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August 15, 2019
I periodically draw attention on social media to the fact that the human genome sequence is not complete. I thoroughly enjoy the reaction of others who are shocked to find that this is actually true. Why should anyone care if the human genome sequence is not yet complete? Surely the few bits that have been missing from the reference genome aren’t all that significant. At least that’s how many who write (and talk) about the genome, including the few who acknowledge that the reference genome is incomplete, describe it.
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Science in the News
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Life Complexity
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Human Uniqueness
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Genomics
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February 21, 2019
I love a good hiking story, and like all scientists I love the prospect of discovering something new. Really new. A recent “behind the paper” article posted on Ecology and Evolution (an online community from Nature Research) unpacks a tale with both elements. In spring of 2016, on a hike through Nova Scotia, Yana Eglit stopped to collect a soil sample that harbored not just one but two rare organisms from a seldom-encountered group of predatory protists (single-celled eukaryotes) known as hemimastigotes. Discovery and analyses of these tiny creatures has been instructive and it bears directly on evolution/creation discussions.
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Genomics
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Common Design vs. Common Descent
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Creation vs. Evolution
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January 24, 2019
Looking back on 2018, I give thanks for the blessings God has rained upon me. I can’t help but think how my vision of God’s goodness and glory have grown as I contemplate almost every aspect of creation in each new scientific study.
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Challenges to Evolution
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Apologetics
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Life Complexity
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August 20, 2018
Mosquitoes are the deadliest creatures on Earth, killing over half-a-million people annually and sickening hundreds of millions more. So why on earth would we celebrate World Mosquito Day? And why would a good God create bloodsucking, disease-ridden insects responsible for such extensive suffering?
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August 9, 2018
I just love nature! I recently enjoyed five days of extended hiking—65 glorious miles of soaking in the beauty of hills and fields and ocean-bay views. I chose to meditate on Psalm 16 as I hiked, trying to commit the entire Psalm to memory. What a wonderful time, nothing to do but revel in God, his word, and nature. Or should I say creation?
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July 26, 2018
One of my pet peeves is when people endow viruses and cells with humanlike abilities and characteristics—a process known as anthropomorphizing. I used to tell my students at the University of Virginia how imprecise and unscientific this is. Viruses and cells do not choose, plan, or scheme. In other words, they are not volitional. They do not evade attack, restrain abnormal or deleterious mutations, or preserve their own existence.
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April 19, 2018
Many fear to tread into culturally charged topics in an “us” versus “them” social media climate characterized by rapid escalation, rabid judgments, and character assassinations. What if a course on God and science could actually help us love one another, or at least be kinder to those who see things differently than we do?
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Science & Faith
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Philosophy
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Interpretation
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Faith & Reason
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March 15, 2018
At RTB we want to help others see that wherever we look in nature we find things that reinforce confidence in the God of the Bible. The words of Paul, found in his letter to believers in Rome, suggest that these evidences should be everywhere we look. Recently, a hike and a video spotted on social media brought just such an example to my attention.
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Fine-Tuning
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Requirements for Life
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Plants
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Ecosystems
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Apologetics
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February 8, 2018
I’ve recently (re)posted two blogs, “Vaccine Safety and Loving Our Neighbors” and “FAQs about Vaccine Safety,” which I hope you’ll take the time to read. But here I want to address two more issues that often come up as I talk with others about vaccine risks and safety and loving our neighbors.
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Q&A
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Ethics
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Christian Life
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February 1, 2018
My previous article titled “Vaccine Safety and Loving Our Neighbors” generated some ardent reader responses in 2015 when originally posted. In this follow-up article I would like to acknowledge and address many of these responses, especially those from readers who expressed concern over the evidence for vaccine effectiveness and safety.
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Christian Life
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Good Questions
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January 25, 2018
In the wake of a 2015 outbreak of measles originating at Disneyland and spreading to more than 20 states, California state legislators passed a bill implementing mandatory vaccination for students attending public schools. At that time the grassroots uprising against this legislation surprised and disappointed me. This is a charged topic, but it seems that this reaction is primarily rooted in misinformation and a false sense of security that may also involve a failure to consider civic responsibilities. I first shared this blog and perspective in a 2015 post. I have updated the content, but my thoughts and comments are basically the same as that post. I share here my scientific perspective on vaccine safety and my Christian perspective—that vaccinations can be an apologetic demonstration of Christlike love for our neighbors. In next week’s blog, I will address some questions and comments raised by readers that followed the original blog post in 2015. In two weeks I will share more recent thoughts and comments from continued dialogue with others on this topic.
