Apologetics Training on Faith and Science
Ratio Christi is pleased to offer a full series in Apologetics Training for Faith and Science. We have partnered with the Gospel Coalition, the Discovery Institute, and a number of thought leaders to create a series of videos for training Christians to tackle difficult questions. This Christian worldview training course is designed for Christians of all walks of life.
The series of videos trains Christians on the Biblical worldview, theology, and philosophy. You don’t have to get an advanced degree to understand how faith and science coexist. In this apologetics training for faith and science, experts in the fields of philosophy, biology, cosmology, and theology will help you understand topics crucial for apologetics.
Watch the videos on Ratio Christi’s new YouTube channel or continue below to view the training series.
Can Faith & Science Coexist?
Where Did The Universe Come From?
Is Religion Anti-Science?
Can Science Answer Every Question?
Where Did Life Come From?
Does Evolution Prove That Religion Is False?
LESSON 1
The Problem of Science and Faith
Corey Miller, President and CEO of Ratio Christi, Professor
President of Ratio Christi, Dr. Corey Miller, is an accomplished professor, philosopher, and apologist. He has struggled with the perception that faith and science are incompatible. In this lesson, Corey lays the philosophical foundation for the marriage of faith and reason. Christian apologetics utilizes science, history, and philosophy to give an account for our faith in Christ.
- Corey Miller and Paul Gould, eds. Is Faith in God Reasonable? Debates in Philosophy, Science, and Rhetoric (Routledge, 2014).
- J.P. Moreland, Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (Crossway, 2018)
- Alvin Plantinga, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion, and Naturalism (Oxford University Press, 2011).
LESSONS 2 & 3
Are Christianity and Science at War?
Michael Keas
Belief in the supernatural creation of the cosmos gave humanity solid conceptual ground for expecting to discover mathematically elegant natural laws issued from the maximally rational lawgiver. Religious believers were correct in their expectation, an awkward truth about history for dogmatic materialists.
What do Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” Neil deGrasse Tyson, Stephen Hawking, and Carl Sagan have in common? ¬These famous popularizers of science have all spread stories to suggest that science and religion have been at war with each other for centuries—that religion is anti-science. There’s just one problem: these stories are pure myth. The popular stories Michael Newton Keas debunks in his book Unbelievable: 7 Myths About the History and Future of Science and Religion amount to little more than religion bashing—especially Christianity bashing. In exposing these myths, Keas shows that the real history is much more interesting than the common narrative of religion at war with science.
Articles
- “In the Beginning: Episodes in the Origin and Development of Science,” Salvo (Fall 2013)
- Atheist Myth: A Big Universe is a Problem for Christianity
- What’s Wrong with Godless AI Technological Salvation, the Singularity?
Podcasts
- Kepler, Galileo, the Book of Nature, and the First Mathematician
- Unbelievable ET and the Futuristic Myth of a Material God
Videos
- Unbelievable: The Myth of a Christian “Dark Ages”
- Michael Keas Explores His New Book “Unbelievable” Chapter By Chapter
Books
- Unbelievable: 7 Myths About the History and Future of Science and Religion, Michael Newton Keas
DVDs with Group Study Guides
LESSON 4
God and the Origin of the Universe
Stephen Meyer
In this section of the course, Discovery Institute philosopher of science Stephen Meyer discusses how the scientific idea of the “Big Bang” has helped build a bridge between faith and modern science by providing evidence that the universe had a beginning and by suggesting that the universe’s cause must stand outside of time and space.
Articles
- Denyse O’Leary, “Big Bang Exterminator Wanted, Will Train”
- “Did God Use the ‘Big Bang’ to Create the Universe?”
Podcasts
Videos
- “The Kalam Cosmological Argument”
- Eric Metaxas, “The Miracle of the Universe”
Books
- Stephen Meyer, The Return of the God Hypothesis
- William Lane Craig and Quentin Smith, Theism, Atheism, and Big Bang Cosmology
LESSON 5
The Privileged Planet
Jay Richards
In this section of the course, philosopher and theologian Jay Richards explores the exquisite fine-tuning that makes life possible and how our planet seems to have been intelligently designed for scientific discovery. Both features of nature point to a growing harmony between physics, astronomy, cosmology, and the Christian faith.
