months or weeks before their passing – from a former university student I recently taught, to a former colleague from Jamaica’s National Youth Parliament, to a lecturer who shared an office right beside mine at my former workplace, and another Caribbean project colleague.
The latest news I received at the turn of the month is one that hit especially deeply, where one of my key mentors who trained me in creation apologetics, Mr. Mike Riddle, went to be with the Lord on July 31, 2026. Although this came after a long-term illness, this was in the midst of his ministry, Creation Training Initiative (CTI) working towards a major project to transform the Christian Apologetics Education space.
Today, in salute of the life and impact of my beloved mentor, Mike, I reflect on the testimonies of God’s grace presented through the life of Mike. Additionally, in reflection of the theme of transience repeatedly experienced in my circle this year, I would like to share a few lessons for our own lives to live on purpose with eternity in mind.
The Meeting: Testimony of God’s Providence
On April 6, 2017, the Jamaica Theological Seminary hosted Mike Riddle to make a presentation on Developing a Biblical Worldview. It so happened that my mother was a student at the Seminary at the time, and I saw the email referencing a former speaker for Answers in Genesis (AiG). Having had previous familiarity with that ministry, I became excited at the prospect of meeting a speaker from this organization in person, as apologetics was not a common branch of ministry within the Caribbean at the time. This was my first encounter with Mike.
At the event, Mike handed us a booklet on his training sessions, and a business card for CTI. His jovial spirit connected well with us. We stayed connected, and after getting more acquainted with the work of his ministry, one year later my father and I were invited on a partial scholarship to attend the intensive Creation Apologetics Teachers’ College hosted in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 6-11, 2018.
Military Training in the Army of God
Attending the Creation Apologetics Teachers College was a milestone moment in my life. The genuineness of the brother- and sisterhood was greatly heartwarming from the airport – it was as though I had known his family and team for decades!
Despite being a strict instructor (being a former Captain and Instructor for the United States Marine Corps) and a former instructor and national champion for U.S. Sprint’s team). Mike embodied a balance of rigour and rigidity for learning with humour and hospitality that few replicate. The classes were intellectually intensive for about an average of 12 daily hours (punctuated with Mike’s famous physical exercise of push-ups!) but achieved a level of memory activation through interactive-style learning, multiple oral and written assessments, and time for fellowship in between.
From inculcating in us in graphics about the incompatibility of Christians believing in “death before sin,” to teaching key questions to critically assess claims by skeptics, Mike had a talent to distill some of the most complex topics into memorable bites for his students. At the end, God worked through Mike to help us build a level of confidence where we were challenged to practice the skill set to adequately respond to random arguments made against the faith in publicly timed assessments.
In the same year of graduating from the training, by the grace of God. I was able to connect with several other like-minded creation groups. The networking and resources which followed ultimately led to an apologetics group being approved on the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus within less than 5 years of the training. I am touched as to how God worked through Mike’s ministry to challenge me to yield my natural personality as a soft-spoken, reserved individual, into one who would be ready to open friendly, yet direct conversations with those with doubts.
A Transformed Life
While being an excellent teacher of Biblical apologetics, an even more impactful testimony from the life of Mike was the fact that he did not have a Christian background.
In fact, he often shared his testimony during his youthfulness being an atheist who was arrogant and not interested in the things of God. Getting hold of written material on the gospel from a friend while at the gym disinterested him, but circumstances led to that being a seed that led to Mike eventually receiving Jesus as his Saviour.
In this way, Mike’s journey embodies a powerful modern testimony of a transformed life that was not satisfied to merely accept Jesus as his Saviour; but with the fire to touch the lives of as many others who are willing to be trained to communicate the message effectively.
Life Lessons Inspired by Mike’s Legacy
In view of the transience of life itself, what lessons can we glean from our experiences of a limited time on this earth to make the most of our God-given purpose? Here are three lessons that come to mind when I reflect on my interactions with Mike and his family:
1. Use your past experiences to the glory of God
Mike was a man of many talents. With backgrounds in Mathematics, Education, Engineering (including Microsoft), Sports, and the Military, despite the skills seeming disconnected to the onlooker, Mike managed to integrate his varied backgrounds in his training.
His content focused on ministry, Mike used his varied backgrounds to impart such wisdom to his students that set his unique contribution and impact on our lives. No experience of his was wasted. Even in his atheistic years, he was able to share these times as a testimony of the transformative power of the Holy Spirit.
In the same way, God has designed our unique life’s trajectory for a purpose: the disappointments and the successes, the secular achievements as well as those relating to ministry. Living out God’s Word that says: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17) brings a level of authenticity and empathy that gives each of us the unique opportunity to reach others in our corner. Living a life that sees our experiences as potentially providential, being able to be worked out for the good, even when the enemy means it for evil – brings peace that cannot be paralleled.
