Faith Science - A Way of Escape

1 Corinthians 10:13(KJV) - There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

I had a fascinating dream last night and when I awoke this morning The Lord spoke to me about it. He said that Faith Science is a way of escape for many people. Many educated Christians become disenchanted with their faith when they discover major conflicts between what they believe and the natural facts laid out before their eyes. They are told that The Biblical account of Creation points to an earth that's at most 100,000 years old yet the scientific fossil record points to millions. They are told that Adam and Eve were the first humans but find out in school that the bones of pre-historic man predates them. They learn about the Ice Ages, dinosaurs and mammoths but can't reconcile this information with the popular interpretation of Biblical history. Then some of them get the bright idea of rejecting their faith. Fortunately, it doesn't have to happen that way and we're here to help.
 

"Do you know that cloning, synthetic biology, entropy, and the Ice Ages can be traced to the Bible? Can the discovery of the Higgs Boson, or God Particle, by scientists in CERN or FERMILAB help us perceive the spirit realm? In Faith Science, author Donnell Duncan exposes scientific mysteries hidden within scriptures then employs the scientific method to approach the study of faith. In this radical departure from common knowledge, Duncan seamlessly blends scientific research and scriptural truth. Are you ready for the impact caused by this collision between faith and the scientific method? If so, prepare for the ride of your life.

'Mr. Duncan meticulously analyzes the scientific process and shows how it can be effectively used to understand Christian faith. I came away with a stronger understanding of how my scientific background can further strengthen my relationship with God.'

-Shanta Whitaker, Ph.D. Associate Director of the Health Professions Advisory Program, Yale University"

Here's a sample to whet your appetite!

An Introduction to The Gap Theory

On Monday, July 20, 2009, Yahoo News published an article written by Jeanna Bryner entitled, “Comets Killed Ice Age Beasts.” According to the article, the discovery of lonsdaleite nanodiamonds just off the coast of southern California closed the deal. It provided the strongest evidence to date of the catastrophic event long suspected as the cause of extinction of large ice-age animals and the Stone Age group known as Clovis people. Until then, those hexagonal diamonds had only been found in meteorites and impact craters. This was due to the high temperatures and pressures necessary for their formation.

Evidence of arctic life discovered in temperate or tropical areas has caused scientists to point to Ice Ages. Large surfaces of the earth were covered with ice sheets (large continental glaciers) during those time periods. An exhibit on the Ice Ages from the Illinois State Museum shows some interesting facts. On their Web site is the quote, “If a type of animal lives in a certain type of climate now, we may infer that its ancestors lived in that type of climate, too.”

Ice Ages occurred due to changing continental positions, uplift of continental blocks, reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere, and changes in the earth’s orbit during four approximate time intervals:

• Late Proterozoic (800 to 600 million years ago),

• Ordovician and Silurian (460 to 430 million years ago)

• Pennsylvanian and Permian (350 to 250 million years

ago)

• Neogene to Quaternary (4 million years ago to present)

As evidenced by the Ice Ages, the general consensus in the international scientific community is that the earth is billions of years old. Theoretically, it makes sense due to the clearly defined strata of the earth and the presence of fossils at varying depths. Experimentally, it makes sense based on carbon dating methods. Fossils used to reconstruct prehistoric animals like mammoths and dinosaurs support this theory. The discovery of human-like bones in the earth’s strata is evidence of the existence of prehistoric man. In addition, the scientific evidence used to support the past occurrence of the Ice Ages is relatively strong.

There is also evidence of a sudden destructive event that caused the end of civilization. Dinosaurs and mammoths did not gradually become extinct but died suddenly. The earth’s strata tell the story of a thriving planet that underwent a catastrophic change. Occasionally, more information like what I just mentioned becomes available concerning what happened. Without getting into specific data, it’s popularly understood that the earth is much older than what we assume from our common understanding of the Bible. Scientists and Christians clash bitterly over this issue without any acceptable resolution.

As a student of geography and physics in high school growing up in a Christian home, I didn’t care to understand why things didn’t match up. When I was in school I agreed with the scientific evidence, and at home I agreed with the biblical evidence. As long as both spheres of my life remained separate, it didn’t matter to me. However, my first degree in applied physics opened the door for me to question my beliefs. Everything changed when I was invited to participate in the 2000 Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California.

The big bang theory formed the foundation of my project, Cosmic Microwave Background Rotating Polarimeter Experiment (CMB ROPE). During one presentation to my peers I was asked to justify my participation in the project even though it contradicted with my Christian beliefs. I told them that I always separated my Christian beliefs from all academic pursuits. That answer satisfied my peers but did not satisfy me. Hence, after almost a decade of searching for answers, this book came to life. The gap theory might be controversial, but at least it’s a valiant attempt to connect science and faith.

