On the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg go beyond the cliches and caricatures of Islam to present its central teachings as they interview experts as well as Muslim-turned-Christians whose stories you won't want to miss!
Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the subsequent U.s. military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, Islam has been thrust into the American spotlight. But even ten years later there's widespread confusion and controversy over the teachings and ideals of Islam.
- Is it a religion of peace?
- How much overlap is there with Christianity?
- What's the origin and message of the Qur'an?
- What is the Islamic attitude toward non-Muslims?
- How should we regard our Muslim neighbors?
- What's the best way to interact about matters of faith with our Islamic friends?
Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg will cut through the hysteria and offer a balanced and accurate assessment of Islam through their interviews with Muslim experts and the riveting testimonies of former Muslims who have become followers of Jesus.
The combination of easy-to-understand explanations and the gripping stories of Muslims-turned-Christians will both inform and inspire participants, who will walk away from the evening with a fresh understanding of Islam and how this fast-growing faith affects them personally.
One of Lee and Mark's special guests is Georges Houssney, Director of Horizons International, a ministry that reaches out to Muslims worldwide with the love of Christ.
Lee Strobel is a renowned Christian apologist and New York Times best-selling author. Mark Mittleberg is a best-selling author and sought-after speaker. Click here for pricing for this 2 hour webcast event. The event is scheduled for U.S. evening times: 7pm-9pm Eastern, 6pm-8pm Central, 5pm-7pm Mountain, and 4pm-6pm Pacific. For more information, see the Unpacking Islam website.
(To receive new uMarko posts via a daily email, please click Subscribe)
(On Twitter: FOLLOW uMarko or http://www.twitter.com/uMarko)
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Diatoms, Triangles, and our Creator God
Many diatoms, a group of specialized single-celled plants, are shaped like triangles. These shapes are so highly ordered that they exceed existing human nanotechnology manufacturing capability. Evolutionists believe that sunlight striking these diatoms drove them gradually to end up as triangles by successive steps. Others believe that they went triangular to defend themselves from predators. A better explanation is that our Creator God designed them in this incredible way from the beginning, without the aid of evolution.
Selections from The Mighty Triangle: A Microscopic Hammer of Design, by Mark H. Armitage.
(These selections by Marko Malyj are of the article published in Creation Research Society Quarterly Journal, Volume 47, Number 4, Spring 2011)
Diatoms, a group of specialized single-celled plants that live in aquatic systems, exhibit remarkable geometric body styles—particularly when it comes to triangles. Diatoms are known for the intricate beauty of their self-manufactured shells, but they also represent a massive component of all aquatic bio mass, upwards of 80% in some cases. They capture more global carbon than all terrestrial rainforests combined (Karthick, 2009).
(To receive new uMarko posts via a daily email, please click Subscribe)
(On Twitter: FOLLOW uMarko or http://www.twitter.com/uMarko)
"Simple" diatoms are better than human technology
These shapes are so highly ordered that they exceed the existing human nanotechnology manufacturing capability (Gordon, et al., 2008; Hildebrand et al., 2009). Optics manufacturers have discovered centric diatoms can be used as ready-made lenses to focus very small spots (10nm) of laser light. They are not only better than anything humans can currently manufacture but can also be cheaply and rapidly cultured in enormous numbers (DeStefano et al., 2007; Vrieling et al., 2000). Other new applications of diatom nanostructure include the development of robotic nanoscale medical machines for highly localized drug delivery or tissue repair, for use in biophotics as mentioned above, and for 3D computing development (Gordon et al., 2008). Actual living computers made from diatom chips could be in our future!
Evolutionists grope toward the triangle
Evolutionists contend that their complex geometric shapes and symmetry might form by a successive series of very small changes that produce intermediate steps (DeCarlo and Metaxas, 1998; Martindale and Henry, 1998; Finerty, 2005; Busch and Zachgo, 2009); each improving over the last to eventually arrive at perfect shapes, such as the triangular shape seen in Figures 5–12. It strains one’s credulity to imagine a long series of steps to arrive at a perfect triangular shape, yet these workers are convinced that it can happen in spite of the lack of evidence, including fossil evidence.
