Logos in Language

Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith
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Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith

Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith (December 22, 1915 – September 14, 1995) was a British preacher, organic chemist, and creationist whose ministry bridged science and faith to challenge evolutionary theory and proclaim biblical truth. Born in Reading, England, to Ernest Walter and Florence Emily Wilder-Smith, he pursued higher education at Reading University, earning a Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry in 1941, followed by doctorates in Pharmacology from the University of Geneva in 1964 and from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. Initially an atheist, he converted to Christianity in his 20s after intellectual struggles with evolution, influenced by his wife Beate Gottwaldt, whom he married in 1949. Wilder-Smith’s preaching career combined his scientific expertise with evangelism, beginning during World War II while working at Imperial Chemical Industries. He preached across Europe and North America, notably debating evolutionists like Richard Dawkins and John Maynard Smith at the 1986 Oxford Union Debate, where his arguments on information theory and thermodynamics gained attention. He served as Professor of Pharmacology at institutions like the University of Illinois (1959–1961) and Hacettepe University in Turkey, earning three Golden Apple Awards for teaching. Author of over 70 scientific papers and books like The Creation of Life (1970) and Man’s Origin, Man’s Destiny (1968), he emphasized creationism’s scientific basis. With Beate, he raised four children—Oliver, Petra, Clive, and Einar—and died at age 79 in Frauenfeld, Switzerland, leaving a legacy as a pioneering creationist preacher.