Recently in Daily Thoughts Category

Though originally scheduled to take place today, volunteers gathered yesterday on college campuses across the United States to distribute free copies of Darwin's seminal work On the Origin of Species. The volumes included one extra item not found in the original book: an introduction by creationist Ray Comfort, which offers arguments against the theory of evolution. Among his challenges are the common ad hominem attacks against Darwin: accusing him of being a racist and sexist; assertions that Darwin's theory is directly responsible for eugenics, euthanasia, infanticide, and Hitler's philosophy; claims about the lack of transitional fossils; claims that DNA and other complex biological structures could not possibly have emerged via evolution; and even the claim that evolution violates the Second Law of Thermodynamics. He also implies that one must reject evolution to be a good Christian.

The National Center for Science Education has already created their own online resource -- The Don't Diss Darwin Institute -- to counter the arguments used by Comfort in the introduction. The site offers a detailed analysis of Comfort's introduction along with explanations for why his challenges don't stand up. They also provide a printable pamphlet and bookmark to help "correct" Comfort's materials. The NCSE are not the only ones tackling Comfort's "edited" Origins, however. Christian and evolutionary biologist Ken Miller has also released a pamphlet addressing the preface that was included in the distributed copies.

Though we see no need to compile a pamphlet of our own, the BioLogos Web site and Science and the Sacred have already addressed many of Comfort's arguments against evolution:

• Karl Giberson's post "Who Cares About Darwin?" looks at why ad hominem attacks against Darwin do nothing to disprove the validity of his theory, and addresses the supposed "link" between Darwin and Hitler.
  
• Our question "How is BioLogos different from Darwinism or Social Darwinism?" explains why the scientific theory of evolution is not the same as Social Darwinism -- a gross misapplication of the theory. The two do not go hand-in-hand.
• Our question "What Does the Fossil Record Show?" gives several examples of transitional fossils, dismissing the idea that no transitional fossils have been found.
• Our question "How can Evolution Account for the Complexity of Life on Earth Today?" and our series of blogs "On Reducing Irreducible Complexity" show why many so called examples of "irreducible complexity" can be explained via evolution, and why the idea of irreducible complexity is philosophically unsound.
• Our question "Does Thermodynamics Disprove Evolution?" address this commonly used but scientifically flawed challenge to evolution.
• Finally, our Questions section, as well as many of our suggested books, challenge the myth that one must choose between Christianity and evolution.

Ultimately, despite its unique pairing alongside Darwin's work, Comfort's new preface adds nothing new to the dialogue on creation and evolution.  Comfort would have us believe that science and faith don't mix.  For a different perspective, have a look at the upcoming statement generated by the participants at the recent BioLogos workshop.  
 

(Image courtesy of Wired.com)

How many times have you heard someone ask the question: "Have scientists ever actually observed the formation of a new species?" Our standard answer is that speciation is an event that occurs over thousands of years, one would not expect to be able to observe it. However, a fascinating paper in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) appeared this past Monday written by Peter and Rosemary Grant -- a husband-and-wife research team who have spent the last 36 years studying Darwin finches on the Galapogos Islands. Never in the history of biology has a single set of scientists so thoroughly studied a group of organisms in their natural environment, following them through the span of multiple decades. The work, outlined in a book we highly recommend, The Beak of the Finch by Jonathan Weiner, has been a masterpiece--science at its very finest. So thorough is their analysis that in this PNAS article they are able to actually demonstrate the key events in the formation of a new species as it occurred before their very eyes. A single species has diverged to become, in essence, two species--they are no longer inter-mating. One would have to follow the organisms for a longer time to see if they become firmly established as two distinct species, but the important point is that as we approach the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species next Tuesday, careful analysis has showed that it is actually possible to observe the key events of speciation. And the events associated with it happened in less than one human lifespan!

