Atheist philosopher Michael Ruse rips into the best-selling author of The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins: "It is not that the atheists are having a field day because of the brilliance and novelty of their thinking. Frankly --- and I speak here as a nonbeliever myself, pretty atheistic about Christianity and skeptical about all theological claims …
Month: April 2009
Montana clean
My home town of Billings, Montana is tied for being the city with the cleanest air in terms of ozone concentration in the entire United States, and is in the top 25 for cleanest air in terms of particulates. From MSNBC.com: Report lists worst, best cities for air quality Ahhh. To breathe some fresh Montana …
Not quite so bright
Some of the vocal "new atheists, " such as Richard Dawkins (author of The God Delusion) like to refer to themselves as "Brights." Not everyone thinks these guys are all that bright, at least when it comes to their arguments against Christianity and theism. Dawkin's arguments against theism have been criticized as being amateurish and …
200,000
My view counter hit 200,000 today. I'm not entirely sure what counts as a "page view" in WordPress, except that my own visits to the blog are not counted. Thank you to all who read and comment on The GeoChristian. Grace and Peace
NASA Earth Observatory turns 10 — Winning image
The votes are in from the NASA Earth Observatory's viewers' favorites contest, and the winning image out of over 3000 possibilities is: A view of Earth from Saturn. To see the top ten vote-getters go to Earth Observatory's Top Ten Images of the Day. Grace and Peace
Job search
I'm still looking for a job as a geologist or GIS professional, and just updated my Ten Reasons Why You Should Hire Me post. When I picked up one of my daughters from school a few weeks ago, she asked, "Dad, did you find a job today?" I replied, "I've found lots of jobs; they …
More compassion
"The perspective of Scripture is not the survival of the fittest, but the protection of the weakest." --John Stott
Compassion Sunday
Today was "Compassion Sunday" at our church, Red Rocks Fellowship. The text for the sermon was 1 John 3:16-18: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother …
NASA Earth Observatory turns 10 — vote for your favorites — final day of voting
Monday, April 27th is the last day to vote for your favorite image from NASA's Earth Observatory. Grace and Peace
Taliban areas of Pakistan
Imagine the Taliban with nuclear weapons. That could happen if the worst-case scenario happens in nuclear-armed Pakistan, where the radical terrorist group is making significant advances. A Taliban conquest of Pakistan is by no means certain. The Pakistani military is powerful and could strike back. Or the cultural differences between the tribal Taliban and the …
Six bad arguments from Answers in Genesis (Part 1)
This is part one of a six-part series examining supposed evidences for a global flood that have recently appeared on the Answers in Genesis web site. Part one -- This article. Part two examines the YEC argument that sedimentary rocks that contain dense accumulations of fossils can best be described by the action of Noah's Flood. Part …
Continue reading Six bad arguments from Answers in Genesis (Part 1)
Reading suggestions
Last month I wrote about my friend Glenn, who reads over 100 books a year. I don't think I'll ever hit that level, but I have been encouraged to be more disciplined and intentional in my reading habits. This week Glenn pointed to a challenging reading list from Monergism books. I have about 20% of …
Four Corners in wrong spot?
Is the Four Corners marker, where Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona meet, in the wrong location? The answer is "yes" and "no." From ABC News/AP: Tourists who think they're putting a hand or foot in each of four states at the Four Corners area are apparently missing the mark - by about 2.5 miles. …
Space art: black hole accretion disk
From yesterday's Astronomy Picture of the Day: The View Near a Black Hole: I've got this one set as my desktop background. Though a black hole itself is invisible, its powerful gravity sucks in gases from surrounding space. These gases become extremely hot as they spiral into the black hole, emiting x-rays and other electromagnetic …
Sand dunes on Mars
From today's Astronomy Picture of the Day: Flowing Barchan Sand Dunes on Mars This view includes crescent-shaped barchans as well as lonitudinal dunes. The prevailing wind is from the right to the left. Grace and Peace
A gospel tract to give to prosperity preachers
HT: Extreme Theology, Desiring God Grace and Peace
The Bible and ethnic cleansing
Phil Johnson at Pyromaniacs (not the ID Philip Johnson) addresses the tough apologetics question of the conquest of the Promised Land, when the Israelites were commanded to kill all the inhabitants of the land. How can a loving God command the inhabitants of the land to be slaughtered? We are rightly offended by similar actions …
Ares-I and Ares-V
The space shuttle is being phased out. Here is an artist's depiction of part of the replacement, the Ares-I launch vehicle, which is scheduled for its first test launch this summer: The Ares-I will be used for carrying crews into Earth orbit. The crew capsule will look similar to that used in the Apollo missions …
We never never never never… outlive our need for the gospel
The gospel is for unbelievers. It is also for believers. It is not just the starting point; it is our life. HT: Extreme Theology Grace and Peace
Christian to atheist to Christian
"Materialist atheism is not merely an arid creed, but totally irrational." -- A.N. Wilson, former atheist Writer A.N. Wilson had a "Damascus Road" conversion to atheism, and then a slow climb back to Christianity. His conversion back to Christianity was based on: Historical apologetics -- the reality of the empty tomb; the perseverance of the …