Lectures

General Lectures – The following presentations have been made at various venues over the last few years. Most of these lectures are one hour or less in length. A few of them require up to two hours. They can be tailored to meet the needs of the audience. The lectures cover topics such as Origins, Creation, Evolution, Intelligent Design (ID), Science, Design, Truth and Reality, God’s Existence, Apologetics, Worldview, Information, Cloning, Stem Cells, New Atheists, Ethics, Global Warming/Climate Change, and Pseudoscience. Most  can be found on this web page.

  1. The Basics of Creation Apologetics: The Creation vs. Evolution controversy has been with us for more than 150 years, especially since the publication of Charles Darwin’s book on “The Origin of Species.”  Atheists say that Evolution is Science and Creation is Religion. However, the two origins models are really a conflict between two different worldviews – naturalism and supernaturalism. We look at the evidence in a number of areas of science and ask the question – does the evidence best support Creation or Evolution? We show that science does in fact support Creation better than it does Evolution. Creation is an essential truth of the Bible and Evolution is not a proven fact, despite what evolutionists say. CreationBasics.ppt.
  2. Why Creation Apologetics: There is a perceived conflict between science and the Bible, e.g. Evolution vs. Creation. The church has not been providing answers to the hard questions asked by our youth. We need to teach the truth in the Bible from the very first verse and be ready to defend our faith by showing that science and the Bible are in agreement. We review what the Bible, Jesus, and the Apostles say about Creation and demonstrate the scientific evidence for Creation. What we believe about Creation matters.  CreationWhy.ppt.
  3. Introduction to Creation vs. Evolution: – CreationIntro.ppt.
  4. What Does Science Say About Creation?:  – ScienceCreation.ppt.
  5. Evolution’s Four Fatal Flaws:  It has become abundantly clear that evolutionary thinking is not based on scientific evidence. This lecture offers four major challenges to the “theory” of Evolution. 1) (Macro) Evolution has never been observed. It takes a giant leap in faith to get from (micro) evolution, which has been observed, to (macro) evolution. 2) No credible transitional fossils have been identified in the 150 years since Darwin wrote “Origins of Species.” Evolution did not happen. 3) Life can/did not originate from non-life by random chance. Evolution can/will not happen. 4) Evolution is in conflict with the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Evolution in fact is impossible. Evolution is a philosophy and a belief system, not science. Evolution4FatalFlaws.ppt/pdf.
  6. Five Challenges To The Theory of Evolution: This lecture is a expanded version of the lecture on Evolution’s Four Fatal Flaws. Evolution5Challenges.ppt /pdf.
  7. Is the Bible Reliable on Science? [Science Truths in The Bible]: We trust the Bible for spiritual truth. Events, people and nations in the Bible have been corroborated by extra-biblical historians. The Bible has been confirmed by prophecy, archaeology, history, and geography. Do we trust the Bible when it makes scientific statements? There are many biblical references in different disciplines of science. The authors refer to nature and natural processes using everyday language. Their statements are amazingly accurate and often anticipate scientific insights that were not discovered by scientists until the last few centuries. The Bible is authoritative in all matters that it addresses. In fact modern science is founded on the biblical worldview.  BibrelScience.ppt.
  8. What Is Intelligent Design?: The theory of Intelligent Design (ID) holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ID takes intelligence to be a separate principle not reducible to chance and necessity (law). Signs of ID include irreducible complexity and specified complexity. One can use Dembski’s explanatory filter to test for complexity. We provide examples of design that require an intelligent designer. WhatIsID.ppt.
  9. Incredible Creatures By Design: Some incredible creatures live on earth – the giraffe, the butterfly, migrating birds, human, etc.  Did these creatures evolve or were they created? The evidence indicates that they were designed and created by an all-powerful Creator. CreaturesByDesign.ppt.
  10. Our Privileged Planet:   The design of the universe, the attributes of our planet Earth, and its location in the universe, make human life possible, as well as the means to observe the universe around us. Earth is uniquely situated in our solar system, our galaxy (Milky Way), and in the universe. We take a look at what Secular scientists have found in their search for signs of life on other planets in the universe. We conclude that Earth was carefully designed for our well being.  This is based on our analysis of 1) design principles, 2) the precise fine-tuned parameters of the earth, our galaxy, and the universe, 3) the laws of science, nature, and logic, and 4) the probability of finding life on a planet. The evidence points to an Intelligent Designer and Creator, the God of the Bible. OurPrivPlanet.ppt.
  11. Has Science Now Buried God?: This talk is based on Dr. John Lennox‘s book, God’s Undertaker: Has Science Buried God?” According to many modern commentators, science has now explained all that we observe in the universe and God is no longer needed. We are told that atheism is the only intellectually tenable position, and any attempt to invoke God as the explanation impedes progress in science. Lennox asks the critical question whether science points to atheism? He shows that theism fits more comfortably with science than atheism. Science is limited in the scope of its explanations. We conclude that this is not a debate between science and religion, but a debate between two very different worldviews.  ScienceAndGod.ppt.
