Good Heavens! The Human Side of Astronomy

As you certainly know by now, for the month of August, Wayne and I have taken a little break from the heavens for a very special focus on the Earth, specifically some spectacular geological evidence for the biblical flood. Here on part three of our three-part series we are yet again grateful and honored to have as our very special guest one of the top creation geologists in the world Dr. Andrew Snelling of Answers in Genesis. Whether you are a young or old-earth creationist, a skeptic, agnostic, atheist or whether you know next to nothing about geology, we think you'll find our three-part series fascinating and enlightening. Our series with Dr. Snelling has been focused mainly on the many examples Dr. Snelling believes provide solid geological evidence for the flood as described in the Book of Genesis (chapters 6-9). Here on part three we talk about the unusual folds of sedimentary layers in the Grand Canyon and about one of the greatest head-scratchers in all of geology, the great unconformity. Andrew will explain to us to what exactly this strikingly peculiar feature of the earth's rocks is not conforming! We thank Dr. Snelling for his graciously giving us his time for this exciting and informative interview and we hope you our Good Heavens! family have enjoyed it. Links and Resources:  Dr. Andrew Snelling holds a PhD in geology from the University of Sydney, Australia. Dr. Snelling is active in research, writing and also speaking on topics such as the flood, fossils, the Grand Canyon, and the radioactive dating of rocks. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and papers as well as the author of The Genesis Flood Revisited (2009, 2022 Master Books). The Genesis Flood Revisited: https://www.masterbooks.com/the-genesis-flood-revisited Answers Research Journal: https://answersresearchjournal.org/geology/monument-fold-grand-canyon/ Andrew's Bio: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/andrew-snelling/ Previous Good Heavens! Episodes on Flood Stories from Native North American Tribes https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/flood-stories-part-1-from-native-people-of-north-south-america/ https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/flood-stories-part-2-from-native-people-of-north-south-america/ Articles by Dr. Snelling: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/andrew-snelling/articles/   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.

For the month of August, Wayne and I are taking a little break from the heavens for a very special focus on the Earth, specifically some spectacular geological evidence for the biblical flood. Here on part two of our three-part series we are once again grateful and honored to have as our very special guest one of the top creation geologists in the world Dr. Andrew Snelling of Answers in Genesis. Whether you are a young or old-earth creationist, a skeptic, agnostic, atheist or whether you know next to nothing about geology, we think you'll find our three-part series fascinating and enlightening. Our series with Dr. Snelling will be focused mainly on the many examples Dr. Snelling believes provide solid geological evidence for the flood as described in the Book of Genesis (chapters 6-9). Here on part two we talk about plutons, batholiths, and polonium radio halos and how Dr. Snelling believes they provide solid evidence for the biblical flood. Was there a Global Flood?  Blog article by Waynehttps://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2019/04/15/was-there-a-global-flood/ 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.  

For the month of August, Wayne and I are taking a little break from the heavens for a very special focus on the Earth, specifically some spectacular geological evidence for the biblical flood.  And in this three-part series we are honored to have as our very special guest one of the top creation geologists in the world Dr. Andrew Snelling of Answers in Genesis.  Whether you are a young or old-earth creationist, a skeptic, agnostic, atheist or whether you know next to nothing about geology, we think you'll find our three-part series fascinating and enlightening. Our talk with Dr. Snelling will be focused mainly on the many examples Dr. Snelling believes provide solid geological evidence for the flood as described in the Book of Genesis (chapters 6-9).  Here on part one, we talk about how Dr. Snelling became interested in geology, oceanic fossil finds in Kansas and the remarkably enormous Tapeats sandstone sedimentary layer that covers a large swath of North America and other parts of the globe. Links and Resources:  Dr. Andrew Snelling holds a PhD in geology from the University of Sydney, Australia. Dr. Snelling is active in research, writing and also speaking on topics such as the flood, fossils, the Grand Canyon, and the radioactive dating of rocks. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and papers as well as the author of The Genesis Flood Revisited (2009, 2022 Master Books).   The Genesis Flood Revisited: https://www.masterbooks.com/the-genesis-flood-revisited Answers Research Journal: https://answersresearchjournal.org/geology/monument-fold-grand-canyon/ Andrew's Bio: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/andrew-snelling/ Previous Good Heavens! Episodes on Flood Stories from Native North American Tribes https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/flood-stories-part-1-from-native-people-of-north-south-america/ https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/flood-stories-part-2-from-native-people-of-north-south-america/ Articles by Dr. Snelling: https://answersingenesis.org/bios/andrew-snelling/articles/ Was there a Global Flood?  Blog article by Wayne https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2019/04/15/was-there-a-global-flood/   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.

