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A podcast about astronomy and faith with Wayne and Dan. Making astronomy relevant and understandable.
Episodes
Saturday Apr 24, 2021
Saturday Apr 24, 2021
Climate science is making headlines today. It is one of the hot topics of our time. But what is the science that underlies current scientific assumptions about the environment? Is it sound? Is the planet headed for a catastrophe of our making?
How do we best interpret the history of Earth? Is the past a key to the present? How many ice ages have there been? Come and see climate science as you probably have not seen in the headlines!
On this special two-part episode of Good Heavens! Wayne and I talk with Institute for Creation Research physicist Dr. Jake Hebert III about the current state of climate science and the importance of getting Earth's geological and environmental science right.
Dr. Hebert argues that how we understand the physical universe will profoundly influence how we interpret the current state of our environment.
If God doesn't exist, from where do we derive the moral imperative to care for Earth's climate? Is the Earth a fragile biosphere or is God governing it through His providential wisdom and care? At Good Heavens! we affirm that God is still on the throne and in control of what He has made.
Dr. Jake Hebert earned a Ph.D. in physics in 2011 from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he did cutting-edge research on the connection between cosmic rays, solar activity, and weather and climate.
Jake Hebert's page on the ICR website: https://www.icr.org/jake_hebert/
Jake's book, The Ice Age and Climate Change.
Video of largest glacier calving ever filmed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC3VTgIPoGU
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Image by LuisValiente from Pixabay
Sunday Apr 04, 2021
Sunday Apr 04, 2021
Matthew, Mark, and Luke see the Last Supper as a Passover meal. But John seems to say the Passover meal had not yet occurred. Can this discrepancy be reconciled? On this special Easter edition of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan examine a solution proposed by Dr. Colin J. Humphreys in his book, The Mystery of the Last Supper.
We do not argue this is the only possible or conceivable solution, but we do find it persuasive enough to make a podcast out of it!
So come and see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
https://creationanswers.net/biblical/crucifixiondate.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Last-Supper-Humphreys-ebook/dp/B004V9O7BO/
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Image by Ambroz from Pixabay
Saturday Mar 27, 2021
Saturday Mar 27, 2021
If you have not yet listened to part one in our series, we encourage you to check it out before diving into Part 2.
In Part 2, Wayne and I discuss the ways in which ancient Jewish people kept time, we talk about the beauty and regularity of the sun and moon that give us the ability to know times and seasons and we also discuss the wondrous regularity of nature.
Why is it that the sun, moon, and stars all faithfully seem to know their place? Why is it we can predict where they will be in the sky? Why is nature so regular and ordered?
We think it is because Jesus created nature to be this way. It is His "fixed order" that He established when He created the heavens and the earth. And in Jeremiah 31, the LORD uses this "fixed order" of the cosmos as an example of His unfailing and steadfast love toward us in Christ, and even to all creatures great and small, including a humpback whale who delights to eat anchovies!
So come and spend some time with us as we explore the wondrous regularity and usefulness of the sun, moon, stars, and nature.
In Part 3 we will discuss how calendars are relevant to the last week of Christ and the events leading up to Jesus' crucifixion.
Books and resources mentioned:
The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy
Encyclopedia of Ancient Astronomy
The Mystery of the Last Supper
Links to resources on Wayne's website.
https://creationanswers.net/biblical/crucifixiondate.htm
https://creationanswers.net/goodies/LastWeek_Christ_Outline.pdf
https://creationanswers.net/goodies/LastWeekofChrist.pdf
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Friday Mar 19, 2021
Friday Mar 19, 2021
What's the date today? What time is it? For many people and times, the answers to these questions were not always easy to determine. Today, we take it for granted we can tell time by a clock or look up a date on a calendar.
On this episode, Wayne and Dan discuss some fun and curious tidbits about calendars, from the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Romans to the late 16th century when there was a great calendrical reform by Pope Gregory VIII. We talk about the Julian and Gregorian calendars and how the sun and moon figured into months and years.
This is part one of a three-part series that will culminate in the final days of Jesus of Nazareth, leading up to His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, all in line with Easter celebration on Sunday, April 4th of this year.
Books and resources mentioned:
The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy
Encyclopedia of Ancient Astronomy
The Mystery of the Last Supper
Links to resources on Wayne's website.
https://creationanswers.net/biblical/crucifixiondate.htm
https://creationanswers.net/goodies/LastWeek_Christ_Outline.pdf
https://creationanswers.net/goodies/LastWeekofChrist.pdf
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Saturday Mar 06, 2021
Saturday Mar 06, 2021
There is much to the universe we simply don't know. And this unknown aspect of the cosmos inspires and fascinates us, inviting us to explore and engage it's tacit voice, "Come and see!"
