Dr Jonathan Sarfati

B.Sc. (Hons) Ph.D. Physical Chemistry, Chessmaster (F.M.)

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Biography

Creationist Physical Chemist and Spectroscopist

Dr Jonathan Sarfati was born in Ararat, Australia in 1964. He moved to New Zealand as a child and later studied science at Victoria University of Wellington. Dr Sarfati holds citizenships of Australia, New Zealand, and the USA. He obtained a B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry with two physics papers substituted (nuclear and condensed matter physics). His Ph.D. in Chemistry was awarded for a thesis entitled ‘A Spectroscopic Study of some Chalcogenide Ring and Cage Molecules’. He has co-authored papers in mainstream scientific journals on high temperature superconductors and selenium-containing ring and cage-shaped molecules. He also had a co-authored paper on high-temperature superconductors published in Nature when he was 22.

Dr Sarfati has been a Christian since 1984. He has long been interested in apologetics, the defense of the faith, and was a co-founder of the Wellington Christian Apologetics Society (New Zealand). Creation vs evolution is of course a vital area, because of the ramifications for the doctrines of Creation, the Fall which brought death into the world, and their links to the doctrines of the Incarnation, Atonement and Bodily Resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ.

Dr Sarfati is married to Sherry and they enjoy spending time with their three grand-daughters.

In August 1996, he returned to the country of his birth to take up a position as a research scientist and editorial consultant for Creation Ministries International in Brisbane. In this capacity, he is co-editor of Creation magazine, and also writes and reviews articles for Journal of Creation, CMI’s in-depth peer-reviewed publication, as well as contributing to CMI’s creation.com website.

In 1999, his first book was published—Refuting Evolution, which countered a teachers guidebook by the National Academy of Sciences, Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science, which had been widely circulated and publicized. Refuting Evolution now has 450,000 copies in print. Later that year he was a co-author of the updated and expanded Answers Book [note: now entitled The Creation Answers Book], answering 20 of the most-asked questions about creation/evolution. He later wrote Refuting Evolution 2, countering the PBS Evolution series and an anticreationist article in Scientific American.

In 2004, he wrote Refuting Compromise, defending a straightforward biblical creation timeline and a global flood, and answering biblical and scientific objections, concentrating on the errant teachings of day-age/local flood advocate Hugh Ross. It has been acclaimed as ‘the most powerful biblical and scientific defense of a straightforward view of Genesis creation ever written!’ See the introductory chapter and some reviews.

In 2006, he co-authored 15 Reasons to Take Genesis as History with Don Batten, as a concise reference guide for Christians, including pastors and theologians, why Genesis can be trusted as real history of Creation about 6000 years ago and a global Flood.

In 2008, he finished By Design: Evidence for nature’s Intelligent Designer—the God of the Bible. This demonstrates many examples of design in many areas, shows why chemical evolution can’t explain the origin of first life, and answers many objections to the Intelligent Design movement by invoking the biblical Creation-Fall model.

In 2010, Dr Sarfati wrote The Greatest Hoax on Earth? Refuting Dawkins on evolution, a response to leading atheopath Richard Dawkins’ latest book The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution (see website).

That year, Dr Sarfati emigrated to the USA with his wife Sherry to work in the CMI–USA office as author, speaker, apologist, and Head Scientist.

In 2012, he considerably expanded and updated a classic general apologetics book, Christianity for Skeptics, by Dr Steve Kumar of New Zealand. This presents a positive case for the existence of God, the inspiration of the Bible, and the divinity and resurrection of Christ, and answers challenges from suffering, atheism, Eastern philosophy, and Islam. The update now also contains cutting edge material on design in nature, the Christian roots of science, and answering the ‘new atheists’.

In 2015, Dr Sarfati wrote probably his most important and comprehensive book yet: The Genesis Account: A theological, historical, and scientific commentary on Genesis 1–11, almost 800 pages long.

In 2022, Dr Sarfati co-authored (with Joel Tay) Titans of the Earth, Sea, and Air, possibly the most comprehensive dinosaur book ever written from a biblical creationist perspective.