We continue our discussion about the Hubble Constant and delve into a few other cosmic anomalies, including the assumption Albert Einstein made regarding the speed of light. And, somehow, we also ended up talking about Noah's flood and the Whopper Sand. You'll have to listen to the end to find out how that happened! Come and see how we think it all points to the glory and majesty of God. Dan's very short video on the whooper sand.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r9COYBra94   The following links are not meant to imply the ideas contained therein reflect those of Good Heavens! or Watchman Fellowship, Inc. All of these, with the exception of Danny Faulkner, are presented from a completely secular perspective of the universe Veritasium Video on the one-way speed of light problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTn6Ewhb27k More in-depth on the Hubble Constant - Interview with Christian astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner on the Hubble Constant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqUkhyxCbPE Cosmological constant (not the same as the Hubble constant, but related).  https://wmap.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_accel.html Hubble constant - two different ways to measure (from 2020).  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-a-dispute-over-a-single-number-became-a-cosmological-crisis/ Three ways to measure Hubble constant.  https://news.uchicago.edu/explainer/hubble-constant-explained  Brian Keating short video about using magnetism to measure the Hubble constant  https://youtu.be/kBdtvURyJ8Q?si=-wlE-9D1emA-NP1- Dr. Becky most recent video on the crisis.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKmPJmaeP8A Adam Riese from the Space Telescope Science Institute who won the Nobel Prize in the late 90s for discovering the universe expansion was (allegedly) accelerating. His SH0ES team measured the Hubble constant at 74 km/s/mpsc, far above Wendy Freedman’s 69.8 and the CMBR at 67.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmDszPExepc   Scientific American article on the HC from October 2023.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-possible-crisis-in-the-cosmos-could-lead-to-a-new-understanding-of-the-universe/   Wendy Freedman’s initial project of measuring HC using the HST to measure Cepheids.  https://www.stsci.edu/stsci/meetings/shst2/freedmanw.html Historical background on the HC from STScI. (2020)  https://www.stsci.edu/contents/newsletters/2020-volume-37-issue-02/hubble-and-the-constant-the-next-and-the-next-generation Good Heavens! Is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. For more information on our ministry and our sister podcast Apologetics Profile, visit Watchman.org today! Contact Wayne and Dan at  Psalm1968@gmail.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/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

