First let me briefly explain what magnetism is. The nucleus of every atom is magnetically charged. Every atom is a magnet. Since atoms are all jumbled together and their magnetic poles face in all different directions, the magnetic charges all cancel each other out on the whole. The way to make a magnet is to line up the atoms in a block of iron so their poles all face in the same direction. It takes energy to do this and the form of energy that will do this is electricity. Magnetism and electricity are interrelated. Electricity can induce a magnetic field and a magnetic field can induce an electric current.

All magnetic fields decay over time. Even the magnets holding papers on your refrigerator door lose strength very slowly over time. As I write this I'm holding in one hand a very powerful industrial magnet. This magnet will lose about 3% of its strength in 125 years. That doesn't sound like a very rapid loss of power but when we start to talk about thousands of years we begin to see that magnetic fields decay to almost no strength at all.

The earth has a magnetic field that has been studied and measured by scientists for centuries. If the earth had no magnetic field life would not be possible. Without a magnetic field radioactively charged particles from the sun would hammer the earth and burn out every living organism. With the earth's magnetic field in place these radioactive particles are deflected.

Scientists early on proposed that the core of the earth was like a giant iron magnet. Later this was rejected because the temperature of the inner earth is far too high, well above 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and far above the curie point above which solid state magnetism is no longer sustainable. It is apparent therefore that the earth's magnetic field is induced by an electric current which is circulating through the molten outer core of the earth.  

The question for scientists is: "how did this electric charge start and how is it sustained?" Nuclear physicist D. Russell Humphreys Ph. D. proposed that this electrical charge was induced in the core of the earth at the time of the earth's formation. (Dr. Humphreys is a creationist and believes that God created the earth.) Dr. Humphreys believes that all of the atoms were aligned in similar polarity in the earth's core at the creation of the earth and this resulted in a powerful magnetic field which in turn induced the electric current. As the earth's magnetic field decays it changes and it's common knowledge that a changing magnetic field induces an electric current and it is also common knowledge that an electric current induces a magnetic field. Thus we have an interdependent magnetic field and electric current in the molten outer core of the earth. The decay rate is measurable and has been measured for centuries all over the world. It is clearly showing an exponential decay rate as one would expect. This is in conformity with all known laws of physics.  

Dr. Humphreys and physics professor, Dr. Thomas Barnes have extrapolated back in time using the known exponential decay rate of the earth's magnetic field and found that the earth could not possibly be more than 10,000 years old because if it were older than this the beginning magnetic field would have been so strong that the induced electric charge and the heat generated from the electrical resistance would have so superheated the earth that the earth's crust would have remained in a molten state.

The Humphreys magnetic field model not only explains the observable decay rate of the field but also explains the frequent rapid reversals in magnetic polarity that have been recorded in geological rock strata throughout the earth. The earth's magnetic field is induced by the constant flow of an electric current and when this current reverses direction then the polarity of the field reverses and the poles are reversed and your compass would point south. According to the Humphreys model, when a continental plate of the earth's crust descends into the core of the earth the cooler material that descends into the core will change the direction of the inner earth's molten magma and this change of direction of the molten magma conductor will change the direction of the flow of the electric current and thus change the magnetic field polarity. Incidentally this also explains how the sun's magnetic field polarity rapidly reverses every eleven years during sunspot activity. On the sun, cooler outer gases flow into the sun's interior and change the direction of the sun's electric current and hence change the direction of the polarity of the sun's induced magnetic field.  

The Humphreys magnetic field model is clear, concise and conforms to all known laws of physics. The readily measurable decay rate of the earth's magnetic field gives a top limit on the age of the earth of less than 10,000 years. This compelling evidence for young earth has not gone unnoticed by evolutionists who are presuppositionally committed to a 5 billion year old age for earth. The old earth evolutionists have proposed what is called the "dynamo theory" which is the idea that the electric current that induces the earth's magnetic field is constantly generated by the movement of hot liquids in the earth's interior. In other words they argue that the earth's core acts like a giant electric generator. Let me briefly explain how a generator works. In an electric generator a conductor composed of copper wire wrapped around soft iron is made to spin inside a wheel made of hard iron magnets. This interaction of conductor and magnetic field causes all the electrons to flow in the same direction in the conductor, hence an electric current is generated. This electric current can in turn be used to induce a magnetic field.

The dynamo theory, first proposed by Elsasser in the 1940s has grown ever more complex and unwieldy over the decades as it has had to be hammered and shifted and modified to compensate for inconvenient facts that should have caused any open-minded scientist to reject the theory outright. The problems with the theory are many, not the least of which is that they haven't been able to demonstrate it in the laboratory under ideal conditions! In other words they haven't been able to generate electricity by flowing molten metals together in lab experiments. They can't do it on purpose under ideal conditions in the lab yet they insist that it must happen by accident in the earth's core!

Another problem for the dynamo theory is where does the energy come from that causes the molten material in the core to flow at the rate needed to generate electricity. The core of the earth is under enormous pressure and this would overwhelmingly cause the molten magma to remain motionless. A subduction of part of the earth's crust would cause a disturbance near the surface and would alter the direction of the flow of the electric current but not generate new electrical current. A dynamo is a precisely designed piece of machinery. To say that the inner earth has just the right calibration and flow rate of material to generate just the right amount of electricity to induce a magnetic field of just the right strength is an absurd stretch of credulity. It's just another example of the lengths that some individuals will go to in order to deny the plain facts that point to the young age of earth and the necessity of the Creator.   

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) 2009 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)