that record his life, deeds, death, and following?
Well that's precisely what this new series will seek to demonstrate. Contrary to the opinion of certain "internet infidels" or well know atheists such as Richard Dawkins or the late Christoper Hitchens, the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth can be more reliably demonstrated than Tiberius Caesar or even Alexander the Great (both of which have less than 10 historical sources). This multiple part series, based off of the historical research of Dr. Gary Habermas (Liberty University) will cover 17 Non-christian historical sources for the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Though this does not (and is not intended to) verify the Christian worldview, or even prove the deity of Jesus, it is a necessary element in establishing the reliability of the New Testament documents and the historical events they record. Remember....... have an Intelligent Faith!! - Pastor J.
Last week we started looking at the Icons Evolution, the 10 most so called "proofs" that evolution is true. The first one we looked at was the Miller-Urey experiment. We looked at what exactly the experiment was, who made it and how it influenced textbooks. Today we will be looking at how this experiment is not scientific.
Our atmosphere is about 21% oxygen. Oxygen is one of the most important things needed for life, because without it we would die, but with it life’s building blocks could not have formed in an atmosphere where oxygen is present. An electric spark in a closed container of swamp gas (methane) might produce some interesting organic molecules, but if even a little oxygen is present the spark will cause an explosion. Because oxygen can destroy many organic molecules, chemists often have to remove oxygen and use closed containers when they store organic chemicals in labs. But before the origin of life, when there were neither chemists nor laboratories, the chemical building blocks of life could have formed only in a natural environment lacking oxygen. According to Oparin and Haldane, that environment was the Earth's primitive atmosphere.
Some scientists believed that the Earth originally formed from a condensing cloud of interstellar dust and gas, so it was reasonable to suppose that the original atmosphere was similar to interstellar gases, which was mainly hydrogen. In 1952, Nobel Prize-winning chemist Harold Urey concluded that the early atmosphere consisted primarily of hydrogen, methane, ammonia and water vapor just as Oparin and Haldane had speculated. Miller assembled a closed glass apparatus in Urey's laboratory, pumped out the air, and replaced it with methane, ammonia, hydrogen and water. (If he hadn't removed the air, his next step might have been his last.) He then heated the water and circulated the gases past a high-voltage electric spark to simulate lightning.
Did the primitive atmosphere really lack oxygen?
Urey assumed that the Earth's original atmosphere had the same composition as interstellar gas clouds. In 1952, however (the same year Urey published this view), University of Chicago geochemist Harrison Brown noted that the abundance of the rare gases neon, argon, krypton, and xenon in the Earth's atmosphere was at least a million times lower than the cosmic average, and concluded that the Earth must have lost its original atmosphere (if it ever had one) very soon after its formation.
In the 1960s Princeton University geochemist Heinrich Holland and Carnegie Institution geophysicist Philip Abelson independently concluded that the earth did not get it’s primitive atmosphere from interstellar gas clouds, but from gases released by the Earth's own volcanoes. They saw no reason to believe that ancient volcanoes were different from modern ones, which release primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and trace amounts of hydrogen. Since hydrogen is so light, Earth's gravity would have been unable to hold it, and (like the rare gases) it would quickly have escaped into space. But if the principal ingredient of the primitive atmosphere was water vapor, the atmosphere must also have contained some oxygen. Atmospheric scientists know that ultraviolet rays from sunlight cause dissociation of water vapor in the upper atmosphere. This process, called "photodissociation," splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen escapes into space, leaving the oxygen behind in the atmosphere. Nevertheless, photodissociation would have generated small amounts of oxygen even before the advent of photosynthesis. The question is, how much?
Theoretical models implied some primitive oxygen, but no one knew how much. Evidence from the rocks was inconclusive, and the biochemical evidence seemed to point to significant levels of oxygen produced by photodissociation. The controversy raged from the 1960s until the early 1980s, when it faded from view.
The Miller-Urey experiment succeeded in synthesizing organic molecules, but the question was not whether organic molecules could be synthesized in the laboratory. Of course they could, and they had been for years.
The success of the Miller-Urey experiment doesn't prove that the entire primitive atmosphere lacked oxygen any more than the success of modern organic chemistry proves that the modern atmosphere lacks oxygen.
The March 1998 issue of National Geographic carries a photo of Miller standing next to his experimental apparatus. The caption reads: "Approximating conditions on the early Earth in a 1952 experiment, Stanley Miller-now at the University of California at San Diego-produced amino acids. `Once you get the equipment together it's very simple,' he says." Several pages later, the National Geographic article explains: "Many scientists now suspect that the early atmosphere was different from what Miller first supposed." But a picture is worth a thousand words-especially when its caption is misleading and the truth is buried deep in the article. Many biology textbooks use the same misleading approach. Like the National Geographic article, the Miller-Levine textbook buries a disclaimer in the text: "Miller's original guesses about the Earth's early atmosphere were probably incorrect,"
A picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes it comes with dollar signs for the artists. How many times have we been misled by a picture in our text books of what an artist thinks it may have looked like? We see a man standing next to his experiment and just because he is a scientist it must be true. Even though this experiment has been proven wrong decades ago, it is still in text books, television shows and quoted as being true. Don't be misled.