Probably the only thing that is constant about the Hubble Constant is that it keeps changing! What is it? Why is it such a hot topic in cosmology today and why are some even calling it a "crisis"? Come along with Wayne and Dan as they dive into the quest for the elusive magic number. What does it mean for cosmology and what might it all have to do with the way God made the universe? The following links are not meant to imply the ideas contained therein reflect those of Good Heavens! or Watchman Fellowship, Inc. All of these, with the exception of Danny Faulkner, are presented from a completely secular perspective of the universe More in-depth on the Hubble Constant - Interview with Christian astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner on the Hubble Constant. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqUkhyxCbPE Cosmological constant (not the same as the Hubble constant, but related).  https://wmap.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_accel.html Hubble constant - two different ways to measure.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-a-dispute-over-a-single-number-became-a-cosmological-crisis/ Three ways to measure Hubble constant. https://news.uchicago.edu/explainer/hubble-constant-explained  Brian Keating short video about using magnetism to measure the Hubble constant  https://youtu.be/kBdtvURyJ8Q?si=-wlE-9D1emA-NP1- Dr. Becky most recent video on the crisis. https://youtu.be/yKmPJmaeP8A?si=Wf6ajm4qGuC5CZX6 Adam Riese from the Space Telescope Science Institute who won the Nobel Prize in the late 90s for discovering the universe expansion was (allegedly) accelerating. His SH0ES team measured the Hubble constant at 74 km/s/mpsc, far above Wendy Freedman’s 69.8 and the CMBR at 67. https://youtu.be/JmDszPExepc?si=03HqPi3RU5uRkSSl Technical  power point slides from Dr. Jo Dunkley on the PLANK CMBR data on the Hubble constant.  https://online.kitp.ucsb.edu/online/primocosmo13/dunkley/pdf/Dunkley_PrimoCosmo13_KITP.pdf Scientific American article on the HC from October 2023.  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-possible-crisis-in-the-cosmos-could-lead-to-a-new-understanding-of-the-universe/ Wendy Freedman’s initial project of measuring HC using the HST to measure Cepheids.  https://www.stsci.edu/stsci/meetings/shst2/freedmanw.html Historical background on the HC from STScI. (2020)  https://www.stsci.edu/contents/newsletters/2020-volume-37-issue-02/hubble-and-the-constant-the-next-and-the-next-generation Good Heavens! Is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. For more information on our ministry and our sister podcast Apologetics Profile, visit Watchman.org today! Contact Wayne and Dan!    Psalm1968@gmail.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/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

What explanations have astronomers come up with to explain the recent mysterious discovery of JuMBOs in the Orion Nebula?  Why so many? How did they form? Why so many in pairs? Why did the form in the Orion Nebula? Here on part two we discuss some possible "naturalistic" hypotheses but conclude that no matter what technical explanation astronomers might offer, we believe these wonderful little orbs are just a small part of how the heavens declare the glory of God and show forth His marvelous handiwork. Come and see! Wayne's article on the subject. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2024/05/13/jumbos-in-orion/ Dan's article on the subject. https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/a-jumbo-discovery-in-the-orion-nebula   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.

The "Standard Model" of particle physics is science's attempt to explain the basic, fundamental building blocks of the universe. In many ways, the Standard Model has accurately predicted many groundbreaking discoveries at the subatomic levels. But for everything the Standard Model has predicted and described, there are a great many things for which it cannot account. Never in a million years could anyone look at the intricacies of the atom and think that from this tiny Lego-block-like structure things like giant sequoia redwoods, or blue whales, or even enormous variegated swirling arms of stars in galaxies would come about! And the mysteries just continue to deepen! Last October, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope discovered a plethora of mysterious objects in the Orion Nebula, things for which there were really no classification schemes. Not stars, not planets, not asteroids, moons, comets, or brown dwarfs. What exactly was discovered, then? Haha! Think we would tell you before you listened to the episode? Come and see! (But if you must cheat and find out before you listen, well, ok. You can click below to articles written by Wayne and Dan). Wayne's article on the subject. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2024/05/13/jumbos-in-orion/ Dan's article on the subject. https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/a-jumbo-discovery-in-the-orion-nebula   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.

Come and hear more on Saturn's rings and what scientists say about how they formed! Despite all science tells us about the sixth planet from the sun, the wondrously ringed world of Saturn, there is still much that remains unknown. And maybe we will never know all there is to know about it. And maybe that unknown is part of what the glory of God is all about, after all He is omniscient and we are not! But God has graciously enabled us to look at what He has made in the heavens in a very up-close and personal way. Saturn and its majestic rings certainly affirm what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians, "Star differs from star in glory" (in Scripture any light in the sky was considered a "star"). So come and enjoy more of Saturn's wonders and mysteries and how they point us to the glory of God in Christ.   Clip from ABC News clip from August 1981 interview with Dr. Carl Sagan https://youtu.be/KEYJoTSnolY?si=ekTssEAB03PWduPq September 2017 Cassini Press Conference Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/gs-dscW95PE?si=w6PTY6onccQIQ3Xa Link to "The Journal of Creation" December 2023 issue, featuring Wayne's article on Saturn's rings. The article is presently through subscription to the Journal only. https://creation.com/journal-of-creation-373 Dan's article on the hexagon high atop Saturn. https://open.substack.com/pub/thestoryofthecosmos/p/saturns-hexagonal-hurricane Watchman Fellowship's four-page Profile articles on Naturalism, Scientism, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV series. https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/files/ProfileCosmos.pdf     Image from NASA/JPL, Cassini Mission   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.

