Good Heavens! The Human Side of Astronomy (goodheavens)

Many of us cannot see or experience the beauty and glory of a truly dark, star-filled night sky. The ever-growing urban lights of large cities blind us to the ancient wonder of the heavens. There is a growing interest in astro-tourism, people willing to travel to dark-sky preserves  to experience and learn more about the heavens. 

On this episode of Good Heavens! Dan talks with the public policy director of the International Dark Sky Association, (https://www.darksky.org/)  Dr. John Barentine, about the importance of preserving truly dark-sky environments, and about the importance of community and storytelling in relation to our relationship to the heavens above us. 

There's even some bonus material at the end of the episode featuring a more in-depth look at stories about the constellations of Hercules and Draco the dragon! 

See the Saving our Stars website (https://www.savingourstars.org/).

To follow updates on the on-line Grand Canyon Star Party visit this website:

https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/grand-canyon-star-party.htm

What would you say to someone who says Jesus was a myth?  Is the Bible's message like myths and legends?  What if it is like them?  What are people looking for in myths?

Come listen as Dan and Dr. Markos discuss how the gospel is the fulfillment of the best myths.  Dr. Louis Markos says that Christianity is the fulfillment of all the great myths of the past.  Viewed this way, "myth" does not mean "falsehood," but rather a cultural narrative rooted in the truth of who we are as created in the image of God.

Louis Markos is a Professor of English at Houston Baptist University and holds the Robert H. Ray Chair in Humanities.  He speaks widely on ancient Greece and Rome, Lewis and Tolkien, and apologetics and classical education.  He has written the book, "The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes," published in 2020. 

A video of this program is also available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/JcV8UE85Q3E 

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.

Join us as we have a lovely chat with physics professor and Fellow of the Royal Society, Dr. Tom Mcleish and physics & science teacher David Hutchings, both from the UK. We discuss why science and the Christian faith are not only not incompatible, but that science truly needs God, specifically the Lord Jesus. 

Their book, the the title of this podcast episode, is not a superficial Christian sticky-note attached to a highly secularized scientific methodology. No! Rather, it is a very easy-to-grasp, edifying, Christ-centered, tour-de-force from which readers of all ages and backgrounds can appreciate and learn something about the intersection of science and Christianity. They have written an excellent and accessible book on this topic and give us the confidence and encouragement to see how God is for "good science" and why good science must have Christ as its foundation. 

Jesus came to reconcile man with God, but that reconciliation includes reorienting our minds (Rom. 12:1-2) to see all of creation as a reflection of God's nature, of His invisible attributes, expressions of his wisdom (Job 28; 38-41). Creation as seen through the lens of Scripture, gives us reason for exploring and investigating it (Ps. 111:2) and is what inspired many of the great scientists of the past, as Tom and David point out through the many stories and examples in their book. 

So come and have a listen to our fascinating discussion about God and science, for the glory of God! 

Find out more about Dave and Tom's  book - "Let there Be Science, Why God Loves Science and Science Needs God".  Available at  https://www.amazon.com/Let-There-Be-Science-science/dp/0745968635/

Matthew, Mark, and Luke see the Last Supper as a Passover meal. But John seems to say the Passover meal had not yet occurred. Can this discrepancy be reconciled? On this special Easter edition of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan examine a solution proposed by Dr. Colin J. Humphreys in his book, The Mystery of the Last Supper. 

We do not argue this is the only possible or conceivable solution, but we do find it persuasive enough to make a podcast out of it! 

So come and see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

https://creationanswers.net/biblical/crucifixiondate.htm 

https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Last-Supper-Humphreys-ebook/dp/B004V9O7BO/ 

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.

Image by Ambroz from Pixabay

Spoiler Alert!  On this episode Wayne and Dan debunk the "ancient alien" idea! 

What are some modern prejudices we hold about the ancient past? Were ancient people not as smart as we are? Did their civilizations require the intervention of highly advanced alien beings? Has modern scientific knowledge fully debunked the idea of God? Is God just a myth created out of the ignorance of our ancestors? 

We tackle these questions and a lot more, including how belief in UFOs and aliens often does lead into the occult and cult-like practices and beliefs. 

Watchman Fellowship https://www.watchman.org

Wayne's article on ancient aliens:

https://creationanswers.net/reviews/ancientaliens_pseudoarch.htm

Ancient Aliens Debunked (Video by Chris White. 3 hrs, 10 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9w-i5oZqaQ

Website by Chris White.  Has some references related to topics in the video above. https://www.ancientaliensdebunked.com

Bible scholar Michael Heiser - Ancient Aliens Debunked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5dER45rkGk

See also this website by Michael Heiser. http://SitchinIsWrong.com

Watchman Fellowship profiles on alien cults: 

Heaven's Gate

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/heavensgateprofile.pdf

Raelians 

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/raelianprofile.pdf

Previous episodes with Gary Bates on UFOs

Part One: https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/aliens-ufos-and-the-bible-part-1-with-gary-bates/

Part Two: https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/aliens-ufos-and-the-bible-part-2-with-gary-bates/

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.

Why does science explore the universe? If the universe has no ultimate purpose, why study it? But how can science know that the universe has no ultimate purpose? Can carbon from an asteroid really tell us where we came from and what our place in the universe really is? 

Recently, some 250 grams of carbon and other minerals gathered from Bennu, a near-earth asteroid, landed safely in a Utah desert. What can these elements really tell us about who we are and where we came from? Is debris from an asteroid really the place to look for answers to these questions? 

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex/

https://www.npr.org/2023/09/24/1201386042/watch-live-nasa-sends-an-asteroid-sample-back-to-earth

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.

This episode of Good Heavens! is part two of our conversation with physicist and author James Sinclair about God and cosmology. James has worked with Dr. William Lane Craig on a number of publications about cosmology and was integral in helping Dr. Craig and "team theism" prepare for this debate!   It was a delightful and wide-ranging conversation centered around the 2014 debate between cosmologist and atheist Dr. Sean Carroll and Christian philosopher Dr. William Lane Craig.  

On part one we talked about billionaires in space, science fiction, and Dr. Carroll's thoughts on theism in general.  On part two James helps us better understand why time and entropy are problems for naturalistic accounts of the universe. We also tackle why Christians should be not only just interested but actively participating in the dialogue about the universe and creation in general.   So come and find out why the best science about the universe is better explained by God's existence!

Some links for further study below.

Contending with Christianity’s Critics: Article: At Home In the Multiverse? Critiquing the Atheist Many Worlds Scenario.  Author James Sinclair https://www.amazon.com/Contending-Christianitys-Critics-Answering-Objectors/dp/0805449361/    God & Cosmology: William Lane Craig & Sean Carroll in Dialogue Article: Cosmology & Cosmologists with the “Does God Exist?” Problem: A Consideration of kalam’s Second Premise.  Author: James Sinclair https://www.amazon.com/God-Cosmology-Dialogue-Greer-Heard-Grear-Heard/dp/1506410774/

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 live in a fragmented world where everything seems to be classified, separated, divided and reduced to its subatomic bareness. Morality seems subjective, beauty is illusory and subjective, and we are confused about what is ultimately true about the world. 

We've lost or are barely holding on to the idea that it's not only possible, but absolutely necessary to see the world as being reconciled in Christ. Despite what appears to us to be a host of unending confusion and fragmentation, we are assured by God that He upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:1-3; Col. 1:16-20; John 1:1-9). 

From stars to sparrows to the very hairs of our head, God's truth reigns and rules supremely and sovereignly. 

On part two of our discussion with Dr. Christina George, we further examine the role of music in our lives and how it helps us to recapture a holistic view of the cosmos and our place within it. Come and see. 

For more information on Christie's work, please visit her at http://cjgeorge.com. 

The quote mentioned in the introduction comes from James E. Dolezal's book, All That is in God, available on Amazon.

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/store/donations. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

From our vantage point, the universe we inhabit can seem both at once stunningly good and wondrous but also heinously indifferent, cruel, and even senselessly evil. How can we ever hope to reconcile both states of affairs? 

In part 2 of our discussion of Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday Dr. Michael Ward offers us more insightful exhortations as to how our own limited sense perception of the universe is part of Chesterton's masterful narrative. What is the universe "really" like? Is it possible for us to see the cosmos, trees, rocks, clouds, or even stars and the sun, "as they really are"? 

Come along and encounter Chesterton's adventure "face to face" and see how after over a century, it remains a classic "old book" that has tremendous relevance for our time. 

And we hope you can walk away with a greater love and appreciation for our God, our Sabbath Rest, our sun and shield, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. 

Dr. Michael Ward's website is http://www.michaelward.net

Come along and ride a comet with Wayne and Dan as they explore the mysteries and intrigue of these celestial wonders!  Why are they so regular? Why are they so surprising? How do they behave? What are they made of? From where did they come? And could they have seeded life on our planet?  From Halley and ISON to the present day extraordinary accomplishment of the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission to Comet 67P, comets continue to fascinate us. Come and see what's up with comets and find out how you can catch one in 2021! 

To see a video trailer for this episode, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfHWqYxIaOo

See the book on The Greatest Comets in History on Amazon.

See the technical book, "The Mystery of Life's Origin" on Amazon

See Wayne’s article on comets and the origin of life at https://creationanswers.net/answersblog.

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/store/donations. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible. 

Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. A 501 C (3) educational non-profit Christian research organization providing the body of Christ with resources on apologetics, world religions, cults, and non-Christian worldviews. Visit our main site at Watchman.org.  If you enjoy Good Heavens! be sure to check out our other podcast Apologetics Profile. We feature conversations and interviews about Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witness, science and other apologetics topics from top-notch authors and guests! 

Image credit:  TRAPPIST/E. Jehin/ESO

Part three of our discussion of the fascinating and inspiring life, imagination, and writing of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien includes Tolkien's concept of the eucatastrophe and the importance of friendships both in his life and in the characters of Middle Earth. 

Wayne's essay on Tolkien's Fantasy World https://creationanswers.net/goodies/Tolkien_FantasyWorldvsRealWorld.pdf 

Some titles mentioned in the broadcast

https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-4-Book-Boxed-Set/dp/0345538374/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-Illustrated-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0063280779/ 

https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Biography-Humphrey-Carpenter-ebook/dp/B00I7JFC7C/

https://www.amazon.com/Tolkiens-Modern-Reading-Middle-earth-Beyond/dp/1943243727/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Leaf-Niggle-J-R-Tolkien/dp/0008205531/ 

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.

Charles Darwin published his influential book, The Origin of the Species in 1859. Today, evolution and natural selection remain the dominant scientific paradigms of our time regarding the development of biological life.

Many atheists and skeptics regard Darwin's ideas as having finally done away with the idea that life is the special creation of the God of the Bible.

Our guest this week, Dr. Stephen C. Meyer of the Discovery Institute in Seattle, Washington, and best-selling author of The Return of the God Hypothesis suggests the findings of contemporary biological sciences point in the opposite direction.

On this episode, Dr. Meyer unpacks with resplendent clarity how the intricate designs and arrangement of molecules and proteins in living cells serve to affirm the fantastic truths proclaimed in Genesis and the Psalms. Life is indeed the special creation of the living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Our cellular composition reflects exquisite design and purpose. Life is fearfully and wonderfully made. God's invisible attributes; His wisdom, creativity, power, intelligence, beauty, and majesty are reflected in everything He has made from the tiniest zygote to the swiftest Zebra on the Serengeti.

You don't want to miss this episode!

From Dr. Meyer's website, http://www.thereturnofthegodhypothesis.com:

Stephen C. Meyer received his Ph.D. in the philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge. A former geophysicist and college professor, he now directs Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture in Seattle. He has written well-known books including Darwin’s Doubt: The Explosive Origin of Animal Life and the Case for Intelligent Design and Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design.

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.

No one in the observatory on that increasingly foggy London evening had even imagined they were all about to be a part of an unexpected discovery of a supernova. But as students were munching away at their pizza, they decided to aim their telescope at a target near the Big Dipper 

Boom.  That's when they saw it. 

