To the Moon and Back
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Where were you at the moment humans first walked on the moon? The 40th anniversary of this event has given us an opportunity for recall. I was traveling the western states with relatives on July 20, 1969, listening to the events on radio. Suddenly, on the New Mexico desert, we had…
Read MoreSoundness and Cogency
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 When arguments are made for one point of view or another, they are presented with various types of logic: deductive, inductive, and sometimes, abductive. For example, one may argue for naturalistic evolution, theistic evolution, young earth creationism, old earth creationism, or a variety of intermediate positions using logical arguments. Deductive logic…
Read MoreLost in Translation
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 One of the most profound difficulties we face in achieving a reasonably complete and accurate picture of historic Genesis events is the problem of interpreting the Bible for the English-speaking population. Dr. John Millam, on the Reasons to Believe website, has written about this problem. He quotes C. S. Lewis expressing…
Read MoreScripture Science
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Focus on the Family’s Truth Project is an effective worldview program which presents the scriptural foundation for God’s guidelines for man in a dozen major categories of human experience, including science. There are two lessons on science in The Truth Project’s lineup. Some of the other lesson topics offering plentiful instruction…
Read MoreWhen Did Leeuwenhoek Know?
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 The well-known phrase “What did he know, and when did he know it?” is an artifact of past courtroom inquiries. As I research scientific discoveries since the beginning of the Scientific Revolution, that phrase frequently comes to mind. Sometimes I am amazed how long ago certain discoveries were made; at other…
Read MoreThe Stuff of Life
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Readers old enough to have studied biology before 1960 now realize that the course emphasis has changed. We recall a term for the “living substance” of the cell: protoplasm. The concept originated in the 19th century. Compared with the knowledge of cells available today, 1950s knowledge could be considered the dark…
Read MoreNature’s Symmetry
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 We referred to the laws of nature in a previous post, somewhat lightly, as “rules of the game.” These laws, or rules, have their basis in a more fundamental, but less familiar concept called “symmetry.” Nature’s symmetry may be described with terms such as balance, predictability, regularity, invariance, and repeatability. When…
Read MorePhysical and Spiritual Laws
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Not surprisingly, theories and laws of science do not rise to the level of curiosity and fascination for most people who are content to defer to experts in the field. They are satisfied to endorse the bus company advertising slogan of “Leave the driving to us.” At a basic level, however,…
Read MoreChangeless Physical Laws
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Our recent posts on physical constants take me back several decades in my teaching career. One summer, after returning from a trip to the western states, I discovered the district science chairman had lined up a workshop for science teachers in my region. A course called “Introductory Physical Science” had just…
Read MoreScriptural Prescience
By: Jim Virkler; ©2009 Theologian, author, and publisher Kenneth N. Taylor is well known for producing The Living Bible, a paraphrase/translation. The first installment, Living Letters, appeared in 1962. While comparing different translations of Hebrews 11:3, I referred to Ken Taylor’s translation of that verse: “By faith – by believing God – we know that…
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