The psalmist (Psalm 111:2) proclaims, "Great are the works of the LORD, they are studied by all who delight in them". While many scientists who study the cosmos do not acknowledge God as the Creator, their dedication to knowing more about the heavens tells us the created order is imbued with an inestimable value, majesty, awe, and wonder.
We are willing to spend time, effort, and money to knowing more about it's undisclosed secrets.
Whether it is the surface of the moon or the wondrous artistic sculpting of the cloud formations of Jupiter to the most distant galaxies, known or unknown, we believe it all declares the glory of God.
Some of the mysteries mentioned in this series for your further exploration! Note there are not specific "Christian" points of view expressed in these websites and resources and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wayne, Dan, Good Heavens, or Watchman Fellowship, Inc.
Fast Radio Bursts:
https://astronomy.com/news/2020/11/astronomers-have-finally-found-the-cause-of-mysterious-fast-radio-bursts
Gamma Ray Bursts:
https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/bursts1.html
Book: We Have No Idea
https://www.amazon.com/We-Have-No-Idea-Universe/dp/0735211523/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=We+Have+No+Idea
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
The universe is filled with "known unknowns" to quote the former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. They are fascinating, mysterious and worthy of our attention. There are all sorts of wonderous and fantastically mysterious light sculptures in the cosmos. We talk about the mysteries of stars, galaxies, galaxy structures, fast radio bursts, gamma ray bursts, and all kinds of other things that presently remain a mystery to astronomers, cosmologists, and astrophysicists. And we think all these great unknowns point to the glory of God in Christ. So come and see what's up in our marvelous universe and be amazed by what we don't know!
Some of the mysteries mentioned in this series for your further exploration! Note there are not specific "Christian" points of view expressed in these websites and resources and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wayne, Dan, Good Heavens, or Watchman Fellowship, Inc.
Mysterious light: https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/936219170/scientists-discover-outer-space-isnt-pitch-black-after-all
MOND: https://newatlas.com/physics/modified-gravity-evidence-dark-matter/
Podbean enables the Good Heavens podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
Wednesday Jan 20, 2021
Somehow Wayne and Dan are still riding along on a comet as they explore the mysteries and intrigue of these celestial wonders! Could comets actually have helped to kickstart life? Just what kind of things must line up in order for this to have happened? What comets can we see in 2021?
Dan made another video trailer for this episode, click here and HANG ON!
Video clips from ESA, NBC News, the Discovery Institute.
Books:
See David A. J. Seargent's book on Amazon, "The Greatest Comets in History: Broom Stars and Celestial Scimitars." Also on Amazon, look for the 2020 updated edition of the book, "The Mystery of Life's Origin" by Thaxton, Bradley, and Olsen (and others).
For David Gelernter's essay on why he left Darwinism, go to https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/giving-up-darwin/
Or see Wayne's article for this podcast, on comets and the origin of life: https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2020/12/24/comets-meteorites-the-origin-of-life/
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/store/donations. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible. Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. A 501 C (3) educational non-profit Christian research organization.
Saturday Jan 09, 2021
Saturday Jan 09, 2021
Come along and ride a comet with Wayne and Dan as they explore the mysteries and intrigue of these celestial wonders! Why are they so regular? Why are they so surprising? How do they behave? What are they made of? From where did they come? And could they have seeded life on our planet? From Halley and ISON to the present day extraordinary accomplishment of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission to Comet 67P, comets continue to fascinate us. Come and see what's up with comets and find out how you can catch one in 2021!
To see a video trailer for this episode, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfHWqYxIaOo
See the book on The Greatest Comets in History on Amazon.
See the technical book, "The Mystery of Life's Origin" on Amazon
See Wayne’s article on comets and the origin of life at https://creationanswers.net/answersblog.
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/store/donations. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. A 501 C (3) educational non-profit Christian research organization providing the body of Christ with resources on apologetics, world religions, cults, and non-Christian worldviews. Visit our main site at Watchman.org. If you enjoy Good Heavens! be sure to check out our other podcast Apologetics Profile. We feature conversations and interviews about Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witness, science and other apologetics topics from top-notch authors and guests!