The findings describe the mini-evolutionary saga that took place on their island of Daphne Major in the Galapagos chain. The Darwin finches of the Galapagos islands (technically from a family called "tanagers") first provided Darwin with a clear picture of evolutionary divergence, as birds from each island have adapted unique traits to meet the unique conditions of their respective islands. The new species observed by the Grants can be traced back to a medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) that arrived from a neighboring island in 1981. The bird was "unusually large, especially in beak width and sang an unusual song" (The Grants tape recorded the immigrants song!)

Despite being a newcomer, this ground finch was able to successfully mate with a female from the local island. Together, they produced five sons. However, because young Darwin finches learn their songs from their father, the offspring learned a new variation of the local bird call, a product of the song being mimicked through the voice of their foreign father, similar to a human singing a song in a language they do not know.

Despite this slightly different tune and their unusual size (which they also inherited from their father), this new generation was still able to find mates. However, the Grants theorized that within a few generations, this new lineage would become reproductively isolated from the local population. Sure enough, after four generations when a drought killed off all but a brother and sister of the new lineage, the remaining siblings mated. Their children began to do the same. After three generations of reproductive isolation, the Grants have declared that the birds are now in the "secondary stages" of species formation.

The ultimate future of the newly reproductively isolated group remains to be seen. Will they be out-competed for resources or will genetic problems from the variations in the patriarch and matriarch of the lineage become magnified over time? Perhaps, even, members of this new group will return to the island of their forefather and interbreed with them, leading to even more genetic diversity.

At the very least, the saga of these finches shows that while rarely observed, speciation can occur quickly given the proper circumstances.

Imagine your neighbor told you that the moon, rather than being 240,000 miles, was merely a quarter mile -- a handful of city blocks -- away from the earth. Or imagine attending an event with 10,000,000 other people, only to be told by someone else that there were only 10 in attendance. Certainly, these extreme disagreements in number would seem laughable.

However, the argument over the age of the earth is broken into similarly extreme sides. While science agrees that the earth is five billion years old, proponents of young earth creationism argue that the earth is no older than 10,000 years. Furthermore, polls have shown that rather than a small group holding a counter-mainstream idea, as many as half of Americans agree with the idea of a young earth.

What is the source of such a vast discrepancy in the numbers? Could it simply be that half of all Americans are ignorant of modern science? Is poor science education to blame? Perhaps if science textbooks, television shows, museums, and national parks among other things failed to mention the age of the earth or offered arguments for both sides this might be so. However, the five-billion-year estimate of the earth's age appears prevalently in all of these sources.

Instead, the source of the disagreement comes not from an ignorance of science -- like not knowing why it is colder in the winter than the summer -- but from an unwillingness to accept the findings of modern science when it appears to conflict with the Bible. While BioLogos believes education can help address the differences in opinion, merely teaching the facts of science is not enough. Rather, young Christian students must be taught that there is no need to choose between the findings of science and one's faith. The two can and do exist in harmony.

Real Science. Real Faith. - Click here for more amazing videos

Does science lead to a loss of faith in God or can a real scientist have real faith? The above video looks at the examples of several renowned scientists who made important scientific contributions and still continued to hold strong to their faith, including Nicolaus Copernicus, Isaac Newton, Johannes Kepler, Gregor Mendel, Galileo Galilei, Michael Faraday, and George Washington Carver. It also includes some excellent quotes on science and faith from these famous scientists

Ultimately, the video concludes that "modern science as we know it today was founded and has flourished within a Christian worldview. The claim that Christianity is an enemy to science is a mistake or a lie." Rather than an enemy of faith, science can be used for both the benefit on mankind and the glory of God.

A new report from the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life takes a look at what it calls the seemingly "paradoxical" relationship between science and religion. According to the report, many surveys show that Americans respect science...

When I consider your heavens,        the work of your fingers,        the moon and the stars,        which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him,        the son of man that...

"God does not call us to a life of studying science -- he calls us to a life of following in Christ's footsteps. Hence we must be patient with each other to follow truth as we see it in Scripture....

