Good Heavens!  The Human Side of Astronomy artwork

Good Heavens! The Human Side of Astronomy

170 episodes - English - Latest episode: 7 days ago - ★★★★★ - 37 ratings

A podcast about astronomy and faith with Wayne and Dan. Making astronomy relevant and understandable.

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Episodes

Total Eclipse April 8th, 2024 with Astronomer Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez

March 22, 2024 08:00 - 38 minutes - 72 MB

Total eclipses are a spectacular and breathtaking wonder to behold. And a total eclipse is coming over the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as well as parts of the eastern United States on April 8th, 2024. Totality in the DFW area will last a little over four minutes.  If you are in the vicinity of DFW, come join Wayne and Dan in Waxahachie, Texas on April 8th, 2024 for the Discovery Institute event. You can find tickets here at this link. https://www.discovery.org/e/eclipse/ Waxahachie, Texas ...

Too Big for the Big Bang 2 (Part One) Cosmic Superstructures (stereo)

March 02, 2024 05:00 - 45 minutes - 84.3 MB

Stereo repost.  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 cosmologi...

Too Big for the Big Bang 2 (Part Two) Cosmic Superstructures that Challenge Einstein's Assumptions

February 29, 2024 17:00 - 40 minutes - 76.1 MB

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, anyw...

Too Big for the Big Bang 2 (Part One) Cosmic Superstructures that Challenge Einstein's Assumptions

February 24, 2024 21:39 - 45 minutes - 26.3 MB

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 th...

The 25th Anniversary of The Design Inference with Dr. William Dembski Part2

January 31, 2024 17:00 - 38 minutes - 30.7 MB

"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 ...

The 25th Anniversary of The Design Inference with Dr. William Dembski Part 1

January 29, 2024 17:00 - 40 minutes - 32.6 MB

For centuries, Western natural philosophy, theology, the scientific tradition widely accepted that the physical cosmos and life within it was the creation of God. Arguably one of the most influential works which usurped the belief in God as the Creator was Charles Darwin's 1859 publication On the Origin of Species. It undoubtedly provided many with the intellectual framework for atheism, naturalism, and materialism. But in the late 20th and early 21st century, the concept of intelligent desi...

Seeing Through a Glass Darkly - The History of Telescopes Part 2

December 25, 2023 15:00 - 43 minutes - 35 MB

Telescopes certainly have opened our eyes to the wonders of the heavens. For Christians images from the deepest regions of the universe only serve to confirm what David in the 19th Psalm declares. The heavens are telling of the glory of God and the skies proclaim His handiwork. But the big institutional astronomical organizations that design and build modern sophisticated telescopes seemed to have lost this particular focus. While the lenses and mirrors reveal the wonders of the cosmos in ...

What’s In Your Lens? The History of Telescopes Part 1

December 19, 2023 01:44 - 1 hour - 49.6 MB

The telescope has revolutionized the way we understand the universe. But in the four centuries since its invention, it seems astronomy science today has lost the original focus of those Christians who first laid eyes on the heavens through their spyglasses.  On the next two episodes of Good Heavens! Wayne and Dan take a peek back on some of the highlights and discoveries of the earliest telescopes. Here on part one we chat about who really invented the telescope, what the basic kinds of tel...

Does Anyone Really Know How Old the Universe Is? Part 2

November 25, 2023 16:00 - 50 minutes - 40.3 MB

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 p...

Does Anyone Really Know How Old the Universe Is? Part 1

November 18, 2023 16:00 - 53 minutes - 42.9 MB

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 b...

The Osiris Rex Mission to Bennu. Can Carbon From an Asteroid Tell Us Where We Came From?

October 20, 2023 23:00 - 40 minutes - 32.4 MB

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...

The Annular Eclipse of October 2023 and the Glory of God

October 14, 2023 00:27 - 54 minutes - 43.6 MB

You have likely at least seen pictures or videos of solar eclipses, perhaps you have been fortunate enough to see one as it happens. Either way, eclipses are quite a dramatic and awe-inspiring sight to behold.    What do they mean? Anything? For non-Christians and those who hold to a completely materialistic view of the universe, sadly no. These events, while breathtaking, are not anything purposeful. They were not intended by anyone or anything. They are just chance alignments with no rh...

Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men Part 2 - with Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross

September 18, 2023 23:53 - 51 minutes - 41.6 MB

If there are highly intelligent beings out there in the cosmos somewhere and they have perfected overcoming the impossible odds and dangers of interstellar and intergalactic travel, why do they always crash here on Earth? And is it even possible for such beings to defy the known laws of physics? On part two of our conversation with astrophysicist and author Dr. Hugh Ross of Reasons to Believe, we finish up our conversation about aliens, UFOs, and UAPs, and the problems they pose for a natur...

Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men Part 1 - with Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross

September 12, 2023 03:10 - 49 minutes - 39.4 MB

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...

The Perseid Meteors THIS WEEKEND! (August 11th-14th)

August 11, 2023 19:15 - 54 minutes - 43.4 MB

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! Episod...

Is There Life Out There? Part 2. A Conversation on Extraterrestrial Life with Dr. Jeff Zweerink

July 18, 2023 17:00 - 41 minutes - 33.5 MB

If extraterrestrial life existed, how would it impact our faith in Christ? What would it look like? Would it be something like bacteria, plants or animals, or something more resembling intelligent agents like ourselves? Is the Earth specially designed to host biological life or are there other "Earth-like" planets in the universe today? This is part two of our special combined broadcast of Apologetics Profile and Good Heavens! with cosmologist and author Dr. Jeff Zweerink of Reasons to Belie...

Is There Life Out There? Part 1. A Conversation on Extraterrestrial Life with Dr. Jeff Zweerink

July 17, 2023 17:00 - 51 minutes - 41.3 MB

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 aske...

Amazing Exoplanets Part 2

July 03, 2023 14:00 - 40 minutes - 32.1 MB

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 a...

Amazing Exoplanets Part 1

June 30, 2023 03:07 - 49 minutes - 40 MB

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...

Mysteries of a Distant Star - Fomalhaut

May 31, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 54.4 MB

The James Webb Space Telescope continues to make headlines with its marvelous head-scratching discoveries. On this episode, Wayne and Dan explore a recent JWST unexpected discovery of a disc and multiple rings around the star Fomalhaut. This discovery promises to challenge current theories about how stars and planets form. Wayne and Dan not only discuss the science, but also how we see the star pointing to our unique and special place in the cosmos, all for the glory of God in Christ.  Dan...

Kings of the Cosmos

May 01, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 64.3 MB

(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 o...

Good Heavens! Dwarf Planets?!

April 12, 2023 17:00 - 1 hour - 63.6 MB

Good Heavens! Dwarfs (not dwarves) have stolen Pluto's planetary status! Who are these mischievous entities? Why did they steal from Pluto? Where are they, exactly? And what do dwarfs, dancing, and astronomy have to do with each other?  Join Wayne and Dan for this educational adventure in exploring these recently discovered miscreants of the solar system! Hopefully they've answered all of the perplexing questions on this episode. If not, it's still a fun chat about what's out there and how ...

Wonders Uncovered by the James Webb Space Telescope

March 31, 2023 18:00 - 19 minutes - 15.3 MB

Dan summarizes four fantastical new images from the James Webb Space Telescope and how he believes they reveal the glory of God. Objects discussed you can see for yourself! Pandora's Cluster VHS 1256 b (only an artist's conception) Wolf-Rayet 124 NGC 7469 A Star Wreath   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.  T...

The Constellation of Draco the Dragon

March 17, 2023 18:00 - 22 minutes - 18.4 MB

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. ...

Aligned For God’s Glory

March 09, 2023 12:59 - 21 minutes - 17.1 MB

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 ...

Good Heavens! A Grin Without a Cat! Part 2

February 08, 2023 18:00 - 46 minutes - 36.9 MB

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-g...

The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter - Feb. 27, 2023

February 04, 2023 02:37 - 11 minutes - 9.15 MB

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!   