Wayne made up "eclipsnic" to describe our combination picnic and eclipse we watched with not a little awe and wonder in Waxahachie, Texas on April 8, 2024. On this special episode we try to put into words what words cannot finally adequately describe. The event was truly wondrous - a carefully choreographed dance of the Sun, Moon, and Earth has to be experienced in person. If you did not get a chance to see this marvel, we try to give you a theater of the mind experience on this broadcast and make you feel like you were right there with us. From cloudy, inauspicious skies, to a frosted chocolate donut, getting air in Dan's tires, to the sun playing hide-and-seek with us for most of the morning, we bring you along with us on this once-in-a-lifetime event in the heavens.  And of course, we contemplate how it all points to the glory of God in Christ. So come and see! For a complete list of future total eclipses visit Nationaleclipse.com and start planning your trip! Audio from FOX 4 in Dallas - https://youtu.be/61FZMurmE1c?si=antS2ZO4zD_vhLzn   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.

  News clip from CBS https://youtu.be/ZSMiQQ7aQKI?si=2KKoL2ECu8YOgOln Link to "The Journal of Creation" December 2023 issue, featuring Wayne's article on Saturn's rings. The article is presently through subscription to the Journal only. https://creation.com/journal-of-creation-373 Dan's article on the hexagon high atop Saturn. https://open.substack.com/pub/thestoryofthecosmos/p/saturns-hexagonal-hurricane?r=29oa8g&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true Watchman Fellowship's four-page Profile articles on Naturalism, Scientism, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV series. https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/files/ProfileCosmos.pdf For over 400 years now, ever since Galileo lifted up his little spyglass toward the enigmatic ringed planet Saturn, we have been fascinated, and not a little stumped, by the sixth planet from the sun's mysteries. Even with the latest advanced technologies, astronomers are still somewhat in the dark about how Saturn's rings came to be.  See how evidence from the NASA Cassini mission shows Saturn's rings cannot be billions of years old! On the next two episodes of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan discuss many of the marvelous wonders of our billion-mile distant planetary neighbor. Come and see! Images of from NASA, STScI, and JWST. 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.

Total eclipses are a spectacular and breathtaking wonder to behold. And a total eclipse is coming over the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as well as parts of the eastern United States on April 8th, 2024. Totality in the DFW area will last a little over four minutes.  If you are in the vicinity of DFW, come join Wayne and Dan in Waxahachie, Texas on April 8th, 2024 for the Discovery Institute event. You can find tickets here at this link. https://www.discovery.org/e/eclipse/ Waxahachie, Texas will be nearly in the center of the moon's shadow as it passes over. There will not be another total eclipse over the continental United States for another twenty years. So if you can, get yourself to a spot where you can see this once-in-a-lifetime wonder of the heavens on April 8th. You can check out this comprehensive eclipse event website, complete with easy-to-read maps of where you can view it. https://nationaleclipse.com/index.html On this episode of Good Heavens! we had the privilege of talking with Discovery Institute astronomer Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez about his experiences in seeing total eclipses and a little bit about the science behind them and how he thinks they reveal the glory of God. Guillermo's article on Salvo. https://salvomag.com/article/salvo68/signs-in-the-sky Guillermo and Jay W. Richard's 2004 book, The Privileged Planet. https://www.discovery.org/store/product/privileged-planet/ Four-page Profile articles on Naturalism, Scientism, and Carl Sagan's Cosmos TV series. https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/files/ProfileCosmos.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.