For some of us, the shortening daylight hours and colder weather means more time to curl up with a good book in the evenings. For those looking for new books to read during the fall and winter months, BioLogos offers...

"The Bible is not a book but a library, with various types of writing in it. There is much history, but there are also symbolic stories that convey truths so deep that only a story form could convey them. (That...

In his work Natural Theology, philosopher William Paley proposed his famous "watchmaker" argument for the existence to God. According to Paley, just as the intricate design of a watch implies a designer, so too the intricate design of the universe...

Many evangelicals do not seriously deal with evolution until their post-secondary education.  For some, coming face to face with the evidence for evolution can be a threatening and faith-shaking experience. For others, finding harmony between faith and evolution is natural...

The problem of imperfect design in nature raises serious concerns for the idea of God as the divine engineer, the metaphor put forward by those associated with the Intelligent Design movement. After all, if God designed each detail in...

To some, Darwin's theory of evolution has atheistic implications and seems like an attack against the divine power of God to create the universe. Certainly, Darwin's theory does offer a natural explanation for how highly complex systems in biology seem...

Twenty-one years and 40,000 generations later, an experiment looking at the evolution of a population of single-celled E. coli bacteria has finally reached its conclusion. The results "beautifully emphasize the succession of mutational events that allowed these organisms to climb...

"Our explorations have produced a vast archive of remarkable astronomical images... The riches are too many for choices, the revelations beautiful and dreadful. Who can look at these images and not be transformed? The heavens declare God's glory."-Chet Raymo,...

When many people hear the words "astronomy" and "the Vatican", they are reminded of the infamous trial of Galileo, who was forced to recant his championing of the Copernican model and the belief that the earth revolved around the...

In this video, Beau Lotto, founder of art studio and science lab Lottolabs, offers a fun look at optical illusions and how they reflect the evolution of our ability to see. Our vision, argues Lotto, does not show the...

"The picture I want of God's relationship with the world is one of continuing interaction, not occasional intervention; poking with the divine finger when things go wrong. I believe that God interacts with the world, but doesn't overrule the...

On Monday, Darrel Falk addressed the need to teach children both respect for the Bible and an understanding of science.  He called for concerned Christians to begin developing a curriculum that embraces the harmony of Christian faith and science. In...

We have all experienced, in one form or another, the beauty and awe of the natural world around us. Whether it be standing amongst a field of wildflowers, gazing down from atop a mountain, or pausing to listen to the...

The BioLogos position sits between two extremes: those who insist modern science is the only source of truth and knowledge on the left, and those who insist on an ultraliteral reading of the Bible as the only source of...

Just when it seemed that the Darwin biopic Creation, which hit theaters last weekend in the UK, would never see daylight in the United States, a distributor has stepped forward. Newmarket Films, the same company that distributed The Passion...

"The heavens speak of the Creator's glory and the sky proclaims God's handiwork."-Psalms 19:2"How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."-Psalms 104:24According to a traditional Jewish tale,...

The four chambered heart is essential to the existence of warm-blooded animals. The division of the heart into two atriums and two ventricles allows the heart to completely separate the flow of blood to the lungs and the rest of...

As we have often stated throughout both our website and this blog, the mission of the BioLogos Foundation is to promote the harmony of faith and modern science, such as the theory of evolution. Often, to help share this vision...

As we continue to study genomes, we find striking similarities between our human genome and those of other organisms. These similarities can lead to one of two conclusions: either humans share a common ancestor with other living things, or...

"Being religious means asking passionately the question of the meaning of our existence and being willing to receive answers, even if the answers hurt."-Paul Tillich, "Saturday Evening Post""God gave us a curiosity to understand his creation. I don't think...

That's the question of a documentary aired by BBC, which looks at the relationship between religion and evolution. Connor Cunningham, the documentary's host, is a firm believer in evolution as well as a Christian. The apparent clash between science...

In the early chapters of Genesis, we meet Adam and Eve, the original man and woman formed from the dust of the Earth, brought to life by the breath of God, and placed in a beautiful garden with a...

