Review: Who's Afraid of the Multiverse by Jeff Zweerink

As a Christian who is deeply interested in the sciences and what they bring to the table for defending the existence of God (and the truth of the Christian worldview, specifically), I have often encountered the idea that multiple worlds may exist, which seems to explain away the beginning of the universe and its designed features. When I heard that astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink (Apologetics 315 Interview) wrote an introduction booklet addressing that very challenge, it caught my attention. Who's Afraid of the Multiverse? (Video) provides an introduction to the concept of the multiverse and what its implication is for arguments for God's existence. It is a short read at only 53 pages.

The Multiverse Landscape
Zweerink spends the first half of the book setting stage for why discussions of a "multiverse" is even necessary and explaining what scientists mean by the term. Various observations of the universe have led scientists to believe that the universe experienced a period of expansion speeds exceeding the speed of light. Though the evidence is strong that this took place, exactly how and what caused it to begin and end are currently under investigation. One of the types of multiverse is a necessary implications of the fact of inflation, and one of the others types is a necessary implication of a particular model for the possible mechanism of inflation. Each progressive type becomes more speculative and enjoys less scientific evidence than the previous one.

Sunday Quote: Frank Tipler on Cosmology

"When I began my career as a cosmologist some twenty years ago, I was a convinced atheist. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that one day I would be writing a book purporting to show that the central claims of Judeo-Christian theology are in fact true, that these claims are straightforward deductions of the laws of physics as we now understand them. I have been forced into these conclusions by the inexorable logic of my own special branch of physics."

- Frank Tipler

(The Physics of Immortality, Doubleday, New York, 1994, Preface)

William Lane Craig vs. Sean Carroll: The Existence of God in Light of Contemporary Cosmology

Enjoy this video by Tactical Faith. Christian philosopher William Lane Craig debates theoretical physicist Sean Carroll on the topic of The Existence of God in Light of Contemporary Cosmology. This event was part of the Greer-Heard Forum. Direct youtube video here. Enjoy.

Review: Why the Universe Is the Way It Is by Hugh Ross

Why The Universe Is The Way It Is, written by astronomer Dr. Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe) published a book a few years ago that attempts to address several common questions that he receives from atheists and Christians when he presents his case for the existence of God. The book is 240 pages, divided into twelve chapters, five appendices, and an index. Dr. Ross recorded a podcast describing the material of each chapter. A link will be provided at the end of each chapter's summary of this review.

Chapter 1: Why Ask Questions?
Dr. Ross begins this book by exploring the reasons that people ask "why" questions. He makes the distinction between "how" questions and "why" questions- the first being a curiosity of function and the second being a curiosity of purpose and meaning. He discusses his early childhood curiosity about the function of the cosmos that led him to test the accuracy of the world's religious texts. His investigation caused him to conclude that the Bible was inspired by God, which led him to be able to answer his questions of meaning and purpose. Dr. Ross then provides a quick outline of the rest of the book and how it will use science to help the reader discover answers to often-asked "why" questions.
Why Ask Why?

Why is the Universe Fine-Tuned for Life? Video by Guillermo Gonzales

In this video, from the On Guard Apologetics Conference, Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez talks about recent discoveries in science showing that the universe is fine-tuned for the existence of intelligent life. His talk is followed by a period of Q&A from the audience. A great overview of fine-tuning. Watch the video on YouTube, or download the MP3 audio here. Enjoy.

Interview Transcript: Hugh Ross

The following transcript is from an Apologetics 315 interview with Hugh Ross. Original audio here. If you enjoy transcripts, please consider supporting, which makes this possible.

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BA: Hello, this is Brian Auten of Apologetics 3:15. Today I am speaking with astrophysicist Hugh Ross, president and founder of Reasons to Believe, a science/faith think tank based in Southern California. Hugh is author of a number of books, including The Fingerprints of God, The Creator and the Cosmos, Beyond the Cosmos, The Genesis Question, A Matter of Days, Creation as Science, Why the Universe is the Way It Is, and More Than a Theory. The purpose of our interview today is to explore the relationship between faith and science, examine Reasons to Believe's creation model, talk a bit about the Old Earth and Young Earth debate and ask his advice for apologists today.