Research the evidence, find the truth and remember..... Have an Intelligent Faith!!
Is there any good solid historical evidence for the existence
of the person Jesus of Nazareth outside of the New Testament documents?
If such a man ever even existed, wouldn't there be tangible non-christian sources that record his life, deeds, death, and following?
Well that's precisely what this new series will seek to demonstrate. Contrary to the opinion of certain "internet infidels" or well know atheists such as Richard Dawkins or the late Christoper Hitchens, the historical existence of Jesus of Nazareth can be more reliably demonstrated than Tiberius Caesar or even Alexander the Great (both of which have less than 10 historical sources).
This multiple part series, based off of the historical research of Dr. Gary Habermas (Liberty University) will cover 17 Non-christian historical sources for the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Though this does not (and is not intended to) verify the Christian worldview, or even prove the deity of Jesus, it is a necessary element in establishing the reliability of the New Testament documents and the historical events they record.
Remember....... have an Intelligent Faith!!
When you think of science, do you see it as disproving God? Do you think that most if not all scientist are atheists? Can you believe in God and in science? Did God create evolution and then just stepped aside and watch it from a distance? Is there a "gap" between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 where millions of years went by for everything to evolve? People that believe in a Creator are ignorant to the evidence out there!
During these 2 series you will find answers to these and many similar questions and objections. A reminder, if you have any questions, please post it on the website or email us.
Today we will be starting a new series called The Case for a Creator. Join us as we look at the overwhelming evidence that points towards a creator. We will be going through the book by Lee Strobel with this title.
Here is a list of what we will be look at:
Doubts about Darwinism
Where science meets faith
The evidence of Cosmology
The evidence of Physics
The evidence of Astronomy
The evidence od Biochemistry
The evidence of Biological Information
The evidence of Consciousness
research the evidence, find the truth and remember.....have an Intelligent Faith!!
As some of may know, we have come up with a very diverse and colorful schedule for the topics that we'll be posting content for in 2012. I detailed the schedule a couple of days ago in a video I posted, but for those of you that didn't see it, here's what you can expect to see in 2012:
MONDAY - "Icons of Evolution", a series focusing on evaluating the strength/weakness of each of the 10 classic icons that are used to demonstrate macro-evolution (Nelis)
TUESDAY - "Good Arguments for God's Existence", a series examining and explaining some of the classic philosophical arguments used to demonstrate the existence of a Creator. (Pastor J.)
WEDNESDAY - This will be a general day left open for miscellaneous articles that are relevant.
THURSDAY - "The Case For A Creator", a series examining the incredible scientific evidence discovered in the 20th century that supports belief in a Creator. (Nelis)
FRIDAY - "Ancient Non-christian Sources for Jesus of Nazareth" will look at 17 non-christian historical sources that verify amazing aspects of the life, ministry, death, and followers of Jesus. (Pastor J.)
In addition to this, we have begun to showcase the best apologetic books that we ourselves know of. We've already posted one article where I recommended my top 10 apologetic books. I have read or am reading every book on the list, and will highlight each of them in the coming weeks. I encourage you to build up your personal library, equip yourself with a knowledge of the truth, and watch how the Lord will use you!
God bless you all! Remember... have an Intelligent Faith!
"Are there any good reasons to believe that God exists?"
"Can a person who doesn't believe that the Bible is trustworthy,
still see reasonable evidence for God's existence?"
"Is it possible to demonstrate that the belief in a personal Creator of the universe (Theism)
is the most logical, rational, and consistent worldview available?"
Well, we believe that the answer to all 3 of these commonly asked questions is a resounding "YES!", and that there are great reasons and evidence that make the belief in a personal Creator of the universe, more plausible and liveable than any rival world view. Demonstrating this trut is the express purpose of this new series of posts, which will be published every Tuesday.
Over the course of this series, "Good Arguments For God's Existence",we will cover many solid and robust theistic arguments, which have withstood the assault of skeptics for centuries and, in some cases, even millenia:
These arguments will include:
The Cosmological Argument - This is a family of arguments that focuses on demonstrating God's existence from the beginning of the Universe.
The Design Argument - This argument seeks to investigate how the multiple levels of design that we see (biological, mathematical, terrestrial) point to the existence of a Designer.
The Moral Argument - God's existence is shown by examining the Moral Law within humanity, and tracing it's back to God, the Moral Law-Giver.
The Conceptual Argument - This argument seeks to demonstrate the existence of an eternal, unchanging Mind (God), as the source of the eternal unchanging ideas that we experience.
The Argument from Consciousness - Focuses on God as the Source of consciousness in the universe.