Stereo repost.  Current models of how our universe came to be are based on a few assumptions the brilliant physicist-genius Albert Einstein made about the universe - things he could not finally physically test or demonstrate.  In order to do his calculations, Einstein simply assumed that matter would be evenly distributed throughout the universe and that the universe would look the same in any direction or location.  If Einstein's assumptions are indeed correct, astrophysicists and cosmologists calculate that the largest structures we should expect to see in the universe would not exceed 1.2 billion light years in size.  But discoveries in recent decades have posed a significant challenge to Einstein's idea of homogeneity and isotropy, with several structures far and away exceeding the the 1.2 billion-light-year limit.  Are these cosmic superstructures for real or just  anomalies? Come and see! Links: Press conference with Alexia Lopez, a PhD student at the University of Lancashire in the UK who has recently discovered two such structures. https://www.youtube.com/live/86Ps7vE6JHI?feature=shared Wayne's updated article on things too big for the Big Bang. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2017/11/15/structures-too-big-for-the-big-bang/ Dan further ponders the theological implications in his blog about things too big for the Big Bang. https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/are-there-things-just-too-big-for Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. For more information on apologetics, cults, world religions, and other non-Christian ideologies and spiritual practices, visit our website at http://www.watchman.org Check out Watchman's main podcast, Apologetics Profile.  https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jwalker55293 Original Too Big for the Big Bang Good Heavens! episode from 2017. Please excuse Dan's rather juvenile introduction on this one! https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/good-heavens-are-there-things-too-big-for-the-big-bang/   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.

How often do you think of the Roman Empire? If you are a believer in Jesus, you probably think about it quite a bit! But how often do you think about the Parthian Empire?  And what do the Romans and the Parthians have to do with cosmic superstructures?  Well, we aren't giving the answer to that question away here in the notes! You'll just have to listen to the broadcast and find out!  Are these cosmic superstructures for real or just anomalies? We hope you'll start thinking about them, anyway! So come and see! Links: Press conference with Alexia Lopez, a PhD student at the University of Lancashire in the UK who has recently discovered two such structures. https://www.youtube.com/live/86Ps7vE6JHI?feature=shared Wayne's updated article on things too big for the Big Bang. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2017/11/15/structures-too-big-for-the-big-bang/ Dan further ponders the theological implications in his blog about things too big for the Big Bang. https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/are-there-things-just-too-big-for Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. For more information on apologetics, cults, world religions, and other non-Christian ideologies and spiritual practices, visit our website at http://www.watchman.org Check out Watchman's main podcast, Apologetics Profile.  https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jwalker55293 Original Too Big for the Big Bang Good Heavens! episode from 2017. Please excuse Dan's rather juvenile introduction on this one! https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/good-heavens-are-there-things-too-big-for-the-big-bang/   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.

Current models of how our universe came to be are based on a few assumptions the brilliant physicist-genius Albert Einstein made about the universe - things he could not finally physically test or demonstrate.  In order to do his calculations, Einstein simply assumed that matter would be evenly distributed throughout the universe and that the universe would look the same in any direction or location.  If Einstein's assumptions are indeed correct, astrophysicists and cosmologists calculate that the largest structures we should expect to see in the universe would not exceed 1.2 billion light years in size.  But discoveries in recent decades have posed a significant challenge to Einstein's idea of homogeneity and isotropy, with several structures far and away exceeding the the 1.2 billion-light-year limit.  Are these cosmic superstructures for real or just  anomalies? Come and see! Links: Press conference with Alexia Lopez, a PhD student at the University of Lancashire in the UK who has recently discovered two such structures. https://www.youtube.com/live/86Ps7vE6JHI?feature=shared Wayne's updated article on things too big for the Big Bang. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2017/11/15/structures-too-big-for-the-big-bang/ Dan further ponders the theological implications in his blog about things too big for the Big Bang. https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/are-there-things-just-too-big-for Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. For more information on apologetics, cults, world religions, and other non-Christian ideologies and spiritual practices, visit our website at http://www.watchman.org Check out Watchman's main podcast, Apologetics Profile.  https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jwalker55293 Original Too Big for the Big Bang Good Heavens! episode from 2017. Please excuse Dan's rather juvenile introduction on this one! https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/good-heavens-are-there-things-too-big-for-the-big-bang/   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.  

