Creation scientists have long argued that the decay rate of the earth's magnetic field is one of many indications that the earth is young. The strength of the earth's magnetic field has been measured and it is decreasing at an exponential rate. If you project the field strength values back in time 10,000 years, the earth's magnetic field would have been strong enough to melt the earth. This indicates that the earth was created considerably less than 10,000 years ago.

The old earth evolutionist, in the article I read, attacked the early writings of physics professor Dr. Thomas Barnes. Dr. Barnes was a specialist in electromagnetism and wrote several well regarded textbooks on the subject. Barnes, in his early writings, did not accept the fact that the earth's magnetic field had ever reversed polarity. (Polarity reversal would mean that your compass would point south rather than north.)

In the 60s and 70s evidence that polarity reversals did in fact occur became overwhelming and is now accepted by all. The evolutionist criticized Barnes unmercifully for his early denial of reversals. The article seemed to take a clear "straw man" approach. Barnes was set up as the straw man, as if his early views represented the whole of the creationist position. He was drawn and quartered. No writing of his after 1983 was cited.

The old earth evolutionist either ignored or was unaware of the work of physicist D. Russell Humphreys Ph. D. whose clarification of Barnes' model has made a virtually unassailable case for magnetic field energy decay and by extension, young earth. Humphreys' model not only explains polarity reversals but explains how they could happen quickly.

The old earth magnetic field model claims that polarity reversals take place over a very long period of time. Researchers Robert Coe and Michael Prevot found indisputable evidence of rapid polarity reversal from a lava layer that had cooled in a 15 day period during the ancient past. A polarity shift of 90 degrees was recorded in that lava. A 90 degree polarity shift in 15 days stunned the evolutionary community but was totally compatible with Humphreys' young earth model. The old earthers were hoisted by their own petard!

Additionally - and curiously - the old earth magnetic field model regards polarity reversals as having been 100% efficient with no net loss of energy. This is absurd on its face as it violates the second law of thermodynamics - the law of entropy. In any electromagnetic system much of the energy is dissipated as heat. The old earthers have to assume 100% polarity reversal efficiency since they assume the earth is billions of years old! Their presupposition warps their model.

The old earth magnetic field model relies on the old 1940s era Elsasser dynamo theory that regards the earth's core as being able to continuously generate electric current which in turn produces magnetism. They claim the earth's core is essentially an electric generator. But it takes a continuous input of energy to run such a generator and the old earthers have no reasonable source for such energy. It certainly would violate many laws of physics to claim the earth's core is a perpetual energy generating machine. Their theory is hypothetical, loaded with jargon, sounds sophisticated but doesn't explain the facts. Its complexity is due to the fact that it must be jerry-rigged and stretched to try to explain inconvenient facts.

Humphreys' young earth model regard's the earth's core as having a set amount of electromagnetic energy at its creation and this is in turn lessens over time in accordance with the law of entropy. The young earth model also neatly explains why the sun's magnetic field is steadily decaying and how the sun's polarity is able to reverse itself rapidly every 11 years during sunspot activity.

In 1984 Humphreys predicted the strength of the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune. Old earthers also made predictions based on their dynamo model. The Voyager 2 spacecraft flew past these two planets in 1986 and 1989. The field strength measurements were just as Humphreys predicted. The old earthers estimate was off by over 100,000%!!

Old earthers make much of the fact that magnetic field intensity can increase in parts of the magnetic field at times. Humphreys is quick to point out that field intensity is not the same as total energy in the field. Field intensity can increase in one part of the field while decreasing to a greater extent in other parts of the field. From 1970 to 2000 very accurate measurements of the earth's magnetic field were taken. The International Geomagnetic Reference Field data clearly show a net loss of energy from the sum of all observed parts of the field. The rate of loss confirmed the creationist position that the earth's magnetic field loses half its energy every 1,465 + or - 166 years. This gives an upper limit of the earth's age as being less than 10,000 years. This is in accord with biblical chronology. The magnetic field decay model still stands tall and proud as solid proof for young earth.

My main source for this article was "The Earth's Magnetic Field: Evidence That the Earth is Young" by Jonathan Sarfati Ph. D. available at answersingenesis.org.   

The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.  