Good Heavens! A Grin Without a Cat! - Part 1

February 01, 2023 18:00 - 49 minutes - 39.6 MB

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 Ap...

J.R.R. Tolkien - Part 3

January 01, 2023 18:00 - 31 minutes - 24.9 MB

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/03455383...

J.R.R. Tolkien - Part 2

December 25, 2022 18:00 - 38 minutes - 30.7 MB

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-Illust...

J.R.R. Tolkien - Part 1

December 19, 2022 16:05 - 53 minutes - 43.1 MB

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/03...

Our Special Place in the Cosmos

November 26, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 66.4 MB

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 bey...

The Biblical Book of Job - Part 2

November 04, 2022 12:00 - 59 minutes - 47.5 MB

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 heave...

The Biblical Book of Job - Part 1

October 28, 2022 03:00 - 1 hour - 108 MB

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...

See Jupiter and Meteor Showers Soon!

September 25, 2022 03:38 - 18 minutes - 14.5 MB

A short episode about seeing Jupiter this Monday, September 26th and a little background about meteor showers you can see this fall and how you can enjoy these declarations of God's glory.  Meteor Shower Schedule Fall 2022  Image of Jupiter is from the James Webb Space Telescope (NASA/ESA/CSA).  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.podbea...

Hrum Hoom! Treebeard and a Telescope

September 05, 2022 14:00 - 1 hour - 74.7 MB

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 kn...

God of the Big Bang - Part 3 with Dr. Leslie Wickman

August 29, 2022 13:00 - 46 minutes - 37.1 MB

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?...

God of the Big Bang - Part 2 with Dr. Leslie Wickman

August 22, 2022 13:00 - 32 minutes - 26.1 MB

"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...

’God of the Big Bang’ Part 1 with Dr. Leslie Wickman

August 15, 2022 13:00 - 45 minutes - 36.2 MB

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 Lio...

Evolution and Alien Life (Part 2)

July 25, 2022 17:00 - 49 minutes - 39.3 MB

While the search for extraterrestrial intelligence outside of our planet and solar system has not turned up a single bit of evidence, since the mid 20th century, there has been an increasing number of people claiming to have been abducted by aliens. Are these abduction stories just the byproduct of watching too many science fiction shows? Is there life out there in the cosmos, intelligent aliens who have figured out interstellar travel and have come to Earth to abduct people? Are alien abduc...

Evolution and Alien Life (Part 1)

July 18, 2022 17:00 - 55 minutes - 44.2 MB

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 ...

The Tenth Man - (Part 5 of 5) A Conversation with Apollo Astronaut Charlie Duke

July 09, 2022 18:00 - 19 minutes - 15.7 MB

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 te...

The Tenth Man - (Part 4 of 5) A Conversation with Apollo Astronaut Charlie Duke

July 08, 2022 18:00 - 20 minutes - 16 MB

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 te...

The Tenth Man - (Part 3 of 5) A Conversation with Apollo Astronaut Charlie Duke

July 07, 2022 18:00 - 21 minutes - 17.6 MB

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 tellin...

The Tenth Man - (Part 2 of 5) A Conversation with Apollo Astronaut Charlie Duke

July 06, 2022 18:00 - 16 minutes - 13 MB

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 tellin...

The Tenth Man - (Part 1 of 5) A Conversation with Apollo Astronaut Charlie Duke

July 05, 2022 18:00 - 25 minutes - 20.4 MB

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 ...

Escaping the Beginning? Part Two with Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink

June 18, 2022 15:25 - 47 minutes - 37.8 MB

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...

Escaping the Beginning? Part One with Astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink

June 11, 2022 00:00 - 42 minutes - 34.4 MB

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 burgeoni...

Does the Fine-Tuning Argument Disprove God’s Existence?

June 04, 2022 01:19 - 19 minutes - 15.6 MB

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/ ...

Expect the Unexpected! Supernovae Part 2

May 17, 2022 22:00 - 47 minutes - 37.8 MB

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 ...