A very sophisticated mathematical formula (called the Superformula) that allows one to generate flat geometric shapes by the manipulation of relevant variables was recently published (Gieles, 2003). Geometric shapes, such as triangles employed by diatoms, can be derived in this fashion, but only in two dimensions: top to bottom and left to right.
What cannot be explained by this single (and very complex) formula is the three dimensional symmetry that diatoms make by the untold giga-billions each and every day. It requires two or more superformulae multiplied together to account for these three-dimensional symmetrical body shapes (Wikipedia, 2010).
Stories of triangle evolution
Many, such as Bunn (2009), contend that the earth is constantly absorbing high-energy sunlight and that this alone, plus natural law, is sufficient for the evolution of complex body shapes in direct opposition to the second law. But it is counterintuitive (and unobserved) to assume that sunlight striking a round or amorphous diatom can drive it to become a triangle by successive steps. Triangle body shapes are a hallmark of design.
Predation of diatoms by more advanced organisms is an explanation of triangular body shape that, as of late, has taken root. It is postulated that complex geometric body shapes may have evolved and continue to evolve) to counter the ever escalating “arms-race” of predation (Hamm, 2005). Triangles represent an effort by the diatoms to escape predation by staying “one step ahead” of the predator and display a body shape that would “confuse” or otherwise “confound” them.
Diatoms, Triangles, and Truth
No matter what absurd yarn evolutionists spin to explain symmetry and specific shape in living organisms, one cannot escape the gnawing intuition that these compelling structures are there because of some purposeful planning.
We must conclude that diatom triangles are designed by a Designer. This is the only explanation that fits common intuition, and is supported by the empirical evidence. What is even more incredible is that this Designer has revealed Himself to us through the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ.
References (selected)
Busch, A., and S. Zachgo. 2009. Flower symmetry evolution: towards understanding the abominable mystery of angiosperm radiation. BioEssays 31:1181–1190.
DeCarlo, D., and D. Metaxas. 1998. Shape evolution with structural and topological changes using blending. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence 20(11): 1186–1205.
Finnerty, J.R. 2005. Did internal transport, rather than directed locomotion, favor the evolution of bilateral symmetry in animals? BioEssays 27(11): 1174–1180.
Gordon, R., D. Losic, M.A. Tiffany, S.S. Nagy, and F.A.S. Sterrenburg. 2008. The glass menagerie: diatoms for novel applications in nanotechnology. Trends in Biotechnology 27(2): 116–127.
Hamm, C.E. 2005. The evolution of advanced mechanical defenses and potential technological applications of diatom shells. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 5(1): 108–119.
Hildebrand, M., S. Kim, D. Shi, K. Scott, and S. Subramanium. 2009. 3D imaging of diatoms with ion abrasion scanning electron microscopy. Journal of Structural Biology 166:316–328.
Karthick, B. 2009. Genome sequencing of cells that live inside glass cages reveals their past history. Current Science 96(3): 334–337.
Martindale, M.Q. and J.Q. Henry. 1998. The development of radial and biradial symmetry: the evolution of bilaterality. American Zoologist 38:672–684.
Wikipedia. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superformula (accessed 5/9/10)
Selections from The Mighty Triangle: A Microscopic Hammer of Design, by Mark H. Armitage.
(These selections by Marko Malyj are of the article published in Creation Research Society Quarterly Journal, Volume 47, Number 4, Spring 2011)
Diatoms, a group of specialized single-celled plants that live in aquatic systems, exhibit remarkable geometric body styles—particularly when it comes to triangles. Diatoms are known for the intricate beauty of their self-manufactured shells, but they also represent a massive component of all aquatic bio mass, upwards of 80% in some cases. They capture more global carbon than all terrestrial rainforests combined (Karthick, 2009).
