Good Heavens! The Human Side of Astronomy

Unsolved Mysteries of the Cosmos (Big Bang Part 2)

The Big Bang is the dominant scientific model of the cosmos, but it is not without a few unsolved riddles. On this episode of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan discuss some of the unsolved mysteries that Big Bang cosmology neither predicted nor can presently explain. We're not saying scientific models of the cosmos are bad, per se, nor are we criticizing scientists who labor to uncover the wonders of the universe. But we are saying that models of the universe are not how the "actual" universe is! Only the Lord who made it all knows precisely how it all fits together. And we are also suggesting there might be more of a poetic element to the fabric of the cosmos, one that weaves together science, literature, art, beauty, all for the glory of God in Christ Jesus.

For more of an in-depth look at Wayne's thoughts on Big Bang cosmology, check out his helpful and down-to-earth article on his website, where you can find a link to the letter he read in this episode! We hope you enjoy this and happy Easter!

http://creationanswers.net/astron/ScienceAndBigBang.htm

A Conversation with Dr. Michael Ward - Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday Part 2

From our vantage point, the universe we inhabit can seem both at once stunningly good and wondrous but also heinously indifferent, cruel, and even senselessly evil. How can we ever hope to reconcile both states of affairs? 

In part 2 of our discussion of Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday Dr. Michael Ward offers us more insightful exhortations as to how our own limited sense perception of the universe is part of Chesterton's masterful narrative. What is the universe "really" like? Is it possible for us to see the cosmos, trees, rocks, clouds, or even stars and the sun, "as they really are"? 

Come along and encounter Chesterton's adventure "face to face" and see how after over a century, it remains a classic "old book" that has tremendous relevance for our time. 

And we hope you can walk away with a greater love and appreciation for our God, our Sabbath Rest, our sun and shield, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. 

Dr. Michael Ward's website is http://www.michaelward.net

A Conversation with Dr. Michael Ward - Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday Part 1

A fun, insightful, inspiring and enlightening book discussion with Dr. Michael Ward on the robust and weighty mind and imagination of Gilbert Keith Chesterton. In this two-part episode, Michael and Dan explore the wonders, twists, and turns of Chesterton's 1908 classic mystery-spy-earthquake-symphony love story The Man Who Was Thursday, A Nightmare. Our adventure begins with a few excerpts from the novel!  Part 2 will be coming soon.

Dr. Michael Ward is a Senior Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and a Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University. He is the author of the award-winning Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford, 2010) and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis (Cambridge, 2010). His website is: www.michaelward.net

Coming Soon - Dr. Michael Ward on G. K. Chesterton

A preview of our upcoming discussion with Dr. Michael Ward about G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday - A Nightmare. 

Look for this program on April 10th.  This will be the second conversation on Good Heavens with Dr. Ward.  Dr. Ward is a C.S. Lewis scholar from the University of Oxford.  He is also a professor at Houston Baptist University.  Check out his website at http://www.michaelward.net/

The Bible and the Big Bang

Many Christians often use the Big Bang as an apologetic defense for the beginning of our universe.  Is this a confirmation of what Scripture says?  That is a discussion that has been ongoing ever since the idea of the Big Bang was put forth in the early 20th century and we don't attempt to "solve" it on this episode by any means! But what we hope to accomplish in this two part series is 1) give an overview of what Scripture says about God creating the heavens and the Earth and 2) show the differences between Big Bang cosmology and the Bible as well as discuss some lesser-known difficulties with Big Bang cosmology. Dan and Wayne respect our fellow Christians who may or may not agree with our particular observations. Our discussions are not intended to be critical of astronomical science as a whole. We hope it will be food for thought for our Good Heavens! friends! Enjoy!  (Part 1 of 2)

Image:  Stephan's Quintet.  NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

Physics and Faith with Dr. Michael G. Strauss

On this episode, Dan interviews particle physicist and Christian author Dr. Michael G. Strauss about how he sees his faith and his work with the smallest stuff in the cosmos. A fascinating look into the wonders of particle physics and how Dr. Strauss believes it all points to the risen Christ. 

Welcome to new listeners following our Podcast!  Wayne and Dan will return soon to discuss the challenges of a manned mission to Mars.    

 

Stars in the Bible

What does the Bible say about stars? What did they mean to people in both the Old and New Testaments? What exactly is a star? Just gas and plasma? On this episode, Wayne and Dan discuss some of their favorite "star" verses from the Bible and discuss how they see them all pointing to Jesus, "the bright and morning star", (Revelation 22:16), "light of the world" (John 8:12); "sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2); and the "star of Jacob" (Numbers 24:17). Come and see! 

