Philosophy of ScienceA Classical Perspective on the “Physics of Sin”
By Krista Bontrager In his apologetic speaking and writing, Hugh Ross has introduced a concept referred to as the “physics of sin.” He argues that the laws of nature work in a divinely ordained way to curb the expression of humanity’s fallen nature. A Comment on Humility Theology
1/1/2002 The anthropic principle faces serious challenges from outside the disciplines of astronomy and physics. Many scholars in the humanities and social sciences fear that the anthropic principle will somehow legitimize false notions of human supremacy, justifying exploitation of the environment to the detriment of other species. A Focused Force for Faith: Interview with Leslie Wickman
By Tani Trost When Leslie Wickman focuses her time and energy, amazing things happen. The 900-foot long fountain at the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas shoots water 250 feet straight up in the air. A university science center helps students, faculty, and the community understand how science and the Christian faith fit together. And, American astronauts will wear better spacesuits. A Scientist’s Faith Evolves Toward Christ
By Jamie McComber Richard Deem, a Reasons To Believe (RTB) apologist, has been a scientist since childhood. As a boy, he raised hundreds of hydras in a glass jar. The one-half inch long water animals used their tentacles to paralyze the tiny shrimp Deem provided as their food. All the Lonely Believers Part 1
Kenneth Richard Samples Growing up in the 1960s, I was definitely a Beatles fan. I was introduced to them through The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, when they first visited America. Like many others, I was intrigued by the fact that when singing they sounded like Americans yet they spoke with heavy Liverpudlian accents. When the press asked them about this oddity John Lennon quipped, “The records sell better that way.” All the Lonely Believers Part 2
Kenneth Richard Samples In the first installment of this series I mentioned that one of my favorite Beatles songs is “Eleanor Rigby.” It’s a reflective tune about the lives of melancholy, isolated people.
Former Beatle Paul McCartney said that he wrote the song after meeting so many lonely people when the Beatles toured the world during the mid-1960s. An Inquisitive Mind Eventually Led this Apologist to Satisfying Truth
By Allison Oster Marj Harman is not apologetic about her desire to help those searching for answers. “It is a pleasure to help other Christians find answers to Bible or science questions that have troubled them for years,” says Harman. “I derive encouragement and satisfaction from sharing what I have learned about God through His creation and from seeing others understand that the universe bears tremendous testimony to God’s reality and love.” Ancient Philosophers and Intelligent Design
By Craig Keener Some people today write as if only “fundamentalist Christians” would affirm divine design in nature, and disparage “design” as if it must be driven by a “sectarian” agenda. Such a perspective, however, not only ignores the views of many founders of modern science (including both the many orthodox Christians among them and also Isaac Newton, a unitarian). It also discounts the views of a wide range of ancient philosophers, who were in nowise affected by Christian theology. Anthropic Principle: A Precise Plan for Humanity
1/1/2002 Human beings climb. Always have, always will. First hills, then mountains, then pinnacles so high they're called "death zones." That's as high as legs could carry them, but not high enough. So people invented balloons, blimps, airplanes, and spacecraft, the higher the better—to a point. Are Biologists Willing To Test Evolution?
Posted by Fazale ‘Fuz’ Rana, Ph.D. The Fact and Theory of EvolutionBeginning and End of Cosmology
7/16/2007 The irony of modern-day astrophysics is that the more astronomers study the light of the universe the darker the universe appears. Study of the brightest galaxies in the universe persuaded astronomers that 99 percent of the matter in the universe was dark. And measurements of the brightest stars convinced astronomers that three times as much dark energy existed as did dark matter. Believing Science and the Bible at the Same Time
The Galileo affair, the Huxley-Wilberforce debate and the Scopes Trial. Many skeptics of the Christian faith often trot out these events to support their contention that religion (specifically Christianity) only serves to impede scientific progress. Can Christians Trust "Secular" Science?
