Light-speed, Convention, and Creation

In recent years the Anisotropic Synchrony Convention cosmology of Dr. Jason Lisle has become more popular among creationists. At the 2018 International Conference on Creationism T.G. Tenev, J. Baumgardner, and M.F. Horstemeyer presented a model that was very similar. Dr. John Hartnett seems to have abandoned has own earlier Carmeli-based cosmology, and has posted a number of articles promoting the ASC as the current best solution to the distant-starlight problem (i.e., how we can see distant stars if they were created recently).

How feasible is the ASC model?

Rapidly Matured Creation

If the universe is young, how can we see light from galaxies billions of lights away? A simple solution is that of Rapidly Matured Creation. This was discussed, in passing, in my previous posts Is Mature Creation Deceptive? and Cosmology at Creationist Convention. For convenience, that material is summarized here in a separate post.

Why (so much) Evil?

A major challenge to Christianity is the so-called Problem of Evil: A perfectly good God would want to prevent evil, and a perfectly powerful God could prevent evil; why then is there so much evil in the world?

Reformed faith in Bolivia

Last month (actually Oct.29- Nov.2) I taught a course, "Science and Christianity", at the Seminario Reformada Latinoamericano, in Cochabamba, Bolivia, for ITEM (International Theological Education Ministries).

Does Physics Lead to God?

Dr. Bruce Gordon, associated with the Discovery Institute (which promotes Intelligent Design) published an interesting article entitled "Divine Action and the World of Science: What Cosmology and Physics Teach Us about the Role of Providence in Nature."

Cosmology at Creationism Conference

The 2018 International Conference on Creationism met last week from July 29 to August 1 in Pittsburgh. This conference meets every 5 years, bringing together many well-known creationists, and features their latest research.

Freedom in Christian Academia

How should academic freedom work within a Christian university? Numerous Christian institutions have wrestled with this question. A useful survey is provided by historian Dr. William Ringenberg in his recent book "The Christian College and the Meaning of Academic Freedom" (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2016).

A New Critique of Theistic Evolution

        Just recently a new book was published against theistic evolution: TheisticEvolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), edited by J.P. Moreland, Stephen C. Meyer, Christopher Shaw, Ann K. Gauger, and Wayne Grudem. It is a massive volume (1008 pages) and, alas, quite pricey (currently Can $58.52 at Amazon.ca).

Evolution, Christianity, and Gravedigging

Christian philosopher J.P. Moreland has recently published an excellent article, "Theistic evolution, Christian Knowledge and Culture's Plausibility Structure", in the Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies (Volume 2, Issue 1:1-18, 2017). In it he reflects on the broader cultural implications of adopting theistic evolution as a means to integrate Christianity and science.

Is Evolution Beyond Reasonable Doubt?

In a previous post I discussed the recent debate about evolution among Dutch Reformed theologians, particularly a book by Prof.Dr. Gijsbert van den Brink. Now there is a further article, "The Epistemic Status of Evolutionary Theory" (Theology and Science, 18 Sept. 2017) by Drs. van den Brink, Jeroen de Ridder, and Rene van Woudenberg, all professors at the Free University in Amsterdam.

Dutch Reformed Theologians Debate Evolution

Can orthodox Reformed theology be reconciled with Darwinian evolution? 

In the last few months this question has been much discussed within Reformed circles in The Netherlands, following the recent publication of  Prof. Dr. Gijsbert van den Brink's book, "En de Aarde bracht voort: Christelijke geloof en evolutie" ("And the earth brought forth: Christian faith and evolution", June 2017, Boekencentrum). An English version, entitled "Reformed Theology and Evolutionary Theory", is to be published by Eerdmans in 2018.

Is Mature Creation Deceptive?

If the universe is young, how can we see light from galaxies billions of lights away? A simple solution is that of mature creation:God created the stars and galaxies full-blown, along with their light.

A common objection is that, if light was created in transit, then the starlight that Adam observed did not actually originate from the stars where the light seemingly came from. Is this not deceptive?

Scientific Evidence and Adam

According to the Bible, all humans stem from Adam (created by God from lifeless clay) and Eve (created by God from Adam's side), who lived less than 10,000 years ago. Mainstream scientists, on the other hand, insist that humans evolved from ape-like ancestors, a few million years ago, with a population size that was never smaller than 10,000. The scientific evidence for this is said to be overwhelming. Consequently, many Christians no longer consider the first few chapters of Genesis to be historical.

Lectures in Zambia and South Africa

Last week I returned from Africa, where I gave a number of lectures.

The first stop was at the African Christian University, in Lusaka, Zambia. This is a young, still small, institution operating under the Reformed Baptist churches of Zambia.

Is Evolution Compatible With Christianity?

Is evolution compatible with Christianity? This question is addressed in a post by Dr. Wayne Rossiter entitled Christian Academia and Darwin's twelve gifts for Christians. It is well worth reading. Dr. Rossiter has a Ph.D. in ecology and evolution, and is assistant professor of biology at Waynesburg University.

Trusting the Bible Over Evolution

"One of the main reasons unbelievers give for not believing the Bible is that modern science—specifically, evolutionary science—has shown that the Bible’s account of human origins is mistaken. Indeed, evolutionary science is not merely an obstacle to unbelievers; it can also be a stumbling block for professing Christians.

Sarfati's "The Genesis Account"

Last year Dr. Jonathan Sarfati published a new book: The Genesis Account Account: A theological, historical, and scientific commentary on Gen.1-11 (Creation Ministries International: Powder Springs, Georgia, USA, 2015, 786 pages).

The Flood and Tidal Waves

Over at Triablogue Steve Hays has posted an interesting hypothesis regarding the Genesis Flood. He writes:

Reviving Biblical Chronology

Biblical chronology has fallen upon hard times. Until recently, almost all Christians believed that the genealogies of Gen.5 & 11 indicated that Abraham lived only a few thousand years after Adam. This consensus was challenged, in the late 19th century, by William Henry Green who argued that these genealogies contained gaps. Since then, most Biblical scholars have adopted Green's view that the Bible gives no chronological information prior to Abraham. Jeremy Sexton has disputed Green's thesis in an article, "Who was born when Enosh was 90? A semantic reevaluation of William Henry Green's chronological gaps" (Westminster Theological Journal 77 [2015]:193-218).

Did Abraham Really Exist?

"Evangelicals are debating the historicity of Adam, but they are too timid. It is time to reject fundamentalist distortions of the Abrahamic narrative just as decisively as we have abandoned literalistic readings of Genesis 1–3. Clinging to discredited biblical accounts of Abraham as if these events actually happened makes us look like Neanderthals, undermines the plausibility of our witness, and ultimately overturns the Gospel. To defend the Gospel and uphold the authority of the Bible, we need to reckon with the myth of Abraham."