Alister McGrath, author of A Fine-Tuned Universe, was a "rottweiler sort" of atheist in his younger years. However, after attending university, McGrath discovered that God was more exciting that he initially thought, and became a Christian. As he began...

"If faith has meaning, it can't be off in one part of you. It has to be integrated. I think my faith adds to the experience of being a scientist in the way that discovering something has more meaning,...

Among the distinguishing features of the countless living creatures on our planet, size is certainly one of the most noticeable. Life on earth encompasses everything from microscopic one-celled bacteria to the gargantuan blue whale, the largest animal to have ever...

The discussion surrounding evolution is often marked by the loud voices of opposing sides. To some, evolution represents a challenge to morality and religion that must be fought head on. They agree with leading anti-evolutionist Henry Morris, who wrote that...

In his book No Free Lunch, William Dembski makes the case for intelligent design by arguing that the bacterial flagellum, thanks to its apparent irreducible and specified complexity, could never have been produced through evolution. To support his argument,...

"This new knowledge of the galaxies is exhilirating and terrifying, beautiful and dreadful... The Hubble Deep Field photo opens us to a cosmos of capacious grandeur -- a universe of 50 billion galaxies blowing like snowflakes in a cosmic storm......

"Do you believe in evolution?" It's a common question, asked in countless schools, churches, debates, and surveys. However, as Douglas Swartzendruber, professor of biology at Seaver College, notes in his essay "Scientific Knowledge and Belief in God", it's a question...

When describing God's role in creation, many use language and images that present God as a master designer, fashioning the universe by his hands. Certainly, when looking at the almost machine-like complexity of life, the idea of God as a...

The creation accounts of Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 seem to tell completely different stories. In Genesis 1, creation is presented in successive stages, with God showing his satisfaction with each result. While the creation of man is mentioned,...

Is evolution predictable? Many would argue that it is not. After all, the driving mechanisms of evolution -- natural selection, genetic mutation, genetic variation, mass extinctions, etc. -- seem to defy a linear, predictable path. Indeed, some cite the...

"What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"- Psalm 8:4, NIVAt times, the Earth can seem like a massive place. As we look at the wonders of living creatures, from...

The diagram above shows the complex process of the human blood-clotting cascade, which requires the interaction of at least a dozen different proteins to properly work. The system is so complex that intelligent design proponents argue that it cannot...

In this TED talk, Janine Benyus describes some of nature's most efficient and intriguing designs and how we can learn from them to better our own inventions through the process of biomimicry. As Benyus reminds us, humans are not...

Source: blakebill91 / Flickr / All Rights ReservedA common criticism of evolutionary theory is the apparent lack of transitional fossils throughout the fossil record. If evolution were true, argue opponents, why do we not find more fossils that "link"...

A few weeks ago, we did a post on vestigial organs -- organs that were once integral to our survival that we seem to have evolved beyond needing. Among the list were organs such as our appendix, our wisdom...

In 1995, the National Association of Biology Teachers published its "Statement on Teaching Evolution." The goal of the statement was to help address the controvery surrounding evolutionary theory in high school classrooms. However, rather than help alleviate the controversy,...

"But the discoveries that come streaming in from our telescopes are inspiring thoughtful people not to subsume science to faith or faith to science, but to seek an accomodation between the two. It is this quest that is winning...

Migration can often be a long and difficult journey for animals.  For the bar-headed goose, migration often entails flights over the highest mountains in the world: the Himalayas. Bar-headed geese have been observed flying at altitudes as high as...

In 1923, self-taught geologist and amateur scientist George McCready Price published his work The New Geology.  A vocal opponent of evolutionary theory and an advocate of young earth creationism, Price dedicated much of his book to bringing down the...

"You don't have a soul, Doctor. You are a soul. You have a body, temporarily."- Walter M. Miller, Jr.A Canticle for LeibowitzWhat exactly is a soul? Is it a physical entity? Can it be separated from the body? Many...

