Below is the online edition of In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood,
by Dr. Walt Brown. Copyright © Center for Scientific Creation. All rights reserved.
Click here to order the hardbound 8th edition (2008) and other materials.
Walt Brown’s book is the rarest of species: It is the most complete reference work I have encountered on the scientific aspects of the multifaceted subject of origins. At the same time it presents a comprehensive theoretical framework (his hydroplate theory) for reconciling the many seemingly unrelated, and sometimes apparently contradictory, facts that bear on these questions. This book is essential for any teacher or student who is serious about resolving these issues on the basis of the evidences rather than on opinions or unsubstantiated or unverifiable hypotheses.
Dr. C. Stuart Patterson, former Academic Dean and Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus, Furman University
The subject of origins is not peripheral; it is foundational. I have spent most of my adult career in universities in the U.S. and Europe (as a Fulbright scholar), and it is clear that Christianity is losing ground on college campuses. The Christian faith is becoming unraveled with bad science. I can say without reservation that In the Beginning is the single most useful resource I know of on this subject, bar none. Walt is both diligent and creative, and you will find the arguments concise and thought provoking. The material is helpful on almost any level, and the references will be invaluable to those wishing to dig deeper. If I had to send my child off with only two books, they would be the Bible and In the Beginning.
Dr. Kent Davey, Senior Research Scientist, The Center for Electromechanics, University of Texas at Austin
In the Beginning is a great creation-science book for teens and adults. It’s easy to read, carefully researched, meticulously documented, and offers answers to the most important questions of the origins controversy. Besides the usual creation-science approach to questions about the historicity of Genesis and what happened to make the dinosaurs extinct, the book is unique in explaining for the first time how twenty-five major Earth features—including mountains, volcanoes, the Grand Canyon, and ice ages—resulted from a worldwide flood. At the same time, it reveals serious yet little-known problems with many evolutionist ideas about Earth history and the origin of life—including many ideas that evolutionists themselves have discarded, but are still taught as fact in children’s textbooks. You owe it to yourself to get this book.
Mary Pride’s Big Book of Home Learning, Science Reviews
Classic uniformitarian geology has failed to solve a number of problems in geology. By contrast, using catastrophic basic assumptions, Dr. Brown has given scientists a way of addressing many problems that is philosophically sound and scientifically acceptable to objective thinkers. Never before have I encountered a more intellectually satisfying and respectable attack on a broad spectrum of geologic and biologic problems that are laid bare in this work.
Dr. Douglas A. Block, Geology Professor, Emeritus, Rock Valley College
Dr. Walt Brown uses three striking gifts in his creation science research and teaching: (1) a highly organized mind, (2) the ability to consider scientific evidence without the encumbrance of conventional paradigms, and (3) the ability to articulate the material with complete clarity. Walt is a born teacher. This enables him to develop significant new theories, such as the hydroplate theory, and to present them with remarkable clarity in both his seminars and this book. I am convinced that everyone needs to be familiar with the landmark work documented in this book.
Dr. Stanley A. Mumma, Professor of Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania State University
I know on the basis of conversations with high school and college students that Walt Brown’s excellent book deals with issues they have to face. I gave one of my copies to a teenager who is fascinated by science. His mother called to tell me she is having trouble getting him to turn out the light at night. He is devouring it.
Donald Cole, Radio Pastor, Moody Broadcasting Network, Chicago, Illinois
The CSC classic, In the Beginning, provides perhaps the most useful analysis ever written on the subject of theistic evolution.
Dr. D. James Kennedy, author and former Senior Pastor, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale
Of the many sources that exist to strengthen the Christian’s position for creation, I believe that Walt Brown’s is one of the clearest presentations available. The material in this book is not nebulous. On the contrary, it is precise. Walt has a knack for making what would, otherwise, be a complex subject into one easy to grasp. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
Skip Heitzig, Senior Pastor, Calvary of Albuquerque
Books uncovering the false claims of evolutionists have become so numerous that well-prepared summaries are greatly needed, especially for introductory and classroom purposes. Admirably designed to meet this need is Walt Brown’s In the Beginning. For me, the most spectacular section is its unfolding of the hydroplate theory in connection with the great universal flood. Brown’s presentation is an astonishing explanation of where the water may have come from and where it went. It does forcefully replace the water-canopy theory, which has obvious problems connected with it.
Msgr. John F. McCarthy, J.C.D., S.T.D., Editor, Living Tradition, Rome, Italy
Dr. Walt Brown’s seminal text, In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood has developed into a mature exposition of an important new approach to the geological sciences. The hydroplate theory is an alternate explanation of events of the Noahic flood, present-day geological features of the world, and actual mechanisms that operated then and continue to do so now. It directly challenges the current plate tectonics model of large-scale geology, and suggests a major revamping of the geological events associated with the flood God sent upon the world in light of the clear text of Genesis. It represents, then, a serious attempt at reconstructing the science of geology from the ground up.
Martin G. Selbrede, “Reconstructing Geology: Dr. Walt Brown’s Hydroplate Theory,” Chalcedon Report
The subject of origins is inherently interesting to all of us, yet this topic is so broad that one can get lost in the sheer volume of information. As a biologist and a Christian, I find In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood to be the most concise, scholarly treatment of the scientific evidence supporting creation that I have ever read. This book is a must for anyone who is serious about understanding the creation/evolution debate. Science teachers, regardless of religious affinities, should also find this excellent resource a valuable addition to their reference libraries.
Terrence R. Mondy, Outstanding Biology Teacher for Illinois, 1999–2000
Dr. Brown is delightfully straightforward about science and creation. His analysis is both thoughtful and faithful. Every informed Christian should have access to this insightful material.
Dr. Stu Weber, author of Tender Warrior, Senior Pastor, Good Shepherd Community Church, Boring, Oregon
The way to refute evolution: Don’t bother. Let Dr. Walt Brown do it. Actually, anyone can vaporize the lies of the evolutionists with this most impressive layman’s guide to scientific creation. If you have ever wondered how to reconcile the truths of Genesis with the rigors of the scientific method, then stop scratching your post-Neanderthal skull and see it explained fully. You will find that Dr. Brown has rooted out perplexing mysteries that most knowledgeable scientists are afraid to address. His book is loaded with irrefutably logical arguments.
Brother John Mary, M.I.C.M., Saint Benedict Center, Richmond, New Hampshire
Dr. Walt Brown is eminently qualified to write a book such as this. Just check his credentials. He carefully presents the facts in a manner that even I, who had trouble with science in school, can understand. I would particularly call your attention to the chapter on theistic evolution. Dr. Brown destroys that comfortable ground so many Bible believers love to stand on. This book should be in the hands of every truth-seeking student in the world.
Larry Wright, Bible teacher, founder of Abundant Life, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona
Let me recommend for your reading In the Beginning. As I observe the latent indifference to the preciousness of life, I see the results of our exposure to the evolution dogma. To believe we are a result of a random process removes all sense of moral consciousness and spiritual motivation. The research of Dr. Walt Brown is crucial, not just to academic discussion, but to the survival of our culture.
Dr. Darryl DelHousaye, author of Today for Eternity, President of Phoenix Seminary, Phoenix, Arizona