Believing in Feather Tales, part 1
Ryan Cox • June 2, 2022
Believing in Feather Tales, part 1
The grand premiere came in the 1970s through the influence of Yale professor and paleontologist Dr. John Ostrom. He developed his ideas of dinosaurs being warm-blooded and evolving into birds in the 1960s and taught them to his doctoral student Robert Bakker, who would go on to publish the controversial and very influential “Dinosaur Renaissance” paper in the April 1975 issue of Scientific American. Theirs and the efforts of others greatly popularized the dino-to-bird evolution narrative in the paleontological community.
However, the blockbuster event that most affected the culture was the 1993 release of Jurassic Park. The fictional character Dr. Alan Grant shares in the movie his theory of dinosaurs evolving into birds. His character was based upon renowned paleontologist Jack Horner, who revealed in the behind-the-scenes features his desire to eliminate the reptilian stereotype of dinosaurs, encouraging people to see them instead as birds. Both Horner and Bakker served as advisors to Jurassic Park.
And finally, in 2022, to their and many others’ elation, the grand conclusion to the 6-movie saga, Jurassic World Dominion, displays the culmination of their efforts with the franchise premiere of a fully-feathered dinosaur named Pyroraptor. Tragically, throughout our travels we have seen more and more young people come to believe that dinosaurs were feathered, warm-blooded relatives of birds, convincing them that evolution is true and the Bible is false. THIS IS WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO, travelling the country with our dinosaur fossil collection. Yes, it is cumbersome and time-consuming to haul in and set up dinosaurs, but it is absolutely worth it to have the opportunity to refute the dino-to-bird nonsense and share the incredible, undeniable reliability and accuracy of God’s Word. Our prayer in doing so is the ultimate reason – salvation found in Jesus Christ!
The scientific evidence for the dino-to-bird feather tale is severely lacking. As with many blockbusters, there are sequels, and we shall follow that pattern with this study. Exploring the evidence for feathers, warm or cold-bloodedness, and other anatomical comparisons, we will see how the historical record of God’s Word has and always will stand firm.
In Genesis 12 the Lord calls Abraham (Abram) to be the father of a great nation. This all happened to Abraham at 75 years old. Some might say that is too late in life to start something new, especially a calling of that magnitude. Yet that was not the overwhelming part to me; that would come in verse 7 when the Lord said the land would be his offspring’s. Wait, what?! The Lord had a plan and His Providence would guide Abraham, even when Abraham did not have offspring and did not wait on the Lord. I have to wonder how I would have reacted to such a call and covenant. As we know from Psalms, the Lord guides and sustains all by His Providence for His name sake, which we are focusing on this year. But does Providence act on our timing? When God called Abraham, he had no children. Yet the promise given was that his offspring would be a great nation in a land saved for them. What we know now is that Abraham wouldn’t have his son Isaac until he was 100 years old, a full 25 years after the covenant was made. Most of the time we expect the Lord’s hand working in our life to be immediate, but that is not always the case. In some cases it might take years to experience the Providence coming to fruition. Remember Genesis 21:2 states Isaac’s birth was at the “appointed time.” This understanding should give us peace as we rely on Providence and, at times, are called to patience. Providence was again on display for us to understand that even in obedient sacrifice He will be glorified, as Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son, Isaac, who was inherently tied to the covenant of the Lord. Abraham was faithful in all aspects, even when most of us might say “no way” to that sacrifice to the Lord. Yet at the right time, through faithfulness in Abraham’s obedience, there was Providence providing behind him in the ram. Our faithful obedience sometimes feels like a tough ask from the Lord, but rest assured He is there, ready to lift up His name through us. Providence continued through time, 100 years later, after Isaac had his sons, Jacob and Esau. Then Jacob was blessed by the Lord with 12 sons, one of which was Joseph, who was sold to Egypt by his brothers. You probably recall all the ups and downs of Joseph’s life, yet he was faithful to the Lord throughout them all. Remember, there was a covenant at stake. The Lord, through His Providence, made sure he had Joseph where He needed him to save the great nation of Israel from famine. This Providence secured the covenant line to continue to Christ. Many times throughout history Providence has guided and protected His covenant, and now you and I can be blessed with inclusion in His great nation through Christ. If it had not been so, then we literally have no assurance of our salvation. Praise be to our Lord Jesus Christ that His Providence is faithful for all eternity, so we may know peace and have confidence in the promised destiny. Our ministry here at CTF has always emphasized the importance of Genesis 12, Abraham’s covenant. We share there is no difference in importance of Genesis 1-11 over chapter 12 and through the entirety of the Bible. The whole Bible is inspired to be trustworthy and to show His Providence throughout history for His name’s sake and also for our salvation. Blessings.
Fort Necessity, also known as the Battle of the Great Meadows