You just never know. While most of us will likely never be the first to discover a supernova, if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no end to the surprises and wonders He can and will do for us. The universe is filled with His stars. He created them, for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. He knows their names, He numbers all of them, not one of them is missing. He knows their days and their place. 

If God cares for the stars in such detail, how much more so will He care for you? (Isaiah 40:26ff). 

God can and will do exceedingly and abundantly above all we can ask or imagine, for His glory. 

So in the midst of your daily routines, God can break in like a supernova and answer your prayers beyond anything you might have been expecting. 

Come along with Wayne and me as we talk about the numinous wonders of supernovae and how they can be a reminder to us of God's glory and His care for us. 

SN1987A from Hubble, NASA, and the ESA. https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2017/news-2017-08.html. 

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 does the Bible say about stars? What did they mean to people in both the Old and New Testaments? What exactly is a star? Just gas and plasma? On this episode, Wayne and Dan discuss some of their favorite "star" verses from the Bible and discuss how they see them all pointing to Jesus, "the bright and morning star", (Revelation 22:16), "light of the world" (John 8:12); "sun of righteousness" (Malachi 4:2); and the "star of Jacob" (Numbers 24:17). Come and see! 

Many Christians often use the Big Bang as an apologetic defense for the beginning of our universe.  Is this a confirmation of what Scripture says?  That is a discussion that has been ongoing ever since the idea of the Big Bang was put forth in the early 20th century and we don't attempt to "solve" it on this episode by any means! But what we hope to accomplish in this two part series is 1) give an overview of what Scripture says about God creating the heavens and the Earth and 2) show the differences between Big Bang cosmology and the Bible as well as discuss some lesser-known difficulties with Big Bang cosmology. Dan and Wayne respect our fellow Christians who may or may not agree with our particular observations. Our discussions are not intended to be critical of astronomical science as a whole. We hope it will be food for thought for our Good Heavens! friends! Enjoy!  (Part 1 of 2)

Image:  Stephan's Quintet.  NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team

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.

Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona, just over 30 miles outside of Flagstaff. 

What slammed into what is now part of the Arizona desert to make this giant three-quarter-mile-wide and some 600-feet-deep hole in the ground? Scientists believe the meteor was between 150 and 200 feet wide. 

Earth is impacted routinely by meteors and micrometeors, tens of thousands of tons per year in fact, but thankfully a majority of these are no bigger than a sand grain or fine dust. 

But once in a great while, KABOOM! The Earth gets blasted by a much larger meteor. There are other geological signs of impact craters throughout our planet. Astronomers are working diligently to try and detect what are known as "near-earth asteroids and meteors" before they catch us off guard. 

So how do such wonders point us to the glory of God? How can they remind us of who God us? How do they fit in with our understanding of the heavens that God has created? 

Come and see! 

On part two of our discussion about these enigmatic floating rocks, Wayne and Dan take you around the world to some of the more well-known impact sites and meditate on what we can glean from them about our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Resources for our these episodes on meteors:

Meteorites book:  https://www.amazon.com/Meteorites-Story-Our-Solar-System/dp/0228101743/ 

Book:  Night Sky with the Naked Eye https://www.amazon.com/Night-Sky-Naked-Eye-Constellations/dp/1624143091/

Best Meteor Showers in 2021 https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/best-meteor-showers-in-2021/

Meteor in Russia from 2013 - Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBLjB5qavxY

For the next two episodes of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan will be exploring four fantastic worlds outside of our solar system. For the most part, there have been over 5,000 newly-discovered planets outside our own solar system since the 1990s, with thousands more "candidates" that need further exploration and confirmation. 

Astronomers call these planets outside of our solar system "exoplanets." 

On this episode we'll marvel at the mathematical majesty of TESS Object of Interest #178 or TOI-178 for short and we'll try to stay upright as we have a look at the wobbly but wondrous world of Kepler 413b which orbits two stars, just like Tatooine of Star Wars fame! 

Fascinating worlds that further show us God's glory, majesty, creativity, and many other of His invisible attributes. So come and see! 

Kepler Finds a Very Wobbly Planet https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2014/news-2014-12.html

The TOI-178 System https://www.planetary.org/space-images/the-toi-178-system

Dance of Harmony in Intriguing TOI-178 Multi-planetary System (more detailed) https://astrobites.org/2022/02/26/dance-of-harmony-in-intriguing-toi-178-multi-planetary-system/

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.

This is part two of our two-part episode on the wondrous world of exoplanets. On this episode Wayne and Dan explore a "super Saturn" with a ring system of over 110,000,000 million miles in diameter. If this planet were where our Saturn is located, we could easily see the rings with the naked eye. They would appear four to five times larger than the full moon!

We'll also be looking at the darkest, blackest exoplanet discovered to date. Just a tad larger than our own Jupiter, It has baffled astronomers ever since its discovery. No one really knows why it's so dark.

How do these marvels help us to better appreciate and marvel at what God has done?  Come and see as we explore these wondrous worlds on this episode of Good Heavens!

Links for more information:

Alien world is blacker than coal (TrES-2b) https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/08/alien-world-is-blacker-than-coal/

Super-Saturn: astronomers find a massive ring system around an exoplanet https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/184/super-saturn-astronomers-find-a-massive-ring-system-around-an-exoplanet/

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.

This is part two of our conversation with chief veteran astronomer of Answers in Genesis, Dr. Danny Faulkner. If you've not caught part one, you don't want to miss it!  On this episode Danny and Wayne answer questions we took from Twitter, we talk about the recent tragic news about the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico collapsing, and we talk about a some unusual objects that passed through our solar system in recent times. And of course, we discuss how we think all of this news about the heavens, as well as our fascination with the cosmos, all point to the glory of God in Christ. 

Dr. Danny Faulkner holds a PhD in Astronomy from Indiana University.  He taught at the University of South Carolina Lancaster for over 26 years.  He now works as a researcher, author, and speaker for Answers in Genesis (answersingenesis.org).  Check out Danny's blog.

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/store/donations .

Donations to Watchman are tax deductible.

A fun, insightful, inspiring and enlightening book discussion with Dr. Michael Ward on the robust and weighty mind and imagination of Gilbert Keith Chesterton. In this two-part episode, Michael and Dan explore the wonders, twists, and turns of Chesterton's 1908 classic mystery-spy-earthquake-symphony love story The Man Who Was Thursday, A Nightmare. Our adventure begins with a few excerpts from the novel!  Part 2 will be coming soon.

Dr. Michael Ward is a Senior Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, and a Professor of Apologetics at Houston Baptist University. He is the author of the award-winning Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis (Oxford, 2010) and co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to C.S. Lewis (Cambridge, 2010). His website is: www.michaelward.net

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.

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.

Critics of Scripture have dismissed it. Skeptics mock it. And even some Christians will attempt to explain the heavenly events described in Joshua 10 as "natural" phenomenon or that Joshua's words were simply poetic or an allusion to something else. 

Did the sun and moon really "stand still" in the Valley of Aijalon as described in the Bible? What really happened? How can this passage from the Old Testament be an encouragement for us today in these troubling times?  Tune in for Wayne and Dan's discussion.  We hope it will remind you of Jesus. 

For more on the Long Day of Joshua see this article by Wayne:

http://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2013/11/23/joshuas-long-day/

On our last episode, Dan spoke with Dr. John Barentine, the director for public policy for the International Dark Sky Association about preserving our night skies and about  constellations and their attendant lore. On this episode, Dan speaks with Paul Bogard, author of The End of Night, Searching for Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light. It is a catalogue of adventures Paul took to some of the brightest and darkest skies on the planet, from the city of Paris, to the island of Sark, where there is not a single automobile or street light. Paul also visited several national parks as well, taking readers on a journey that anyone can follow. Paul also shares with us the wisdom he gleaned about the healthful benefits of natural darkness and why everyone should be concerned about preserving and cherishing it. You can find out more about Paul's work here.  

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.

See a wondrous alignment of planets at the end of March! Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, Mars, and the Moon! 

What does it all mean for us? Find out on this special episode! 

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 Bible gives us a record of God's judging the evil and violence of man with a flood. Skeptics say modern geology proves the flood didn't happen. Christians affirm the reality of the flood but often become entangled in debate over whether or not the flood covered the entire world or just a local area in and around the ancient Near East. 

Many Christians are also divided on the issue of how old the earth is. We explore this issue by looking at science and young-earth creationism. This episode begins an investigation of the biblical flood from a scientific perspective.  On this episode we feature the research of geologist Dr. Timothy Clarey of the Institute for Creation Research. You can find out more about Tim's work on his ICR website at https://www.icr.org/tim_clarey/.  

Dr. Tim Clarey received a Master of Science in Geology in 1984 from the University of Wyoming and a Master of Science in Hydrogeology in 1993 from Western Michigan University. His Ph.D. in Geology was received in 1996 from Western Michigan University. From 1984 to 1992, Dr. Clarey worked as an exploration geologist at Chevron USA, Inc. He was Full Professor and Geosciences Chair at Delta College in Michigan for 17 years before leaving in 2013 to join the science staff at the Institute for Creation Research. 

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 "science" of the universe is daunting for most of us, in fact, quite literally in not a few ways, it's "over our heads"! 

Recently, the new James Webb Space Telescope has revealed some pretty spectacular never-before-seen vistas of some of the deepest regions of the universe. On this episode Wayne and Dan try to break some of it down and how we think it points to the glory of God. 

A careful reading of Scripture leaves one with the impression that God intended that everyone not only know about the cosmos, but that He created it for His glory. 

Big science spends billions of dollars annually to gaze more intently upon the resplendent handiwork of God, but increasingly make little or no mention of God when discoursing about the laws, mechanics, and elements of the universe. 

It's something akin to going to an art museum and looking past the beauty and symmetry of the art itself and instead focus more intently on what the painting or sculpture is made of. Knowing, for example, what elements comprise the paint in Van Gogh's Starry Night or what from what sort of stone Michelangelo's David is made tells us nothing about why Starry Night or David exists in the first place. What are those things? 

They are the handiwork and intimate expressions of the artists.

The heavens is no less an expression of God's glory. In the beginning, it was Jesus as the Master Craftsman, creating the cosmos (Gen. 1-2, John 1, Prov. 8; Col. 1; Heb. 1). . 

So what does Treebeard (maybe you're asking who or what is Treebeard?) have to do with the James Webb Space Telescope? You'll have to listen to find out! 

We here at Good Heavens! try to show you the human side of astronomy and how we as believers can revel in the wonders of the heavens and how that can encourage and strengthen our faith. We try to talk about the big science in understandable and accessible ways and offer some thoughts about how what is "above our heads" can be translated for our encouragement here on earth. 

We hope this special episode will encourage you. 

Here is a link to Wayne's accompanying article for this episode. https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2022/08/25/images-from-the-james-webb-space-telescope/

Below are links to three scientific papers about the new James Webb Telescope images:

Mysterious red galaxies https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.00132.pdf

'Normal' looking galaxies less than 250 million years before the Big Bang? https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.00986.pdf

"Panic! At the Disks . . ." On distant galaxy shapes https://arxiv.org/pdf/2207.09428.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.

What is string theory? In the field of physics, it's a relatively novel idea that suggests at the very smallest level, subatomic particles are made up of tiny, vibrating filaments, rather than point-like particles. These filaments are known as "strings", each with particular resonances, like strings on a musical instrument comprising different notes. The vibrations of the strings produce the particles physicists understand today. 

But string theory is still theoretical and somewhat counterintuitive to common sense, as the mathematics proposes that there are extra dimensions in our universe. But neither the strings or the extra dimensions have been detected and our technology is not powerful or sophisticated enough to detect them. 

So is string theory really science or just philosophical and mathematical speculation? And what does such a unique theory of the physical world have to do with the Christian faith? 

Come and see! Our guest this week is Dr. Tom Rudelius, a theoretical physicist whose field of expertise is in string theory and early cosmology (the study of the very early universe). Tom is also a follower of Christ. Come and hear his remarkable testimony and how he sees & understands the intersection of science and faith. 