(To receive new uMarko posts via a daily email, please click Subscribe)
(On Twitter: FOLLOW uMarko or http://www.twitter.com/uMarko)
"Simple" diatoms are better than human technology
Evolutionists grope toward the triangle
A very sophisticated mathematical formula (called the Superformula) that allows one to generate flat geometric shapes by the manipulation of relevant variables was recently published (Gieles, 2003). Geometric shapes, such as triangles employed by diatoms, can be derived in this fashion, but only in two dimensions: top to bottom and left to right.
What cannot be explained by this single (and very complex) formula is the three dimensional symmetry that diatoms make by the untold giga-billions each and every day. It requires two or more superformulae multiplied together to account for these three-dimensional symmetrical body shapes (Wikipedia, 2010).
Stories of triangle evolution
Predation of diatoms by more advanced organisms is an explanation of triangular body shape that, as of late, has taken root. It is postulated that complex geometric body shapes may have evolved and continue to evolve) to counter the ever escalating “arms-race” of predation (Hamm, 2005). Triangles represent an effort by the diatoms to escape predation by staying “one step ahead” of the predator and display a body shape that would “confuse” or otherwise “confound” them.
Diatoms, Triangles, and Truth
We must conclude that diatom triangles are designed by a Designer. This is the only explanation that fits common intuition, and is supported by the empirical evidence. What is even more incredible is that this Designer has revealed Himself to us through the Bible and His Son, Jesus Christ.
References (selected)
Busch, A., and S. Zachgo. 2009. Flower symmetry evolution: towards understanding the abominable mystery of angiosperm radiation. BioEssays 31:1181–1190.
DeCarlo, D., and D. Metaxas. 1998. Shape evolution with structural and topological changes using blending. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence 20(11): 1186–1205.
Finnerty, J.R. 2005. Did internal transport, rather than directed locomotion, favor the evolution of bilateral symmetry in animals? BioEssays 27(11): 1174–1180.
Gordon, R., D. Losic, M.A. Tiffany, S.S. Nagy, and F.A.S. Sterrenburg. 2008. The glass menagerie: diatoms for novel applications in nanotechnology. Trends in Biotechnology 27(2): 116–127.
Hamm, C.E. 2005. The evolution of advanced mechanical defenses and potential technological applications of diatom shells. Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 5(1): 108–119.
Hildebrand, M., S. Kim, D. Shi, K. Scott, and S. Subramanium. 2009. 3D imaging of diatoms with ion abrasion scanning electron microscopy. Journal of Structural Biology 166:316–328.
Karthick, B. 2009. Genome sequencing of cells that live inside glass cages reveals their past history. Current Science 96(3): 334–337.
Martindale, M.Q. and J.Q. Henry. 1998. The development of radial and biradial symmetry: the evolution of bilaterality. American Zoologist 38:672–684.
Wikipedia. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superformula (accessed 5/9/10)
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
500 Christians killed, 300 churches burned after Nigerian elections
The riots began in at least five northern states almost simultaneously with the release of the election results. Angry mobs massacred hundreds of Christians, burned more than 300 churches and destroyed countless Christian homes.
After security forces had finally enforced a fragile peace in the area, an estimated 500 people had been killed, according to Nigeria's Civil Rights Congress. In addition, thousands had fled their homes, fearing continued attacks. The Red Cross reported that 48,000 displace people were living in tents and makeshift camps set up by the government.
(from Voice of the Martyrs newsletter, August 2011)
(To receive new uMarko posts via a daily email, please click Subscribe)
(On Twitter: FOLLOW uMarko or http://www.twitter.com/uMarko)
Monday, August 22, 2011
Intelligent Design should not Ignore the Bible
In our time, founders of the Intelligent Design Movement (IDM) employed the “wedge” strategy, an approach to design-focused science that intentionally uses a closed-Bible approach to investigating earth history and origins, with a goal to remove “religion” from academic discussions in order to prove that science “naturally” exhibits design.
