Christian values are often absent or ridiculed in the free marketplace of ideas. How do we prepare the Body of Christ to speak into our culture in the area of science? How do the values of Christians translate in a secular environment when statements from science exceed what observation and experiment can verify and move into the realm of values and ultimate meaning?
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Complex Specified Information is intrinsically a part of the biological world. Such information in the biosphere is not significantly accrete by natural processes or random processes or any combination thereof operating upon it. This is a key example of the Law of the Conservation of Information. Its status and implications will be discussed and explored.
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An anatomy of the identification and qualification of knowledge, discrepancy, and mystery in science and theology with a view to enhancing mutual fruitfulness and minimizing conflict.
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Integrating Science and Faith for the spiritual lives of students.
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Presented in a Q&A format, this breakout session offered an opportunity for further discussion of Hugh's plenary presentation entitled: Cosmic Reason: Did God Supernaturally Design the Universe for Man's Benefit?
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Pastoral perspectives on how to dialogue on controversial issues, such as faith and science, while honoring Christ and remaining faithful to scripture and orthodox Christian belief. Presented in a Q&A format, this breakout session offered an opportunity for further discussion of Ross's plenary presentation entitled: The "That" and the "How" of Creation: Foundations and Forward Motion for Pilgrims in Unity
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Creation, Design, Evolution. These words mean different things to different people, and they tend to provoke arguments. The issues they represent run close to some of our deepest questions: Does God exist? How does God relate to this universe? How did we get here? Who are we? Some people see these arguments about creation, design, and evolution as a conflict with just two sides: 1. Atheists on one side who try to use science to disprove religion, 2. Religious believers on the other side who reject the work of scientists. A good place to start in making sense of such debates is to remember that more than two options exist. Along with the two above, some of those other options will be discussed.
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Revelation of a testable, falsifiable, and predictive creation model that establishes the existence of the God of the Bible. Dr. Ross will discuss the origin and design of the universe and how to test a creation model against the current naturalistic model.
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Recently, several Thomists (Ed Feser, Frank Beckwith) have argued that St. Thomas Aqinas's Aristotelian philosophy is fundamentally at odds with the intelligent design movement, because Thomism conceives of God's design of the world as immanent to nature, and not based on a series of discrete interventions in a mostly autonomous material world. This attack is based both on a misunderstanding of the nature of an Aristotelian philosophy of biology and on a misconception of the fundamental issue that is at stake in the ID/Darwinian debate. Darwinists propose that chance plays an indispensable role in the formation of all living kinds. Thomists must utterly reject the notion that biological form could arise from chance processes.
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An overview of approaches to interpreting the first three chapters of Genesis with application to the faith and science dialogue.
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Christianity and science are like neighbors who share a long, contested border. At stake in the way we relate to our scientific "neighbors" are matters of ultimate concern, including the credibility of Christianity and the flourishing of human beings as the image bearers of the world's Creator and Lord. Yet, precisely because of our faith, we are able to engage these significant issues with grace instead of legalism, hope instead of fear, and love for our neighbors, both in the secular world and within the diversity of the Christian community.
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An examination of the structure, origin, and history of life from an Old Earth Creationist's perspective. The fundamental organization of life at a biochemical level, the discontinuities in the history of life associated with biological innovation, and the correspondence between the creation accounts and the record of nature indicate that the Creator is responsible for life.
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Data from several independent lines of evidence will be discussed that indicate an age of the universe that is several billion years old.
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This presentation looks at some of the challenges posed by the sciences for faith and how we might respond to them. Particular attention is paid to the way the New Atheism uses science as a weapon against religious belief. Finally, it is argued that we need to regain confidence in our ability to engage the sciences and use them as a gateway for faith.
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The history of the alleged conflict is based on claims by science that is outside their domain and often claims by Christians which are a reflection of their interpretation of scripture. The possibility of abuse is present on both sides of the debate. A review of the history from the 1870s to the present will present examples of what should be avoided. Concerns with distortions in science for funding and political correctness will be reviewed and a positive approach for the interaction of faith and science will be offered.
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Genesis 2 is not a second account of the creation that differs from the Genesis 1 narrative. Instead, it focuses on the Garden of Eden and does not give a contradictory account of the first description given in the preceding chapter. This explanation will account for the change in the divine name, the expressions of the shrubs of the field, and grain of the field. The chapter also includes the divine building of a woman who is a power corresponding to the man.
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How does Genesis 1-11 have and not have a bearing on science. Genesis 1-11 will be viewed in connection with other origin stories and as the front end of the worldview story. The idea of three different kinds of language from C.S. Lewis will be explored in relation to their application to Genesis 1-11. The idea of not being scientific will be contrasted with having no relevance to science. Poetic language will be shown as not the same as non-historical language.
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