Why Geology and Canyon Ministries?
Have you ever been to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, or some other unique geologic formation and simply been in awe? This unexplainable feeling of wonder sweeps over you and you’re left staring, jaw dropped, as your baffled mind tries to comprehend how the processes of today compare (or don’t compare) to what may have formed it? While it is okay to stay living in awe, I want more. What do these rocks tell us about the past? What do they tell us about the present? Dare I even say: What do they tell us about God?
The reason I am a geology major at NAU is because of my love for God and His creation. Ever since writing a research paper in the ninth grade on whether Noah’s Flood was global and stumbling across a website called AnswersinGenesis.org, I have been so passionate about the fact that if God says He is Creator, He must have created science. And therefore, science cannot contradict God. Henceforth, I will from now on think critically about and do research outside of my public university’s classes to understand not only what my professors are telling me, but also what they are not telling me. I want to live out 1 Peter 3:15, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (ESV).
There are many reasons for the hope that I have in Jesus, and one of those reasons is science, the study of the natural world. I want those who have left the faith or not even considered it because of “science” to logically rethink that decision; I want Christians to understand how important it is to know why science can prove God instead of deny Him; and overall, I want to not just win minds to Jesus, but to win hearts, too. For me, it is crucial to learn the ins and outs of what “secular” science says, to see why it is so whole-heartedly believed, to become an educated critical thinker, and to eventually make a difference in this world, suggesting that we can trust God in all aspects of life.
This is why an organization like Canyon Ministries is vital to both the religious and the intellectual community. Canyon Ministries not only provides research, observations, hypotheses and more about the formation of the Grand Canyon and processes of the Flood, but it also provides a hope that God is trustworthy, not just spiritually, but scientifically, too.
It truly is one of the greatest honors of my life to be a part of the only ministry with regularly scheduled tours providing an educated, “Different View” of the Grand Canyon, and witnessing to the other tour companies there as well. It’s vital to be a voice for this breathtaking example of God turning wrath into beauty and grace, and something that turns people toward God, not away from Him.
Brynn Anderson
Canyon Ministries Tour Host
Geology Major
Northern Arizona University