Thomas E. Woodward

Fellow, Center for Science and Culture

Tom Woodward is a Research Professor at Trinity College of Florida, and Senior Lecturer with the C. S. Lewis Society. A Princeton graduate in history and Latin American Studies, he completed his PhD in the Rhetoric of Science at the University of South Florida. His dissertation, titled “Aroused From Dogmatic Slumber: A Rhetorical History of Intelligent Design,” positioned him to become an early historian of intelligent design. His thesis work became the basis for his first major book, Doubts about Darwin: A Rhetorical History of Intelligent Design (2003), named a Christianity Today Book of the Year in 2004. He then wrote Darwin Strikes Back: Defending the Science of Intelligent Design (2006), and also coauthored The Mysterious Epigenome: What Lies Beyond DNA (2012) with ophthalmologist James Gills.

Dr. Woodward is founder and senior lecturer of the C.S. Lewis Society, a non-profit organization devoted to exploring questions related to “Science and Faith” and “Mere Christianity” (see www.apologetics.org).  He is also founder/president of the non-profit “DNA and Beyond,” which produces physical models useful in teaching the digital complexity of DNA and molecular biology, including epigenetics. Tom has lectured on intelligent design in 38 countries and launched and co-hosted the podcast The Universe Next Door podcast.

Archives

“The Ultimate Gentleman”: Tom Woodward Remembers Jonathan Wells

Tom Woodward
March 12, 2025
On this ID The Future, Dr. Tom Woodward shares more memories of our longtime colleague Dr. Jonathan Wells, who recently passed away at 82 years old. Dr. Wells was one of the first fellows at Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, and his contributions over the last quarter century to the intelligent design movement have been formidable. In Part 2, Dr. Woodward kicks off by describing Dr. Wells's skills as a communicator. He also discusses Dr. Wells's mind-boggling insights on the design beyond DNA in every nook and cranny of the cell, layers of information that Wells knew only strengthen the case for intelligent design at the heart of biological life. This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.

Tom Woodward on the Impact of Icons of Evolution

Tom Woodward
March 10, 2025
On this ID The Future, host Andrew McDiarmid welcomes Dr. Tom Woodward to the podcast to share some of his memories of our longtime colleague Dr. Jonathan Wells, who recently passed away at 82 years old. In Part 1, Dr. Woodward tells the story of Jonathan’s efforts to fight the battle over textbook misinformation with his 2000 book Icons of Evolution. When the book first came out, National Center for Science Education director Eugenie Scott said that Icons of Evolution would be a “royal pain in the fanny” for the evolutionist community. She was not wrong! Woodward talks about the reverberations caused by the book's release and the waves of textbook reform it has brought about. This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.

The “Big Bang” for Birds

Tom Woodward
December 22, 2017
This special reposted episode of ID the Future features Tom Woodward and The Universe Next Door to explore the mysterious origin of birds. A series of papers published in the journal Science presents evidence of the abrupt appearance of major bird groups. Listen in as to learn how these findings support the theory of intelligent design. …

The Universe Next Door with Tom Woodward: Kinesin, the Workhorse of the Cell

Tom Woodward
July 14, 2014
On this episode of ID the Future, hear a discussion about a video recently released by Discovery Institute — The Workhouse of the Cell: Kinesin — that reveals the awe-inspiring inner workings of the cell. Kinesins are motorized transport machines that move cellular materials to their correct locations in the cell so they can perform their functions. Kinesins have two feet, or “globular heads,” that literally walk, one foot over another. Known as the “workhorses of the cell,” kinesins can carry cargo many times their own size. Watch the video at YouTube. …

The Mysterious Epigenome: What Lies Beyond DNA

Tom Woodward
May 30, 2012
On this episode of ID The Future, Casey Luskin interviews Dr. Thomas Woodward, founder and director of the C.S. Lewis Society, about his latest book, The Mysterious Epigenome: What Lies Beyond DNA, and the new discoveries in biology that affect our understanding of the genome. Woodward explains how epigenetics is bringing about a revolution in biology. …

Intelligent Design Turns 25

Tom Woodward
December 7, 2009
On this episode of ID the Future, Casey Luskin interviews Thomas Woodward, who makes the argument that 2009 should be celebrated as the 25th anniversary for intelligent design. Listen in as Dr. Woodward recounts the history of intelligent design and how the movement has changed over the last quarter-century. Learn more about The Mystery of Life’s Origin Thomas Woodward is the author of Doubts About Darwin: A History of Intelligent Design and Darwin Strikes Back: Defending the Science of Intelligent Design. …

Darwin Strikes Back: Defending the Science of Intelligent Design

Tom Woodward
November 29, 2006
On this episode of ID The Future, CSC’s Casey Lukin interviews Dr. Thomas Woodward and they discuss his new book Darwin Strikes Back: Defending the Science of Intelligent Design which analyzes the rhetoric used by Darwinists in their critiques of intelligent design. Woodward documents how Darwinists often use ad hominem attacks and promote “fantasy themes” about the supposed “theocracy” of intelligent design to avoid discussing the scientific issues. Click here for more information about Darwin Strikes Back. …