***News Release***
Southern Evangelical Seminary Conference Speaker and Adjunct Professor Dr. Hugh Ross: God Wants Us to Test Genesis with Science
After He Investigated Holy Books from Other Religions, Ross Found That Only the Bible Invited Objective Testing
CHARLOTTE, N.C.—Last month, Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES) welcomed 80 speakers with diverse backgrounds to its 25th annual National Conference on Christian Apologetics (NCCA), and one expert in the science-faith realm made a bold claim.
Dr. Hugh Ross is a well-known astronomer and pastor who focuses his ministry on harnessing the power of science for evangelism. The adjunct faculty member at SES told the crowd at the recent conference that he was not raised in a Christian home, but when he began investigating holy books from other religions, he found that only the Bible invited objective testing. For example, in Malachi 3:10, God says, “Put me to the test and I’ll prove it to you,” or in the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Everything must be tested, and hold on to that which is good,” Ross noted in his talk.
In his book, “Navigating Genesis,” Ross shows how the opening chapters of Genesis hold some of the strongest scientific evidence for the Bible’s supernatural accuracy. The book expands upon Ross’ earlier work, “The Genesis Question,” integrating the message of both the Bible and science—without compromise—giving skeptics and believers common ground for dialogue.
“We can test Genesis with the latest science, basically making a point that the more we learn about science, the stronger case we get for the complete accuracy, reliability and inerrancy of the opening chapters of Genesis,” Ross said at SES. “(These opening chapters) are the primary reason for why skeptics reject the Bible as the Word of God. For example, how many times have you heard someone say, ‘Science contradicts Genesis’?
“What I’m discovering is that theologians and scientists are trying to reconcile Genesis and science,” Ross added. “But the way they’re trying to reconcile them is to say that Genesis is not historical. It’s simply a metaphor or a piece of figurative poetry that is not really a historical account of physical reality. (But) Genesis 1 reads exactly like a historical account of actual events. So to deny the historicity of Genesis puts you in a very difficult position in trying to persuade people that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God.”
Since founding Reasons To Believe in 1986, Ross’s desire has been to communicate that science and faith are, and always will be, allies, not enemies, which is the basis for RTB’s outreach efforts. He proclaims this message by writing books, recording podcasts and speaking in many venues. Ross engages skeptics and equips believers with powerful reasons to believe in the God of the Bible as the Creator and Savior.
Listen to Ross’s full address, “The God Who Wants Us to Test Him: Testing Genesis With the Latest Science,” here. Overall, the conference, which had the theme of “The God Who Is,” had the goal to help Christians defend their faith in a sometimes-hostile culture. Keynote speakers were SES President Dr. Richard Land, Ravi Zacharias, Josh McDowell and Chip Ingram.
SES often considers issues of morality and technology and how ethics intersects with both through its Center for the “Ethics of Emerging Technologies.”
For more information on SES, visit its web site at www.ses.edu or its Facebook page, follow the SES Twitter feed, @sesapologetics, or call (800) 77-TRUTH.
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