"What are the chances of that happening?" we often say or hear whenever something remarkable or out of the ordinary takes place. When we use that phrase, we are invoking the design inference, even though we may not exactly call it that. Our guest again this week, philosopher, mathematician and senior fellow at Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture Dr. William Dembski shares with us how his more formalized design inference is indeed rooted in simple, everyday inferences we all make. But he also how it fits into the laws of probability, information theory, and specified complexity as well, making it a rigorous formal argument applicable for intuiting design in the physical cosmos and biology. We further discuss the new second edition of his 1998 landmark book The Design Inference. A noted mathematician and philosopher, William A. Dembski is a Founding and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture and a Distinguished Fellow with the Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. His most recent books relating to intelligent design include Being as Communion: A Metaphysics of Information (2014), Evolutionary Informatics (2017, co-authored with Robert Marks and Winston Ewert), and the second edition of The Design Inference (2023, co-authored with Winston Ewert).   Bill's Personal Website - https://billdembski.com/ Book: Second Edition of https://www.discovery.org/store/product/the-design-inference/ Free Four-Page Profiles from Watchman Fellowship! https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/atheismprofile.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.

For centuries, Western natural philosophy, theology, the scientific tradition widely accepted that the physical cosmos and life within it was the creation of God. Arguably one of the most influential works which usurped the belief in God as the Creator was Charles Darwin's 1859 publication On the Origin of Species. It undoubtedly provided many with the intellectual framework for atheism, naturalism, and materialism. But in the late 20th and early 21st century, the concept of intelligent design has made a cultural comeback. This week and next we sit down with Dr. William Dembski, one of the leading founders and proponents of the Intelligent Design movement, to discuss his new second edition of his landmark 1998 book, The Design Inference.  A noted mathematician and philosopher, William A. Dembski is a Founding and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture and a Distinguished Fellow with the Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. His most recent books relating to intelligent design include Being as Communion: A Metaphysics of Information (2014), Evolutionary Informatics (2017, co-authored with Robert Marks and Winston Ewert), and the second edition of The Design Inference (2023, co-authored with Winston Ewert). Bill's Personal Website - https://billdembski.com/ Book: Second Edition of https://www.discovery.org/store/product/the-design-inference/ Free Four-Page Profiles from Watchman Fellowship! https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/atheismprofile.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.

Telescopes certainly have opened our eyes to the wonders of the heavens. For Christians images from the deepest regions of the universe only serve to confirm what David in the 19th Psalm declares. The heavens are telling of the glory of God and the skies proclaim His handiwork. But the big institutional astronomical organizations that design and build modern sophisticated telescopes seemed to have lost this particular focus. While the lenses and mirrors reveal the wonders of the cosmos in vivid details, many ironically can no longer see how it all connects to the glory of God.  Here on part two Wayne and Dan chat about some of the bigger telescope discoveries and the implications of having your lenses and mirrors out of whack. So come and refocus with us! Soli Deo Gloria! Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc., Arlington, Texas. For more information about our ministry, visit Watchman.org. Books mentioned in these episodes. Ideas and conclusions in these books do not necessarily reflect the views of Watchman Fellowship or Good Heavens!   Tycho & Kepler https://kitty-ferguson.com/tycho-and-kepler/  The History of the Telescope https://www.abebooks.com/9780486432656/History-Telescope-Dover-Books-Astronomy-0486432653/plp  The Stars: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Cosmos  by Dorling Kindersley https://www.amazon.com/Stars-Definitive-Visual-Guide-Cosmos/dp/1465453407/ Wayne and Dan's co-authored book The Story of the Cosmos https://thestoryofthecosmos.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/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.  

