DALLAS — The CEO of the Texas-based Institute for Creation Research (ICR), Dr. Henry Morris III, died on Saturday in the midst of a battle with COVID-19. He was 78.

“It is with heavy hearts that the Institute for Creation Research announces the homegoing of our CEO, Dr. Henry M. Morris III. He went to be with his Lord on December 12, 2020, after a brief illness with COVID-19,” the ministry said in an announcement.

ICR advised that Morris was planning on retiring at the end of the month, and a tribute article to his work had already been published in the ministry’s magazine “Acts & Facts.”

Morris’ father, Henry Madison Morris, was known as the father of modern biblical creationism, founding ICR in 1970 to focus on the subject. He grew up being taught the Scriptures and learned to trust the veracity of the Bible.

“[W]e always read from the Bible and prayed together. … All of us had the freedom (in fact, were often encouraged) to ask questions about what we were reading. The Bible always had an answer. That was the way we learned to trust the Scriptures,” Morris once explained.

After serving in the military, Morris went on to pursue ministry and business degrees from Luther Rice Seminary and Pepperdine University, and used his education to work as a college professor, business administrator and pastor.

He joined ICR in 2000 and was appointed CEO seven years later, where he oversaw the relocation of the ministry to Texas from California and the appointment of fresh staff members and scientists.

“When the Lord asked me to step in and take the responsibility for ICR, I made the commitment — not just to the Lord personally but to the growing staff professionally — that in Him was where our loyalty would lie,” he outlined.

“It was not to the founder, not to the position, not to the bylaws (though those things ought to be a reflection of that), but our commitment was to the authority of Scripture. … And the Lord has honored that over the decades immensely.”

Morris was also behind the expansion of the “Acts & Facts” newsletter and the creation of a DVD biblical Creation series, “Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis,” for churches to play for congregants that would save the time and expense of bringing in an official speaker.

20K copies have been distributed, along with other videos, such as “Uncovering the Truth about Dinosaurs,” “Made in His Image,” and “The Universe: A Journey Through God’s Grand Design.”

Morris additionally made himself available nationwide as a public speaker, and was the author of books such as “The Big Three: Major Events that Changed History Forever,” “Your Origins Matter,” “Unlocking the Mysteries of Genesis,” and “A Firm Foundation: Devotional Insights to Help You Know, Believe, and Defend Truth.”

He was instrumental in the creation of the ICR Discovery Center for Science & Earth History, which opened last year in Dallas, seeking to equip Christians on biblical creation and to counter evolutionary theory.

“It’s our joy at ICR to give honor where honor is due,” ICR said in the announcement of his passing. “We are deeply thankful for Dr. Henry’s impact on ICR, his sacrificial investment in creation ministry, and his example of a life committed to the truth of God’s Word and the work of the Kingdom.”

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