Image credit: TRAPPIST/E. Jehin/ESO
Tuesday Dec 22, 2020
Tuesday Dec 22, 2020
We live in a fragmented world where everything seems to be classified, separated, divided and reduced to its subatomic bareness. Morality seems subjective, beauty is illusory and subjective, and we are confused about what is ultimately true about the world.
We've lost or are barely holding on to the idea that it's not only possible, but absolutely necessary to see the world as being reconciled in Christ. Despite what appears to us to be a host of unending confusion and fragmentation, we are assured by God that He upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-20; John 1:1-9).
From stars to sparrows to the very hairs of our head, God's truth reigns and rules supremely and sovereignly.
On part two of our discussion with Dr. Christina George, we further examine the role of music in our lives and how it helps us to recapture a holistic view of the cosmos and our place within it. Come and see.
For more information on Christie's work, please visit her at http://cjgeorge.com.
The quote mentioned in the introduction comes from James E. Dolezal's book, All That is in God, available on Amazon.
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/store/donations. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
Sunday Dec 20, 2020
There is a music in creation for those who have the ears to ear it. From the singing stars present at the foundation of the Earth, to the song of Moses after the miraculous crossing of the Yam Suf, to the silent songs of nature, from stars to sparrows, as well as songs we make as image bearers of God, all point to a kingdom and country not of this world.
Hearing this music helps us to understand the world more holistically, enabling us to perceive it all centered upon the risen Lord Jesus - from science, to poetry, literature, theology, & music - all things were created by Him and for Him. He upholds all things by the word of His power.
Creation centered upon Jesus is the grandest of fairy tales and we are all characters and subjects of the King of king and Lord of lords. As followers of Christ, we live in what Tolkien and Lewis called the “true myth”, the true story to which all other myths point. Ours is a world alive with wonder, awe, and majesty, and we can know the Author Himself.
Our very special guest on this two-part episode of Good Heavens! is professional musicologist Dr. Christina George. Through song and music, Christie strives to unites beauty, philosophy, and theology together to help people see creation more holistically. In our darkening world of fragmentation, isolation, and niche specialization, Christie’s ministry is a much needed encouraging and thoughtful light.
For more on Christie’s work, you can visit her website, http://cjgeorge.com
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/store/donations .
Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
Wednesday Dec 16, 2020
This is part two of our conversation with chief veteran astronomer of Answers in Genesis, Dr. Danny Faulkner. If you've not caught part one, you don't want to miss it! On this episode Danny and Wayne answer questions we took from Twitter, we talk about the recent tragic news about the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico collapsing, and we talk about a some unusual objects that passed through our solar system in recent times. And of course, we discuss how we think all of this news about the heavens, as well as our fascination with the cosmos, all point to the glory of God in Christ.
Dr. Danny Faulkner holds a PhD in Astronomy from Indiana University. He taught at the University of South Carolina Lancaster for over 26 years. He now works as a researcher, author, and speaker for Answers in Genesis (answersingenesis.org). Check out Danny's blog.
Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. To support Good Heavens! on Podbean as a patron, you can use the Podbean app, or go to https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. This goes to Wayne Spencer. If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/store/donations .
Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Sunday Dec 06, 2020
Sunday Dec 06, 2020
On day two of the Creation week, the Bible tells us that God created the "expanse" (raqia in Hebrew). For centuries, many have believed the "expanse" to be made of something solid. On day four, God creates the greater and lesser lights and the stars and places them all in the expanse. The translators of the Septuagint translated raqia as the stereoma, a solid, crystal sphere. Jerome translated raqia into the Latin firmamentum. In this special two-part episode of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan chat with veteran astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner about what he has come to understand raqia and how he is using this concept to create a biblical cosmology. We think you'll find his insights quite fascinating!
Dr. Danny Faulkner holds a PhD in Astronomy from Indiana University. He taught at the University of South Carolina Lancaster for over 26 years. He now works as a researcher, author, and speaker for Answers in Genesis (answersingenesis.org).
Check out Danny's blog.
Wayne maintains Good Heavens! on Podbean. Podbean enables our podcast to be on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms. If you would like to help Wayne defer the annual cost of maintaining Good Heavens! on Podbean, you can donate any amount at https://patron.podbean.com/goodheavens. Donations to Wayne are not tax deductible.
If you would like to give to the ministry of Watchman Fellowship or to Daniel Ray, you can donate at https://www.watchman.org/store/donations/
Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
Wednesday Nov 25, 2020
What is string theory? In the field of physics, it's a relatively novel idea that suggests at the very smallest level, subatomic particles are made up of tiny, vibrating filaments, rather than point-like particles. These filaments are known as "strings", each with particular resonances, like strings on a musical instrument comprising different notes. The vibrations of the strings produce the particles physicists understand today.