Dr Jonathan Sarfati playing blindfold chess
Dr Jonathan Sarfati playing blindfold chess against 12 opponents

Dr Sarfati is also a keen chess player. He is a former New Zealand Chess Champion, and represented New Zealand in three Chess Olympiads, and drew with Boris Spassky, world champion 1969–1972, in a tournament game (those interested in the game score can see this chess site). In 1988, FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs), the International Chess Federation , awarded him the title of FIDE Master (FM). Dr Sarfati regularly accepts challenges from multiple players where he plays ‘blindfold’, i.e. from memory without sight or any physical contact with the board, so moves are communicated via a recognized chess notation (see video below). Twelve is the most played simultaneously to date, at a Creation Superconference in Australia in 2004, winning 10 and the remaining 2 were adjudicated draws because of the time limitations (see photo, above left). The best result was 11/11 at Kapiti Chess Club, New Zealand, against regular club players including a NZ Women’s Chess Olympiad team member, in 2003.


Education

  • B.Sc. (Hons.) in Chemistry (with condensed matter and nuclear physics papers substituted)
  • Ph.D. in Spectroscopy (Physical Chemistry)

Honors/Awards/Associations

  • 1988: New Zealand Chess Champion
  • 1988: F.I.D.E. Master title, The International Chess Federation

Publications

Books

Dr Sarfati as sole author

DVDs

Creation science articles

  • Apologetics and Philosophy
  • Astronomy
  • Biological change, mutation and natural selection
  • Design in the creation
  • Dinosaurs and Birds
  • Ethics and Morality
  • Fossils and the Flood, Noah’s Ark
  • Human Origins
  • Origin of Life
  • Refuting anti-creationists
  • Refuting progressive creationism, theistic evolution, and other compromise views

  • Theology

  • Young Earth, age, dating
  • General

    • Interviews of Dr Sarfati

    Interviews by Dr Sarfati from Creation magazine

    Astronomy and astrophysics

    Biochemistry

    Biology

    Chemistry

    Genetics

    Geology or Geography

    Law

    Medicine, human biology, surgery

    Physics

    Theology, biblical studies

    Creation For Kids

    Astronomy

    The Genesis Flood

    Technical papers in secular science journals

    • J.D. Sarfati, G.R. Burns, and K.R. Morgan: ‘Tetraphosphorus tetraselenide: crystalline and amorphous phases analysed by X-ray diffraction, Raman and magic angle spinning ³¹P NMR spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry’, J. Non-Crystalline Solids 188(1–2):93–97, 2 July 1995 | doi:10.1016/0022-3093(95)00093-3.
    • J.D. Sarfati and G.R. Burns: ‘The pressure, temperature and excitation frequency dependent Raman spectra; and infrared spectra of CuBrSe₃ and CuISe₃’, Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular Spectroscopy 50(12):2125–2136, November 1994 | doi:10.1016/0584-8539(94)00176-6.
    • G.R. Burns, J.R. Rollo, J.D. Sarfati and K.R. Morgan: ‘Phases of tetraphosphorus triselenide analysed by magic angle spinning ³¹P NMR and Raman spectroscopy, and the Raman spectrum of tetraphosphorus tetraselenide’, Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular Spectroscopy 47(6):811–8, 1991 | doi:10.1016/0584-8539(91)80153-A.
    • G.R. Burns, J.R. Rollo, and J.D. Sarfati: ‘Raman spectra of the tetraphosphorus trichalcogenide cage molecules P₄S₂Se and P₄SSe₂’, Inorganica Chimica Acta 161(1):35–38, 3 July 1989 | doi:10.1016/S0020-1693(00)90111-7.
    • G.R. Burns and J.D. Sarfati: ‘Raman spectra of tetraphosphorus triselenide doped in tetraphosphorus trisulphide’, Solid State Communications 66(4):347–49, April 1988 | doi:10.1016/0038-1098(88)90854-X.
    • A. Mawdsley, H.J. Trodahl, J. Tallon, J. Sarfati and A.B. Kaiser: ‘Thermoelectric power and electron-phonon enhancement in YBa₂Cu₃O7-δ’. Nature328(6127):233–234, 16 July 1987 | doi:10.1038/328233a0.

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