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Diseases
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Pain and Suffering
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Viruses
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Human Flourishing
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Controversies
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January 18, 2018
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of interacting with apologists from the RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries) Connect online community in a forum called “Ask RZIM.” I thought I’d share some of the questions and my responses here on Theorems & Theology.
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Faith
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Good Questions
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Apologetics
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Faith & Reason
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Christian Life
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January 11, 2018
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of interacting with apologists from the RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries) Connect online community in a forum called “Ask RZIM.” The questions I encountered there are similar to ones I often think about and am asked when I’m out and about. I thought I’d share some of the questions and my responses here on Theorems & Theology.
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Philosophy
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Naturalism
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Good Questions
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Apologetics
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January 4, 2018
A few weeks ago I had the privilege of interacting with apologists from the RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries) Connect online community in a forum called “Ask RZIM.” The questions I encountered there are similar to ones I often think about and am asked when I’m out and about. I thought I’d share some of the questions and my responses here on Theorems & Theology.
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Human Flourishing
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Good Questions
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Apologetics
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December 28, 2017
I was 12 years old when I first learned to ski. Our family was visiting relatives in Washington for Christmas, and after a good snow the previous day, my sisters, cousins, and I headed for the slopes. None of us from Oklahoma had ever been skiing before, but our cousins were gracious hosts and good teachers. We not only learned how to ski that day but also had such great fun and worked so hard at it that we devoured my aunt’s unending stew before surrendering to sleep and the next day’s soreness, stiffness, and stories. Ever since then I have loved the snow. I am captivated with the beauty of snow as it blankets everything, burying the bleak grays of asphalt and urbanization. Snow also reminds me of the Scripture in Isaiah that invites us to reason together that though our sins are like scarlet, God will make us whiter than snow.
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RTB's Creation Model
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Bacteria
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December 21, 2017
Viruses are a mystery: No one knows where they originate. As a virologist, I’ve always thought of viruses as incomplete components of once functionally reproducing cells. As a Christian, I’ve often linked viruses to the fall because of their association with disease and suffering. Although evolutionists certainly wouldn’t agree with my second line of reasoning, many do support an escaped gene theory to explain the origin of viruses. In other words, the vast array and diversity of viruses in nature may originate from sets of genes that have escaped from once living cells.
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Common Design vs. Common Descent
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December 14, 2017
Last week I had the privilege of interacting with apologists from the RZIM (Ravi Zacharias International Ministries) Connect online community in a forum called “Ask RZIM.” The questions I encountered there are similar to ones I often think about and am asked when I’m out and about. I thought I’d share some of last week’s questions and my responses here on Theorems & Theology.
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December 7, 2017
In a 2006 lecture at Emmanuel College, Cambridge,1 Dr. Graeme Finlay, an immunologist, cancer biologist, and Christian, made some remarkable observations about the genetic similarities of human and nonhuman primate (NHP)2 genomes. He drew the conclusion that these similarities presented incontrovertible genetic evidence for the common ancestry of humans and other primates.3 In doing so, Dr. Finlay employed his expertise in cancer biology to explain the evidence for common descent. I found his presentation compelling.
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Common Ancestry
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Common Design vs. Common Descent
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Interpretation
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November 27, 2017
Does “Evolution” Point to Naturalism or Design? Before addressing this question, it is always important to define terms. Evolution, at a very basic level, means change over time. We use the words evolution and evolve in this way all the time. As an example one might assert that one’s thinking about race and cross-cultural interactions evolves over time as one gains exposure to various cultures and races. In scientific language evolution can have this same basic meaning: change. But often in naturalistic explanations of the origins of life and of species this simple concept of change is misapplied to mean more than has been scientifically or mechanistically demonstrated.
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November 8, 2017
I blog for two purposes: to spur on thinking (mine & yours) and to pursue truth (together). Science and Scripture both reveal the truth about our world. Although they deal primarily with different types of knowledge, they are not completely separate areas of inquiry. Science, rightly employed, allows us to ask how the physical world around us functions and to learn about creation and our own physiology and well-being.
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Seeking Truth
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Science
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Dialogue
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Theology
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