Source: mangtacio / Flickr / All Rights Reserved"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else." - C.S. LewisProfessor Alister McGrath begins...

In this TED lecture, Nina Jablonski -- scientist, primatologist, and author of Skin: A Natural History -- discusses the evolution of human skin color in response to varying levels of UV exposure in different geographical environments.  Inhabitants of equatorial...

Variation among a species plays an important part in their evolution. The appearance of beneficial physical traits through genetic mutation drives species to evolve over time, as the best suited traits are passed on to future generations. However, not...

Biologoist Ken Miller recalls first reading Darwin's famous work The Origin of the Species during the summer after high school.  Despite it's revolutionary ideas about biology, Miller found the book fascinating for a completely different reason:"The truth is during that...

Ever wanted to try your hand at establishing a viable evolutionary lineage?  If so, the Science Channel has the perfect opportunity.  The free game, "Who Wants to Live a Million Years?", allows players to help a species survive a...

"The God of my early religious training pulled off tricks that are not beyond the powers of any competent conjuror; Harry Houdini or David Copperfield could turn a stick into a serpent or water into wine without batting an...

Are wisdom teeth good for anything other than a trip to the dentist's office?  Why do we have an appendix anyway?  Why do we have a third eyelid?  Today, these body parts seem to serve no purpose.  But this...

The Darwin Festival in Cambridge, held from July 6 - July 10, marked the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of his publication of Origin of Species.  Though the event was not meant to be a...

For many evangelicals, the conflict between science and religion seems unavoidable.  After all, with a literalist interpretation, certain aspects of the Bible seem to clash with the facts of modern science.  Indeed, while embracing the harmony between science and...

Though an extremely important part of evolutionary theory, speciation has been notoriously difficult for scientists to observe in action.  However, a new study published in the August issue of the American Naturalist has found that a single genetic change...

What is the proper relationship between science and religion?  Why is the universe so seemingly ordered and comprehensible?  What can account for the suffering in the world?  Is the universe finite or infinite?These are just some of the questions...

The seas teem with countless beautiful and wonderful creatures, from the silvery schools of fish that dart through the waters and the mysterious jellyfish who float silently through the deep, to the forest of brightly colored coral that provide...

As our technology continues to increase and science continues to play an important part in our modern lives, the battle between science and religion seems to keep escalating.  On one side are those who claim that religion is merely...

Source: US Department of AgriculturePlants that have evolved to spread wildfire? The idea seems to go against what we'd consider "survival of the fittest". It's no mystery that areas prone to fire encourage evolutionary adaptations in native plants.  After...

Source: joguldi / Flickr / All Rights ReservedKenneth Miller, a biology professor at Brown University, tells a story of catching two students plagiarizing.  It seemed quite clear that the two students had submitted the same papers, but the two...

Source: BaylorBear78 / FlickrThe hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" assures us that as we look closer into the wonderful face of Jesus, the things of this earth "will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace." ...

"More appropriate, I should think, is the view that God created the universe out of an interest in spontaneous creativity... What would such a universe be like?  Well, it would for one thing be impossible to predict in detail. ...

Source: binux / Flickr / All Rights ReservedAs a boy, Sir John Lubbock helped none other than Charles Darwin, his next-door neighbor, to perform experiments.  As an adult, Sir John conducted biological experiments of his own.  In the 1870s,...

A recent survey conducted by the British Council and marketing research company Ipsos MORI looked at the reactions of 10,000 individuals from ten different countries to Darwin and his theory of evolution.  Among the questions the team asked were...

Many of us are familiar with the glow of fireflies that fills the air during the summer months.  However, those pulses are more than just a pretty light show.  They are the product of a complex pattern of natural...

As we continue to study the fossil record, we find a correlation between the age of rock layers and the types of organisms we expect to find.  There is a clear pattern of change in organisms throughout the fossil...

While this year marks the 400th anniversary of telescope astronomy, humanity has been drawn to gaze upon the vast expanses of the heavens long before we could see to the farthest reaches of our galaxy. For the writer of...