As a strategy, IDM abandons public acknowledgment of the Lord Jesus Christ as earth’s Designer and Creator in order to gain a hearing on the topic of biological design. As a consequence, avoiding talk about the identity of the Designer allows the apologetic of IDM to accommodate theistic evolution, or any other unbiblical kind of “designer,” as the imagined producer of complicated life forms.
Second, IDM’s failure to treat Scripture as authoritatively relevant opens the door to evolutionary anthropological theories, such as one proposed by Dr. William Dembski, who imagines that hominid animals were morphed into Adam and Eve and then specially blessed by a miraculous amnesia of their evolutionary ancestry.
Admittedly, movements like Intelligent Design, which essentially take the characteristics of religious deism, do occasionally post “gains” for God’s natural revelation (e.g., showing biology’s “irreducible complexity”). But the price paid for these gains is a net loss, because it gives the appearance that God’s Word is not needed and, thus, not authoritatively relevant to origins science—and nothing is more false than that.
Rather, the closed-Bible approach is a “wedge” that separates God’s special revelation from His general revelation, an unbiblical idea with tragic consequences, casting doubt on the Bible’s relevance and authority.
Real world apologetics, however, properly relates both forms of God’s truth to each other, as Psalm 19 illustrates:
(To receive new uMarko posts via a daily email, please click Subscribe)
(On Twitter: FOLLOW uMarko or http://www.twitter.com/uMarko)
Second, IDM’s failure to treat Scripture as authoritatively relevant opens the door to evolutionary anthropological theories, such as one proposed by Dr. William Dembski, who imagines that hominid animals were morphed into Adam and Eve and then specially blessed by a miraculous amnesia of their evolutionary ancestry.
Admittedly, movements like Intelligent Design, which essentially take the characteristics of religious deism, do occasionally post “gains” for God’s natural revelation (e.g., showing biology’s “irreducible complexity”). But the price paid for these gains is a net loss, because it gives the appearance that God’s Word is not needed and, thus, not authoritatively relevant to origins science—and nothing is more false than that.
Rather, the closed-Bible approach is a “wedge” that separates God’s special revelation from His general revelation, an unbiblical idea with tragic consequences, casting doubt on the Bible’s relevance and authority.
Real world apologetics, however, properly relates both forms of God’s truth to each other, as Psalm 19 illustrates:
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.…The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. (Psalm 19:1, 7)(for more, see James J.S. Johnson, The Failed Apologetic of the Wedge Strategy, Act & Facts, Institute for Creation Research, August 2011)
(To receive new uMarko posts via a daily email, please click Subscribe)
(On Twitter: FOLLOW uMarko or http://www.twitter.com/uMarko)
Saturday, August 20, 2011
How to find a Christian College that does not bow the knee to Darwin?
If you are looking for a good school that still holds to Biblical principles, ask the school whether their professors teach that Noah's flood really happened around the entire world, or whether God created Adam from the dust of the earth on the sixth day of creation. You will find that most Christian colleges and Bible schools have already given in to the teachings of evolution.
Most schools will tell you that all of their individual professors hold to the school's statement of faith, but no, that statement does not cover those topics, and that they respect the academic freedom of their professors to teach according to their expertise. If you were to attend to audit the classes of the apologetics, Old Testament, or science professors, and ask the professor these questions, you will find out that they believe in Jesus, but they no longer believe in the Creator God, or that the book of Genesis is part of the gospel message!
So how do you find a school that is not seriously headed down the road of compromise with the unbelief of this world?
The Association of Christian Graduate Researchers (ACGR) offers an extraordinary resource for doing this: Darwin Skeptics - A Select List of Science Academics, Scientists, and Scholars Who are Skeptical of Darwinism, by Dr. Jerry Bergman.
Dr. Bergman explains that "many on this list are secure tenured professors, teach at Christian Universities that protect their academic freedom to criticize Darwinism." They all reject "the belief that evolution and common decent can account for the existence of all life. Most persons on this list are also skeptical of the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Furthermore, all stressed that careful examination of the evidence for Darwinism should be encouraged."