The first line of reasoning that we will be examining will be a special version of the Cosmological argument called the "Kalam", as the muslim philosopher Al Ghazali termed it. For an introduction to this argument, and one of it's most capable defenders today (Dr. William Lane Craig), I've posted the below video for you. Next Tuesday, we will begin to develop the argument premise by premise.
Take notes and be blessed with this simple, but profoundly powerful tool to point people towards the Creator of the Universe using rational thinking.
God bless you until next time. Remember.... have an Intelligent Faith!!
John Byron shared the news that some are reporting the discovery of the earliest extant manuscript of Romans, claimed to be from the middle of the second century. To be more precise, it is a fragment of Romans 9-10, and it was allegedly discovered just this week. CNN has footage of it, but the camera is not close enough for me to discern the text well.
As is always the case with discoveries such as these, I want to wait for more experts to examine it before heralding it as the new “earliest” manuscript not only of Romans but of any Pauline letter. If I recall correctly, P46, which contains all or part of several Pauline epistles, is currently regarded as the oldest manuscript (ca. 200 C.E.) of any of Paul’s letters.
This could be a very interesting and impacting discovery in the area of Biblical Archaeology. Let's wait and see what comes of it. Also, if you need a great resource for archaeological finds related to the Old and New Testaments, check out http://www.biblearchaeology.org .
God bless you all! Remember..... have Intelligent Faith!
Would you like to have some of the teachings and content from "Intelligent Faith 315" on your Iphone or Ipod, so that you can continue to equip yourself while you're at school or driving to work? Then check out our podcast on Itunes called "KERUSSO", and subscribe to it for free!
"Kerusso" is a greek word used in the New Testament for proclaiming, announcing, and preaching a teaching of importance. This would usually be a public announcement given with gravity, authority, and formality. It could range from announcing a military victory, proclaiming a new law that was passed by the Senate, or preaching an important spiritual truth for all to hear. We have called this podcast "Kerusso" in hopes that you will learn from it, and become much better equipped to share and defend your faith at your school, workplace, and with your skeptical friends.
The IF315 team will be in the process of producing more audio content for the podcast in the near future, so check back regularly for new teachings and episodes. Also, you will find a good number of PDF documents that go along with the teachings and can help you master the material. Some of them are notes, others are short quizzes given out in the classes. Download all of them, and you'll be on your way to becoming a more equipped ambassador to share and defend the Christian worldview! (Just go to the Itunes store, type "Kerusso" in the search box, and it will take you right to the podcast for you to subscribe to it.)
God bless you, and remember.....have an Intelligent Faith!!
Hi guys, I just want to start by saying welcome back to Pastor J. We have a lot planned for you guys during this next few months so please stay tuned and if you have any questions or comments you can post it here on the website or you can email us at jason@claycup.com or intelligentfaith315@gmail.com.
Like Pastor J said in the video, if you have not seen it please check it out here, I will be resuming the series Icons of Evolution on Mondays. The first icon we will be looking at is the Miller-Urey Experiment.
When you think of how the "early" earth looked like and how "life began" according to "scientists", do you picture it something like this following video?
This video is the opening scene from Disney’s 1940 Fantasia movie. This scenario was first formed by Russian scientist A. I. Oparin and British scientist J.B. Haldane. In the 1920's they suggested that lightning in the primitive atmosphere could have produced the chemical building blocks of life. Darwin never really claimed to know how everything began, he just speculated that it may have started in "some warm little pond". The same way Oparin and Haldane hypothesized that chemicals produced by the atmosphere dissolved on the primordial sea to form what is now known as the "primordial soup", from where the first living cells emerged. This hypothesis captured the imagination of many scientists, but it remained untested until the early 1950's when an American graduate student Stanley Miller and his Ph.D. advisor Harold Urey produced some of the chemical building blocks of life by sending an electric spark through a mixture of gases they thought simulated the Earth's primitive atmosphere. This experiment generated enormous excitement in the scientific community, and found its way into almost all high school and college biology text books as evidence that scientists demonstrated how life began. The Miller-Urey experiment is still shown on television documentaries, magazines and text books as one of the icons of evolution. Yet for more than a decade most geochemists have been convinced that the experiment failed to simulate conditions on the early Earth, and has almost nothing to do with the origin of life. In the following video Jonathan Wells give us an explanation of why the Miller-Urey experiment cannot be an accurate explanation of how life began.
In next week's post we will be going more in depth into the experiment and see scientifically how this cannot be scientific proof, but a failed experiment.
Want to find out what to expect on "Intelligent Faith 315", Monday through Friday in 2012?
Take a couple of minutes to listen to the line-up that we have for you: scientific evidence against evolution; philosophical evidence for God's existence; additional scientific discoveries and research that point towards a Creator; Ancient historical evidence (non-biblical) that verifies the life of Jesus of Nazareth; and much much more! This video also describes how we will be integrating Amazon.com into the site this year, along with some cool DVD giveaways for participating viewers.
Check it out, send us your feedback and suggestions, and get ready for a great year of solid evidence, powerful proof, and solid reasoning that supports the Christian worldview in 2012!