by Krista Bontrager How much trust can Christians-or anybody else-put in the findings of non-Christian scientists? Some believers say none, particularly on matters of origins.1 At first glance, such skepticism may seem warranted. After all, God's word says the unregenerate "suppress the truth by their wickedness" (Rom. 1:18; see also Eph. 4:17-19). Ephesians 2:1-3 comments that Satan manipulates the minds of unbelievers. Creation vs. Evolution: Why a Model Is Essential
8/25/2008 The public debate about teaching intelligent design has exposed widespread confusion both inside and outside the church about how the scientific enterprise operates. One of the most frequent complaints scientists make about the Intelligent Design movement is that their brand of intelligent design is not testable, falsifiable, or predictive. Cutting-Edge "Origins" Science Comports with Theism, Part 1 (of 2)
Kenneth Richard Samples The last half century has revealed a stark contrast between what secular scientists expected to find concerning the big “origins” questions and what scientific research actually uncovered. Cutting-Edge "Origins" Science Comports with Theism, Part 2 (of 2)
Kenneth Richard Samples In part 1 I discussed how secular scientists, given their naturalistic worldview, expected to discover that the universe was eternal and thus self-sufficient and uncaused. Darwin's Doubt:
By Kenneth Richard Samples Can Naturalistically Evolved Human Minds Be Trusted to Yield True Beliefs About Reality? Does Faith Support or Hinder Reason?
David H. Rogstad, Ph.D. In the April 2008 issue of Nature, an essay by Philip Ball explains how, in his view, modern science began “in the twelfth century…several hundred years earlier than we have imagined” through a Evolution as Mythology, Part 1 (of 5): The Theory of Evolution is a Myth
Editor’s note: Today we present an article by guest scholars Dr. Hugh Henry, Ph.D. , Daniel J. Dyke, M.Div., M.Th., and Dr. Charles Cruze, Ph.D. The creation-evolution debate is usually framed as science v. religion: verifiable fact v. faith. But we contend that it takes at least as much faith to believe in the theory of evolution as in creation by a supernatural God. And in reality, evolution has more characteristics of a “myth” than of a scientific theory. Evolution as Mythology, Part 2 (of 5): Evolution is not a Scientific Theory
Editor’s note: Today we present an article by guest scholars Dr. Hugh Henry, Ph.D. , Daniel J. Dyke, M.Div., M.Th., and Dr. Charles Cruze, Ph.D. A previous article noted how the theory of evolution evinces characteristics of a myth. This article will consider how it measures up to the definition of “science.” Evolution as Mythology, Part 3 (of 5): The Myth of Abiogenesis
The last two articles have discussed how the theory of evolution has characteristics of a myth (which cannot be proven or disproven by the... Evolution as Mythology, Part 4 (of 5): The Myth of Macroevolution
Editor’s note: Today we present an article by guest scholars Dr. Hugh Henry, Ph.D. , Daniel J. Dyke, M.Div., M.Th., and Dr. Charles Cruze, Ph.D. The last article discussed the mythlike characteristics of abiogenesis, a key component of the theory of evolution, that says living organisms appeared spontaneously from nonliving matter. This article discusses evolution itself, which is separated into two categories: Evolution as Mythology, Part 5 (of 5): Conclusion
Editor’s note: Today we present an article by guest scholars Dr. Hugh Henry, Ph.D. , Daniel J. Dyke, M.Div., M.Th., and Dr. Charles Cruze, Ph.D. The four previous articles in this series have shown that the theory of evolution is more like a creation myth than a scientific theory. A myth may be true or false, but its principle characteristic is that it validates the thinking, practices, and ideals of a culture. Evolution explains our existence within the framework of our modern culture of naturalism, which has no need for a god. God’s Plan for Humanity—Paradise Restored or Paradise Replaced?
By Hugh Ross and Mick Ukleja Christians argue and divide over many issues, from core issues such as the doctrine of free will to peripheral issues such as the age of the Earth. Ironically, some of the least weighty questions draw the most vigorous public debate while the more important ones receive less attention. It’s a Miracle! Or, is it?