If you are considering a secular university, Dr. Bergman's list is extremely helpful to find a professor and mentor who will help you keep your Biblical faith and grow in the Lord (even if that professor is not a professing Christian!), just by the mere fact that they do not blindly follow the mainstream views on evolution and a godless universe.
If you are interested in entering the field of science as a career, ACGR offers you a virtual academic community where you can work together to address problems of scientific inquiry related to the Bible, by developing scientific theories, and working on computational simulations and experiments. ACGR's goal is to develop a new generation of faculty at secular universities that embrace a Biblical creationist worldview to conduct their research and teaching. This community will mentor graduate students to perform state-of-the-art research related to the Bible and publish their work in secular and Christian journals, and help prepare faculty to be missionary professors at universities in countries where missionaries are not welcome.
Here is how ACGR's mentorship strategy looks:
ACGR offers financial support to gifted science students who wish to serve the Lord, and takes donations to support this ministry.
This is an exciting vision! Pray for the Lord to raise up a new generation of scientists that embrace a Biblical worldview. And ask the Lord how he can use you!
(To receive new uMarko posts via a daily email, please click Subscribe)
(On Twitter: FOLLOW uMarko or http://www.twitter.com/uMarko)
Most schools will tell you that all of their individual professors hold to the school's statement of faith, but no, that statement does not cover those topics, and that they respect the academic freedom of their professors to teach according to their expertise. If you were to attend to audit the classes of the apologetics, Old Testament, or science professors, and ask the professor these questions, you will find out that they believe in Jesus, but they no longer believe in the Creator God, or that the book of Genesis is part of the gospel message!
So how do you find a school that is not seriously headed down the road of compromise with the unbelief of this world?
Cedarville College, Grove City College, Union College, Pensacola Christian College, Lee Univ, Calvin College, George Fox University, Lipscomb Univ, Dordt College, Geneva College, John Brown Univ, LeTourneau Univ, Messiah College, Oklahoma Christian, Olivet Nazarene Univ, Oral Roberts, Eastern Nazarene College, Point Loma Univ, Bob Jones Univ, Seattle Pacific Univ, Secular Universities...One way is to look at the list of schools you are considering, locate a professor there who has not yet "bent the knee to" Darwin, and contact them directly to ask about the school you are considering.
The Association of Christian Graduate Researchers (ACGR) offers an extraordinary resource for doing this: Darwin Skeptics - A Select List of Science Academics, Scientists, and Scholars Who are Skeptical of Darwinism, by Dr. Jerry Bergman.
Dr. Bergman explains that "many on this list are secure tenured professors, teach at Christian Universities that protect their academic freedom to criticize Darwinism." They all reject "the belief that evolution and common decent can account for the existence of all life. Most persons on this list are also skeptical of the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Furthermore, all stressed that careful examination of the evidence for Darwinism should be encouraged."
If you are considering a secular university, Dr. Bergman's list is extremely helpful to find a professor and mentor who will help you keep your Biblical faith and grow in the Lord (even if that professor is not a professing Christian!), just by the mere fact that they do not blindly follow the mainstream views on evolution and a godless universe.
If you are interested in entering the field of science as a career, ACGR offers you a virtual academic community where you can work together to address problems of scientific inquiry related to the Bible, by developing scientific theories, and working on computational simulations and experiments. ACGR's goal is to develop a new generation of faculty at secular universities that embrace a Biblical creationist worldview to conduct their research and teaching. This community will mentor graduate students to perform state-of-the-art research related to the Bible and publish their work in secular and Christian journals, and help prepare faculty to be missionary professors at universities in countries where missionaries are not welcome.
Here is how ACGR's mentorship strategy looks:
ACGR offers financial support to gifted science students who wish to serve the Lord, and takes donations to support this ministry.
This is an exciting vision! Pray for the Lord to raise up a new generation of scientists that embrace a Biblical worldview. And ask the Lord how he can use you!
(To receive new uMarko posts via a daily email, please click Subscribe)
(On Twitter: FOLLOW uMarko or http://www.twitter.com/uMarko)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