A Conversation with Dr. Luke Barnes

On this episode of Good Heavens! a fun and insightful conversation with Dr. Luke Barnes about the history of cosmology and astronomy over the last hundred years. We discuss the remarkable and unexpected discoveries about the universe since the early 20th century from the idea of an expanding universe to the hair-raising idea that our universe actually had a beginning.  Sir Fred Hoyle believed that a scientist would risk his entire career if he pressed the idea that God had anything to do with the cosmos. So how does the history of cosmology point to God? What should we think about God in contemporary cosmology today? Come and see, on this episode of Good Heavens! 

Follow Luke on Twitter @lukebarnesastro and on his blog https://letterstonature.wordpress.com/luke/ as well as his appearances on the video series Closer to Truth https://www.closertotruth.com/contributor/luke-barnes/profile 

Be sure to check out Luke's delightful and down-to-earth YouTube channel about cosmology with his colleague Geraint Lewis.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnPhuVSN3-gEeeSMyIMeDeA

 

Can We Still Believe the Bible? A Conversation With Dr. Craig Blomberg

You have probably had a non-Christian friend, coworker, someone in social media, or a family member ask you a difficult question or two about the Bible. Isn't it full of contradictions? How can you believe that stuff? Miracles? What about all those translations? Science has disproved the Bible, and what about all the errors and mistakes it contains? The Bible is simply unbelievable. 

Not at all. There are no new criticisms under the sun of the Word of God. It has survived the test of time and any objection to its trustworthiness, inerrancy, reliability, and inspiration have been answered. 

But the questions will continue and we must be ready to give a defense. 

In this special episode of Good Heavens, Dan chats with Bible scholar Dr. Craig Blomberg about his very accessible and helpful book Can We Still Believe the Bible? An Evangelical Engagement with Contemporary Questions. It's a great book for anyone with questions about the Bible's trustworthiness, how to properly understand its construction, how to understand the world of translations, and how to answer many of the questions non-believers ask and the objections they raise regarding the construction, compilation, and canonization of the Scriptures.  

The Uniqueness of Earth with Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez

Is the Earth a typical planet? Is our Sun just a humdrum, mediocre star? Is our solar system common in the universe? Are there other Earth-like planets out there? Is there life in the cosmos beyond life on Earth? Come and listen to a down-to-Earth conversation with astrobiologist and astronomy professor Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, co-author of The Privileged Planet and one of the contributors to The Story of the Cosmos. Dr. G breaks down just how unique our planet is in the cosmos and how it all points to the glory of God in Christ. 

Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens & NOAA.

A Conversation with Sasha Sagan

An informal chat with Sasha Sagan, the daughter of the late Dr. Carl Sagan. Dan talks with her about her new book, her iconic father, her Jewish roots, and her quest as a new mother to find meaning, purpose, and tradition in the universe, without belief in God. This recording was done in conjunction with Watchman.org and the Atheist and Christian Book Club for the November 2019 meeting where the group discusses Dr. Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot. This conversation was more to get to hear Sasha's stories and learn about her experiences rather than to debate the existence of God. We hope you enjoy it.

To find out more about the Atheist and Christian book club, see https://atheistchristianbookclub.com/

The Works of His Hands with Dr. Sy Garte

On this episode of Good Heavens! Dan talks with biochemist and former atheist Dr. Sy Garte about his new book about his personal journey from atheism to Jesus and some of the glorious wonders in the chemistry of biological life. It is a rich and heartwarming tale of science and faith and how the hand of God brought the heart of Sy gently to His side. From Boston to biochemistry to the Big Bang, Blue whales and the Bible, Sy's book is worth a read. So come along and meet Sy and hear his story on this episode of Good Heavens! 

Find out more about The Works of His Hands! 

Arp! What Light Through Yonder Telescope Breaks?

The strange and wonderful world of galaxies, part II. Come along with Wayne and Dan as they take a quick ride through some fantastical stuff about galaxies, including some hair-raising facts about our own! Seems as though the more we discover, the less we know what the universe is really like! 

Come and see! 

Galaxy pair - NGC 4676 - NASA/ESA/STScI/Hubble

The Solar Eclipse of 2017

This was the very first episode of Good Heavens!  We've been saving it for Podbean listeners.  Wayne and Dan explore all the excitement, wonder and meaning behind the phenomenal American solar eclipse of August 21, 2017! Come see how the eclipse brought people together and how it still amazes. 

 

Good Heavens - It's been two years!

This program is a short announcement about a special podcast coming soon.  We would like to thank everyone who is listening to the Good Heavens podcast!  This short program tells about the beginning of the Good Heavens program in 2017.  We've been saving the first podcast for a time like this.  September 2019 is the two year anniversary of Good Heavens.  The first podcast was about the solar eclipse of 2017.  So, very soon we are making available the program on eclipse of 2017 to celebrate two years of Good Heavens!  

Again, thank you to everyone out there listening and telling others about the program!

Music credit for the background goes to https://www.fesliyanstudios.com/