Facts & Faith
1989 Volume 3, No. 2
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Science in the News: A Near Miss Nearly Missed
By Hugh Ross, Ph.D.
On March 23, 1989, an asteroid with the colorful name "1989fc" missed colliding with Earth by a mere 500,000 miles. No one knew about it until a week after the fact, and precious little has been said about it since. I will leave you to ponder why. In the short history of astronomy, the only other object observed to pass so closely was the asteroid Hermes in 1937. An asteroid coming nearer would stand a good chance of smashing into the earth.
What would be the result of such an event? Enormous damage, even if the asteroid were small. The Barringer crater in Arizona (4000 feet across and 350 feet deep) was caused by an extraterrestrial rock of about a 40-foot diameter. The destructive power lies not so much in the mass of the object as in its velocity relative to the earth's (typically about 100,000 miles per hour). If Asteroid 1989fc, with a diameter of about a third of a mile, had struck the earth, it would have released the equivalent energy of 20,000 hydrogen bombs. Most researchers now believe that it was an asteroid of about a mile-and-a-half diameter that exterminated the dinosaurs, worldwide, about 60 million years ago.
What are the chances that Earth will experience another asteroid disaster? Forty-footers like the one that blasted Arizona (before it was Arizona, of course) occur at least as often as every 10,000 years. Asteroids as large as 1989fc crash about every 100,000 years. Objects as large as what probably wiped out the dinosaurs collide only about once every 30 million years.
As for 1989fc itself, it is coming back. It will pass again next April, but probably several million miles away. However, about 25 to 30 years from now another near approach can be expected unless the asteroid's orbit is disturbed by the gravitational pull of Earth or another object.
What defense is there against asteroid collisions? Until recently, none could be imagined. Currently, a number of scientists are suggesting the use of rocket-fired nuclear warheads to steer away potentially dangerous asteroids. Some have even suggested that NASA try to capture one. After all, some asteroids are pure stainless steel. If one could he navigated into earth orbit, it could he used as building material for many things, including space stations, interplanetary probes, etc.
What does the Bible say, if anything, about asteroid collisions; I know of at least one possible reference, appearing in Revelation 8:10-11: There fell from the sky a huge star [the Greek word here, aster, can mean comet, planet, asteroid, or meteor] blazing, like a torch. It fell upon a third of the rivers and springs of water. The name of the star is said to be Apsinthus (Wormwood). A third of all the waters turned into wormwood, and many people died because the waters had become so bitter. (Phillips translation) The type of damage described in this passage perfectly fits what an asteroid impact at just the right place, say the Rocky Mountain Trench in northwest Canada, would do.
Science in the News Follow-Up: Life on Mars Revisited
By Hugh Ross, Ph.D.
In our fall 1988 issue of Facts and Faith (vol. 2, no. 3) I mentioned that solar winds could be carrying Earth life-forms to Mars. Recently, at the Twentieth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston, an additional means of transportation was presented and discussed. Apparently, a meteorite large enough to make a 60-milediameter (or larger) crater will blast Earth rocks high enough into the atmosphere that they can escape the earth's gravity. Computer analysis demonstrated that of 1000 such escaping rocks, 291 land on Venus, 20 go to Mercury, 17 hit Mars, 14 make it to Jupiter, and 1 goes all the way to Saturn. Perhaps we have discovered one of the Chariots of the Zygotes!
From the President's Desk
Dear friends,
My trip to Palo Alto recently proved encouraging in every way and, at the same time, showed me that despite my awareness of the awesome greatness of God, my faith is still puny. When the time came to pack materials boxes for events at Stanford University and Peninsula Bible Church, I listened to the word of those who, like Moses' ten spies, reported giants in the land-giants such as "no-interest-on-campus-in-Christian views" and "little-known-name-and-ministry." Those boxes were light.
I admit that as I was driving north I wondered if I should even be going, leaving my wife and sons and staff and projects for such a potentially unreceptive few. Nonetheless, I kept moving while others (perhaps you) kept praying.
What a surprise awaited me as I arrived at the room reserved for campus outreach. It was overflowing. We had to move to a larger one, quickly, and that one overflowed. My supply of materials dwindled. I barely had enough for the next day's seminar at the church, which again was packed to capacity and even included some students from the night before. And, I still had Sunday to go.
Meanwhile, back at home, a friend heard of my (wonderful) plight and volunteered to drive up Sunday afternoon with more materials for the Sunday evening service. Still incredulous, I told my wife we probably wouldn't need much. So she packed accordingly. Ray arrived just in time for the meeting, but within ten minutes every book, paper, and tape he had brought was gone. We could have distributed twice as much, maybe more.
