The 2022 Faith and Science Conference Speakers
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May 27th and 28th, 2022
Nauvoo, Illinois
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Ted Wright
Ted Wright currently serves as the founder and Executive Director of EpicArchaeology.org. He has a B.A. in Anthropology & Archaeology from the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University, and a M.A. degree in Christian apologetics with a concentration in philosophy from Southern Evangelical Seminary, where he served as a graduate research assistant to Dr. Norman Geisler. For over a decade, Ted has been a speaker on Christian apologetics as well as Biblical Archaeology across North America & internationally. In addition to public speaking, Ted was the former Executive and Teaching Director of CrossExamined.org, the apologetics ministry of Frank Turek. Ted has also appeared on numerous television and radio programs including the History Channel’s TV miniseries – “Mankind: The Story of All of Us” (2012), “Mankind Decoded” (2013), and CNN’s miniseries on the historical Jesus, titled, “Finding Jesus: Faith. Fact. Forgery” (2015). He has also appeared on ABR’s TV program “Digging for Truth.”
Ted has also served as adjunct professor of apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary, and Charlotte Christian College & Theological Seminary, where he has taught for over a decade. As an undergraduate at MSU, Ted worked as a research lab assistant on Phase III (1992-1999) of the Lahav Research Project from Tel Halif, organized by Dr. Joe D. Seger of the Cobb Institute and assisted by the W. F. Albright Institute in Jerusalem. Ted also participated in the 2014 excavation at Khirbet el-Maqatir (Biblical site of Ai) with ABR (Associate for Biblical Research) as assistant square supervisor. Ted is also an associate with ABR as well. He is currently working as field assistant, photographer, and videographer for the “Agri Regional Archaeological Survey” in Eastern Turkey, co-sponsored by Andrews University and Istanbul University.
In his free time Ted enjoys fly-fishing, cycling, hiking and mountain climbing.
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Helmut Welke
Helmut is a recently retired engineering manager with a Fortune 100 company. He holds BS and MS degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Illinois and has held positions in a variety of national and international assignments. He is a certified engineering manager, and in 2006 was elected to the board of trustees of IISE - an international society serving the Industrial and Systems Engineering profession. In 2012 he was honored as a “Fellow” of the IISE society.
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Helmut is also president of the Quad-City Creation Science Association. Founded in 2008 they are dedicated to telling the truth in science education. He is a member of the Creation Research Society and has recently been named an Ambassador/Speaker for Logos Research Associates.
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In recent years he has become a popular speaker on Creation Science topics as well as Atheism and Intelligent Design. He has spoken to churches, youth groups, on college campuses and to civic organizations throughout the USA, but also in France, Germany, Hungary, and Poland.
Randy Hroziencik
After 34 years as a Radiation Therapist, Randy has recently changed careers and works as a hospice chaplain, a pulpit supply pastor, and a fitness trainer specializing in senior health and fitness. (Among other things!) Randy is ordained through his home church, Bethel Baptist Church in Galesburg, Illinois, and earned a joint Master of Arts-Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from Trinity College of the Bible in Newburgh, Indiana. Randy speaks in the area of Christian evidences, often addressing the creation-evolution debate in his presentations. He is the author of Worldviews in Collision: The Reasons for One Man's Journey from Skepticism to Christ and Nothing New Under the Sun: The Battle Over Origins from the Ancient World to the Present. Randy and his wife, Deb, have a son and daughter as well as five granddaughters, all living in Galesburg.
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Douglas Bennett
Douglas J. Bennett was raised in a Christian home on a farm in Southern Idaho. Doug accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior at an early age. He attended Boise State University where he received Bachelor of Science degrees in Geology (1982) and Earth Science Education (1990). He also received a Master’s Degree in Geology (emphasis Engineering Geology) in 1996. Mr. Bennett has worked in precious metals exploration for about 10 years. Recently retired from 29 years as an engineering geologist for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, working primarily in the Pacific Northwest region. He is also a member of the National Association of Engineering Geologists and is a Licensed Professional Geologist and Registered Engineering Geologist. He has spoken nationally and internationally in the engineering geology field.
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Doug currently lives in Nampa, Idaho with his wife, Cindi, of 36 years. They have 5 children and 12 grandkids.
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Mr. Bennett was the Founder and a Director of the Northwest Science Museum (NWSM). NWSM was natural history museum whose vision was to present "Natural History" from both a naturalistic and a Biblical point of view. The Museum was devoted to understanding and explaining origins, history and our present world as revealed by scientific discovery interpreted through the worldview of Biblical truth.
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Mr. Bennett is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Ark of Noah Ministries. This is a worldwide ministry who’s goal is to plant creation museums in key locations around the world. The design is a full-scale Noah’s Ark that will combine Biblical creation with evidence for creation specifically from each location. Currently working in Peru, Mexico, Italy and Kenya.
Mr. Bennett has taught classes in Creation/Evolution at Calvary Chapel in Boise, Idaho where he has attended for the last 34 years. He has spoken nationally and internationally on creation geology. He also speaks at area schools, homeschool groups and churches on the topics of origins, rocks, fossils and dinosaurs. He also leads creation field trips both locally (Western U.S.) and internationally (Peru).
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Mr. Bennett was an Adjunct Professor at George Fox University at the Boise Satellite Facility until it closed in 2014; where he taught general geology classes.
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Mr. Bennett taught at Calvary Chapel Bible College Cajamarca, Peru from 2015-2017. He taught a class entitled The Bible and Science. He was a past member of the Board of Directors of Foundations In Genesis of Idaho (FIGI) whose goal is to support the church in fulfilling the great commission. FIGI is a Christian fellowship of scientists and laypeople devoted to understanding and explaining origins, history, and our present world as revealed by scientific discovery interpreted through the world view of Biblical truth.
Robert Wright
With his wife Carol, Robert L. Wright, Ph.D. is the founder, owner and operator of The Flood Museum in Nauvoo, Illinois, and Director of the Learning Institute Foundation, Inc. a 501.c3 charity that develops materials and experiences to strengthen the faith of believers and those who want to believe. He is the author of A Flood of Hope: It’s OK to Believe.
Dr. Wright served in the US Navy as a Nuclear Engineer on Fast Attack Submarines. He received his Master's Degree in Theological Studies and his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies. He has been a featured presenter at conferences in the US and Europe.
He and his wife Carol created The Flood Museum in Nauvoo, Illinois. They have been married for over forty years, and have six children, and seven grandchildren.
Brian Johnson
Brian D. Johnson, an avocational paleontologist for over thirty years, has an elementary education degree from Bob Jones University and was a scientific Illustrator for numerous Christian elementary and secondary science textbooks. He is currently lead scenic fabricator at the Indiana State Museum. Brian lives in Nashville, Indiana.
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Byron Schafer
Byron Schafer is a registered nurse at OSF St Mary Medical Center in Galesburg, Illinois. He holds two Bachelor's degrees, one in biology (University of Illinois) and one in nursing (Western Governor’s University). He has been interested in creation topics for many years. Byron has been able to give presentations at Bethel Baptist Church in Galesburg and at Greenville University. Byron lives at home with his wife as empty-nesters, They have two children, both married. In his spare time, Byron enjoys being out in nature and working in his hobby blacksmith shop.