Source: Hubble Heriage Team/AURA/STScl/NASA and The Hand of God When we refer to the vastness of the cosmos, exactly how large of a space are we describing? The picture above shows the galaxy NGC 4214, located about 13 million...

  Source: AURA/NOAO/NSF and The Hand of God This week we have been looking at the beauty of the stars and galaxies of our vast universe, brought to us through the efforts of modern astronomy. However, while the vastness of...

Atlas Image courtesy of 2MASS/UMass/IPAC-Caltech/NASA/NSF.Christopher J. Corbally holds a doctorate in astronomy from the University of Toronto and is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and a member of the American Astronomical Society.  He is also a Jesuit...

The image above, provided by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, shows 30 Doradus, also known as the Tarantula Nebula.  The nebula is located about 166,000 light years away from us.  At its center (upper right in the picture) is a starburst...

"Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?Job 37:15-16Science has shown us that clouds are visible masses...

Has science forced God into the margins, or has it merely caused us to reconsider the "God question" in new ways?  Can faith survive the challenge of science, or even find harmony with it?  Test of Faith, an award...

While the fact that life on Earth has emerged and flourished is abundantly clear, the mechanisms behind the origin of life still evade scientists.  Where did the proteins and genetic information that have given rise to life originate?  Which...

Source: Oliver Pumfrey / Flickr / All Rights ReservedThe history of our universe has been a fruitful one indeed, one that has given rise to numerous complicated system and organisms.  What is more astonishing is the precisely tuned physical...

Source: National DNA Day / Flickr / All Rights ReservedWe have known for sometime that parents pass physical and behavioral traits through their genes to their children, but the exact physical explanation for why certain genes are chosen over...

God has provided us with two books: the book of God's Word and the book of God's works.  While we can learn much from studying God's Word, we must remember that we can also learn from God's works.  In...

While the process of evolution has taken billions of years to unfold, this video shows its basic principles can be explained in about two minutes.  In those two minutes, the video outlines the three basic mechanisms of evolution --...

"In a system, a process that occurs will tend to increase the total entropy of the universe."How, then, can evolution claim that the complexity of species is increasing?  Doesn't this movement towards order violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics?Such...

"Darwin's idea eats through just about every traditional concept, and leaves in its wake a revolutionized worldview,"  writes philosopher Daniel Dennett on the potentially faith-shattering power of evolution.  Athiests claims that accepting the theory of evolution destroys the idea that...

Source: san.stephens2 / Flickr / All Rights ReservedDescent from common ancestral species is a cardinal principal of biological evolution, but where do we find the evidence to support such a claim?  In his book Coming to Peace with Science, Darrel...

If we accept a scientific view of the world in which fixed physical laws hold true, how can we believe in miracles?  After all, miracles are a suspension or interruption of these laws by God.  For example, is there...

Source: Robert Runyon / Public DomainThe classic view of creation is that God crafted all life by hand exactly as it is today.  In such a view, God takes the role of a master artisan or director who assembled...

Source: National Institutes of HealthLooking for an example of how environment affects the evolution of a species?  Look no further than your own forearm.  A study by Dr. Julia A. Segre and her team from the National Human Genome Research Institute...

While many talk about a general conflict between religion and evolution, the truth is that the acceptance of the theory varies greatly among religions and even denominations.  The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey",...

Source: Mohammed Al-Naser / All Rights ReservedThis year marks the 400th anniversary of telescope astronomy, first begun by Galileo's observations of the night sky and the publication of his treatise Sidereus Nuncius in 1610.  Few realize, however, that Galileo's...

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have genetically engineered mice with the human version of FOXP2, a gene connected to the development of language.  The result?  The new mice developed more complex nerve...

As part of its "Big Questions" series, The Templeton Foundation asked some of the leading figures in science and religion whether evolution alone offers a suitable explanation for human nature.  Some -- like like Francis de Waal and Lynn...