For more about Tom, you can check out some work he has done with the Veritas Forum below. Some of the scientific and theological views expressed in our guests work do not necessarily reflect the views of Watchman.org, but we do strive to find common ground with our guests in the wonders of creation, in the glory of God and the person of the Lord Jesus. 

https://youtu.be/8R_TTp5c4iI

http://www.veritas.org/multiverse-podcast/ 

https://veritaschristoetecclesiae.wordpress.com/author/rudelius/

The blog by Aron Wall Tom mentioned, Undivided Looking. 

Brian Greene's work on string theory. (He is not a Christian, so far as we know, but he is a leading expert on string theory.)  Part 1 of a NOVA video on string theory here:  https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/the-elegant-universe-part-1/

This podcast is provided through Good Heavens on Podbean.com.  To support this program go to https://goodheavens.podbean.com/  (or the Podbean App) and look for the Become a patron link in the upper right.

This is a special combined Christmas episode with our sister podcast Apologetics Profile. 

The wondrous gift is giv’n! So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heav’n. No ear may hear his coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in. How silently, how silently,

You have likely heard or sung these very lines over the course of the last few weeks. They are a verse from Philip Brooks' 1868 Christmas hymn O Little Town of Bethlehem.  Bethlehem means "house of bread." It is called the "city of David" and is the birthplace of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, prophesied as Immanuel, God with us, the star of Jacob, the sun of righteousness.

Bethlehem is a fitting name for the place where the very bread of life Himself would come into the world as an infant, as a man, for man. The One who made the stars with the breath of His mouth drew his first infant breath under the starry skies of a lowly Judean province. As Charles Wesley's famous 1739 Christmas hymn proclaims:

Mild He lays His glory by Born that man no more may die Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the newborn King!

On part two of our discussion about the star of Bethlehem, we discuss more of the Scripture, background and history of what the star the Magi saw in the east may have been.

Though another Christmas has come and gone so quickly, let us never forget that the real star of Bethlehem was not the star itself, but the bright and morning star (Rev. 22:16, the star of Jacob (Num. 24:17), the Creator of the stars and the entire cosmos (Gen. 1:1,14; Col. 1:16-20; John 1:1-14), incarnate as a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger (Luke 2).

Wayne Spencer's article on The Star of Bethlehem. 

Brady Blevins' profile on Zoroastrianism. 

If you like Good Heavens! be sure to check out our sister podcast Apologetics Profile, also produced and hosted by Dan. 

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.

When we see a math problem in a text book or on a chalk or dry-erase board, we assume (quite rightly) it was written there by an intelligent agent. But when physicists discover the universe to be filled with mathematical laws, the implications are not a little disquieting, especially if one does not believe God exists. 

If God does not exist, from where do these laws come? Why is the universe intelligible? Why do our mathematics work so efficiently and elegantly in describing the universe? 

Modern science has few answers. But since we have only ever observed mathematics and laws emanating from intelligent agents, it is abductively reasonable to conclude that such laws and numbers of the cosmos ultimately originate from the mind of an intelligent Creator. And this is precisely what Scripture has been telling us for millennia. God's invisible attributes are clearly seen throughout the universe, so that we are all without excuse. 

On our final installment of our series with Christian and astrophysicist Dr. Leslie Wickman, we delve into the wonders of the laws of physics and talk a little about how important it is for us, believer or skeptic, to get ourselves out of the way and adopt a posture of epistemic humility when talking about things that are quite literally "above our heads"! So come and see! 

From Leslie's page at Azusa Pacific: 

Leslie Wickman is a research scientist, engineering consultant, author, and inspirational speaker. For more than a decade, Wickman was an engineer for Lockheed Martin, where she worked on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station Programs, receiving commendations from NASA for her contributions and being designated as Lockheed’s Corporate Astronomer

Leslie's Book God of the Big Bang 

Leslie's original article featured on CNN. 

Watchman Fellowship's Atheist and Christian Book Club. Join us this coming October as we further discuss God of the Big Bang with Leslie live!

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.

(Galactic image in the thumbnail - NASA - the James Webb Space Telescope Cartwheel galaxy, previously imaged by the Hubble Space Telescope).

Galaxies, we might say, are kings of the cosmos. Their splendor and size has really only come to be known in the last 100 years, since Edwin Hubble finally determined that Andromeda, and many other galaxies just like it, were not just nebulae in our own universe.

Hubble's telescope, the Hooker Telescope atop Mt. Wilson in California, was the largest of its day. But it's main mirror was only 100 inches. We say "only" because the collective surface area of the new James Webb Space Telescope, made up of 18 individual mirrors, is 21 feet, four inches! 

And what it has thus far captured is nothing short of astonishing, like being in the presence of royalty.

On this episode, Wayne and Dan discuss some unsolved mysteries of star and galaxy formation and just how Webb's new galactic discoveries only serve to deepen the mystery and threaten to make scientists completely rewrite their assumptions about how stars and galaxies form!

Come and see!

Some stuff we talked about during the episode.

Stellar streams

Geraint Lewis's work on stellar streams

New JWST discoveries of distant galaxies.

Galaxy basics, NASA. 

Wayne's article on galaxies. 

Dan's article on galaxies and our place in the cosmos. 

Watchman.org

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.

Moses knew it long before any of the best minds in physics and cosmology knew it. And what did Moses know? That "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." 

Just a hundred years ago, the sciences of the heavens had stumbled across what appeared in the mathematical and observational data as evidence that our universe did in fact have a beginning. 

But like Moses, philosophers and theologians of earlier centuries understood our universe to have had a beginning. But the burgeoning skepticism of the 18th-century Enlightenment philosophy led many to believe the universe could be explained without God. 

Faced with what many thought was a reversion back to religion and philosophy, modern cosmological science stood face-to-face with the possibility our universe did in fact have a beginning. 

This was a radically new idea in the contemporary sciences of the universe. To consider the universe as not only expanding but as having a beginning was, to say the least, not a bit unsettling. How could this be? 

The best minds have been brought to bear on the question of the origin of our universe. And many alternative models and explanations have been offered that attempt to circumvent a beginning of the universe and thus once more eliminate God from the picture. 

Our special guest on the next two episodes of Good Heavens! astrophysicist and researcher at Reasons to Believe, Dr. Jeff Zweerink walks us through his exploration of these alternative models and shares why he thinks none of them succeed in "escaping the beginning."  

Jeff's 2019 book Escaping the Beginning?

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.

Something a little out of the ordinary for our Good Heavens! family. How about theories in physics and cosmology combined with a discussion about Mormonism and storytelling? Yes! That's a lot to process, but we hope you'll find it mildly interesting and encouraging.

This broadcast will also be airing on our sister podcast Apologetics Profile later next month.

On this episode and next we'll be featuring our president of Watchman Fellowship, James K. Walker, a former 4th-generation Latter-day Saint in conversation with astrophysicist and cosmologist from Sydney, Australia, Dr. Luke Barnes, discussing many worlds, multiverses and Mormonism.

There are also some surprise bonus clips from previous episodes you'll not want to miss!

For millennia, man has been telling stories about himself, his origins and the nature of the cosmos. How do they all fit together? What's the right story of the cosmos and how can we know?

We think you'll find this episode and next quite fascinating as we dive into these and other topics!

Free four-page profiles from Watchman Fellowship!

Latter-Day Saints https://www.watchman.org/articles/mormonism/

Scientism https://www.watchman.org/scientism/ProfileScientism.pdf

Carl Sagan's Cosmos https://www.watchman.org/CosmosTV

Naturalism https://www.watchman.org/Naturalism/ProfileNaturalism.pdf

Wayne and Dan's book The Story of the Cosmos https://www.watchman.org/CosmosBook

Luke A. Barnes is a Senior Lecturer in astronomy and cosmology. With PhD at the University of Cambridge, he has published papers in the field of galaxy formation and on the fine-tuning of the Universe for life. He is the author, with Geraint Lewis, of "A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos" and "The Cosmic Revolutionary's Handbook: (Or: How to Beat the Big Bang)", published by Cambridge University Press. Luke, along with Allen Hainline, has also written a contributing chapter to The Story of the Cosmos - How The Heavens Declare the Glory of God (Harvest House). 

James Walker, the president of Watchman Fellowship, is a former fourth generation Mormon with over twenty years of ministry experience in the field of Christian counter-cult evangelism, apologetics, and discernment. He has been interviewed as an expert on new religious movements and cults on a variety of network television programs including Nightline, ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. He has spoken at hundreds of churches, colleges, universities, and seminaries throughout the United States and internationally.

Luke's Books:

https://www.amazon.com/Fortunate-Universe-Finely-Tuned-Cosmos/dp/1107156610/

https://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Revolutionarys-Handbook-Beat-Bang/dp/1108486703

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.

In celebration of the Fourth of July and as 2022 is the year of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 16 moon landing, Dan sits down  for a conversation with Apollo 16 astronaut, the tenth man to walk upon the lunar surface, Charlie Duke.   

Duke is a retired Air Force Brigadier General and the CAPCOM "voice" of Houston for the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon in July of 1969.   

It was such an honor and delight to speak with Charlie. It was like talking to family. His delight in telling his remarkable story is evident. We spoke about his time working as CAPCOM for Apollo 11, his own trip to the moon on Apollo 16 and ultimately how the Lord Jesus Christ saved both Charlie and his family.   

Here on part three Charlie reads from some of his favorite Psalms, shares a remarkable story about a wedding ring floating in the heavens and shares the beginnings of Jesus saving him and his family. 

To see the video of this episode go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZerXQ-S0AU

For more about Charlie's story, you can visit his website. https://charlieduke.com/

Charlie and Dotty Duke's book Moonwalker https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalker-Astronaut-Enough-Satisfy-Success/dp/0840791062

Good Heavens! A Podcast about the Universe with Wayne and Dan https://www.patreon.com/GoodHeavens

Apologetics Profile https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jwalker55293

https://www.watchman.org

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.

In case you have not been following the news in the recent months, there has been a resurgence of interest in UFOs, UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena), and advanced intelligent beings from other dimensions or worlds visiting us. There has also been talk of "non-human biologics", allegedly the remains of the "pilots" of crashed UFOs and UAPs being secretly held by our government.

What are these things? How as Christians can we make sense of the claims being made once more by ufologists and those convinced aliens are among us? What is the evidence?

On the next two episodes of this special combined Good Heavens! and Apologetics Profile we sit down with astrophysicist and author Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe to talk about his biblically informative 2002 co-authored book on UFOs, UAPs, and aliens Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men.

Astrophysicist and author Hugh Ross is founder and senior scholar of Reasons to Believe, an organization that researches and communicates how discoveries about nature harmonize with the words of the Bible. His books include The Creator and the Cosmos, Why the Universe Is the Way It Is, Improbable Planet, and Designed to the Core.

https://www.Reasons.org

Be sure to check out our other podcast episodes and helpful resources on aliens!

Podcast episode on ancient aliens: Good Heavens! Ancient Aliens? No.

Watchman Fellowship https://www.watchman.org

Wayne article on ancient aliens:

https://creationanswers.net/reviews/ancientaliens_pseudoarch.htm

Dan's article about "Alien Theology":

https://thestoryofthecosmos.substack.com/p/alien-theology

Watchman Fellowship profiles on alien cults:

Heaven's Gate

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/heavensgateprofile.pdf

Raelians

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/raelianprofile.pdf

Urantia Book

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/urantiaprofile.pdf

Previous Good Heavens! episodes with Gary Bates on UFOs

Part One: https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/aliens-ufos-and-the-bible-part-1-with-gary-bates/

Part Two: https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/aliens-ufos-and-the-bible-part-2-with-gary-bates/

Daniel’s interview with Sasha Sagan, the daughter of the late planetary astronomer Carl Sagan

A Conversation with Sasha Sagan

https://youtu.be/0vQYDLeecN8

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.

This is part five in our five-part series on the Genesis flood found in Genesis chapters six through nine. On this episode, we discuss the significance of the prevalence of these flood narratives for us today. They are more than just mythical tales. It cannot finally be mere coincidence that all of these stories share common elements found in the book of Genesis. 