  12. Answering The New Atheists: Some “New Atheists” have written hard-hitting books over the last decade claiming that God does not exist and that religion poisons everything.  They (Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, Hitchens) are often referred to as the “Four Horsemen.”  We look at the principles of the new atheism and consider eight of their common claims. A number of Christian Apologists (Wilson, Fernandes, McDurmon, Lennox) have written books refuting the claims of these atheists. We show that the atheist’s claims are nothing new and are indeed false.  In doing so we look at a wide range of evidence and ask the question – does the evidence best support Theism or Atheism? This talk is provided with two different titles:
    1. NewAtheists.ppt – Answering the common claims of the atheists.
    2. ImpactOfAtheism.ppt – The Impact of Atheism on Ethics.
  13. Science And The New Atheists: The New Atheists (Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennett) argue that recent scientific advances disprove God and support their case for atheism. They would go so far as to say that “Evolution Explains Everything” and that “natural selection explains the illusion of design in living things.”  They even claim that the origin of life, the origin of the cell, and the origin of consciousness are due to a “stroke of luck.” Hawking proposes the multiverse as the answer to the “Anthropic Principle”. And in his book, The Grand Design, he makes the claim that because of quantum fluctuations and the law of gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.   ScienceAtheists.ppt.
  14. Does Your Truth Match Reality?: We think we know what is true based on our human experience. These presentations describe in various levels of detail how we determine truth based on our presuppositions, our five senses, evidence, our reasoning based on laws of logic, and various contrasting views of what constitutes truth. We cover the basic arguments for God’s existence as well as the essential principles of knowledge. Four lectures on the topic of truth and how we determine if our truth matches reality are available:
    1. RealityBasics.ppt – Short lecture on the basics of how we determine what is true.
    2. RealityCheck.ppt – Expanded lecture that applies truth determination to the Bible with an emphasis on Apologetics.
    3. Reality.ppt – Master version that covers contrasting views of truth, answers the question of whether the truth in the Bible matches reality and what evidence we have for that.
  15. The Reality of God: Does God Exist? is life’s ultimate question. We describe the classical arguments for, and specific evidence for God’s existence. God is revealed to us through 1) Scripture (Special Revelation), 2) nature (General Revelation), 3) Christ (God Incarnate), and 4) the explanatory power of human experience. What we believe to be true matches reality. Our faith is rational and can be defended.  RealityOfGod.ppt.
  16. How To Defend Your Faith: In 1 Pet. 3:15 God commands us to be able to defend what we believe and give the reason for the hope we have with gentleness and respect. We must overcome the roadblocks to faith and be able to present the evidence for the truth of our faith. We have many examples of how Jesus and His Apostles defended the faith, as well as the examples of modern day apologists. Our faith is based on facts and can be defended with confidence. Various versions of this lecture are provided for the different audiences:
    1. DefendYourFaith.ppt – Master version.
    2. DefendYourFaithA.ppt – Emphasis on High School students.
    3. DefendYourFaithB.ppt – Emphasis on the evidence from science.
    4. DefendYourFaithC.ppt – Emphasis on the evidence from Archaeology.
  17. Genesis Chapters 1-2, Creation: Foundation of Our Faith: Creation is the foundation of the Christian faith upon which the Bible rests. Genesis 1 and 2 describe the Creation of our world ex nihilo in six days. This is confirmed by references to the details by the writers of the books of the Old and New Testaments. Jesus quotes from the first eleven chapters of Genesis as true history. The early church fathers referred to the events of Creation as historical events. From this came attempts to re-interpret the historical meanings of Gen. 1-2 as allegorical, resulting in compromising theories such as 1) Gap, 2) Day-Age, 3) Theistic Evolution, and 4) Framework Hypothesis. Many aspects of the theories are not supported by the proper exegesis of the biblical text or by science. Genesis1-2.ppt.
  18. Evolution Is Incompatible With The Bible And Science: Gen. 1:1 clearly states that God brought our universe, earth and life into existence.  The order of events assumed by Evolution is different from the order of events described in Gen. 1. We offer four major challenges to the “theory” of Evolution from a science point of view. 1) (Macro) Evolution has never been observed. 2) No credible transitional fossils have been identified in the 150 years since Darwin wrote “Origins of Species.” 3) Life can/did not originate from non-life by random chance. 4) Evolution is in conflict with the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Evolution in fact is impossible. Evolution is a philosophy and a belief system, not science.
    EvolutionBibleScience.ppt.
  19. Origins Pseudoscience Today: Materialists claim that Evolution is a fact. They even go so far as to say “Evolution Explains Everything.” But can this be verified by empirical science? We examine some of the secular science statements made in the last few decades in which these scientists propose new natural explanations for 1) the origin of our universe, 2) the origin of first life, and 3) the origin of complex life (Darwinian Evolution). The doubts that Darwin expressed about his theory more than 150 years ago in his book on “The Origin of Species” have still not been resolved in favor of Evolution. Many secular scientists have now resorted to pseudoscience in their attempts to rescue the Theory of Evolution and explain origins of the universe, first life, and complex life. These are three impossible hurdles that materialism did not, cannot, and will not overcome with today’s pseudoscience. The origins explanations by materialists are only “just-so” origins stories. Slides at [ppt, pdf] [Russian version]. Conference technical paper at [pdf].
  20. Various Pseudoscience Lectures:
    1. New Atheist Pseudoscience: AtheistPseudoScience.ppt
    2. Secular Pseudoscience: SecularPseudoScience.ppt
    3. Complete lecture: PseudoScience.ppt
    4. Darwinian subset: DarwinianPseudoScience.ppt
  21. Life and Information: The information and the programs running in the human cell provide evidence that we were created by an Intelligent Being (God) and did not get here through the process of evolution. Living organisms require information, complexity, and design. This requires an intelligent designer.  Life did not, cannot, and will not come from non-life by random chance in nature. Two versions of this talk:
    1.  LifeInfoSys.ppt/pdf: Life’s information systems – data and programs.
    2.  LifeInformation.ppt/pdf: Life and Information with intro on life by Creation and life by Evolution.
  22. Origins, Life and Information: We examine how and where life might have originated – On earth? In some warm pond as suggested by Darwin? In an ocean vent? By means of self organization? By means of panspermia or directed panspermia? Or was life created according to its kinds by a Designer as described in the first chapter of Genesis? The role of information in living organisms leads us to the inevitable conclusion. We discover the similarity in the nature of information, machines and programs in writing systems, computer systems, and living systems. Each requires a design, and therefore a designer.  This similarity helps us to explain why life did not, does not, and will not start from non-life by chance. Science and the Bible agree on this. OriginsLifeInformation.ppt/pdf.
  23. Information – The Basis For Life:  Life consists of material (matter & energy) as well as non-material parts (information). We look at the nature of information, machines and programs in writing systems, computer systems, and living systems. Each system requires an intelligent mind and a design, and therefore an intelligent designer. The information and the programs in the human cell are orders of magnitude greater than that of a computer system. Living organisms require information, programs, storage, complexity, and design. We were created by an Intelligent Being (God) and did not get here via random chance mutations. Information4Life.ppt/pdf.
  24. Pain and Suffering: If God is loving and all powerful, why do we have so much pain, suffering and death? To the atheist death and time are required by evolution. The biblical view is that God created everything very good and gave man a free will. Man’s rebellion/sin resulted in suffering and death. Death is an enemy. Suffering results from direct human sin, deliberate acts of others, government social policies, and natural disasters or accidents. God has purposes in our suffering, but God is doing something about suffering and death. The cross gives us victory over sin and death and is the source of our hope for eternal life. PainSuffering.ppt,  [Notes].
  25. Biblical Worldview: A worldview is a philosophy, ideology or religion that provides an overarching approach to understanding God, the world, and man’s relationship to both. A complete worldview contains a perspective regarding each of the ten disciplines: theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and interpretation of history. A worldview is a way of viewing or interpreting all of reality. We compare the Biblical Worldview with the competing worldviews of Islam, Secular Humanism, Marxism, New Age, and Postmodernism. We show that only Christianity satisfies the criteria for determining truth. It is coherent, rational, matches reality and explains the real world. Worldview.ppt /pdf.
  26. Impact of Atheism on Ethics: For a description see Answering The New Atheists above. ImpactOfAtheism.ppt /pdf.
  27. Impact of Evolutionism on Ethics: The ideas associated with Evolution have consequences and are having an impact on the ethics of our society. The Evolution vs. Creation controversy is not a battle between Science and Religion, but a War of Worldviews. Evolution has a pervasive influence on every aspect of man’s thinking, including his ethics. Darwin removed the theological basis of the moral code of Christianity. We have seen the deadly results of this in the 20th century, and we continue to see the impact in our society on the sanctity of life, racism, morality, rights, family, education, and business ethics today.  ImpactOfEvolution.ppt /pdf.
  28. Cloning and Stem Cells:  Cloning.ppt.
  29. What About Global Warming?: The issue of Global Warming (GW), now referred to as Climate Change (CC), has received a lot of attention in the press.  The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued its Fifth Assessment Report.  The IPCC claims that GW is occurring at a rapid rate, that GW is largely due to the increased burning of fossil fuel, and that we face dire consequences if we don’t cut back on greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) has concluded that Nature, not Human Activity, rules the Climate. We explore the science behind these different conclusions. GW alarmists tell us drastic state-imposed restrictions must be imposed now on our consumption of CO2 emitting fossil fuels – despite God’s promise to Noah – Gen. 8:22. This raises some legitimate questions: 1) What are the facts? 2) What is the appropriate biblical perspective? 3) Should we be concerned? and 4) Is there another agenda? WhatAboutGW.ppt /pdf.
  30. Refuting Evolution: This talk begins by defining the terms of science and Evolution. We use critical thinking skills strictly from the scientific point of view in examining the alleged truth about Evolution. There is a difference between science, history and belief. All things are caused by one of three possibilities: chance, necessity or design. We critique Evolution in the three stages of 1) the origin of the universe, 2) the origin of first life, and 3) the origin of complex life. Darwin expressed a number of doubts about his theory in The Origin of Species. We see that Darwin’s doubts are still doubts today. Powerpoint Slides (ppt, pdf).