2. Be a good steward and set your priorities wisely
For a relatively small ministry, Mike set massive goals for outreach – many of which were met. In his final note to his subscribers, Mike detailed being able to reach over 15,000 youths, and over 500 churches worldwide through his ministry. Despite his busyness, Mike made it clear that family meant the world to him. In our few direct interactions, he would often detail with glee about the achievements of his granddaughter (who at the time was entering university) and who excelled in sports, following a similar path to himself.
Even though my father and I were foreigners, Mike did not hesitate to show keen interest in our own milestones on a personal level, as alumni from his ministry.
I remember with great fondness how Mike did not hesitate to send a touching, yet humorous birthday video message for my own father’s 60th birthday during COVID, and how he accepted every single invitation to speak online to my student ministry and summer apologetics mentorship from our launch in 2021 up to last year June, to just over a year before his passing.
Mike’s purposeful alignment of priorities made room for the things that mattered in life: God, family, and fellowship with fellow believers. He was always ready to impart the best version of himself with the time he was allotted.
3. Always be ready
A final lesson to share from Mike’s passing (and others from my circle who have transitioned) is that we must always be ready – not just to defend the gospel, but also to meet our Maker.
When it is time for God to call us home, our age, our qualifications, and our stage of life do not matter. In addition to Mike, for my own circle of transitioned friends and colleagues this year, the age of those passed ranged from the early 20s to the late 70s! In fact, three of the five individuals in my personal circle who passed were in their 20s and 30s at the time of passing.
Very fittingly, succession planning and multiplication of the impact of spreading the gospel was one of Mike’s ministry’s mottos. In fact, he would frequently quote 2 Timothy 2:2 as the guiding Scripture of those he trained:
“And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”
Using this approach, Mike’s ministry was an inspiration where he did not act as a ‘gatekeeper’ to content. Instead, he made it his mission to ensure that all those with whom he came into contact were equipped with skills to effectively impart the knowledge of the Bible to others that we would meet.
This is exactly how Jesus intended His church to be – as we are freely given, we freely give. In the same spirit, Mike’s work in digesting the gospel message and its defence into explanatory materials remains freely accessible through his webpage at the Creation Training Initiative.
Mike Riddle also designed his team’s in-person training materials to minimize costs. This allowed him to provide as broad an access to church groups and all those interested in being trained. It gave many others an opportunity to gain skill sets for becoming more effective ambassadors for Jesus in their own spheres of influence.
I am grateful to God that my father and I were beneficiaries of this kindness, with partial sponsorship to attend and graduate from the Creation Apologetics Teacher’s College in the summer of 2018. I will forever be indebted for the kindness shown by Mike and his team in helping to shape a foundation for my knowledge in the creation movement.
For more on Mike Riddle, see his CV at the Creation Training Inititative Website. The CTI front page lists some of the videos, podcasts, training courses, and downloadable materials provided by CreationTraining.org.
Precious in the Lord’s sight…
The news of death is never an easy one to digest. Yet, as Christians, we maintain the knowledge and hope of the ultimate prize of peace and joy with our heavenly Father at the end of our earthly race. As the Scripture says: “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.” (Psalm 116:15). It is a life well lived when those who have interacted with us can attest to being impacted for good by the decisions, we make to allow God to work through our lives.
While we salute the memory of our dear friend, let this be a reminder of the fragility of life, the importance of balance and purposeful alignment of priorities. Our ultimate purpose is to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Serving God and others with the skills and resources that God has allowed is the best way to give God glory, as at the end of the day, what outlasts everything is a relationship with Jesus. Faith and family will prevail over career accomplishments; but in everything, we can make a positive impact on those around us, to the glory of God.
To Mike: I thank God for granting the favour to have crossed paths and for the continued impact your life will have through the thousands of students you have trained.
To your close family and friends: I pray God’s comfort that passes all understanding. May God’s Shalom heal you as you continue the legacy example Mike left for you to the glory of God.
It was truly a blessing to have met you. Thank you for being an inspiration, and living your life to the glory of God. Farewell, until we meet again.
Ed. note: Mike Riddle’s ministry lives on in Sarah, our contributing author, whose scientific knowledge and heart for creation apologetics is now blessing our readers with her articles at Creation-Evolution Headlines.
Dr. Sarah Buckland-Reynolds is a Christian, Jamaican, Environmental Science researcher, and journal associate editor. She holds the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography from the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona with high commendation, and a postgraduate specialization in Geomatics at the Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia. The quality of her research activity in Environmental Science has been recognized by various awards including the 2024 Editor’s Award from the American Meteorological Society for her reviewing service in the Weather, Climate and Society Journal, the 2023 L’Oreal/UNESCO Women in Science Caribbean Award, the 2023 ICETEX International Experts Exchange Award for study in Colombia. and with her PhD research in drought management also being shortlisted in the top 10 globally for the 2023 Allianz Climate Risk Award by Munich Re Insurance, Germany. Motivated by her faith in God and zeal to positively influence society, Dr. Buckland-Reynolds is also the founder and Principal Director of Chosen to G.L.O.W. Ministries, a Jamaican charitable organization which seeks to amplify the Christian voice in the public sphere and equip more youths to know how to defend their faith.