On our first episode we featured a Young-Earth perspective on the flood with Dr. Tim Clarey of the Institute for Creation Research here in Dallas, Texas. On parts two and three, we featured an interview with Old-Earth creationist and astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross about his perspective on Noah's flood.

Our guest this week is author Nick Liguori who has compiled an impressive and unique anthology of flood stories from indigenous people and tribes throughout North, Central, and South America.

It is an unprecedented collection of carefully documented stories told by tribal elders, missionaries, anthropologists, and historians of these native people groups.

If the Genesis flood really happened, we should expect to find these stories from different people groups. Many of these tales have similar elements to the details found in Genesis, messenger birds, a raven, a dove, a boat or canoe, only a handful of people being saved, divine displeasure and a rainbow of promise.

Nick has shared these articles summarizing his book:

https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/flood-legends/flood-legends-americas-part-1/

https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/flood-legends/flood-legends-americas-part-2/

https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/flood-legends/flood-legends-americas-part-3/

For ordering the book:

https://store.icr.org/echoes-of-ararat.html

https://www.amazon.com/Echoes-Ararat-Collection-Legends-America/dp/1683442717

From the back cover of Echoes of Ararat

Nick Liguori is a civil engineer and and avocational researcher of biblical history and creation science. Nick has focused his research on the Book of Genesis and the Flood, including compiling a massive archive of references to the Flood from the histories and traditions of nations all over the world. Nick believes that a right view of God is critical to a right view of ourselves, and a right view of history is critical to a right view of God. Nick and his family live in Virginia.

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.

The best science of the universe seems strongly to suggest our universe did indeed have a beginning. Why are the best minds in astrophysics trying to create models of the universe without a beginning? Are these models anywhere close to explaining a beginningless universe? 

As we heard last week, there is indeed an anti-supernatural bias in the sciences today against the idea of God having anything to do with our universe. The late Stephen Hawking, Lawrence Krauss, are just a few examples of cosmologists who have openly expressed their intent to explain the cosmos without reference to God. 

How then does the message of the cross speak to modern cosmology? If science found a way to explain the universe without a beginning would that force us to reinterpret Genesis?  

By no means. Our guest again this week is astrophysicist Dr. Jeff Zweerink. On part two Jeff gives us more background into why beginningless models of the cosmos simply don't work, especially those which overtly attempt to "get rid of God." Jeff also offers how he sees our Christian faith in light of modern cosmology. 

Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink is a research scholar for Reasons to Believe (RTB), an organization dedicated to demonstrating the compatibility of science and the Christian faith. Jeff’s work focuses on helping people of all backgrounds bridge the perceived gap between science and the Christian faith.

Jeff has also made many media appearances, on television, radio, and in print. He earned a BS in physics and a PhD in astrophysics with a focus on gamma rays from Iowa State University. He taught and ran the planetarium at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, until postdoctoral research in gamma rays led him to the University of California, Riverside.

Prior to joining RTB, Jeff spent years working on the STACEE and VERITAS gamma-ray telescopes and was involved in research projects such as the Solar Two project and the Whipple Collaboration. He continues to work as a project scientist at UCLA on GAPS, a balloon experiment seeking to detect dark matter. Jeff is also a coauthor on more than 30 academic papers published in peer-reviewed journals, such as Astrophysical Journal, Astroparticle Physics, and Astrobiology.

A Christian from childhood, Jeff struggled to reconcile his love of science and his desire to serve God. While an undergrad at Iowa State University, he heard astrophysicist and RTB founder Hugh Ross speak on the constructive integration of science and faith. Hugh’s old-earth perspective introduced Jeff to a creation view that aligns with both Scripture and science. Ten years later, a professor encouraged Jeff to enroll in RTB’s volunteer apologetics program. This involvement eventually led to a scholar position in 2005.

Today, Jeff writes and speaks on the compatibility of science and the Christian faith and on evidence for intentional design from a multiverse theory, dark energy and dark matter, and exoplanets. His speaking engagements take him to universities, churches, and other venues around the world, including high schools and youth groups and numerous conference proceedings. He is also the author of Is There Life Out There?, Who’s Afraid of the Multiverse?, and Escaping the Beginning?.

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.

This is a special combined Christmas episode with our sister podcast Apologetics Profile.  

When we think of stars today, the first thing that may often come to mind are celebrities, Hollywood stars. If one evening you found yourself underneath the glowing industrial-scale light pollution of Los Angeles, you're probably more likely to see a famous celebrity than any single star in the sky. We are more likely to follow celebrities nowadays than we are stars in the sky.

If you happen to be a professional or amateur astronomer, however, perhaps your interests lie in knowing what stars are made of, their colors, distance from Earth, age, radius, in what constellation they may be found, or if they have a companion.

But why are there any stars in the sky to begin with? Are the uncountable multitude of celestial diadems just a freak accident of nature? Is that just the way the universe is? Is there any deeper purpose or meaning to them beyond just their quantitative, scientific aspects? Modern science cannot answer such questions. Some secular scientists even suggest asking these questions is a waste of time and a fool's errand.

One interpretation of the stars suggests there is no greater meaning than their physical nature. They just exist and that's it. Modern science suggests the atoms in our bodies actually came from the stars and by studying them we can know more about our origins, existence, and future.

Another interpretation is that the stars and constellations hold secrets about our births, our respective personalities and our future, our fate.

Biblically, the stars are creations of Christ. They don't tell us our future. They don't tell us more about ourselves, our personalities, or about what we ought to do with our lives or who we should marry.

They are not finally about us.

Stars, and the heavens in which they reside, all declare the glory of God. They were created for signs and for seasons and for days and years. They were created through Christ Jesus and for Him. They are numbered and named by God Himself. They are silent messengers of divine glory. The LORD Himself told Abram that his descendants would be as the multitude of the stars in the sky. And in Revelation 22:16 Jesus identifies Himself as the "bright and morning Star."

So then it is no surprise that we find reference to a star in Matthew's gospel. A single, silent, enigmatic sign that led wise men, the Magi, to Jerusalem to inquire about He who had been born King of the Jews.

But what was the star? What exactly did the Magi see? Was it an actual astronomical phenomena or a miraculous manifestation of light?

On this special two-part combined Christmas episode of Apologetics Profile and our sister podcast Good Heavens! we discuss the many ideas that have been proposed for what Matthew's star may have been. But more importantly, we offer a reminder of who the star is really all about.

So like the Magi and the shepherds did, come and lift your eyes up on high and see what the star and the angels proclaimed long ago. Come and see wonders await you in discovering Immanuel, God with us, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Wayne Spencer's article on The Star of Bethlehem. 

Brady Blevins'' profile on Zoroastrianism. 

If you like Good Heavens! be sure to check out our sister podcast Apologetics Profile, also produced and hosted by Dan.  

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.

There is much to the universe we simply don't know. And this unknown aspect of the cosmos inspires and fascinates us, inviting us to explore and engage it's tacit voice, "Come and see!" 

The psalmist (Psalm 111:2) proclaims, "Great are the works of the LORD, they are studied by all who delight in them". While many scientists who study the cosmos do not acknowledge God as the Creator, their dedication to knowing more about the heavens tells us the created order is imbued with an inestimable value, majesty, awe, and wonder. 

We are willing to spend time, effort, and money to knowing more about it's undisclosed secrets. 

Whether it is the surface of the moon or the wondrous artistic sculpting of the cloud formations of Jupiter to the most distant galaxies, known or unknown, we believe it all declares the glory of God. 

Some of the mysteries mentioned in this series for your further exploration! Note there are not specific "Christian" points of view expressed in these websites and resources and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wayne, Dan, Good Heavens, or Watchman Fellowship, Inc.

Fast Radio Bursts: https://astronomy.com/news/2020/11/astronomers-have-finally-found-the-cause-of-mysterious-fast-radio-bursts

Gamma Ray Bursts: https://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/objects/bursts1.html

Book: We Have No Idea https://www.amazon.com/We-Have-No-Idea-Universe/dp/0735211523/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=We+Have+No+Idea

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.

ESA/Hubble & NASA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-HST Team

Be sure to catch the Perseid Meteor Shower this weekend (Aug. 12-13, 2023) , weather permitting! If the weather is bad or you can't see them, however, hopefully this episode will be the next best thing!

What is a meteor shower, anyway? What do they mean? Where can you see them? Wayne and Dan attempt to answer these and other burning questions about this weekend's Perseid fireworks! Come and see! 

Wayne's article on comets.  

Dan's article on the Perseids.   

Previous Good Heavens! Episodes on Meteors and Comets

Meteors (Sept. 2021)

Comets Part 1 (Jan 2021)

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 made Alice swim in a puddle of tears? 

Mathematics! 

As long division did for Dan in 4th grade. Math can bring tears, both of frustration and joy. What exactly is math? Why does it work so well in describing our universe? How can people explain mathematics apart from mind? And what's it all have to do with a grin without a cat? 

Come and see (or in this case, listen)! 

For more grinning from the heavens, see Wayne's article! 

https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2023/01/27/the-grin-from-space/

Dan's full interview with Apollo 16 Astronaut Charlie Duke. 

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.

A special edition of Good Heavens! There is a video version of this that will be available Friday (6-3-2022). https://youtu.be/BIpyvSiUgZM

A theist wrote a 2017 article suggesting the fine-tuning argument is not evidence for God.   We take a look at the basics of the fine-tuning argument, how it began, what it is, and why  it remains a good argument, despite the article's conclusions.   

Original article can be found here. https://nautil.us/fine-tuning-does-not-imply-a-fine-tuner-10235/ 

Books mentioned in the broadcast.  

Patrick Glynn God the Evidence 

David Alcalde Cosmology without God?

Alex Vilenkin Many Worlds in One – The Search for Other Universes 

William Lane Craig and Joseph E. Gorra A Reasonable Response, Answers to Tough Questions on God, Christianity and the Bible 

For Watchman Fellowship go to: https://www.watchman.org

Book: https://www.thestoryofthecosmos.com 

1 Cor. 10:31.

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.

Part one of our discussion of the fascinating and inspiring life, imagination, and writing of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. Part one features Leaf, By Niggle, Tolkien's idea of the sub-creator, and how his work can remind us of Jesus as the Logos. 

Wayne's essay on Tolkien's fantasy world vs. the real world. https://creationanswers.net/goodies/Tolkien_FantasyWorldvsRealWorld.pdf 

Some titles mentioned in the broadcast

https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-4-Book-Boxed-Set/dp/0345538374/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-Illustrated-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0063280779/ 

https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Biography-Humphrey-Carpenter-ebook/dp/B00I7JFC7C/

https://www.amazon.com/Tolkiens-Modern-Reading-Middle-earth-Beyond/dp/1943243727/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Leaf-Niggle-J-R-Tolkien/dp/0008205531/ 

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.

Cultivating a deeper appreciation and understanding of what God has created is an act of worship. God has given us two books, the book of nature and the book of Scripture. They are meant to be read together. As Psalm 19 shows, David speaks of creation in the first six verses and then speaks of God's revelation in and through His word in verses 7-13. He then concludes the Psalm with a prayer "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, my Rock and  my Redeemer." 

In contemplating both the heavens and the word of God, David is inspired and exhorted to pray that God would accept him. And in Christ, God answers that prayer not just for David, but for all of those who would call upon the name of the Lord Jesus for salvation. 

So how might a knowledge of binary stars enrich and encourage us in our faith? If David's contemplation of God's creation ultimately led him to pray, so too can our meditating on what God has made lead us in a similar way. 

The way, the truth, and the life. 

So come and listen to professor David Bradstreet with us.  Be fascinated by the wonders of binary stars and learn how they point us to the glory of God and His love toward us in Jesus. 

A short video on binary stars.  

More about Dr. Bradstreet.  

A short video with Dr. Bradstreet.  

More about Dr. Bradstreet's chapter in The Story of the Cosmos.  

Dr. Bradstreet's book Starstruck.  

Part two of our discussion of the fascinating and inspiring life, imagination, and writing of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien includes the moral nature of Tolkien's Middle Earth landscapes, true heroism, and Earendel. 

