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February 8, 2019
I was pouring liquid laundry detergent into the washer when I realized, “Hey, it’s clear!” In that moment I became entranced by the wonder of transparency. Through research, I discovered not only how much ingenuity and engineering is involved in making something transparent, but also that transparency is a highly valued aesthetic property in consumer products. Making things like clear cleaning products requires detailed planning and precise chemical composition. Any contaminant makes the product worthless.
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January 18, 2019
October 31, 2017 marked the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation. Along with global recognition of its significance, the event also sparked renewed interest in the Reformers’ teachings and example, which are still relevant to us today. For example, Dr. Joel R. Beeke considers them in his article, “What Did the Reformers Believe about the Age of the Earth?” His central thesis is that the Reformers held a “literal” interpretation of Genesis that he equates with young-earth creationism; namely, that God created everything in six ordinary (24-hour) days less than 6,000 years ago. Is this accurate? If so, should this idea compel believers to adopt a similar view of the age of the earth?
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January 7, 2019
The biblical account of Adam and Eve makes clear that humanity did not evolve from other primates. God establishes human exceptionalism by creating us in his image and giving us dominion over all other life on Earth (Genesis 1:26–28). If the biblical claims are true, then we can expect humans to possess qualities that are exceptions to what would otherwise be predicted if we were evolutionary descendants. A recent discovery by neuroscientist George Paxinos of Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) suggests an important, previously unknown feature of human exceptionalism.
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December 21, 2018
In C. S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian, where Jesus is represented by the huge lion Aslan, a sobbing Lucy comes upon Aslan—whom she hasn’t seen for a long time. The following conversation ensues:
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December 6, 2018
In a September 2018 article, Fazale Rana discredited what is purported to be evidence for an evolutionary theory that humans descended from an “ancestral ape.”
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November 29, 2018
Bilbo Baggins once said, “But today, of all days, it is brought home to me, it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.”1 It’s not bad at all. And when it comes to God’s simplicity, it’s all good for us. In part one, we described the doctrine of simplicity and offered a biblical argument in its favor. Here in part two we will offer two more arguments for simplicity and then show why the doctrine is practical.
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November 26, 2018
Many people are aware of the adage that the most important thing about a person is what he or she thinks of God, for it is upon such thoughts that one’s life will turn. And, while Reasons to Believe (RTB) has repeatedly explored the pragmatic nature of God’s existence throughout its thirty-plus years of ministry, little has been written on the practical application of the attributes of God in a person’s life. To fill that hole, I invite you to reflect with me on the all-important doctrine of divine simplicity. Our brief study is divided into two parts. Here in part one, we will expound upon the doctrine of simplicity and offer biblical support in its favor. In part two, we will offer two more arguments for simplicity and then look at a few practical applications of the doctrine.
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November 5, 2018
“In essentials unity, in nonessentials liberty, in all things charity.”
This is an ancient Christian principle. But what are the essentials of the Christian faith? What must all Christians believe? And particularly, is the belief that the universe and all life-forms were created in six, 24-hour days an essential or a nonessential?
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October 5, 2018
One of the greatest challenges to the theory of evolution is to explain sexuality. How could sexual reproduction have emerged by random, natural processes from early life-forms practicing asexual reproduction? How could natural selection evolve two versions of a species: essentially identical except for reproductive organs? When the data is analyzed, a creation perspective may make more sense.
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September 24, 2018
In my opinion, Hugh Ross is a great apologist. As an astronomer and founder of Reasons to Believe, Hugh has helped many thinkers—perhaps only eternity will reveal how many—to become believers. But Hugh has a problem. And he’s not the only one.
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August 23, 2018
As a chemist, I am fascinated by the complexity of the molecules that make up life. Life can do with ease what it takes chemists in a lab a lifetime to accomplish. And what they do achieve still does not even come close to the efficiency and speed of life’s designs. Proponents of evolution claim that the chemicals of life came from simpler precursors, which themselves came from basic molecules made up of just a few atoms. How we got from there to here—from simple molecules to systems of such amazing complexity that we see today—has been the subject of a lot of discussion and debate.
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August 16, 2018
Do you enjoy apologetics? Have you ever wondered how you can become a professional Christian apologist? Here are four practical recommendations to help guide your journey
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July 30, 2018
G. K. Chesterton tells of an “English yachtsman who slightly miscalculated his course and discovered England under the impression that it was a new island in the South Seas.” Seeing it with fresh eyes, he was enchanted by all the things he formerly overlooked.
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July 9, 2018
A few years ago I attended the graduation of my stepdaughter at Seattle University, a highly respected Catholic institution. During her studies she had developed a love for philosophy and friendship with her philosophy professors, one of whom was a professed Buddhist. At a post-graduation function, I had an opportunity to chat with him and asked how he felt about a recent speech by Pope Benedict, one in which the pope sought to reach out to Muslim leaders. I was impressed by the speech and wondered what his reaction might be
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June 18, 2018
Last November, while working for Reasons to Believe (RTB) at the annual meetings for the Evangelical Theological Society, I met Rachel Shockey from Women in Apologetics (WIA), a fairly new ministry organized in May 2017. We filmed Rachel about WIA for RTB’s 28:19 show. You can check that out that segment here.
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June 1, 2018
Imagine for a moment that you’re watching a message on YouTube by Hugh Ross. You find the video incredibly faith-affirming. Your brother-in-law is an unbeliever and you wonder if you should send him the link. Maybe it will present some evidence that will persuade him to come to faith in Jesus. At what point do you click on that “Share” button?
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May 18, 2018
Research into naturalistic explanations for the origin of life has long focused on how the “building blocks of life” (amino acids, nucleotides, sugars, and fatty acids) could have formed as the necessary precursors for life. An article by two preeminent origin-of-life researchers describing possible synthesis routes for building blocks of life from simple precursors makes no mention of a precursor containing phosphorus. This is a serious omission. Charles Darwin himself knew that there had to be such a source. In speculating about “the first production of a living organism” he wrote: “But if (and oh what a big if) we could conceive in some warm little pond with all sorts of ammonia and phosphoric salts,–light, heat, electricity &c present, that a protein compound was chemically formed . . . ” then perhaps life could have gotten the start it needed.
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May 4, 2018
Phosphates don’t get any respect. At least it seems that way from the generally negative attitude toward phosphates displayed on household products bearing the proud claim “Contains No Phosphate” and in state regulations banning phosphates from fertilizers.1 Of course, these labels and regulations came about as a result of phosphate’s life-stimulating properties: high levels in water bodies will promote algae blooms, which ultimately deplete oxygen. Nevertheless, while regulating the use of phosphates one shouldn’t forget the critical role they play in all living organisms. In fact, human civilization would not be here without them.
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March 27, 2018
All attempts to calculate a date for creation and Noah’s flood rest upon one assumption: Genesis 5 and 11 contain complete, father-son genealogies without gaps. This assumption, in turn, rests on the assumption that the Hebrew verb yālad implies a father-son relationship in these chapters.
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February 9, 2018
A common assumption is that Genesis 5 and 11 contain complete, father-son genealogies without gaps and, therefore, one can rely on these genealogies to accurately calculate a date for creation and Noah’s flood. However, as we’ve previously presented,1 strong evidence shows that genealogy gaps exist. In this article, we will present additional evidence for genealogy gaps found in the Genesis 11:1–9 story of the Tower of Babel. Bishop Ussher and other no-gap proponents typically date this event at Babel ~101 years after the flood around the time of the birth of Peleg (assuming Peleg is the fourth generation after Noah’s sons).2 However, the three reasons below suggest it is impossible for this incident to have occurred so soon after the flood.
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