For decades, Os Guinness has been one of the most nuanced, realistic, yet hopeful voices calling Christians to engagement with culture. In this talk, he offers encouragement and hope to Christians that there is a way to healing for our nation.
Read MoreOs Guinness discusses what religious freedom really means and why it's important for policy makers, leaders and all citizens to understand it.
Read MoreIs there something bigger than ME worth living for? How can I be fulfilled when the world is hurtling toward more chaos? Is there any foundation I can stand on other than my own conscience? Os Guinness talks about the plumb line we all need and how we can find it. This talk was presented at The University of Texas at Austin as part of Explore Truth Summit 2015.
Read MoreCreation is a central doctrine in Christianity, connecting to several key theological issues. However, for the past several decades, most of the attention given to this doctrine has been focused on the correct reading of Genesis 1-11, specifically with respect to contested claims about the age of the earth. For evangelicals committed to inerrancy, it is important that we clarify hermeneutical boundaries and options in which this matter can be discussed. Examples and insights from earlier Christian thought can guide us here. Most importantly, as grace and truth cohere in Christ, they must be correlative in our dialogue and debate.
Read MoreUnderstanding an ancient text such as Genesis 1 requires us to consider issues the way they would have. A foundational issue is how they thought about existence. Ancient peoples believed that something existed when it had a function. This is in contrast to our belief that existence is tied to material properties. This position views Genesis 1 as an account of functional origins rather than an account of material origins. We must also recognize the cosmos functions as sacred space a cosmic temple concept, which conveys the idea that God has established order in the cosmos which has become his dwelling place. The seven days concern the inauguration of the functional cosmic temple rather than the time over which the material cosmos came into existence.
Read MoreThe six 24-hour day view of the creation days of Genesis 1 (variously called the normal day view, the literal view, the calendar day view, etc.) that is, the view that we are to understand God's creation days as recorded in Genesis 1 to be calendar days of the sort we now regularly experience is the default view of Christianity, historically and confessionally. That is, the historic Christian tradition has always in the main viewed these days as calendar days, because it has viewed the Genesis account as historical. This talk will explain the history and hermeneutics of this issue from a Reformed perspective.
Read MoreBiblical orthodoxy begins in wonder. Wonder leads to a vision of cosmic beauty and beauty produces hope. Hope can bring faith and faith leads to love. Love necessitates knowledge, which means science. The reconciliation of all truths to God is the result.
Read MoreGenesis 1 should be read (along with all of Genesis 1-11) as historical narrative that is meant to be taken literally. There is no hermeneutical justification for reading it in any other fashion, since it is not a separate genre from the rest of Genesis. It is presented as straightforward narrative prose, not poetry. Those who attempt to read Genesis 1 in other than a non-literal fashion need to demonstrate that there are hermeneutical markers that warrant treating Genesis 1 (or Genesis 1-2, or Genesis 1-11) differently from the remaining chapters of Genesis. The NT references to Genesis 1-11 all take the accounts literally: they regard them as historical fact, not simply a packaging of theological truth. It is this author's contention that we need to do the same.
Read MoreThis presentation is one long argument for the theory of intelligent design using DNA and the information imbedded within it. But it is also a story, a mystery story, and the story of Dr. Meyer's engagement with it. It tells about the mystery that has surrounded the discovery of the digital code in DNA and how that discovery has confounded repeated attempts to explain the origin of the first life on earth. Darwin gave us "design without a designer." But is this really true? Even if we grant Darwin's argument in The Origin of Species, does it really follow that he refuted the design hypothesis? This presentation will present a fresh perspective on this question by examining one of the most enduring mysteries of modern biology.
Read MoreExpansion of and follow-up to Dr. Meyer's plenary presentation entitled: "Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design"
Read MoreAn exhortation towards the pursuit of the preservation of the unity of the body of Christ as its members seek to engage in the honest pursuit of truth and dialogue on especially controversial matters of faith and science. An appeal based on an exposition of Ephesians 4:1-6 of the ground of Christian unity. The basis of Christian unity is in the essentials of Christian orthodoxy reflected in the historic creeds and confessions of the church, not on complete agreement on matters that belong to the secondary category of theological pursuit. Above all, it is grounded in our koinonia in that of the triune God which is both our calling in the 'now' and our destiny in the 'not yet'.
Read MoreJohn presents his position, which interprets Genesis 1 as ancient literature. At the heart of the position is the evidence that it does not intend to offer a material account of origins, but a functional account of origins based on the premise that the created world is the cosmic temple of God. This material has been published in a number of places, most conveniently in the IVP book, The Lost World of Genesis One. There will be ample time for questions and interaction.
Read MoreThe judgment of God upon humanity at Babel was division, and the work of Christ was to effect reconciliation. The mark of the church therefore is unity and it is that which must be reflected amongst believers in the midst of diversity of opinion and thought on many issues. The way in which we reflect that unity marks us out as authentic disciples of Christ.
Read MoreAs God guides the Creation with His providential care with the laws of chemistry and physics, materials that make up the earth leave behind geologic evidence for the passage of time. The very best examples are the rings we see in a cut tree trunk, and sediments that are seen as annual layers based on seasonal cycles in some lakes. Radioactive atoms in the Creation can be used to age-date some organic materials and certain minerals. The present rate of plate tectonic separation of North America from Africa provides dramatic evidence supporting the ancient history formation of the Atlantic ocean. Multiple radioactive decay methods offer abundant evidence that the earth is 4.5 billion years old.
Read MoreAs God guides the Creation with His providential care with the laws of chemistry and physics, materials that make up the earth leave behind geologic evidence for the passage of time. The very best examples are the rings we see in a cut tree trunk and sediments that are seen as annual layers based on seasonal cycles in some lakes. Radioactive atoms in the Creation can be used to age-date some organic materials and certain minerals. The present rate of plate tectonic separation of North America from Africa provides dramatic evidence supporting the ancient history formation of the Atlantic Ocean. Multiple radioactive decay methods offer abundant evidence that the earth is 4.5 billion years old.
Read MoreA review of the theological and scientific implications of two approaches to the Interpretation of Genesis.
Read MoreSeveral observations from molecular biology to geology do not line up with the most likely prediction of the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis. The origin of information also remains a significant question. Such discrepancies will be illustrated and discussed.
Read MoreDan's commission is to reflect on what science can tell us and what it can't; to give a humble but accurate qualification of what human investigation can contribute to our lives; one that is not too high and not to low. For several generations many in science have been saying that Christianity does not have a place at the table; that Christianity has no contribution to make. The information that Dan presents in this talk gives strong indications from science that if we are to have confident answers in the areas that matter to us most, Divine revelation must play the dominant role, not human investigation. The essence of science is inextricably interwoven with its limits. When our understanding of the limits of science changes, our understanding of science itself changes.
Read MoreHow may a Christian in science serve the poor through the application of technology? A case study will be presented giving an overview of a college professor's ongoing endeavors to obtain patents, develop commercial applications, and build manufacturing and marketing for abundant, inexpensive resources with great potential.
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