Steps to salvation: Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

1. Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2. Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
3. Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
4. Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
5. Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA

(C) 2010 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish if credit given

DEFENDING THE FAITH APOLOGETIC ARTICLES Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world. The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel. All Defending the Faith articles are © 2009 William P. Nugent, permission is granted to email or republish if credit given. To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button. *Security: Write the characters in the image above (Case sensitive)

LAWFUL OR LEGALISTIC HOW NEW TESTAMENT BELIEVERS MUST UNDERSTAND OLD TESTAMENT LAWS Published by Xulon Press, Longwood, Florida USA, this book is available in soft cover at xulonpress.com at a reasonable price. It is similar to our free eBook #1 (Messianic Jews and the Law of Moses) but is written more from a Gentile perspective. Winner of the Best Christian Biblical Book of the year 2008 award given by Christianstoryteller.com. Grace versus law is an issue of supreme importance to every follower of Jesus the Messiah. Finding the proper balance between grace versus law is a major key to a joyful, victorious lifestyle that glorifies God. The on-line book titled Messianic Jews and the Law of Moses and the new paperback Lawful or Legalistic: How New Testament Believers Must Understand Old Testament Laws tackle the subject of grace versus law from a whole new perspective. The author, Bill Nugent, a gifted Bible teacher, approaches grace versus law by giving a proper understanding of how the Old Testament law is a prophetic picture of the New Testament walk by the Spirit. For instance the Sabbath was a day of rest on which the people were commanded to cease from work. Under the New Testament we observe not a literal cessation from work every seventh day but rather we observe the spiritual fullness of resting in Christ whereby we cease striving and simply flow in Christ's strength and joy to work in such liberation that it hardly seems like work. Other aspects of the Old Testament Law such as tithing and the dietary laws are also discussed from this perspective. Issues such as Jewish believers' Torah observance are discussed. The prophetic issues pertaining to the millennium in which some teachers claim that animal sacrifices will be offered in a rebuilt temple are also discussed at length. Other chapters contain some extremely helpful teaching on laying down the self-life and how to walk in continued guidance by the Holy Spirit. You will enjoy reading this timely, insightful, practical and thought provoking book. What follows are short descriptions of each chapter: THE TEACHINGS AND LIFE EXAMPLES OF THE APOSTLES REGARDING THE LAW: The whole concept of covenant and covenant law is defined. The New Testament apostolic teaching on the Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants is explained as a foundation for the central premise of the book. The fact that we fulfill the Law by walking in the Spirit is shown. Voluntary keeping of the literal Law of Moses is permitted but not biblically required. The apostles’ teachings in the epistles are studied in the context of their godly lifestyles which are recorded in the book of Acts. It is important to understand the lifestyle and cultural context of the apostles' teachings. The emphasis in this chapter is why we must walk in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. THE NEW WINESKIN INSTEAD OF THE OLD" Specific examples of literal Mosaic laws (Sabbath, dietary laws etc.) are given in order to show how these laws find fulfillment in Christ. The emphasis in this chapter is on how to walk in the Spirit to keep the law in substance rather than shadow. WILL ANIMAL SACRIFICES BE OFFERED IN A MILLENIAL TEMPLE? The eschatological question as to whether or not animal sacrifices will be offered in a stone temple during the millennium is dealt with here. This chapter explains why a reinstitution of the animal sacrifice system is not at all intended by the prophetic passages often cited to make this claim. A correct understanding of the prophetic passages is given. ARE GENTILES UNDER THE COMMANDS OF NOAH? There are some teachers who put Jewish believers under the literal Law of Moses who also attempt to put Gentiles under a separate legal system based on the Noahide covenant of Genesis nine. This chapter explains that Gentiles are free from this obligation because the commands given to Noah also find their fulfillment in Christ. Each of the commands of Acts 15:29 (alleged to be derived from Noah) are analyzed in depth. THE LAW OF MESSIAH: We are under grace and not under law yet the New Testament is full of commands. This chapter analyzes the commands Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount and the commands given through the apostles in the epistles and explains how we are to understand and obey them. Specific examples of how the apostles understood and obeyed these commands are given. Examples from modern day life are also given to shed light on how we must walk by the Spirit to obey New Testament commands. Click Here to Order