In this TED Talk, science writer Margaret Wertheim discusses the mathematical patterns of coral reefs and her attempt to recreate them through the art of crochet.  By following a set algorithm, Margaret and her sister were able to recreate...

Despite its monumental reputation and importance in unifying the life-sciences by popularizing the theory of natural selection, On the Origin of Species rarely finds itself in many summer "to read" piles.  At over 500 pages, Darwin's famed book is...

Source: sualk61 / Flickr / All Rights ReservedHow did the modern domesticated house cat -- beloved pet and subject of countless art works, movies, and internet memes -- evolve from its more wild brethren?  The June issue of Scientific...

With the exciting announcement of the Darwinius massilae fossil this week, evolution has been a popular topic around the internet.  However, a lot of questions and misconceptions about evolution have also surfaced.  Is there any real "proof" for evolution? ...

Source: Celestial Photography / Flickr / All Rights ReservedWith science becoming increasingly more capable at explaining both us and our world, what place is left for religion?  After all, as many nonbelievers assert, doesn't the church continue to exist...

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."Romans 6:23The destructive power of sin is a painful and constant reminder of the Fall, the breaking of mankind's perfect...

Source: Public Library of Science journalCould the fossil above, revealed to the public today at a news conference, be the long sought after "missing link" for evolution that some news outlets are claiming?  In actuality, the idea of a missing...

The complexity of life extends even to the smallest of creatures, including bacteria.  In this TED lecture Bonnie Bassler, a molecular biologist from Princeton, discusses her discovery of quorum sensing -- the chemical mechanism by which all bacteria are...

Source: National DNA Day / Flickr / All Rights ReservedFor 20 years, the question of how nucleotides, the building blocks of both RNA and DNA, could have spontaneously formed during the beginning of our planet has beguiled researchers.  The problem...

The computer animation above shows the replication of DNA.  Despite their undeniable beauty, to some, such images can be a fearful thing.  After all, if life can be broken down to a series of chemicals, messengers, and physical laws,...

If St. Augustine of Hippo were alive today to read Darwin's On the Origin of Species, would he consider it the faith destroying work that many evangelical Christians accuse it of being?  In his article "Augustine's Origin of Species,"...

Source: yustoprst / Flickr / All Rights ReservedCan there be meaningful interaction between the realms of science and religion?  Many would argue that the two live in different worlds, and encompass completely different worldviews.In their book Questions of Truth,...

Source: sweetcaroline / Flickr / All Rights ReservedActs of altruism seem to pose a problem to the idea of a strict "survival of the fittest."  After all, how does a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save others...

Source: http://library.thinkquest.orgThe Galileo affair, depicted above in a painting by Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury, is a favorite example of how science and religion are destined to be in perpetual conflict.  According to the popular retelling, the trial pitted Galileo, the champion...

Source: National Cancer Institute"We can look high or we can look low in books or in journals, but the result is the same. The scientific literature has no answers to the question of the origin of the immune system."-Michael Behe,...

Copyright: Digitized Sky Survey (DSS2)The image above is of Barnard 72, known as the "Snake Nebula" because of the dark snake-like pattern it forms.  The shape comes from a concentration of dust and dark matter that blocks escaping visible...

"How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures." - Psalms 104:24Even in the depths of the ocean, the beauty and function of God's creation shines through.  Oceanographer...

Credit: NASA/CXC/SAO/P.Slane, et al."The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." - Psalm 19:1The "hand" shown above is created by energy emanating from the nebula around the dying star PSR B1509-58.  While...

In a recent interview with Christianity Today, available from the publication's website, Francis Collins discusses what he hopes the BioLogos Foundation can accomplish through its website and other projects."My hope would be that we are a hub of activity," says...

On April 28th, The BioLogos Foundation celebrated the launch of its new website (www.biologos.org) with an evening event held in Washington DC.  As described in Tuesday night's presentations, as well as yesterday's inaugural blog entry, the original inspiration for biologos.org...