I returned home a little chagrined, but laughing, as perhaps God was. I hope I have learned a lesson, but no doubt I'll need some further "stretch" sessions along the way. How about you?
Sincerely yours,
Hugh Ross
Let Us Reason: Tracing the Identity of the Creator
Part Two in a Series
By Hugh Ross
The second in our series of articles on frequently-encountered objections to faith in Christ and in His word addresses this question: What is there in Nature to demand that the Creator, if there is one, be the God of the Bible?
The parenthetical clause "if there is one" served as the subject of our first article in this series; so I will move past it for now. The central issue here is whether or not God could possibly be a Force behind the creation, a Spirit within the creation, or some other being(s) we can only vaguely imagine. What basis do we have for saying it must be the God revealed in the pages of the Bible? Firmly established evidence for the beginning of the universe shows us that space, time, matter and energy all came into existence at once from that which lies beyond. This fact logically rules out any notion of the universe as eternal or as containing/encompassing God. Nature, then, reveals a "transcendent" (i.e. outside-of-space and-time) deity, totally unlike the gods) of Nature religions, Eastern religions, and some Western science fiction. If that transcendent Creator were mere force without personality, we would expect the universe to manifest only force phenomena. But since the universe manifests personality-in its characteristics and in the very existence of life, especially human life-its Creator must be personal. Let's review very briefly some of the manifestations of personality in the universe.
Discoveries made during the last several years reveal intricate design in the universe; design reflects planning and purpose, two distinctives of personality. My paper entitled Design and the Anthropic Principle documents sixteen parameters for the universe that if increased or decreased from the values we observe would mean that the universe at no time in its history would be capable of supporting life. It also lists 19 parameters for the earth that if changed even slightly would render the earth inhospitable to life. It appears that the entire universe has been shaped around the needs of living creatures on this one tiny planet.
Organisms, even the simplest, are far more complex than either the universe or Earth. Thus, to a much greater degree, they reflect exquisite design. The Mystery of Life's Origin (available via RTB or your local bookstore) discusses that issue in some depth and detail.
Now the question narrows: Why does this transcendent, personal God have to be exclusively defined as the God of the Bible? First, we see that only the Bible expounds the doctrines of the total transcendence and complete personality of God. Second, we appeal to the evidence of the Creator's characteristics in what He has made. In two brief outlines, The Gospel According to the Creation and Evil and Suffering in Light of God's love and Power, we suggest that a humble-hearted, open-minded study of the natural realm shows, among other things, that God is the epitome of power and knowledge, also of love and justice and all other virtues. The Bible says exactly the same thing. No other book does. That is why it seems reasonable, even though narrow, to conclude that its "author," inspirer, is one and the same person as the author of the universe.
Obviously, these conclusions need much more careful, thorough treatment that we can possibly give in a newsletter article. That is why our ministry exists. If you would like to ask questions or present challenges or study more of what we have written and recorded on this subject, please contact us at P. O. Box 5978, Pasadena, CA 91117, (626) 355-6058.
Field Report
The Africa trip February 10 to March 4, by invitation of Campus Crusade for Christ International (CCCI), reminded us again to expect the unexpected. In some cases Hugh's itinerary was changed or arranged on the spot. In all cases, the hand of God was evident. Here is a brief account of outreaches and other events. A more detailed report is available upon request (see response panel, p. 7).
Lesotho - "the mountain kingdom," bordered on all sides by the Republic of South Africa (RSA) - Hugh spoke to students, faculty, and guests at the National University, also at Lesotho Anglican Seminary. The former audience was enthusiastically receptive; the latter expressed some surprise and dismay that a "scholar" would claim the Bible inerrant.
Republic of South Africa - Ministry activities in and around Pretoria (the capitol), Johannesburg, and Durban (in the East) included
- breakfast, lunch, and dinner outreaches in a variety of settings for business and professional people and their spouses,
- morning and evening church services,
- radio and television interviews,
- a Bible college mini-course on science-and-scripture issues,
- a noon-hour lecture at Pretoria University (more than 1000 students and faculty packed the auditorium),
- CCCI staff training and strategy sessions,
- public lectures (one in a high school auditorium, one in a theatre) on the compatibility of science and faith, and
- a planning and organizational meetings for Reasons To Believe Africa.
In virtually every situation, response to the message was favorable, beyond all that we asked or imagined.
Zimbabwe - A communication error led to some impromptu scheduling. As a wonderful result, Hugh's time was devoted to mobilizing university faculty for evangelism, equipping and encouraging CCCI staff, presenting "the case for creation" to the curriculum committee of the nation's Department of Education, and answering questions for a group of brand new Christians. One hastily organized home outreach drew more that a hundred people in pouring rain.