Wayne's essay on Tolkien's Fantasy World https://creationanswers.net/goodies/Tolkien_FantasyWorldvsRealWorld.pdf 

Some titles mentioned in the broadcast

https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-4-Book-Boxed-Set/dp/0345538374/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Silmarillion-Illustrated-J-R-R-Tolkien/dp/0063280779/ 

https://www.amazon.com/J-R-R-Tolkien-Biography-Humphrey-Carpenter-ebook/dp/B00I7JFC7C/

https://www.amazon.com/Tolkiens-Modern-Reading-Middle-earth-Beyond/dp/1943243727/ 

https://www.amazon.com/Leaf-Niggle-J-R-Tolkien/dp/0008205531/ 

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.

This is part one of Dan's interview with astronomer and educator Dr. David Bradstreet, professor of astronomy at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and an expert on binary stars. David has been teaching astronomy for over four decades and is a co-contributor to our book, The Story of the Cosmos - How the Heavens Declare the Glory of God as well as the co-author of  Star Struck: Seeing the Creator in the Wonders of Our Cosmos. He even has an asteroid named after him! 

On this episode David shares with us his pedagogical insights into the contemplative benefits of astronomy and how he sees teaching, astronomy, and life down here on planet earth all fitting together. Come and see how contemplating the cosmos transcends our modern penchant for food, clothing, and incessant busyness and can encourage and strengthen our faith in Christ. 

So take a few minutes to come and contemplate Dr. B's wisdom and experience on this episode of Good Heavens! 

No, we aren't talking about the Internet! But about the newly launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), now roaming about the heavens a million miles from planet Earth.  It was launched Christmas morning, December 25, 2021 from a European spaceport in French Guiana, in South America.

A brand-new, ten-billion-dollar telescope venture, the James Webb Space Telescope is an infrared telescope and will be able to pick up some of the faintest light in the most distant regions of the cosmos. The James Webb telescope supercedes the Spitzer Space Telescope that went before it.  Spitzer was also an Infrared telescope.  Come and find out about where the James Webb telescope is located and why astronomers are so excited about it.    

Every time we build a bigger telescope, our understanding of the cosmos is radically changed. What wonders await us? Whatever Webb uncovers it is exciting to consider that no eye has ever seen the things God is about to reveal to us through the honey-combed mirrors of this new telescope. 

Come along with Wayne and Dan as they ponder how telescopes have changed our understanding of the universe we inhabit and how it all might point to the glory of God in Christ. 

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.

Image:  The picture is an infrared colored image from the Spitzer Space Telescope, produced by NASA (cropped and resized for this). 

The Big Bang is the dominant scientific model of the cosmos, but it is not without a few unsolved riddles. On this episode of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan discuss some of the unsolved mysteries that Big Bang cosmology neither predicted nor can presently explain. We're not saying scientific models of the cosmos are bad, per se, nor are we criticizing scientists who labor to uncover the wonders of the universe. But we are saying that models of the universe are not how the "actual" universe is! Only the Lord who made it all knows precisely how it all fits together. And we are also suggesting there might be more of a poetic element to the fabric of the cosmos, one that weaves together science, literature, art, beauty, all for the glory of God in Christ Jesus.

For more of an in-depth look at Wayne's thoughts on Big Bang cosmology, check out his helpful and down-to-earth article on his website, where you can find a link to the letter he read in this episode! We hope you enjoy this and happy Easter!

http://creationanswers.net/astron/ScienceAndBigBang.htm

If you have ever tried understanding some of the cutting-edge theoretical models of the universe, you know what we're talking about! Yet for the most part, some scientists who study the universe, especially if they are professed skeptics or atheists, will say some pretty odd things about God, things that are far and away outside the realm of their particular cosmological ideas. 

On this episode, Wayne and Dan discuss some of these "strange" sayings of cosmologists and astrophysicists, including thoughts of Dr. Leonard Susskind, Sir Arthur Eddington, Dr. Carl Sagan, (indirectly the late Dr. Stephen Hawking), Dr. Sean Carroll, Dr. Lawrence Krauss, Sir Fred Hoyle, and Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, plus a few others. 

So join us for what turned out to be, we think, our longest single episode of Good Heavens! since we began way back in the fall of 2017. We hope you enjoy it!

See also Wayne's blog article at

http://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2020/06/06/cosmologists-say-the-strangest-things/

Picture: The Reflection Nebula DG 129. Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA

You may have mistaken them for the Little Dipper - a small little bluish-white cluster of stars that look like a cart, a plough, or to some even a question mark. It is the asterism (stars that are not a constellation but a smaller group of stars within a larger constellation) of Taurus the Bull, visible in the early fall mornings and clear wintry nights. 

Poems, stories, songs and myths surround this beauteous gem of the night skies. A Japanese auto manufacturer even features them as their main logo. The nineteenth-century English poet Alfred Lloyd Tennyson penned these famous lines about them: 

Many a night I saw the Pleiades rising thro’ the mellow shade,

Glittering like a swarm of fireflies, tangled in a silver braid.

They have been useful to many cultures for keeping time, knowing directions, and as an aid in knowing when to plant and harvest crops. They are recorded in the Old Testament, and in the ancient Greek poetry of Homer, Hesiod, and Aratus. They are M-45 in the famous catalogue of 18th-century astronomer Charles Messier. 

Just as Jesus intended them to be. 

And, by the way, all of that is just a sampling of how the heavens do indeed declare the glory of God!  So come along with Wayne and Dan as they explore the wonder, stories, and science behind an ancient and wondrous little cluster of stars we call the Pleiades.

To see a great picture of the Pleiades and read more see Wayne's Blog article below: https://creationanswers.net/answersblog

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.

Photo credit:  NASA, ESA, AURA/Caltech, Palomar Observatory

On this episode of Good Heavens! Dan has a fascinating sit-down chat with the chief Vatican Astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno. Brother Guy is a Jesuit Priest, astrophysicist, meteorite specialist, author and popular communicator of science. We talk about everything from poetry to the difference between a meteor and a meteorite, Galileo's trials, science and faith, why the Vatican has a community of priest/astronomers and why the heavens should matter to all of us, believer and nonbeliever alike. 

For more information and a wonderful resource for seeing how faith and science cohere, be sure to check out Brother Guy's writings as well as a host of other thoughtful articles and insights about faith, science, and the cosmos at the Sacred Space Astronomy blog

https://www.vofoundation.org/blog/author/br-guy/ 

Brother Guy is also a contributor to the book "The Story of the Cosmos", mentioned on the Good Heavens podcast.  https://thestoryofthecosmos.com

We have been asking the question as long as we have been able to look up at the stars. Is there life out there in the cosmos? What would it be like? What are the implications for us if there is? And especially, how might extraterrestrial life impact our understanding of the Bible and of the Christian faith? What might extraterrestrial life have to do with Jesus of Nazareth? There is presently no evidence for ET. So why are we talking about it? Find out from an expert cosmologist who has asked this question himself. Dr. Jeff Zweerink of Reasons to Believe joins us to talk with us about his 2017 book Is There Life Out There? The answer may surprise you.

Show Notes

Jeff's book "Is There Life Out There?" https://www.amazon.com/There-Life-Out/dp/1886653003

Previous interview with Jeff on Is There Life Out There?

https://coldcasechristianity.com/writings/is-there-life-out-there-interview-with-jeff-zweerink/

Good Heavens Podcast episode (Feb. 2022): https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/chariots-of-the-gods-no/

Watchman Fellowship https://www.watchman.org

Wayne's article on ancient aliens:

https://creationanswers.net/reviews/ancientaliens_pseudoarch.htm

Ancient Aliens Debunked (Video by Chris White. 3 hrs, 10 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9w-i5oZqaQ

Website by Chris White.  Has some references related to topics in the video above. https://www.ancientaliensdebunked.com

Bible scholar Michael Heiser - Ancient Aliens Debunked https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5dER45rkGk

See also this website by Michael Heiser. http://SitchinIsWrong.com

Watchman Fellowship profiles on alien cults:

Heaven's Gate

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/heavensgateprofile.pdf

Raelians

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/raelianprofile.pdf

Previous Good Heavens! episodes with Gary Bates on UFOs

Part One: https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/aliens-ufos-and-the-bible-part-1-with-gary-bates/

Part Two: https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/aliens-ufos-and-the-bible-part-2-with-gary-bates/

Daniel’s interview with Sasha Sagan

A Conversation with Sasha Sagan https://youtu.be/0vQYDLeecN8

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.

On part two of our discussion with Dr. Tim Hamilton, we chat about something he discovered while sifting through images taken by Hubble!  The world is still filled with God's gifts, waiting to be discovered. You don't have to be an astrophysicist to receive from God's bounty! You don't have to be a scientist to make a discovery! God freely gives us gifts because He loves us, not because we earned it or deserved it.

When David considered the heavens, it reminded him of God's care for Him. 

So we hope Tim's story of discovery will do the same. We hope it can inspire and encourage you to consider that God also longs to give you gifts, the gift of forgiveness, of love, of mercy, or whatever else you need, maybe inspiration for your job or some difficult situation for which you see no answer. Fear not! Jesus knows, He sees, and your way is not hidden from Him. 

So come and hear Tim's story! 

Mars has inspired more than just astronomers and scientists. Mars has had and continues to have a profound impact on our collective imaginations, influencing a musical composer, countless artists and writers! 

What was God thinking when He made Mars? Why make such a world? How does Mars declare the glory of God? 

Dan and Wayne explore Mars from the comfort and safety of their armchair rocket ships.  Our armchairs cost much less than a rocket and are far more comfortable and safe.  So come and continue the adventure exploring the little red dot that goes back and forth across our evening and night skies. 

Links for further Martian Exploration: 

See Wayne's notes on missions to Mars: https://creationanswers.net/goodies/MarsMissions&TheRedPlanet.pdf 

NASA Mars Exploration Website https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/

Mars' catastrophic geology (article by Wayne Spencer) https://creation.com/mars-catastrophic-geology

Video:  NASA's Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm0b_ijaYMQ  

Carl Sagan talking about exploring Mars in 1972 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhv5V_8RPiI

Why do we want to go into space?  (Feb 2020 Good Heavens program) https://www.patreon.com/posts/why-do-we-want-34422720

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.

Climate science is making headlines today. It is one of the hot topics of our time. But what is the science that underlies current scientific assumptions about the environment? Is it sound? Is the planet headed for a catastrophe of our making?  

How do we best interpret the history of Earth? Is the past a key to the present? How many ice ages have there been? Come and see climate science as you probably have not seen in the headlines! 

On this special two-part episode of Good Heavens! Wayne and I talk with Institute for Creation Research physicist Dr. Jake Hebert III about the current state of climate science and the importance of getting Earth's geological and environmental science right. 

Dr. Hebert argues that how we understand the physical universe will profoundly influence how we interpret the current state of our environment. 

If God doesn't exist, from where do we derive the moral imperative to care for Earth's climate? Is the Earth a fragile biosphere or is God governing it through His providential wisdom and care? At Good Heavens! we affirm that God is still on the throne and in control of what He has made. 

Dr. Jake Hebert earned a Ph.D. in physics in 2011 from the University of Texas at Dallas, where he did cutting-edge research on the connection between cosmic rays, solar activity, and weather and climate.

Jake Hebert's page on the ICR website:   https://www.icr.org/jake_hebert/

Jake's book, The Ice Age and Climate Change.

Video of largest glacier calving ever filmed:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC3VTgIPoGU

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.

Image by LuisValiente from Pixabay

A preview of our upcoming discussion with Dr. Michael Ward about G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday - A Nightmare. 

Look for this program on April 10th.  This will be the second conversation on Good Heavens with Dr. Ward.  Dr. Ward is a C.S. Lewis scholar from the University of Oxford.  He is also a professor at Houston Baptist University.  Check out his website at http://www.michaelward.net/

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.

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.

The Bible describes Jesus as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." God asked Job if he can hunt the prey for the lion, suggesting that it is God Himself who does the "hunting." And in the Gospels, Jesus calls His disciples to "come" as He will teach them to be "fishers of men." 