Right, well thanks for joining me today Hugh, and thanks so much for all the resources that you provide over at Reasons to Believe.

HR: Hello, you're very welcome.

William Lane Craig & Kari Enqvist Debate: Can the Universe Exist Without God?

In this audio, Christian philosopher William Lane Craig debates cosmologist Kari Enqvist at the University of Helsinki, Finland on the topic: Can the Universe Exist Without God? Video of this debate can be found at Reasonable Faith here. This debate took place on April 16, 2012.

Full Debate MP3 Audio here (1hr 37min)

Enjoy.

Want to hear every audio debate by William Lane Craig?
Check out the audio debate feed here.

Debate: Hugh Ross vs. Lewis Wolpert: Is there Evidence for a Cosmic Creator?

Recorded at Imperial College London, Christian astrophysicist Hugh Ross of Reasons To Believe debates atheist biologist Lewis Wolpert on the topic: Is There Evidence for a Cosmic Creator? Ross brings evidence for God from Big Bang cosmology, explaining why scientific advance provides a testable model of Biblical Creation. Wolpert says that belief in God is a by-product of evolution and nothing more. The debate was hosted by Imperial College Christian Union. A debate review by ApologeticsUK is here.

Full Debate MP3 Audio here. (1hr 42min)

Enjoy.

Philosopher Interview: Robin Collins

Today's interview is with Robin Collins, professor of philosophy at Messiah College. His training is in physics and in philosophy and he is a leading advocate for using the fine-tuning of the universe as a design argument for theism. He talks about his background and training, the fine-tuning argument, the different types of fine-tuning with examples and illustrations (laws, constants and initial conditions), two different ways of presenting the fine-tuning argument, answering common objections to the argument, the uniqueness of life, variations of the multiverse hypothesis, the failure of multiverse theory to explain away fine-tuning, objections to Victor Stenger, upcoming books, simplifying the fine-tuning argument for practical use, common mistakes when presenting the argument, the most common objection (who designed God?), and more.

Full Interview MP3 Audio here (82 min)

Closer to Truth videos with Robin Collins here.

Enjoy.
Subscribe to the Apologetics 315 Interviews podcast here or in iTunes.

Did God Create the Universe? MP3 by Hugh Ross

In this audio file available, at the great CS Lewis Institute website, Hugh Ross (Reasons to Believe) speaks on the subject: Did God Create the Universe?: Why a Personal God Must be Responsible for The Grand Design of the Universe. Ross surveys current scientific evidence to show how it points to the design of the universe by a personal God.

Full MP3 Audio here (68 min).
Download page here. Lecture page here.

Hugh Ross's books include:
• Why the Universe Is the Way It Is
• More Than a Theory: Revealing a Testable Model for Creation
• A Matter of Days: Resolving a Creation Controversy
• Genesis One: A Scientific Perspective

Enjoy.

Sunday Quote: Alexander Vilenkin on Cosmic Beginnings

"It is said that an argument is what convinces reasonable men and a proof is what it takes to convince even an unreasonable man. With the proof now in place, cosmologists can no longer hide behind the possibility of a past-eternal universe. There is no escape: they have to face the problem of a cosmic beginning."

- Alexander Vilenkin

Many Worlds in One (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), 176.

Fine-Tuning of the Universe MP3 Audios by Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards

Here are a couple of great talks from Veritas.org, featuring Privileged Planet authors (book / DVD) Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards

The Fine-Tuning of the Universe (Guillermo Gonzalez and Jay Richards)
MP3 Part 1 Talk | MP3 Part 2 Q&A

Our Privileged Planet (Guillermo Gonzalez)
MP3 Part 1 Talk | MP3 Part 2 Q&A (audio quality poor)

Enjoy.

What was last year's post? See here.

Is the Universe Designed? William Lane Craig MP3 Audio

William Lane Craig presents a talk at Asbury Theological Seminary entitled: Is the Universe Designed?

Full MP3 Audio here. (40min)

Enjoy.

Beyond the Big Bang - William Lane Craig MP3 Audio

Dr. William Lane Craig discusses Big Bang cosmology and its implications. This lecture is here.



The transcript and outline can be found here. This lecture is just a small sample of the great resources available at the European Leadership Forum.

Enjoy.