The telescope has revolutionized the way we understand the universe. But in the four centuries since its invention, it seems astronomy science today has lost the original focus of those Christians who first laid eyes on the heavens through their spyglasses.  On the next two episodes of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan take a peek back on some of the highlights and discoveries of the earliest telescopes. Here on part one we chat about who really invented the telescope, what the basic kinds of telescopes are today, and what sort of discoveries had been made with this revolutionary new device.  Come and See!  Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc., Arlington, Texas. For more information about our ministry, visit Watchman.org.  Books mentioned in these episodes. Ideas and conclusions in these books do not necessarily reflect the views of Watchman Fellowship or Good Heavens!  Tycho & Kepler https://kitty-ferguson.com/tycho-and-kepler/  The History of the Telescope https://www.abebooks.com/9780486432656/History-Telescope-Dover-Books-Astronomy-0486432653/plp  The Stars: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Cosmos  by Dorling Kindersley https://www.amazon.com/Stars-Definitive-Visual-Guide-Cosmos/dp/1465453407/ Wayne and Dan's co-authored book The Story of the Cosmos https://thestoryofthecosmos.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/daniel. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

While Wayne and Dan are certainly no professional cosmologists, they believe that scientists who study the universe need a bigger conceptual boat. There are "monsters" out there in the deep that don't seem to fit the current Big Bang dingy models of how the universe came into existence and slowly developed over 13.8 billion years.  One astrophysicist has suggested the universe is more like 26 billion years old. Others believe there is no need to change the current age. What is the average person walking down the street to think of all this?  As we learned last week, there was that curious star named Methuselah which seems to be older than the universe itself. But how could that be? One thing Methuselah tells us is that the ways in which astronomers and cosmologists measure the age and distance of objects in the universe is somewhat elastic and subjective. And now, with new images coming down from the James Webb Space Telescope, it seems that the problems with measurements in the sciences of the heavens are once again coming into focus. Just how old is everything? Does anyone really know? Are explanations for how the universe came to be about to be overturned?  Come and see! Dan's article on Naturalism https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf Article by Luke Barnes and Daniel Ray on Scientism https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf Is the universe 13.8 or 26.7 Billion Years old? An article from the cosmologist who believes the universe is over 26 billion years old Wayne's article on the James Webb Space Telescope (with pictures) https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2022/08/25/images-from-the-james-webb-space-telescope/   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.

If you are anywhere in the vicinity of Wayne and Dan's generation, you probably have at least heard of the band Chicago. They have a few catchy tunes with some interesting titles, like 25 or 6 to 4 and Does Anyone Really Know What Time It Is? What do these songs have anything to do with the universe? Plenty! If Chicago were writing new songs today, they might do a remake of 25 or 6 to 4 and call it 26 or 13 Point 8. Turns out the age of the universe is up for discussion once again, raised by images of deep-space objects taken by the James Webb Space Telescope and a study published recently suggesting that the universe is some 26 billion years old, almost double the current age of 13.8 billion years. As Chicago sings in in 25 or 6 to 4, "Dancing lights against the sky...Staring blindly into space...Wondering how much I can take...Searching for something to say..." So as you're walking down the street one day, and someone comes up to you and asks you what the age of the universe is, you can ask them "Does anybody really know how old it is?" then share our podcast with them! That would be a timeless courtesy Wayne and Dan would both greatly appreciate! So if you don't know where you are, can't see past the next step, or have no time to look around and are being pushed and shoved by people, come and take a break with Wayne and Dan as they help give you the big picture of what it all means, all for the glory of God in Christ (1 Cor. 10:31). Dan's article on Naturalism https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf Article by Luke Barnes and Daniel Ray on Scientism https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf  Is the universe 13.8 or 26.7 Billion Years old? https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/universe-13-8-or-26-7-billion-years/ Wayne's article on the James Webb Space Telescope (with pictures) https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2022/08/25/images-from-the-james-webb-space-telescope/   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.