It is regrettable that the inquiry into the fundamental question of origins has degenerated to such an emotional level. Attitudes must be improved, and efforts now devoted to name-calling should be redirected towards good scholarship. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 2.
A period of unusual cold in the Northern Hemisphere extended from about 1450 to around 1850, known as the Little Ice Age. The causes are not well understood, but could have included variation in solar output and/or volcanic activity. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 2.
Some rocks show magnetic properties that align with the present geomagnetic field, while others show a reverse alignment. This is taken to indicate that the earth's geomagnetic field has reversed many times during earth history. Patterns of magnetic alignment have been used to correlate geologic layers and to support the concept of plate tectonics. Much remains to be understood concerning the causes and rates of magnetic reversals. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 2.
Mount St. Helens, the once beautiful mountain with a blue forest-ringed lake at its feet, is now a shattered remnant of its former self and the lake is stark and foreboding. But this loss is partially compensated by the information this volcano is giving us, not least of which is a glimpse of what could have happened to many trees during the Genesis flood. Continuing research will undoubtedly enlarge and refine this picture. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 1.
This paper introduces the basics of magnetism, the magnetic field of the earth and how the rocks can record the ancient magnetic field of the earth. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 1.
A review of the book, Christianity and the Age of the Earth. The book presents a biased viewpoint against recent creation, but does point out some serious challenges that confront recent creationists. Published in Origins v 10, n. 1.
El Niño is an interannual catastrophic event caused by massive amounts of warm water flowing in from the mid-Pacific instead of the more normal northerly warm current. These events have a 6-8 year cycle, Published in Origins v 10, n. 1.
I hope to illustrate how an approach that attends to the culture, history, philosophy and religion of the Bible's time and place can enhance our understanding of its message.
Bird and mammal footprints are most common in the same stratigraphic intervals where their body fossils are common. However, reptile and amphibian tracks are more common in stratigraphic layers lower than their body fossils. Published in Origins v. 9, n. 2.
The cause of the 1908 Tunguska explosion in Russia remains somewhat mysterious. The most probable explanation is that a small comet exploded in the air and produced a blast wave that uprooted thousands of trees and killed many reindeer. Published in Origins v. 9, n. 2.
The word "parallel," though difficult to replace, may be inappropriate and quite inadequate to take account of the complex relationships that exist between biblical and extrabiblical literary tradition. It is the purpose of this essay to address that problem with specific reference to the Adapa myth.
Creationism can be structured as a biblically-based religious doctrine, or as a method for exploring the world that is open to the possibility of creation. It would be inappropriate for religious creationism to be taught in public schools, but a scientific approach that considers the possibility of a creator need not be excluded. Published in Origins v. 8, n. 2.
The way we perceive God, the way we look at the world around us, and the way we understand our own selves all have their roots in the opening verse of Scripture: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Does the word "earth" refer a) to the physical material of the earth; b) to the planet earth as a part of our solar system; c) to our earth in the sense of the land upon which life can exist? We will address this question very briefly by reviewing four problems. Published in Origins v. 8, n. 1.
Creationists who want to use the scientific method need to develop and test theories based on creation, and not to be satisfied merely to show that some phenomenon is designed. Published in Origins v. 7, n. 1.
I maintain that there is no biblical basis for any date in the B. C. scale for a biblical event preceding the birth of Abraham.
A review of the book, The Structure of Geology. Geology differs from sciences such as physics because it is largely "retrodictive", inductive, and historical. Published in Origins v. 6, n. 2.
The effects of glaciers are well-dccumented in modern and Pleistocene sediments. Some Precambrian and Paleozoic sediments show some features similar to those of modern glaciation, but there is some controversy over whether the features are the result of glaciers, submarine landslides, lahars, turbidity currents, etc. Published in Origins v. 6, n. 1.
The Documentary hypothesis and the so-called Tatbericht-Wortbericht theory have been the two main starting points of any relevant scholarly study of this text. Recently, under the influence of contemporary literary studies, attention has been drawn to the validity of the synchronic approach, and more and more scholars have thus become aware of the importance of the literary structure of this text.
With the discovery in the early 1870's of the Babylonian flood account, which was recognized to be closely related to the flood story in Genesis, there was opened a new chapter of comparative studies relating the various aspects of the book of Genesis to materials uncovered from ancient Near Eastern civilizations.
