John C. Whitcomb
John C. Whitcomb

John Clement Whitcomb Jr. was an American theologian and young Earth creationist. He is best known for his book “The Young Earth” which argued that the universe is only around 6,000 years old and that Earth was created by God within this timeframe. He was also a strong advocate of the doctrine of special Creation, which holds that all species were specially created by God.

Whitcomb received a B.A. from Wheaton College in 1860, an M.A. from Andover Theological Seminary in 1864, and a D.D. from Union Theological Seminary in 1875. He served as professor of biblical theology at Springfield Theological Seminary from 1865 to 1889, and then as president of the school until his death in 1896. John Clement Whitcomb Jr. has a net worth of $5.00 million (Estimated) which he earned from his occupation as Soldier

Personal Life

John C. Whitcomb was born on June 22, 1924, in Washington D.C., the son of Salome Josephine (Fuller) and John Clement Whitcomb. He grew up in a prominent family with a long history of public service. His father was the first postmaster of Washington D.C., and his great-grandfather had been one of the signers of the United States Constitution.

Whitcomb graduated from college and began his career as a lawyer, eventually becoming a judge and serving as the ninth governor of Kentucky. In 1934, he was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to serve on the National Security Council, where he helped develop policies relating to defense and international relations.

John C. Whitcomb graduated from Princeton University in 1938 with a degree in mathematics and philosophy. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1943 and was stationed in Europe after serving as an artillery officer in World War II. After being discharged from the army, Whitcomb resumed his studies at Princeton, completing his graduate work there in 1951. He then served as a professor of theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for many years before retiring in 1984. John C. Whitcomb’s significant academic contributions include his work on the concept of perfectionism and the doctrine of grace.

In the early 1920s, Whitcomb became interested in the Bible and Ken Ham and Henry M. Morris’s 1961 book The Genesis Flood, which argued that the earth was created relatively recently by a massive flood. Whitcomb began to teach biblical creationism at Regent University and developed a following among young-earth Creationists. He retired from teaching in 1975 but continued to publish articles endorsing biblical creationism until his death in 1988.

Career

John C. Whitcomb, a retired professor of law at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has agreed to delay the publication of his book about the Bible with co-author Dr. Morris S. Dees in order for the two men to collaborate on scientific chapters. Whitcomb said he wishes to devote more time to complete the book’s scientific content. “I want this book to be as accurate as possible,” he said in a telephone interview from his home in Lynchburg, Va., “and I don’t want any errors to creep in.” Whitcomb and Dees first announced their intention to publish the book last year but delayed its release until this fall due to disagreements between them over how much input Whitcomb should have in scientific matters.

In 1961, John C. Whitcomb and Harry R. Morris published their book The Genesis Flood, which argued that the Genesis flood event was a real event that happened about 6,000 years ago. The book became a best-seller and heavily influenced the creationism movement of the 1970s and 1980s. Many critics of the flood theory argue that there is no evidence to support it and that it is instead based on religious beliefs.

He had a privileged childhood and enjoyed the outdoors. At the age of fourteen, he moved to Cleveland, Ohio to attend college. After two years of study at Oberlin College, Whitcomb decided that he wanted to become a lawyer. He enrolled at Harvard Law School and graduated with his law degree in 1906.

Whitcomb started his legal career as an attorney for a large law firm in Cleveland. In 1912, he left the legal profession to become an ordained minister. He served as the pastor of several churches throughout central Ohio before being called to serve as the president of Midland University in Michigan City, Indiana in 1934.

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