But string theory is still theoretical and somewhat counterintuitive to common sense, as the mathematics proposes that there are extra dimensions in our universe. But neither the strings or the extra dimensions have been detected and our technology is not powerful or sophisticated enough to detect them.
So is string theory really science or just philosophical and mathematical speculation? And what does such a unique theory of the physical world have to do with the Christian faith?
Come and see! Our guest this week is Dr. Tom Rudelius, a theoretical physicist whose field of expertise is in string theory and early cosmology (the study of the very early universe). Tom is also a follower of Christ. Come and hear his remarkable testimony and how he sees & understands the intersection of science and faith.
For more about Tom, you can check out some work he has done with the Veritas Forum below. Some of the scientific and theological views expressed in our guests work do not necessarily reflect the views of Watchman.org, but we do strive to find common ground with our guests in the wonders of creation, in the glory of God and the person of the Lord Jesus.
http://www.veritas.org/multiverse-podcast/
https://veritaschristoetecclesiae.wordpress.com/author/rudelius/
The blog by Aron Wall Tom mentioned, Undivided Looking.
Brian Greene's work on string theory. (He is not a Christian, so far as we know, but he is a leading expert on string theory.) Part 1 of a NOVA video on string theory here:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/the-elegant-universe-part-1/
This podcast is provided through Good Heavens on Podbean.com. To support this program go to https://goodheavens.podbean.com/ (or the Podbean App) and look for the Become a patron link in the upper right.
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
A special Good Heavens!/Apologetics Profile presentation of Dr. Sarah Salviander's chapter on God and black holes from The Story of the Cosmos - How the Heavens Declare the Glory of God. TheStoryoftheCosmos.com
What is a black hole? Where are they? How were they discovered? How does the majesty, mystery, and enigma of black holes point to the glory of God? Come along on this special episode and find out! Dr. Sarah Salviander received her PhD in astrophysics from the University of Texas at Austin. She was a researcher at UT for sixteen years, where she specialized in the study of quasars, supermassive black holes, and galaxies. She is the author of several peer-reviewed journal papers and a comprehensive Astronomy & Astrophysics homeschool curriculum. She is currently writing books about the remarkable confluence between Christianity and modern science.
Author Website: https://sarahsalviander.com.
You can follow Sarah on Twitter at @SarahSalviander.
Sarah presented her talk at LifePoint Church in League City, Texas (South Houston) on October 21st, 2020, as part of their Wednesday Night “Unfiltered. Conversations that Matter” apologetics ministry. Thanks to Trevor Shakiba and Pastor Josh Sharpe for coordinating the event and for the assistance in the production of the video. You can visit the church’s website at https://golifepointchurch.org. LifePoint provided the audio and video. Daniel Ray of Watchman Fellowship edited and produced the final video.
For more information on the ministry of Watchman Fellowship, visit our website at https://Watchman.org
You can also see the video of this presentation here.
https://youtu.be/xi0CwpY5ICg
This prodcast is provided through Good Heavens on Podbean.com. To support this program go to https://goodheavens.podbean.com/ (or the Podbean App) and look for the Become a patron link in the upper right.
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe turned 70 this month (October 2020). In the midst of a difficult year of pandemics and politics, now is the perfect time to reacquaint yourself with C.S. Lewis's timeless classic. What's in your "spare oom" that can lead to adventures undreamt and unsought?
Come along with us on this special combined episode of Good Heavens! and Apologetics Profile as we celebrate the imaginative, cosmological, literary, and apologetic wonders of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with C.S. Lewis scholar Dr. Michael Ward.
Dr. Ward served as Daniel Ray's master's thesis advisor at Houston Baptist University in 2016. Daniel is the first to have written a master's thesis on Dr. Ward's 2008 book (Amazon), Planet Narnia - The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis.
Michael is the author of several published works and scholarly articles about Lewis, the imagination, and theology. He has lectured in 30 of the 50 states, holds a doctorate of divinity from St. Andrews, and has made numerous radio, podcast, and television appearances. More on Michael's work can be found at https://michaelward.net/.
Michael Ward with Eric Metaxas in conversation about Planet Narnia.
Michael and others from around the world reading from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. (on narniaweb.com)
Laura Miller's book mentioned in the broadcast (Amazon). The Magician's Book - A Skeptic's Adventure in Narnia
Image credit: Refuge31 Films