Our God is a Hunter and a Fisherman. C.S. Lewis described Jesus as the "Hound of Heaven" who unrelentingly came after the skeptical literary scholar over the course of many years. 

And in Lewis' beloved classic The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis created the character of Aslan the Lion, a "suppositional" representation of Jesus in another world. In Narnia, the Beavers tell the children that Aslan isn't "safe but he's good." 

Indeed God does not guarantee our personal and physical safety in this world, but He is good and bids us to trust Him no matter our circumstances. 

Both Jesus and His creation are in many ways "not safe" but they are good; good beyond what we can finally comprehend. As Joseph says to his brothers maltreatment of him that eventually enigmatically lead to Joseph being second in command over the Egyptian empire, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." 

On the next three episodes of Good Heavens! Dan speaks with Christian and astrophysicist Dr. Leslie Wickman about her faith and how she sees God in the finely-tuned details of God's universe. 

It is our aim at Good Heavens! to find common ground among all believers in relation to our faith in Christ and what contemporary science tells us about creation. We believe there are things to learn from a wide variety of different perspectives. We try to present thoughtful and faithful believers presenting their different points of view that will hopefully encourage you to seek out these issues more deeply for yourself.  

From Leslie's page at Azusa Pacific:  

Leslie Wickman is a research scientist, engineering consultant, author, and inspirational speaker. For more than a decade, Wickman was an engineer for Lockheed Martin, where she worked on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station Programs, receiving commendations from NASA for her contributions and being designated as Lockheed’s Corporate Astronaut

Leslie's Book God of the Big Bang 

Leslie's original article featured on CNN.  

Watchman Fellowship's Atheist and Christian Book Club. Join us this coming October as we further discuss God of the Big Bang with Leslie live!

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.

There is a music in creation for those who have the ears to ear it. From the singing stars present at the foundation of the Earth, to the song of Moses after the miraculous crossing of the Yam Suf, to the silent songs of nature, from stars to sparrows, as well as songs we make as image bearers of God, all point to a kingdom and country not of this world. 

Hearing this music helps us to understand the world more holistically, enabling us to perceive it all centered upon the risen Lord Jesus - from science, to poetry, literature, theology, & music - all things were created by Him and for Him. He upholds all things by the word of His power. 

Creation centered upon Jesus is the grandest of fairy tales and we are all characters and subjects of the King of king and Lord of lords. As followers of Christ, we live in what Tolkien and Lewis called the “true myth”, the true story to which all other myths point. Ours is a world alive with wonder, awe, and majesty, and we can know the Author Himself. 

Our very special guest on this two-part episode of Good Heavens! is professional musicologist Dr. Christina George. Through song and music, Christie strives to unites beauty, philosophy, and theology together to help people see creation more holistically. In our darkening world of fragmentation, isolation, and niche specialization, Christie’s ministry is a much needed encouraging and thoughtful light. 

For more on Christie’s work, you can visit her website, http://cjgeorge.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/store/donations .

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.

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.

Shooting stars. Meteors. Bright flashing streaks of light zipping through the heavens! 

They are a wonder and delight to all of us. If you've ever stood under the canopy of a pristine dark sky filled with stars and have seen even one meteor take you by surprise, you know the childlike delight that stirs the soul. 

But what exactly are meteors? From where do they come? What exactly are we seeing? What's the difference between meteors, meteoroids, and meteorites? And how might these celestial messengers declare the glory of God? 

Come along with Wayne and Dan as they dive into the science and the glory of these cosmic fireworks that so take our breath away! They'll break down the science and lift up the glory of God in meteors and they'll even tell you when you can catch a glimpse of some of the most prolific meteor showers of the year. 

Resources for our these episodes on meteors: 

Meteorites book:  https://www.amazon.com/Meteorites-Story-Our-Solar-System/dp/0228101743/ 

Book:  Night Sky with the Naked Eye https://www.amazon.com/Night-Sky-Naked-Eye-Constellations/dp/1624143091/

Best Meteor Showers in 2021 https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/best-meteor-showers-in-2021/ Meteor in Russia from 2013 - Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBLjB5qavxY

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.

There are moral implications and assumptions about climate change. And it is thus vitally important we have a proper understanding not only of the history of Earth, but of current scientific paradigms about the environment that smuggle in a moral imperative about what we ought to do about the environment. 

If the heavens and earth are not created, if the Genesis Flood did not occur, and God did not judge the world as Scripture tells us, then how do science or the environment give us any moral commands? Is biological life on earth threatened by human behavior? What does it mean to be human and alive on Earth today?

Scripture is clear about these questions. We are created in God's image for the purpose of bringing Him glory. He created the world as very good but it was impacted by human sin. God judged the wickedness of man in a global Flood. Much of modern geological science denies a flood ever took place, and by implication, negating God's judgment. But climate change and the science of the environment have theological and moral implications. Both sides of the debate recognize there is much at stake. 

On part two of our discussion with Institute for Creation Research physicist Dr. Jake Hebert, we look more into the nature of Earth's history and environment and discuss how these issues are related to God and His glory in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jake Hebert's page on the ICR website:   https://www.icr.org/jake_hebert/

Jake's book, The Ice Age and Climate Change.

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.

Image by LuisValiente from Pixabay

In celebration of the Fourth of July and as 2022 is the year of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 16 moon landing, Dan sits down  for a conversation with Apollo 16 astronaut, the tenth man to walk upon the lunar surface, Charlie Duke. 

Duke is a retired Air Force Brigadier General and the CAPCOM "voice" of Houston for the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon in July of 1969. 

 We will be releasing this conversation in five parts in the coming week, so stay tuned! 

It was such an honor and delight to speak with Charlie. It was like talking to family. His delight in telling his remarkable story is evident. We spoke for an hour and twenty minutes about his time working as CAPCOM for Apollo 11, his own trip to the moon on Apollo 16 and ultimately how the Lord Jesus Christ saved both Charlie and his family. 

Part one of the video premiers Tuesday, July 5th. 

Listen all the way to the end for some hilarious bonus material! You can't hear Charlie's reaction on the audio, but he is grinning ear to ear in the video! 

Here on part one Charlie reflects on his experiences on the moon 50 years later and what it was like during the very tense final moments before Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon during the historical Apollo 11 mission. 

For more about Charlie's story, you can visit his website. 

Charlie and Dotty Duke's book Moonwalker  

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 have all probably wondered at some point if there is life in the universe outside of Earth. Our ability to land probes on distant worlds and send satellites outside our solar system, coupled with the over 5,000 exoplanets discovered since the early 2000s have inspired scientists to speculate more seriously about the possibility of extraterrestrial life. 

But even more fundamental than space probes, satellites and exoplanets in influencing many to consider the existence of life elsewhere in the cosmos is Charles Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection in addition to the speculative field of abiogenesis (the study of the origin of life). If life arose and developed "naturally" here on Earth, apart from God creating life, then it is claimed, it seems reasonable to conclude, given the vastness of the cosmos itself, that life may have spontaneously arisen on many other planets. 

But is the idea of alien life, especially intelligent alien life, really science or just science fiction? 

Here on part one Wayne and Dan discuss some of the characteristics of what is known as a planetary habitable zone as well as how Darwin's evolutionary ideas have inspired science's quest to find extraterrestrial life. 

Check out our other episodes on extraterrestrials, comet abiogenesis, UFO's, and ancient aliens.

Watchman Fellowship Profiles on Alien Cults:

Heaven's Gate

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/heavensgateprofile.pdf

The Raelians

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/raelianprofile.pdf

Articles from UFO researcher Gary Bates

https://creation.com/did-god-create-life-on-other-planets

https://creation.com/et-needed-evolution

Wayne's Review of Gary Bates' book Alien Intrusion

https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2012/08/11/the-alien-deception/

Our very talented narrator (and singer) Annemarie Smuts from South Africa:

https://annismuts.wixsite.com/listen2ava

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.

In Psalm 19 we read that the heavens are telling of the glory of God. But what exactly does that mean? Is the glory of God just pretty lights in the sky or is it something much more than that? 

Nations and people throughout human history have built monuments to the sun, moon and stars. Modern science and industry spends billions of dollars annually to uncover the secrets of the cosmos. The late planetary astronomer Carl Sagan said that the cosmos and the stars on a clear and cloudless night sky, far and away removed from the light pollution of urban areas, elicits "unbidden" a sense of awe, wonder, and reverence. 

So what is this glory of God? 

Rather, as you will see, the glory of God points us not to a what, but to a Person. The second Person of the Trinity, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. 

On this episode of Good Heavens! we talk with Hebrew scholar and president of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Thomas Egger, and unpack the rich depth and wonder of God's glory in Christ. 

For more about Dr. Egger and his work, you may visit his site at https://www.csl.edu/directory/thomas-egger/

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.

This is a special extended broadcast of Good Heavens! featuring our very own Wayne Spencer (a BLAST from the past!). This is an excerpt from a message by Wayne about meteors from 1991.  Wayne discusses the Arizona meteor crater and the Tunguska meteor explosion over Russia in 1908.  A little something special for you, an extended bonus episode about our meteor series!  Enjoy!

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.

In celebration of the Fourth of July and as 2022 is the year of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 16 moon landing, Dan sits down  for a conversation with Apollo 16 astronaut, the tenth man to walk upon the lunar surface, Charlie Duke.   

Duke is a retired Air Force Brigadier General and the CAPCOM "voice" of Houston for the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon in July of 1969.   

It was such an honor and delight to speak with Charlie. It was like talking to family. His delight in telling his remarkable story is evident. We spoke about his time working as CAPCOM for Apollo 11, his own trip to the moon on Apollo 16 and ultimately how the Lord Jesus Christ saved both Charlie and his family.   

Here on part two Charlie looks back on his own landing on the moon with John Young, talks a little bit about Buzz Aldrin's communion on the moon after Apollo 11 had landed, remembers James Irwin of Apollo 15 quoting from Psalm 121 from the moon, and reflects on the Apollo 8 crew on Christmas Eve of 1968 reading from the first chapter of Genesis.   

Watch the video of this episode!  https://youtu.be/9YpNFwbKTBA

For more about Charlie's story, you can visit his website. https://charlieduke.com/ 

Charlie and Dotty Duke's book Moonwalker  https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalker-Astronaut-Enough-Satisfy-Success/dp/0840791062 

Good Heavens! A Podcast about the Universe with Wayne and Dan https://www.patreon.com/GoodHeavens 

Apologetics Profile  https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jwalker55293 

https://www.watchman.org

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 contemporary astrophysics and cosmology has demonstrated anything conclusively about the nature of our universe it is   (1) We have a very special and unique place here on earth to observe and learn more about the universe and   (2) It requires intelligent agents to create even the simplest models of our universe or other theoretical universes. 

In short, despite what popularizers of science tell us, we are indeed significant in the cosmos and there is an intelligent being behind and beyond the cosmos.  As Christians, we know that the Creator of the cosmos Himself came down to us in the Person of His Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. All things came into being through Him, but sinful humanity did not recognize or know Him. 

Can man invent a universe and live in it? Can we live as though our lives are really insignificant? The simple answer to both questions is no. 

On this episode of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan discuss two basic problems with modern cosmology:   (1) Creating theoretical universes and   (2) Declaring human beings to be cosmically insignificant. 

Some thoughtful resources to strengthen and encourage you on these topics. 

A new video by Dan called "Fine Tuning is Dangerous" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqdvgQ2mrpk

Dan's interview with Steven C. Meyer, author of The Return of the God Hypothesis (Two Parts).  https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/return-of-the-god-hypothesis-part-1-with-stephen-c-meyer/ https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/return-of-the-god-hypothesis-part-2-with-stephen-c-meyer/

Dan's interview with Dr. Luke Barnes, coauthor of A Fortunate Universe https://goodheavens.podbean.com/e/a-conversation-with-dr-luke-barnes/

Book: Cosmology without God? https://www.amazon.com/Cosmology-Without-God-Problematic-Theology/dp/1532636849/

James Walker's interview with former high-ranking scientologist Mike Render (Two Parts) https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jwalker55293/episodes/2022-11-06T23_00_00-08_00 https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jwalker55293/episodes/2022-11-13T23_00_00-08_00

Original presentation from Dr. Sean Carroll, "God is not a Good Theory" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew_cNONhhKI

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.