  31. Preparing Youth For Missions: The next generation is preparing for missions, going on short term trips and as a career. We must recognize that more than 60% of our youth leave The Faith when they leave home because they did not get answers to their hard questions and were not able to counter
    their indoctrination in evolution and secularism. To be effective in missions, youth need to understand the gospel, have a biblical worldview, and develop critical thinking skills to overcome roadblocks to The Faith. They need to have trust in The Word, be ready to defend The Word, and then ready to share The Word. Powerpoint Slides (ppt, pdf).
  32. Evolutions’s Showstopper!: All attempts by evolutionists to show that first life from non-life by natural processes can be explained by evolution have come to naught for four main reasons: 1) The Law of Biogenesis confirmed by Pasteur in 1864. 2) The failure of experiments like that of Miller in 1953 to show that life can come from non-life. 3) The mathematical probability of forming the first living cell by random chance processes is beyond possible, and 4) The information in a cell (DNA) requires an intelligent mind. The failure of the origin of first life from non-life by natural processes is actually a show stopper for evolution.
  33. The Author of Life: God or Natural Processes?: There are two possibilities for the author of life – God or natural processes. The biblical case for first life is presented. Then we examine the case for natural processes and present four reasons why first life cannot form by means of natural processes: 1) Law of Biogenesis, 2) failure of self-arrangement of molecules into a living organism, 3) Law of Probability, and 4) information requires an intelligent agent. The fossil record, taxonomy, complexity, and design support the creation of different kinds of living organisms as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. – Psalm 139:14, I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
  34. What Am I Supposed to Believe: Science or the Bible?: Prophecy, history, geography, and archaeology confirm the truth of the Bible. What about science? The answers to four critical questions show the limitations of science: 1) Can science explain everything? 2) Origins: Creation or Evolution? 3) Does science support Creation? and 4) Is first life by natural processes possible? We conclude that we can trust the Bible AND real science. God is the Creator of the universe and science.
  35. Do We Have a Climate Crisis?: The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) claims that Global Warming (GW) is occurring at a rapid rate, that GW is largely due to the increased burning of fossil fuel, and that we face dire consequences if we don’t cut back on CO2 being released into the atmosphere. The independent Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) has concluded that Nature, not Human Activity, rules the Climate. We have identified at least sixteen reasons how and why the GW claims made by the alarmists are not substantiated by the evidence, and that CO2 cannot possibly drive GW. GW alarmism is not supported by the facts and is not warranted. – Gen. 8:22, While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.
  36. A Retrospective On The COVID Phenomenon:  The Covid-19 phenomenon has been with us since March 2020 and has had a very disruptive impact on the world. We review Covid tests, cases, and deaths, and the impact of the use of masks, vaccines, mandates and lockdowns.  We have learned much about the use of therapeutics and vaccines in treating Covid-19 over the last four years. In particular, we examine what the V-Safe system, the VAERS data, and VAERS safety signals are telling us. The Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, excess deaths, and economic impacts are raising many concerns. What should we as believers do with what we have learned from our experience with Covid-19? Acts 19:32, Acts 17:11, 1 Th. 5:21, 2 Tim. 1:7.
  37. 12 Reasons Why The Bible is Unique: Religions are based on their holy book(s). There are over 300 ‘holy’ books in the world. The Christian faith is based on the Bible. The Bible claims to be God-breathed, 2 Tim. 3:16, and authoritative in all matters that it addresses; it is infallible, inerrant, complete and final. Is the Bible just another religious book or is it the Word of God? We look at evidences for Truth in the Bible in 12 different areas – direct claims, unity, manuscript transmission, canonicity, teachings, history, science, prophecy, Lord’s testimony, durability, ethics, and supernatural power. The Bible matches reality; none of the so-called ‘holy’ books in the world comes anywhere close.  See BibleUnique.ppt,  [Notes].
  38. The Impact of COVID Vaccines:  The Covid-19 phenomenon is still with us despite the use of the Covid-19 vaccines since 2021. We have learned much about the use of vaccines in the prevention of  Covid-19 over the last three years. We examine what the V-Safe system, the VAERS system, and VAERS safety signals are telling us about the safety and efficacy of these vaccines. The use of these vaccines has raised concerns about the increases in 1) miscarriages and stillbirths, 2) the Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, 3) excess deaths, and 4) economic losses that we have seen. What should we as believers do based on our experience with Covid-19 vaccines? What can we expect in the future with the further use of these mRNA-based vaccines? Acts 19:32, Acts 17:11, 1 Th. 5:21, 2 Tim. 1:7.
  39. The Flat Earth Phenomenon: We have seen a renewed interest in the Flat Earth concept over the last few decades. Before the 6th century BC some cultures believed that the earth was flat, but since then many scientific discoveries have provided evidence that the earth is a sphere. Most people believed that the earth is indeed a sphere right through the Middle Ages until a British inventor and writer re-introduced the Flat Earth concept in the 19th century. We examine 1) the history of geodesy, 2) how flat earthers explain and defend their belief, 3) what the Bible teaches about the shape of the earth, 4) what scientific observations tell us, and 5) the challenges faced by those who believe in a flat earth. How do we explain this recent renewed interest in the Flat Earth concept?