Kenya - Here, again, diversity was the order of the day. Farmers and physicists, grade schools students and university professors, atheists, divinity students, and full-time missionaries all heard the message that the accumulating facts of science, including the latest discoveries about our universe, harmonize perfectly with the statements of the Bible, and there is reason to believe they always will.
Since that fruitful faraway adventure, the ministry here in the U.S. has continued full speed ahead. The team has brought words of faith and hope to people at
- schools, including Fuller Theological Seminary, Santa Rosa Community College, Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts, Caltech, Stanford, San Gabriel Christian Academy, and Simon Greenleaf Graduate Center,
- churches, including Grace Baptist of Newhall, Peninsula Bible, Lake Avenue Congregational, Kalaheo and Kapaa Missionary, and Chino Valley Community,
- service clubs and businessmen's groups in Bakersfield, Phoenix, Pomona, Pasadena, and Orange.
Radio opportunities included a secular talk show on KSOR, Santa Rosa, and brief interviews locally with Rich Buhler, KBRT, and John Stewart, KKLA.
Pray-ers' Closet
By Ramona Denton
Never has the family of God been a more tangible reality for me than it was at our most recent RTB "Prayerfest" (day of fasting and prayer). Christian brothers and sisters I see only once every three months at these special gatherings remember my struggles. They care. They hurt just because I do. This love of Christ manifested in His people draws a sharp contrast between the family in which I grew up and the family that God has drawn together. God used each participant to minister to another's need in a unique way that blessed all of us.
Our lives may be strewn with stumbling blocks and rocks of offense that God has not yet chosen to remove. But in Christ, God is able to turn the offensive into the beneficial. He can work wholeness out of brokenness. We witnessed this truth as we prayed for each other and fo the ministry of Reasons To Believe.
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
This is the Lord's doing;
It is Marvelous in our eyes.
--Psalm 118:22, 23
I hope you will consider joining in our next session of fasting and prayer, and also the praise and prayer meetings held on the fourth Thursday evening of each month, 7:30 P.M., at the RTB offices in Sierra Madre, 154 West Sierra Madre Boulevard (rear entrance). If you live too far away to come, you can participate with us anyway, either praying along or with a small group in your area. Roberta would be happy to assist you. You can call her at (818) 355-6058, or drop her a note at P.O. Box 5978, Pasadena, CA 91117.
Readers Write
"...I am not a scientist, but it seems the Lord is always putting intellectual, 'left-brain' non-believers before me, and the information I pull from Facts and Faith has been so helpful in sharing the gospel..."
--M.J. Leucadia, CA
"...Throughout scripture we find directives-seek peace, love your enemies, practice reconciliation, etc. But the present phase of the science/religion issue has generated conflict, confrontation, endless rhetoric, mountains of paper, etc...
"Thus again I suggest-slowly remove this subject from your ministry. Raising the issue helps its perpetuation. Let the Almighty do what He is capable of doing (Luke 1:37). When this disruptive argument is suppressed the day will come when Christianity will take hold of our professional peers who are unbelievers, as was the case a century ago."
--G.W. London, Ontario
"I am a junior, studying anthropology/sociology at UC Irvine. I find myself amongst striving intellectuals who have exchanged their traditional belief in God for the belief that scientific rationalism may provide ultimate explanations...
"With the work you have done, or are doing, as well as other groups of Christian apologists, I have found new motivation for claiming Ultimate Truth, that of our Lord Jesus Christ. In an era when cultural beliefs are standardized by scientific rationale, I realize that organizations such as yours will be the working Hand of God in helping contemporary humanity to cleanse their minds when they are doubting Ultimate Truth..."
--MD Irvine, CA
"...Faith is a wonderful thing and the basis of our beliefs, but it is great to know that there is evidence to back it up! It is also nice to have information to satisfy the analytical mind."
--T. Los Alamitos, CA
"I have a problem that I am interested in solving and would like some help with. But first, let me congratulate your organization for its commitment to excellence and facts. I enjoy and learn from your regular mailings of Facts and Faith. I only wish it were published every day. That is because every day I hear a new argument against Christianity . . ."
--D.H. Pomona, CA
Meet Our Staff
By Penny Karipides
[graphic excluded]
If you have attended any number of our outreach events, it is likely that you have seen the faces of Mike and Marj Harman. In everything from loading and unloading boxes, to manning materials tables, to taking pictures, to suggesting improvements, to affixing address labels, to participating fully in prayer and financial support, both Harmans, in their gentle and soft-spoken way, have powerfully assisted the growth and development of Reasons To Believe.
A few months ago Marj took on an additional assignment-tracking down some hard-to-obtain photographs for Hugh's new book, 7he Fingerprint of God (soon to be released).