By Krista Bontrager The participants in a recently produced audiotape series from the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) suggest that Hugh Ross’s belief in “progressive creation” means he believes that God wasn’t “supernaturally creating” but rather that the universe came about through “strictly natural processes.” Later in the discussion, the panel asserts that Ross “denies the biblical account of creation miracles” while affirming other miracles chronicled in the Bible, such as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Life to Death or Death to Life
Kenneth Richard Samples In the first installment of this series I offered some reflections about my visit to Arlington National Cemetery in the summer of 2007. Spending time in this celebrated memorial park left me in a very thoughtful state of mind. In addition to contemplating St. Augustine’s words on Christians’ simultaneous citizenship on Earth and in heaven, More Than Intelligent Design
By Hugh Ross Scholars involved in what has come to be known as “the Intelligent Design movement” deserve respect. They swim against the powerful tide of naturalism, and I applaud their efforts and integrity. Multiverse Musings - A Matter of Faith?
by Jeff Zweerink Just before Thanksgiving last year, a New York Times article by Paul Davies said:
President's Laptop - July 1999
Dear Friends, Have you ever been bored in church or Sunday School? How about your kids? Yes, I have been and, yes, mine have been. I have to ask myself, “Why?” especially since God and His Word are anything but boring. President's Laptop- April 2000
Dear Friends, Many of you, I am sure, saw the April 10 issue of Time presenting 25 anticipated breakthroughs in science and space for the 21 st century. What particularly grabbed my attention was the debate between physicist John Horgan, author of The End of Science (1997), and Paul Hoffman, former editor of Discover magazine and past president of Encyclopedia Britannica. President's Laptop- April 2001
Dear Friends, Perhaps you have come across (or heard about) the claim that I am a “danger” to evangelical Christianity, that I am part of the great deception of 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12. I prefer to be known as a danger to deceivers. Statements about Science that Bother Me Part 1
Kenneth Richard Samples On the Internet the other day I came across a forum that used the following statement as a discussion thread:
Have you ever come across a statement, like this one, that just sticks in your mind because it somehow bothers you? It kind of grinds your gears so to speak. Statements about Science that Bother Me Part 2
Kenneth Richard Samples I once heard a scientist say the following:
Understood in a general sense, this point seems reasonable. For example, for a person to comment intelligently about a field of study one would expect that person to be adequately acquainted with that particular discipline. Statements about Science that Bother Me Part 3
Kenneth Richard Samples Religious ideas have no place in science! While ardent secularists often express this sentiment today, the historical roots of modern science are deeply tied to religion in general and to Christianity in particular. Christianity uniquely and decisively shaped the intellectual climate that gave rise to modern science (roughly three and a half centuries ago). It is even correct to say that modern science was born in the cradle of Christian civilization. Testing The Copernican Principle
by Jeff Zweerink, Ph.D. In the sixteenth century, Nicolas Copernicus revived an idea originating with early Greek philosophers that the Sun, instead of the Earth, resided at the center of the solar system. Subsequent observations by Galileo and others validated the Copernican, or heliocentric, view (for a brief introduction to the conflict between Galileo and the Roman Catholic Church, look here.) THE HISTORIC ALLIANCE OF CHRISTIANITY AND SCIENCE
By Kenneth Richard Samples The influential British mathematician-philosopher Bertrand Russell once remarked, "I am as firmly convinced that religions do harm as I am that they are untrue." In his popular and controversial work "Why I Am Not A Christian," Russell leveled the charge that Christianity, in particular, has served as an opponent of all intellectual progress, especially progress in science. The Physics of Sin
1/1/2002 "What difference does it make? As long as I'm not hurting anyone else, I should be able to live with my girlfriend." "I never loved my wife. Don't I deserve to be happy?" "I needed that money more than he did, so it's okay that I took it. Besides, he owes me for the time when…" Uniqueness of Human Capacity to Express Malice
Hugh Ross, Ph.D. One of the cornerstone doctrines of the Christian faith is that humans alone among all life-forms on Earth are sinners. According to the Bible, all humans and only humans are born with the propensity to commit evil acts. That being the case, it should not be difficult for scientists to develop tests to confirm or deny this essential teaching of the Christian faith. Unmasking Misconceptions: Book reviews of The Hidden Face of God and Darwin's God
The Hidden Face of God: How Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth. By Gerald L. Schroeder. New York: The Free Press, 2001. 224 pages. Hardcover; $26.00.Reviewed by Fazale R. Rana Philosophy of SciencePhilosophy of Science |
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