Somehow Wayne and Dan are still riding along on a comet  as they explore the mysteries and intrigue of these celestial wonders!  Could comets actually have helped to kickstart life? Just what kind of things must line up in order for this to have happened? What comets can we see in 2021?

Dan made another video trailer for this episode, click here and HANG ON!

Video clips from ESA, NBC News, the Discovery Institute.

Books:

See David A. J. Seargent's book on Amazon, "The Greatest Comets in History: Broom Stars and Celestial Scimitars."  Also on Amazon, look for the 2020 updated edition of the book, "The Mystery of Life's Origin" by Thaxton, Bradley, and Olsen (and others).

For David Gelernter's essay on why he left Darwinism, go to https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/giving-up-darwin/

Or see Wayne's article for this podcast, on comets and the origin of life:  https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2020/12/24/comets-meteorites-the-origin-of-life/

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/store/donations. Donations to Watchman are tax deductible. Good Heavens! is a production of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. A 501 C (3) educational non-profit Christian research organization.

Thanks to Podbean listeners, Good Heavens was recently nominated by Welp Magazine to be in a list of the Top 20 Podcasts in Astronomy for 2021!  To see the article go to https://welpmagazine.com/20-best-astronomy-podcasts-of-2021/

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."  Genesis 1:1

 "Great are the works of the Lord. They are studied by all who delight in them." Psalm 111:2

Today there exists a confidence in the minds of many skeptics and unbelievers that science has somehow disproved God's existence.  According to our guest, Dr. Stephen C. Meyer of Discovery Institute in Seattle, Washington, nothing could be further from the truth. In his latest book, The Return of the God Hypothesis, Dr. Meyer unpacks and examines the leading scientific theories in both cosmology and biology and demonstrates with lucid, evidentiary detail, how God is indeed the best explanation for the existence of the universe and life within it.

On part one, we discuss Dr. Meyer's personal journey and the latest findings in the science of the universe. You'll find your faith encouraged as we discover together that rather than doing away with God, the exquisite discoveries of the last century point directly to divine intelligence, affirming the wondrous truths of Scripture that everything that has come to be has been made and is sustained by the risen Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 1; Psalm 19; Psalm 111; Isaiah 40:26; Colossians 1; John 1; Hebrews 1:3; 11:3).

From Dr. Meyer's website, http://www.thereturnofthegodhypothesis.com

Stephen C. Meyer received his Ph.D. in the philosophy of science from the University of Cambridge. A former geophysicist and college professor, he now directs Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture in Seattle.

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.

Johannes Kepler lived a remarkable life during equally remarkable times. On this special Third-Anniversary episode of Good Heavens, Wayne and Dan talk about Kepler‘s accomplishments and his character.  He lived during the Catholic Counter Reformation in a time when there was much superstition.  In spite of great hardship and personal loss Kepler influenced people away from superstition and made revolutionary discoveries about the planets.  Kepler's Mother was accused of witchcraft in a time when many women were being wrongly executed for witchcraft.  But Kepler did a legal defense of his Mother and eventually she was freed.  He demonstrated remarkable character and faith in difficult times. 

Thank you to everyone for listening for 3 years!

For more information on Kepler check out these links:

Article by Wayne for this podcast

https://creationanswers.net/biographies/SuperstitionToModernScience.htm

Amazon link to Kitty Ferguson's book

https://www.amazon.com/Tycho-Kepler-Kitty-Ferguson/dp/0802713904

Website about Daniel and Wayne's book, "The Story of the Cosmos" (2017):   https://thestoryofthecosmos.com/

As long as we have been observing the heavens, we have known of the immortal wandering stars of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. What is it about these "planets" that fascinate us so? Why do we spend billions of dollars sending robotic probes and satellites to the surface of a distant, lifeless, and desert wilderness? 

From the safety of our armchairs, Dan and Wayne discuss our fascination with the red planet, and the various space exploration missions to Mars from multiple nations.  The name "Mars" is a reference to the god of war in ancient Greece. We hope you'll join us for our adventure to the vermillion wanderer as we explore its fascinating features and ponder how we see Mars as the creation of God's "fingers" (Psalm 8) ultimately a manifestation of the glory of God in Christ! 

Links for further Martian Exploration: 

See Wayne's notes on missions to Mars: https://creationanswers.net/goodies/MarsMissions&TheRedPlanet.pdf 

NASA Mars Exploration Website https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/

Mars' catastrophic geology (article by Wayne Spencer) https://creation.com/mars-catastrophic-geology

Video:  NASA's Perseverance Rover Lands on Mars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm0b_ijaYMQ

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 universe is filled with "known unknowns" to quote the former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. They are fascinating, mysterious and worthy of our attention. There are all sorts of wonderous and fantastically mysterious light sculptures in the cosmos. We talk about the mysteries of stars, galaxies, galaxy structures, fast radio bursts, gamma ray bursts, and all kinds of other things that presently remain a mystery to astronomers, cosmologists, and astrophysicists. And we think all these great unknowns point to the glory of God in Christ. So come and see what's up in our marvelous universe and be amazed by what we don't know! 

Some of the mysteries mentioned in this series for your further exploration! Note there are not specific "Christian" points of view expressed in these websites and resources and do not necessarily reflect the views of Wayne, Dan, Good Heavens, or Watchman Fellowship, Inc. 

Mysterious light: https://www.npr.org/2020/11/18/936219170/scientists-discover-outer-space-isnt-pitch-black-after-all

MOND:  https://newatlas.com/physics/modified-gravity-evidence-dark-matter/ 

Technetium: https://www.forbes.com/sites/ethansiegel/2015/08/01/a-periodic-table-surprise-the-one-element-in-stars-that-isnt-on-earth/?sh=2fa74570df74

Podbean enables the Good Heavens 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.

Does the Physics of the Universe do away with God?  Of course not!  On part 2 of our conversation with David Wilkinson and Dave Hutchings, we explore further the implications of the late Dr. Hawking's engagement with the idea of God and what the implications are for a universe bereft its Creator.  The late Dr. Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist whose pioneering work in black holes forever impacted the way we look at the universe. But what of the implications of his thoughts about God? Ought we to assume Hawking's brilliance in trying to understand the cosmos is transferable when he speaks of God?

The late Dr. Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist whose pioneering work in black holes forever impacted the way we look at the universe. But what of the implications of his thoughts about God? Ought we to assume Hawking's brilliance in trying to understand the cosmos is transferable when he speaks of God?  So we hope you will be encouraged by this program. There has yet to be a scientist whose theories and ideas have come anywhere close to unseating the Lord Jesus as King of kings and Lord of lords. The heavens are still declaring His glory! 

Here is more about Professor Wilkinson:

https://www.dur.ac.uk/theology.religion/staff/profile/?id=2006

To get the book, God, Stephen Hawking, and the Multiverse, click here:

https://www.amazon.com/God-Stephen-Hawking-Multiverse-matters-ebook/dp/B083TY4J8B

And, Let There Be Science, by David Hutchings and Tom McLeish 

https://www.amazon.com/Let-There-Be-Science-science/dp/0745968635

Did dragons ever really exist? Why is there a constellation of a dragon? Where'd it come from?

On this episode of Good Heavens! Dan breaks down the myths and legends behind Draco the Dragon, the 8th largest constellation in the night sky, Find out about its brightest stars and some of the deep sky objects within and about what Scripture has to say about the dragon of old. 

Don't miss this fascinating episode. Sit back, close your eyes, and imagine you're in a state-of-the-art planetarium. If you have some booming home audio surround sound or good car speakers, they will certainly enhance this one-of-a-kind audio theater for the mind's eye! 

DISCLAIMER: In our series on the constellations, we are not condoning, endorsing, or encouraging any astrology or horoscope related practices. Stars do not determine one's future or personality. We simply provide a history and overview of the constellations and how they can remind us as Christians of God's glory in Christ. Please see our Watchman four-page profile on the spurious practices and assumptions of astrology written by a former astrologer now Christian.

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/astrologyprofile.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.

On this episode of Good Heavens! Dan sits down with physicist and author James Sinclair to discuss God and cosmology. James has worked with Dr. William Lane Craig on a number of publications about cosmology and was integral in helping Dr. Craig and "team theism" prepare for this debate! 

It was a delightful and wide-ranging conversation centered around the 2014 debate between cosmologist and atheist Dr. Sean Carroll and Christian philosopher Dr. William Lane Craig.  On part one we talk about billionaires in space, science fiction, and Dr. Carroll's thoughts on theism in general.

SPOILER ALERT! We discuss the endings of the films Interstellar and Contact, just in case you haven’t seen them! 

For more information on James' work: 

Contending with Christianity’s Critics: Article: At Home In the Multiverse? Critiquing the Atheist Many Worlds Scenario Author James Sinclair https://www.amazon.com/Contending-Christianitys-Critics-Answering-Objectors/dp/0805449361/    God & Cosmology: William Lane Craig & Sean Carroll in Dialogue Article: Cosmology & Cosmologists with the “Does God Exist?” Problem: A Consideration of kalam’s Second Premise Author: James Sinclair https://www.amazon.com/God-Cosmology-Dialogue-Greer-Heard-Grear-Heard/dp/1506410774/

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's the date today? What time is it? For many people and times, the answers to these questions were not always easy to determine. Today, we take it for granted we can tell time by a clock or look up a date on a calendar. 

On this episode, Wayne and Dan discuss some fun and curious tidbits about calendars, from the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Romans to the late 16th century when there was a great calendrical reform by Pope Gregory VIII. We talk about the Julian and Gregorian calendars and how the sun and moon figured into months and years. 

This is part one of a three-part series that will culminate in the final days of Jesus of Nazareth, leading up to His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, all in line with Easter celebration on Sunday, April 4th of this year. 

Books and resources mentioned: 

The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy 

Encyclopedia of Ancient Astronomy 

The Mystery of the Last Supper 

Links to resources on Wayne's website. 

https://creationanswers.net/biblical/crucifixiondate.htm

https://creationanswers.net/goodies/LastWeek_Christ_Outline.pdfhttps://creationanswers.net/goodies/LastWeekofChrist.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.

On this episode of Good Heavens! a fun and insightful conversation with Dr. Luke Barnes about the history of cosmology and astronomy over the last hundred years. We discuss the remarkable and unexpected discoveries about the universe since the early 20th century from the idea of an expanding universe to the hair-raising idea that our universe actually had a beginning.  Sir Fred Hoyle believed that a scientist would risk his entire career if he pressed the idea that God had anything to do with the cosmos. So how does the history of cosmology point to God? What should we think about God in contemporary cosmology today? Come and see, on this episode of Good Heavens! 

Follow Luke on Twitter @lukebarnesastro and on his blog https://letterstonature.wordpress.com/luke/ as well as his appearances on the video series Closer to Truth https://www.closertotruth.com/contributor/luke-barnes/profile 

Be sure to check out Luke's delightful and down-to-earth YouTube channel about cosmology with his colleague Geraint Lewis.  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnPhuVSN3-gEeeSMyIMeDeA

An informal chat with Sasha Sagan, the daughter of the late Dr. Carl Sagan. Dan talks with her about her new book, her iconic father, her Jewish roots, and her quest as a new mother to find meaning, purpose, and tradition in the universe, without belief in God. This recording was done in conjunction with Watchman.org and the Atheist and Christian Book Club for the November 2019 meeting where the group discusses Dr. Sagan's book Pale Blue Dot. This conversation was more to get to hear Sasha's stories and learn about her experiences rather than to debate the existence of God. We hope you enjoy it.

To find out more about the Atheist and Christian book club, see https://atheistchristianbookclub.com/

Have you ever seen a grin without a cat? Come and see, or at least listen to the story about a fascinating object in the deepest recesses of Ursa Major, the Great Bear! 