In some of their hours away from the ministry, Mike serves as head accountant for the Los Angeles County Public Library System, and Marj is negotiating a career change. With an undergraduate degree in psychology and a graduate degree in public administration, Marj worked for a number of years as the administrator of a Christian retirement home. Despite her success and satisfaction in that work, Marj has made a courageous decision to pursue her latent :love for mathematics and science.
That love was suppressed through years of anguish over what seemed unresolvable years of conflicts between scientific discovery and Biblical truth Then one morning in 1984, "lightning struck," says Mari as she tuned in to Dr. Dobson's radio broadcast and heard the words of a Christian astronomer expounding the harmony of science and scripture.
Soon after, Marj enrolled in a graduate program in Christian apologetics at Simon Greenleaf School of Law. While attending a special lecture there one evening, she met (in the audience the man whose message had sparked her faith that day, and she learned of a new ministry which was then being formed, Reasons To Believe.
She now has completed all her coursework toward that degree and is considering additional studies in physics and other subjects from which she formerly shied away. Her career plans still are being shaped, but her commitment, along with Mike's, is to remain actively involved in sharing the gospel and its factual foundation whenever, wherever, however God leads.
A Word from the Editor
By Kathy Ross
Please take a look at these two statements and consider how to correct each with the change of just one word (the first statement is a lyric you may have heard or sung, the second, a line from a paper I once helped to write - gulp!):
- "I'll never be lonely again, never again..."
- "Loneliness may be considered sin, in this sense..."
I am sure you can see where these statements go wrong. The first is perhaps the easiest to fix. Simply replace the word lonely with the word alone. Yes, I have spoiled the fit of the lyric to the melody, but at least I have corrected its fit to reality. Because my life belongs to Jesus Christ, I will never again actually be alone, but that does not mean that I will never feel alone or experience the ache of isolation, separation, and alienation. God has said more than once-and it would be enough if He had said it only once-that He will be with me always (see Deut. 31:6 & 8, Joshua 1:5, 1 Sam. 12:22, Psalm 139, Matt. 28:20, and Heb. 13:5). Considering the reliability of scripture, I have no basis for doubting that fact.
However, my feelings reflect another fact, the fact that I live in a sin-marred world, in a sin-marred me, with sin-marred others, in sin-marred relationships. Heaven is not here and now, though certainly He gives tastes of it to whet my appetite. It is later. It is yet to come. It is what I long for. Then and there I will live in perfect fellowship with Him and with a countless host of others.
Some experience of loneliness is, for now, inevitable, no matter what my circumstances (and here you have my suggestion for fixing up statement 2). Proverbs 14:10 says that no other human being can fully know my heart, either its anguish or its joy. Loneliness is part of my life, of everyone's life. For those who grew up feeling unloved and unaccepted (hence, "unlovable," "unacceptable"), loneliness can be persistent, prevalent, and severely debilitating. If this description fits you, I urge you to seek the help of a reputable and appropriately trained Christian professional, one with whom you can work to undo the damage and rebuild your life in a salubrious emotional atmosphere.
Even for those who are less frequently and less keenly aware of their loneliness, it may show up when it's least expected-after finding a new friend or marrying Prince/Princess Charming or giving birth to a child or fulfilling some other dream. Loneliness is always painful. And yet it can also be helpful. It can be helpful if I acknowledge it, rather than run away from it. It can be helpful if I respond to the pain by facing important questions.
Here are some of the questions loneliness has brought to me: What keeps me from more richly enjoying God's company? What keeps me from more richly enjoying my own company? What keeps me from more richly enjoying the company of other people? Am I expecting people to meet my people-needs or my God-needs? What changes am I willing to make to enhance my life and relationships?
I can't keep loneliness from visiting, but I can choose how I treat it when it comes. If I try to ignore it, it might keep rattling at my doors and windows. If I feed it, it might decide to stay. I think I'll just greet it, hear what it has to tell me, then send it on its way till the next time. May God grant me the courage.
Resources for Outreach
[graphic excluded]
We are delighted to offer a most beautiful and enlightening book, Star Watching, by David Block (New York: Lion Publishing, 1988). The book includes 73 photographic plates (color), some appearing in print for the first time. Page by page these will dazzle your eyes as the text ignites your soul with wonder at the amazing universe our God has created. The author is both an eminent astronomer and a Christian. If you have only one book in your home about astronomy, we recommend that it be this one. May we suggest, too, that this attractive volume makes a unique and welcome gift for Father's Day, graduation, weddings, birthdays, and other occasions, as well.
This page, and all contents, are Copyright © 1989 by Reasons To Believe.
