Charles B. Thaxton (born 1939) is a proponent of

special creation In creationism, special creation is a belief that the universe and all life in it originated in its present form by fiat or divine decree. Catholicism uses the phrase "special creation" in two different senses: * in the context of theistic evolu ...

who went on to become one of the first

intelligent design Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins". Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for its bold attempt to ...

authors, and Fellow of the

Discovery Institute The Discovery Institute (DI) is a politically conservative non-profit think tank based in Seattle, Washington, that advocates the pseudoscientific concept Article available froUniversiteit Gent/ref> of intelligent design (ID). It was founded ...

Center for Science and Culture The Center for Science and Culture (CSC), formerly known as the Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture (CRSC), is part of the Discovery Institute (DI), a conservative Christian think tank in the United States. The CSC lobbies for the in ...

Biography

Thaxton earned a doctorate in

physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

. He went on to complete post-doctorate programs in the

history of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural, social, and formal. Science's earliest roots can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Meso ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and the

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

laboratories of

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , pro ...

. Thaxton has co-authored several books, including ''The Mystery of Life's Origin'' and ''The Soul of Science''. In ''The Mystery of Life's Origin'', Thaxton argues for "

Special Creation In creationism, special creation is a belief that the universe and all life in it originated in its present form by fiat or divine decree. Catholicism uses the phrase "special creation" in two different senses: * in the context of theistic evolu ...

by a creator beyond the cosmos", and asserts that Special Creation holds "that the ''source that produced life'' was intelligent". He was the editor of the first edition of the

textbook, '' Of Pandas and People''. The book was featured prominently in ''

Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District ''Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District'', 400 F. Supp. 2d 707 (M.D. Pa. 2005) was the first direct challenge brought in the United States federal courts testing a public school district policy that required the teaching of intelligent design ...

'' and the sequence of drafts that show the transition between the terms "creation" and "creator" to "design", "designer", and "intelligent design", proved important in the judge's decision. Thaxton stated that he preferred intelligent design to

creationism Creationism is the religious belief that nature, and aspects such as the universe, Earth, life, and humans, originated with supernatural acts of divine creation. Gunn 2004, p. 9, "The ''Concise Oxford Dictionary'' says that creationism is 't ...

because he "wasn’t comfortable with the typical vocabulary that for the most part creationists were using because it didn’t express what I was trying to do. They were wanting to bring God into the discussion, and I was wanting to stay within the empirical domain and do what you can do legitimately there."Thaxton, C. "Deposition of Dr. Charles Thaxton, 53:5–11" (Kitzmiller v. Dover Area Sch. Dist, 400 F. Supp. 2d 707, M.D. Pa., July 19, 2005). Thaxton and his wife, Carole Thaxton, run the "KONOS Connection," which is a non-profit educational Christian organization in

Fayetteville, GA Fayetteville is a city in and the county seat of Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18,957, up from 15,945 at the 2010 census. Fayetteville is located south of downtown Atlanta. In 2015 ...

. Konos celebrated its 15-year anniversary in December 2016. He also teaches at

Charles University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , undergr ...

Bibliography

*Charles B. Thaxton, Walter L. Bradley, and Roger L. Olsen. ''The Mystery of Life's Origin: Reassessing Current Theories''. (Philosophical Library, January 19, 1984) (Foreword by

Dean H. Kenyon Dean H. Kenyon (born c. 1939) is Professor Emeritus of Biology at San Francisco State University, a young Earth creationism, young Earth creationist, and one of the instigators of the intelligent design movement. He is the author of ''Biochemical ...

) *Charles Thaxton and

Nancy Pearcey Nancy Randolph Pearcey (born 1952) is an American evangelical author on the Christian worldview. Education Pearcey earned a BA from Iowa State University, an MA in Biblical Studies from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. She a ...

. ''The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy''. (Crossway Books, Wheaton, Illinois 1994) *Charles Thaxton,

Percival Davis :''See also Clifford Grey, whose real name was Percival Davis.'' Percival William Davis, also known as Bill Davis, is an American author, young earth creationism, young earth creationist, and intelligent design proponent. Education and career In ...

, and

. '' Of Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins'' (

Foundation for Thought & Ethics The Foundation for Thought and Ethics (FTE) was a Christian non-profit organization based in Richardson, Texas, which represented itself as a “ Christian think tank”. It published textbooks and articles promoting pseudoscientific creation scienc ...

, 1989, 1993)

References

External links

KONOS Connection
- Ran by Charles Thaxton *
Online articles of Charles Thaxton

*
Christianity and the Scientific Enterprise (I)
by Charles Thaxton {{DEFAULTSORT:Thaxton, Charles Intelligent design advocates American Christian creationists Discovery Institute fellows and advisors Iowa State University alumni Harvard University alumni Living people American physical chemists 1939 births