More Details on Pseudoscience:

Secular scientists claim that Evolution is a fact. They even go so far as to say “Evolution Explains Everything.” But can this be verified by empirical science? We examine some of the secular science statements made in the last few years in which these scientists propose new natural explanations for 1) the origin of our universe, 2) the origin of first life, and 3) the origin of complex life (Darwinian Evolution). We think of Evolution, Creation, and Intelligent Design when it comes to origins. The doubts that Darwin expressed about his theory more than 150 years ago in his book on “The Origin of Species.” have still not been resolved in favor of Evolution. Many secular scientists have now resorted to pseudoscience in their attempts to rescue the Theory of Evolution and explain origins.

Their explanations include such proposals as the Big Bang, Inflation, Quantum Fluctuations, Gravity, and the Multiverse for the origin of the universe. The origin of first life requires a primordial soup,  self-replicating complex molecules, enzymes as catalysts, cells, and an energy source. What evidence do these secular scientists offer for all of these elements being available at the right time and in the right environment to produce first life? Where and how do they claim that life started if not on Earth? – Hydrothermal Vents? Mars? Panspermia? Directed Panspermia? There are many different dictionary definitions for the word Evolution. What definition do these secular scientists use to show that Evolution is a fact and that the designs we see in complex life in nature can be explained by mutations and natural selection?

We see that the explanations offered by these secular scientists are not what we have historically accepted as normal science – empirical science and the use of the scientific method. Many of the secular explanations are shown to be pseudoscience, now sometimes referred to as post-normal science, a concept that goes beyond the assumptions that science is certain and value-free. New atheists such as Dawkins, Hawking, Krauss and Stenger are masters at hijacking the traditional definition of science in support of their secular agendas of naturalism.

Lectures on the general topic of Pseudoscience include:

  1. Origin of Our Universe Pseudoscience.
  2. Origin of First Life Pseudoscience.
  3. Origin of Complex Life (Darwinian) Pseudoscience.

Comments are closed.