Tom Hennigan
Thomas D. Hennigan was born in Syracuse, New York. For 20 years, he had been educated in the public school and university systems and told that neo-Darwinian evolution was scientific truth. It began in the primary grades, during the introduction of dinosaurs, and then permeated most academic subjects throughout the rest of his academic career. In college he felt comfortable with his grasp of the "true" history of the world, and all of his favorite science programs only reinforced what he was learning in his coursework.
Worldview
His view of life would change during a forest management field trip to North Carolina. He found himself in an origins discussion with two Christians who shared the scientific case for a Creator and how chance natural processes over millions of years could not have caused the complexity of life on earth. He had never heard the creation perspective before, in a philosophy of science context. Scientists studying the past were not present at the beginning and don't know the initial conditions, so they must conjecture based on preconceived philosophical assumptions. That is, in the discipline of science, a researcher's worldview affects their starting premises which are used to interpret scientific data. This was a revelation to Tom. After long study and watching God answer prayer, he recognized that the Word of God was reliable and trustworthy. Persuaded by the evidence, he gave his life to the Creator and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Today, Tom is a science educator and wildlife ecologist. His degrees include an A.A.S. in Forest Technology from the School of Forest Technology in Wanakena, New York, a B.S. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, an M.S. in Education from Syracuse University and an M.P.S. in Environmental and Forest Biology from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry. When he is not teaching biology, wildlife ecology, and environmental science you might find him sampling small mammal communities, performing night surveys of migrating spring amphibians, or studying plant succession effects on endangered rattlesnakes. His ecological studies and experiences have brought him to places such as the Grand Canyon, the forests of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, and the Galapagos Archipelago.
His specific scientific interests include herpetology, forest/wetland ecology, biomonitoring local streams and ecological developmental biology. Scientific affiliations include; The Creation Research Society, the Creation Biology Society the The Wildlife Society and the Ecological Society of America.
He is passionate about the Creation vs. Evolution issue and speaks to church youth groups, congregations and Sunday school classes. He has also shared about God's creation through activities like wilderness backpack adventures, canoe trips, zoo tours, local nature walks and writing for Creation, Creation Illustrated, Journal of Creation, Answers Research Journal, and Answers magazine.
Tom and Jennifer reside at their forest home in Central New York and have 4 children.
Publications
- Clarifications Regarding Stewarding American Black Bears Answers In-Depth Article 2011
- Stewarding American Black Bears with Trust: A Model for the Dominion Mandate Answers In-Depth Article 2011.
- Reproductive Thievery in Salamanders? Answers In-Depth Article 2010.
- The Case for Holobaraminic Status in Bears (Family Ursidae) and the Implications Within a Creation Model of Ecology Creation Research Society Quarterly 46: 271-283.
- Millimeter Messengers Answers Magazine 2010 (April-June) 62-65.
- The Genesis of Rat Eating Eating Plants Answers In-Depth Article 2009.
- Interpreting an Unusual Arctic Bear within a Creation Model of Origins Answers In-Depth Article 2009.
- Frozen Frogs? Creation Illustrated 2009 16(1) 4-11.
- Toward a biblical basis for ecology with applications in mycorrhizal symbioses in orchids Journal of Creation 2009 23(1) 78-85.
- Darwin's Imps of Darkness: The Marine Iguanas of the Galapagos Creation Magazine 2009 31(2) 28-30.
- Toward an Understanding of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi:Implications for Godly Stewardship and Sustainable Agriculture Answers Research Journal 2009 2 21-28.
- Creation's Hidden Potential Answers Magazine 2009 (Jan.-Mar.) 70-75.
- A Fearsome Reptile Creation 30(3) 20-22.
- Squirrels! Creation 30(2) 28-31.
- An initial investigation into the baraminology of snakes: order squamata,suborder serpentes. Creation Research Society Quarterly 42(3).
- The Absence of Critical Thinking in the Dover Decision (Robin Wakefield) Creation Matters 11(3)
- A Wonderfully Bizarre Bird Creation 19(4):54–55
- The Remarkable Ruffed Grouse Creation ex nihilo 23(1):42–44
- Snakes Alive! Creation 20(4):40–42
- A Sweet Revelation Creation 21(4):48–50
- Lasting Impressions Creation 20(2):44–46
- Dragons of Paradise! Creation Illustrated 7(1) 4-9.