Articles
- Guillermo Gonzalez, “On the 15th Anniversary of The Privileged Planet: An Update”
- Luke Barnes, “The Fine-Tuning of the Universe for Intelligent Life”
Video Clips
Books
- Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards, The Privileged Planet
- Geraint Lewis and Luke Barnes, A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos
- Michael Denton, The Wonder of Water
- Michael Denton, Fire-Maker
LESSON 6
The Mystery of the Origin of Life
James Tour
In this section of the course, chemist James Tour of Rice University critiques efforts to develop materialistic explanations for the origin of the first life, showing how major challenges to such explanations have yet to be overcome. Additional resources, such as an article and lecture by Stephen Meyer, go further and argue that the best scientific explanation for the origin of the first life is purposeful design, a finding which has positive implications for theism.
Articles
- Stephen Meyer, “The Origin of Life and the Death of Materialism”
- Kirk Durston, “Reality Check: Has Science Explained the Origin of Life?”
- James Tour, “Animadversions of a Synthetic Chemist”
- Brian Miller, “Thermodynamics of the Origin of Life”
Video
- “Is There a Signature in the Cell?” Lecture by Stephen Meyer
Books
- Stephen C. Meyer, Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design
- The Mystery of Life’s Origin: The Continuing Controversy (forthcoming)
LESSON 7
Darwin’s Doubt
Stephen Meyer
In this section of the course, Discovery Institute philosopher of science Stephen Meyer explains the scientific and worldview controversies arising from Darwin’s theory of evolution, using as a case study the mystery in the history of life known as the “Cambrian Explosion,” and he goes on to explore how—contrary to Darwin—biology provides powerful evidence of intelligent design.
Articles
- Casey Luskin, “The Top Ten Scientific Problems with Biological and Chemical Evolution”
- Stephen Meyer, “Defining Theistic Evolution”
- Stephen Meyer, “A Scientific History and Philosophical Defense of the Theory of Intelligent Design”
- Report: “Darwin’s Corrosive Idea: The Impact of Evolution on Attitudes about Faith, Ethics, & Human Uniqueness”
Video Clips
- “The Problem with Theistic Evolution”
- “Information Enigma”
- “Revolutionary: Michael Behe and the Mystery of Molecular Machines”
Books
- Stephen Meyer, Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design
- David Klinghoffer, editor, Debating Darwin’s Doubt
- Douglas Axe, Undeniable: How Biology Confirms Our Intuition That Life Is Designed
- J.P. Moreland, et. al, editor, Theistic Evolution: A Scientific, Philosophical, and Theological Critique
LESSON 8
Science, Faith, and Origins
Dr. Michael Keas
The history of science and philosophy of science help us to grasp what science is and how it relates to religion, especially in controversies over origins. Scholars in these fields have identified at least a dozen major theory virtues: traits of a theory that make it likely true. As an example of theory evaluation, we will focus on a prominent argument for Darwinism and against intelligent design: junk DNA. This is the idea that the majority of human DNA is “junk” that does not code for proteins or have any other function. Does the notion of junk DNA have the traits of a reliable theory? Evaluating this case will help you think critically about all theories of origins.
Questions
- Why is it important to consider the track record of a theory over time (diachronic theory virtues) when evaluating whether to accept a theory? • Consider the extent to which the twelve major traits of good scientific theories (listed and explained here) also characterize good theories in disciplines such as theology, history, and the social sciences.
- How might the church cultivate harmonious fellowship in the face of differing theories of biological origins among Christians, while also promoting careful evaluative thinking?
- Consider the extent to which the twelve major traits of good scientific theories (listed and explained here) also characterize good theories in disciplines such as theology, history, and the social sciences.
Podcasts
- Zombie Science Author Jonathan Wells Takes on the Icon of Junk DNA
- Evolutionary Biologist Richard Sternberg Discusses Modern Genomics and Junk DNA
Articles
- Jonathan Wells: Zombie Science Keeps Pushing Junk DNA Myth (also click on related subject tags at the bottom of this article)
- As Research Advances, Debunking “Junk DNA” is Almost Trendy (also click on related subject tags at the bottom of this article)
- Systematizing the Theoretical Virtues (twelve traits that indicate likely truth in scientific theories, as published in a top tier philosophy journal)
Books
- The Return of the God Hypothesis: Compelling Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God by Stephen C. Meyer
- Unbelievable: 7 Myths About the History and Future of Science and Religion Written by Michael Newton Keas
- The Myth of Junk DNA by Jonathan Wells
LESSON 9
Science and Faith
Dr. Erica Carlson
Dr. Erica Carlson illuminates the beauty of uniting science and faith and understanding the awesomeness of the universe under the sovereignty of God. This final lesson in the Science and Faith series encourages you to take a practical approach to everything you’ve learned in previous lessons.