Reasons To Believe
Formation | 1986 |
---|---|
Type | Religious ministry |
Legal status | Non-profit |
Purpose | Old Earth creationist Christian apologetics |
Headquarters | Covina, California, USA |
President and Founder | Hugh Ross |
Budget | $3,131,508[1] |
Staff | 5 Research Scholars |
Volunteers | 207 Volunteer Apologists |
Website | Reasons.org |
Remarks | Twitter: @RTB_official [2] RTB youtube[3] |
Reasons to Believe is a progressive creationist ministry that promotes day-age forms of old Earth creationism. It was founded in 1986 by Hugh Ross, a Canadian-born astrophysicist and creationist Christian apologist.[4] Based in Los Angeles, the mission of Reasons to Believe is to demonstrate that "sound reason and scientific research—including the very latest discoveries—consistently support, rather than erode, confidence in the truth of the Bible and faith in the personal, transcendent God revealed in both Scripture and nature."
Reasons to Believe has 26 books published and over 1564 articles written. Reasons to Believe has held events all over the world.[5] Reasons to Believe has also produced many DVDs, TV shows, audio CDs, MP3s, podcasts, streaming events and teleconferences. "Science News Flash" reviews news headline of scientific discoveries. Reasons to Believe educational programs includes both credit classes and non credit classes.[6][7]
Reasons to Believe has 46 Chapters around the world with volunteer scholars and volunteer apologists.[8][9]
Creation Model
A scientific model is a conceptual framework that offers a simplified view of a large, complex reality. The staff at Reasons to Believe argues that it has a testable, Biblical-based model regarding the origin of the universe, of life, and of humanity. This model makes 93 predictions about future scientific discoveries which are different from the predictions of naturalism, theistic evolution, and young-earth creationism.[10] This model is explained in a collection of 9 books, and summarized in More Than a Theory.[11]
Predictions
The creation model predicts that disputes over the big bang's validity, and observation will increasingly undermine models which try to avoid an absolute beginning of space and time. Young earth models predict that new discoveries will prove fatal for all big bang models. Naturalistic models predict that future discoveries will undermine the belief that the physical world is finite in the past.[12]
The RTB model predicts an increase in astronomical evidence that Earth resides at the ideal location in the cosmos for both harboring advanced civilization and technology and making the universe observable. Nontheistic models predict that new astronomical discoveries will show that Earth is unremarkable for both habitability and observation.[13] The RTB model also predicts that as scientists continue to research the causes and effects of plate tectonics, their findings will reveal evidence for the fine-tuning required for long-lasting, stable plate-tectonic activity on a planet with a thin atmosphere. It also predicts that the flood of Noah was a local event. Nontheistic models predict that evidence for fine-tuned, long-lasting plate tectonics will weaken as scientists learn more about plate tectonic phenomena. Young earth models predict that all plate tectonic activity occurred during the past ten thousand years, and that the bulk of that tectonic activity took place between 5,000 and 7,000 years ago.[14]
The RTB model predicts that future anthropological and genetic research will increasingly confirm that humans are biologically distinct rather than descended from a hominid species. It predicts stronger evidence for humanity's genetic, anatomical, and behavioral uniqueness. It places the earliest hominids at 6.5 million years ago and the first humans at around fifty thousand years ago. Naturalistic models predict stronger evidence against humanity's uniqueness. Young-earth models predict that advancing research will prove that present-day humans are anatomically, genetically, and behaviorally identical to modern humans, and that all hominid species came into existence in the past 10,000 years.[15]
Staff Research Scholars
- Dr. Hugh Ross: President & Founder and astrophysicist.
- Fazale Rana: Executive Vice President of Research & Apologetics; and biologist-researcher in biochemistry. Known as "Fuz" Rana[16]
- Kenneth R. Samples: Scholar, theologian and former Bible Answer Man[17]
- Dr. Jeff Zweerink: Research Scholar, space researcher and former university teacher. Jeff has worked on STACEE, VERITAS gamma-ray telescopes, and GAPS- General Antiparticle Spectrometer a balloon experiment seeking to detect dark matter.[18][19][20]
- Reasons to Believe has a visiting scholar program, where research scholars will take a break from their academic or commercial careers to work with Reasons to Believe, continuing their research, but with Reasons to Believe.[21]
References
- ↑ Religion: Religious Media and Advertising- Reasons To Believe by Charity Navigator
- ↑ twitter.com RTB
- ↑ RTB youtube
- ↑ reasons.org, About Hugh Ross
- ↑ reasons.org, RTB Events
- ↑ reasons.org, Educational programs
- ↑ Hope International University, on Reasons To Believe's Reasons Institute (RI)
- ↑ reasons.org, RTB Chapters
- ↑ reasons.org, RTB volunteer
- ↑ "Our Creation Model Approach". Reasons to Believe. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ↑ "Reasons to Believe Collection". Logos. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
- ↑ Ross, Hugh. More Than A Theory. p. 236.
- ↑ More Than A Theory. p. 237.
- ↑ More Than A Theory. p. 237.
- ↑ More Than A Theory. p. 239.
- ↑ reasons.org About Fazale "Fuz" Rana
- ↑ reasons.org, About Ken Samples
- ↑ UCLA, GAPS (General Antiparticle Spectrometer)
- ↑ reasons.org, About Jeff Zweerink
- ↑ Cornell University, The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) - Hunt for dark matter using low-energy antideuterons, by Ph. von Doetinchem, T. Aramaki, St.Boggs, W. Craig, H. Fuke, F. Gahbauer, Ch. Hailey, J. Koglin, N. Madden, I. Mognet, K. Mori, R. Ong, T. Yoshida, T. Zhang, J. Zweerink, submitted on 1 Dec 2010.
- ↑ linkedin.com, Reasons To Believe
External links
- Reasons To Believe – Official Website