RTB’s blog Today’s New Reason to Believe has certainly evolved since its first post, but what hasn’t changed is TNRTB’s consistent and faithful production of articles that integrate the latest scientific news with the Christian worldview. The writers—Hugh Ross, Fazale Rana, Jeff Zweerink, and most recently Anjeanette Roberts (along with a myriad of guest authors)—have touched on tricky subjects—like bad designs in nature, human suffering, Bible difficulties, end-times, and global warming—all with gentleness and respect. Now the delivery of such articles will shift, starting in July, when all of the writers launch individual blogs where they’ll be able to write more frequently, post more quickly, and engage more with readers. (More details on this transition was disclosed in Monday’s article.) Let’s take a look back on TNRTB’s most popular posts and what they taught us about science and faith:
Top 10 TNRTBs of All Time
1. “Why Would God Create Mosquitoes?” by Fazale Rana
Mosquitoes cause a significant amount of very real human suffering. The mosquito that harbors the malaria parasite causes 247 million people a year to contract the disease, of which about 1 million die. Mosquitoes also spread yellow fever, dengue fever, Rift Valley fever, and the West Nile virus. Why would God create mosquitoes, indeed? Readers who wondered this very question made this article the most-viewed TNRTB of all time.
In almost every culture and religion of the world lies a story of a lost civilization. The ubiquitous nature of these stories, accounts, and legends lends credence to the possibility that in the early days of humanity’s history a relatively advanced civilization was indeed lost. Now, a research paper published in Current Anthropology provides scientific evidence for such a lost ancient civilization.
3. “From Noah to Abraham to Moses: Evidence of Genealogical Gaps in Mosaic Literature, Part 1” and “Part 2” by Daniel Dyke and Hugh Henry
Biblical genealogies have often been used to attempt to calculate a date for creation, which is then cited as support for a young earth. But, as visiting scholars Daniel Dyke and Hugh Henry explain, sound reasons exist for viewing these genealogies as meaningful, though incomplete, records. And with incomplete records, all efforts to build a creation timeline are futile.
4. “Have Quantum Physicists Disproved the Big Bang?” by Hugh Ross
Since early 2015, the media have been abuzz with the story that two quantum physicists have “corrected” Einstein’s theory of general relativity to demonstrate that the big bang never happened. These physicists claim the universe might have existed forever. Does this mean that one of Christianity’s core beliefs (“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”) has been falsified? Hugh offers four reasons to doubt the vanquishing of the big bang.
5. “What about Global Warming?” by Jeff Zweerink
Global warming evokes strong emotions and reactions from many different camps. The debate often occurs in only the political realm with the scientific evidence entering to support a specific agenda, causing controversy and distrust between differing groups. But, as Jeff explains, we can diffuse the rancor by allowing the scientific data to speak first, and then determining the course of action that best benefits humanity.
6. “Exodus: Turning Water into Blood” by Daniel Dyke and Hugh Henry
Pharaoh’s first refusal to free the Israelite slaves initiated a series of terrifying plagues that started with the mighty Nile River turning into blood. It is, of course, possible that God performed a supernatural miracle and literally turned the water of the Nile into blood—but does the biblical text support this conclusion?
7. “When Did Mitochondrial Eve and Y Chromosomal Adam Live?” by Fazale Rana
Using mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosomal DNA to characterize genetic variability of people around the world, recent studies suggest that humanity’s origin was much earlier than thought (250,000 to 350,000 years ago, rather than less than 100,000 years ago). These results pose a possible challenge to the biblical account of human origins.
8. “Ten Plagues of Exodus” by Daniel Dyke and Hugh Henry
Traditional Bible interpretations have held that God used supernatural power to bring about the 10 plagues described in Exodus. However, with the dramatic advances of medical research and other sciences in the twentieth century, experts began to see similarities between natural phenomena and scriptural descriptions of the plagues.
Many look for the appearance of blood moons to predict the coming of the end-times (Joel 2:31). In this two-part series, Hugh addresses the scientific, historic, and biblical concerns about getting caught up in end-times prophecies.
10. “Is a Global Flood Scientifically Possible?” by Jeff Zweerink and Kirby Hansen
Christians have long debated the extent of the flood recorded in Genesis 6–9. Was it a local flood, a global flood, or a universal flood? One interesting aspect of the answer relates to a more specific question: Does Earth have enough water to cover the whole planet?