Alice in Wonderland, Charlie Chaplain, Albert Einstein, invisible space-time fabric, and a grin that is kinda out of this world. 

For more grinning from the heavens, see Wayne's article! The Grin from Space https://creationanswers.net/answersblog/2023/01/27/the-grin-from-space/

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.

As you know, we here at Good Heavens! can't stop talking about the heavens. So when a beautiful picture book comes out with the title The Heavens, how can we not talk about it! 

The heavens declare the glory of God. They are His creation, attesting to His invisible attributes of faithfulness, wisdom, love, power, and glory. 

Come and see the wonders of the heavens in a magnificent new pictorial book from astronomer Dr. Danny Faulkner of Answers in Genesis along with two backyard astrophotographers Glen Fountain and Jim Bonser (I mispronounced his name in the podcast, my apologies!). 

From the sun and moon to way out in deep space where beauteous nebulae and galaxies, this book not only showcases stunning, high quality images of the cosmos, all taken by Danny, Glen, or Jim, but also combines science and Scripture in a meaningful, down-to-earth, and encouraging way. 

The video of this program shows beautiful photography and gives a great introduction to observational astronomy.  To watch the video go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73iGfxGFvIc

Dr. Danny Faulkner holds an MS in Physics from Clemson University and an MA and PhD in Astronomy from Indiana University and taught at the University of South Carolina Lancaster for over 26 years. He serves as editor of the Creation Research Society Quarterly and has published over 100 papers in various journals. He now works as a researcher, author, and speaker for Answers in Genesis.

To get a copy of Danny's book.  

To get a copy of The Story of the Cosmos  

More on Danny Faulkner  

Visit our ministry's website for resources on apologetics, other religions, cults, and non-Christian worldviews. https://www.watchman.org.   

The views expressed by Dr. Faulkner do not necessarily represent those of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. We hope to present a balanced perspective on the questions of the age of the universe. Watchman Fellowship does not openly or publicly endorse one side or the other in the age debate.

Image is from the VLT Survey Telescope at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile. Licensed from ESO and Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.  Image was cropped and resized.

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 sun is blinding and deadly (if we got too close to it) yet it is also life-giving and sustains the planets in their orbits. How can something so lethal to our existence also be so necessary for our existence? 

The sun reminds us of God's attributes in this regard. God is holy and dwells in unapproachable light. No human being can look upon or be in the presence of God's unmitigated holiness and not perish. But God is also absolutely necessary for the existence of the universe, our solar system, our sun, and our very lives. We cannot look upon His face and live and yet He upholds the universe by the word of His power, sending rain and sunshine on the just and unjust alike. 

In the person of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we can come into His presence. Our God is both a sun and shield. At once holy and lethal but also our protector and advocate in Jesus. 

On part two of our episodes on the sun, we discuss some of the fascinating and God-glorifying aspects of the sun, everything from coronal mass ejections, helium, hydrogen, Fraunhofer lines, to how it will one day be no more. 

From it's creation to its darkening at the cross to the end of its days when the Lord Jesus returns and recreates the heavens and the earth, the sun, like a good and faithful servant, has declared the glory of God. So come and see (but wear eye protection and don't look at the sun directly!) 

We hope these episodes will edify and encourage you in your walk with Christ. And if you're not a believer, we hope they give you some light into the nature of who Jesus is. 1 Cor. 10:31. 

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.

Dr. Stephen Hawking was a brilliant Cambridge theoretical physicist whose pioneering work on black holes and the origin of the universe put him in the public eye and imagination. His book A Brief History of Time was a runaway bestseller, with some 10 million copies having been sold worldwide since its publication in 1988.  Despite the limitations of ALS, Dr. Hawking went on to father children, write more books, give lectures, travel, and continue to do research. Remarkably, he lived to the age of 76, much to the astonishment of the entire watching world. His life and work define a generation of our understanding of the universe. 

On this two-part episode, we explore the life, work, and beliefs of the late Dr. Hawking with two distinguished gentlemen from the UK, David Hutchings, a high-school physics teacher and Dr. David Wilkinson, astrophysicist and a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.  Dr. Hawking believed science had replaced God.  But he did not really engage the God of the Bible.

To get the book by the same title, go to this link:

https://www.amazon.com/God-Stephen-Hawking-Multiverse-matters-ebook/dp/B083TY4J8B

The Bible tells us that in the last days, there will be mockers who will scoff at the idea of a biblical flood. 

if you've ever talked to a skeptic or an unbeliever, you probably have experienced this mockery first-hand. You've been told there's no evidence for a flood, or that the Bible is just a mythical tale, and that while the story of Noah and the animals on the ark might be a cute Sunday school lesson on a felt board, no thoughtful adult takes it seriously. 

On this episode, we talk to astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe. Dr. Ross has explored in great detail the text of Scripture and has participated in discussions and debates with believers and unbelievers alike about the reality of Noah's flood found in the book of Genesis, chapters 6-9. 

Dr. Ross takes what is known as an "old-earth" view of the flood. That is, Dr. Ross believes the earth to be billions of years old, rather than six to ten thousand years old. He also does not believe the flood covered the entire globe.  We have also featured a "young-earth" view of the flood from Dr. Tim Clarey of the Institute for Creation Research here in Dallas, Texas.

We believe as Christians that there is room for civil and charitable disagreement about the scientific details of the flood and we hope that no matter if you are a young or old-earth creationist, or a skeptic or unbeliever, that you can see how Dr. Ross and Dr. Clarey charitably disagree but affirm that the Flood described in the Bible really did happen and most importantly, they both affirm the inspiration of Scripture and the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

For more about Dr. Ross and Reasons to Believe: 

https://reasons.org/team/hugh-ross

https://reasons.org/

This broadcast and our broadcast with Tim Clarey of the Institute for Creation Research do not constitute an endorsement of young or old-earth creationism and do not  necessarily reflect the views of Watchman Fellowship, Inc. Arlington, TX.

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 God does not exist, then why does the universe exist? Why is there something rather than nothing?  Any naturalistic theory about the existence of our universe inevitably finds itself addressing the concepts of infinity and eternity. It's unavoidable. You cannot explain the existence of the cosmos without invoking eternality. 

This is precisely the meaning of Romans 1:18-20. Through what God has made, all mankind has clearly seen God's invisible attributes, which would include His timeless and eternal nature. 

Discovered in the late 1970s and early 80s, the mathematical universe of fractals known as the Mandelbrot Set remind us of God's infinite nature - His infinite wisdom, beauty, creativity, intelligence, power, and glory. No one had anticipated that such a small equation, Z squared plus C, run through computers, would yield such a dazzling array of shapes and patters known as fractals. 

An infinite universe of complexity, wonder, and amazing design await you! So come and see what more the fractals of the Mandelbrot Set have to tell us about the God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ.

YouTube link for Part 1 https://youtu.be/_dACmhvSsTo

YouTube link for Part 2 https://youtu.be/ztXawHYORzI

For more on Dr. Lisle's work: 

https://biblicalscienceinstitute.com/dr-lisle/

Fractals - The Secret Code of Creation: 

https://biblicalscienceinstitute.com/product/fractals/

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.

Good Heavens! It's been 50 years since Apollo 11. July 16, 1969 the Apollo 11  launch took place. Join Wayne and Dan as they discuss the accomplishment of men setting foot on the Moon. How big was the Saturn V rocket? What was it like for the astronauts landing on the Moon? The whole world watched and listened to the Moon landing on TV and radio. What does the Bible say about the Moon that relates to Apollo 11?

July 16 also marks the release of the book The Story of the Cosmos, which Dan and Wayne both contributed to. To find out more, go to this link: https://thestoryofthecosmos.com

This episode features Dan being interviewed as a guest on the podcast of Joel Settecase of The Think Institute in Chicago.  https://thethink.institute/ . Dan and Joel discuss The Story of the Cosmos book and apologetics and how the can help us refocus and renew our minds of thinking more holistically about engaging the culture with the Christian Gospel. 

This is the first in a series on apologetics from Good Heavens! In addition to Wayne and Dan talking about cosmological and astronomical topics, we will also feature some episodes on apologetics with interviews from a variety of different people, authors, speakers, teachers, and pastors. 

The strange and wonderful world of galaxies, part II. Come along with Wayne and Dan as they take a quick ride through some fantastical stuff about galaxies, including some hair-raising facts about our own! Seems as though the more we discover, the less we know what the universe is really like! 

Come and see! 

Galaxy pair - NGC 4676 - NASA/ESA/STScI/Hubble

The book of Job in the Old Testament tells of a prosperous man who was very good who lost much of what he owned and had 10 children die in one day.  Then he was struck with a terrible illness.  The book includes lengthy discussions between Job and his friends and tells of the gnawing questions and frustration Job experienced.  Job also contains the longest quoted passage of God speaking in the Bible, which ranges from high to low in creation.  Was Job a real person?  What was God's answer to Job?  What did his friends think of Job in his suffering? 

How does the beauty and majesty of the heavens and of creation fit in with our sorrows, doubts, and suffering? While Wayne and Dan certainly don't propose to have all the answers, in this episode and in part two, they wrestle with the message of the Book of Job in hopes it can be an encouragement to you. 

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.

A special edition of Good Heaven! A heavenly event you don't want to miss! Mark your calendars for a special sight in the heavens coming soon. And you won't need a telescope or binoculars. You'll even be able to see it from a big city if your western horizon is clear and the weather is good. 

Come and see! 

Did the sun and moon really "stand still" in the Valley of Aijalon as described in the Bible? Is Jesus still governing the goings on in the heavens and earth? We live in a time where we, like Joshua, should be strong and courageous. But only the Lord Jesus can give us that necessary strength and freedom from fear. We hope our reflections on Joshua 10 will be an encouragement to everyone. In this program Wayne reads from Joshua chapter 10, verses 1-28 (NIV, 1984 Bible).  This provides the background for a podcast coming soon on the Long Day of Joshua with Wayne and Dan.  

The book of Job in the Old Testament tells of a prosperous man who was very good who lost much of what he owned and had 10 children die in one day.  Then he was struck with a terrible illness.  The book includes lengthy discussions between Job and his friends and tells of the gnawing questions and frustration Job experienced.  Job also contains the longest quoted passage of God speaking in the Bible, which ranges from high to low in creation.   

How does the beauty and majesty of the heavens and of creation fit in with our sorrows, doubts, and suffering? What were Behemoth and Leviathan? Wayne and Dan continue exploring the wisdom and wonders of the book of Job. May it be a blessing and encouragement to you. 

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.

"Everything that begins to exist has a cause." 

So begins the classical argument for God's existence known as the Kalam Cosmological Argument. Contemporary sciences of the heavens have, at least for the time being, confirmed that the universe we currently inhabit did indeed have a beginning. 

But what caused our universe to come into existence? The secular literature on the origin of the universe mentions God only in passing, or often merely to claim that theists are arguing about a god of the gaps. But if God did not create the cosmos, what did? When you read through the contemporary theories, they start to sound not a little like "invisible attributes" of God. Whatever created the universe in a naturalistic worldview has to be powerful beyond description, employing laws of physics heretofore unknown to man (as the current laws known by scientists 'break down' at the beginning), beyond space, beyond time, not made of anything physical or material, and either infinite or eternal. 

On part two of our discussion with Christian and astrophysicist Dr. Leslie Wickman, Dan explores some of these questions in more detail. Whatever you may think of the Big Bang, it certainly can be a point of discussion upon which you can build a conversation with your skeptic or atheist friends.  

From Leslie's website at Azusa Pacific.  

Leslie Wickman is a research scientist, engineering consultant, author, and inspirational speaker. For more than a decade, Wickman was an engineer for Lockheed Martin, where she worked on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station Programs, receiving commendations from NASA for her contributions and being designated as Lockheed’s Corporate astronomer.

Leslie's Book God of the Big Bang 

Leslie's original article featured on CNN. 

Watchman Fellowship's Atheist and Christian Book Club. Join us this coming October as we further discuss God of the Big Bang with Leslie live!

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.