Faith Science - The Invisible World

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

Colossians 1:15-17 NLT

Biblical faith is “complete trust in the invisible evidence provided by the Word of God confirmed by commensurate action.” Based on the Scriptures, there is an invisible world that exists simultaneously with the visible world we live in. In that world are thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Thus, if we believe the Word of God, we cannot ignore it. In the same way that Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, what we see in our lives are visible images of what’s happening in the invisible world. Even if we choose not to acknowledge it, our lives are directly affected by what we cannot see with our natural eyes. Now let’s apply this perspective to the following biblical account.

The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?” “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!” “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.” And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.

2 Kings 6:11-18 NLT

When life is seen through the eyes of faith, it is completely different from physical reality. Elisha knew that God’s army was there to protect him, so he had no fear of the Arameans. It didn’t matter to him what his natural eyes could see. As long as God existed, he was safe. His servant, however, was not as confident . He looked up and saw troops, horses, and chariots everywhere, so he responded just like any intelligent human being would. He was panic-stricken. He shared his fears with Elisha, and one of the most amazing revelations in Scripture took place.

Elisha prayed for God to give his servant spiritual vision so he could see into the invisible world. Instantly, his perspective changed. If he thought the Aramean army was impressive, what did he think when he saw the hillside filled with horses and chariots of fire from God’s army? Did they all arrive as soon as the servant’s eyes were opened, or were they already there? Did the fact that they became visible validate their existence? Of course not! The invisible world is real all by itself and can only be seen through the eyes of faith. What happened with Elisha’s servant was necessary for him to believe what Elisha already believed by faith.

Faith Science (Part Eight) - No More Excuses

Faith Science (Part Seven) - Moral Entropy

Billy Graham | Faith isn’t in conflict with science - KansasCity.com

Billy Graham | Faith isn’t in conflict with science - KansasCity.com

Faith Science (Part Five) - The Slow Death of Entropy

Found: a planet not from the Milky Way, circling a star in its death throes

Found: a planet not from the Milky Way, circling a star in its death throes

Faith Science (Part Four) - The Scientific Method

Antimatter at CERN: Scientists briefly trap a form of antimatter: antihydrogen - latimes.com

Antimatter at CERN: Scientists briefly trap a form of antimatter: antihydrogen - latimes.com

Faith Science - The Axe Approach

Ecclesiastes 10:10(NKJV) - If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.

Faith Science is my fourth book and I've learned some things along the way. The first thing I've learned is to never debate atheists about the things of The Lord unless I have to. Why?

Atheists are fools and should be treated as such - Psalm 14:1


They are not in search of truth. They have chosen to reject the truth and have chosen to be victims of their own ignorance. Watch the following video.

Faith Science (Part Six) - The Foolishness of Atheism

Physicist and priest, Polkinghorne balances science and faith

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Faith Science (Part Three) - The Gap Theory

Faith Science - Cloning

Faith Science - Introduction

God is a Science Teacher



God is a science teacher and the universe is His classroom.



Job 35:9(The Message) - "When times get bad, people cry out for help. They cry for relief from being kicked around, But never give God a thought when things go well, when God puts spontaneous songs in their hearts, When God sets out the entire creation as a science classroom, using birds and beasts to teach wisdom.

God is a science teacher and the universe is His classroom. Hence, it's silly for us to think that we who are merely students of the universe can gain such wisdom that we shake our fists in His direction. He is not impressed by our research. He is not impressed by our analytical ability. He is not impressed by our eloquence. He is not impressed by our passionate pursuit of knowledge. He is God and when it comes to our relationship with Him, the student will never be greater than the teacher.

However, what's really interesting is how people change when their lives turn to crap and everything collapses around them. They go in one of two extreme directions. They either reach out to God or they get extremely bitter toward Him. I believe that this explains both the conditional Christianity of some thinkers and the militant atheism of others. It's not that they don't believe God exists but they want Him to exist in the form that they choose. In other words, they want God to be an idol they create. They want a God of convenience. If God doesn't fit into their box, they won't accept Him.

Continuing in the same vein of my previous blogs let me repeat the quote of the week.

Psalm 53:1(KJV) - The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Atheists are fools and should be treated as such - Anonymous

Faith Science - A Big Bang

2 Peter 3:10(The Message) - But when the Day of God's Judgment does come, it will be unannounced, like a thief. The sky will collapse with a thunderous bang, everything disintegrating in a huge conflagration, earth and all its works exposed to the scrutiny of Judgment.

Sometimes I wonder if we are aware of what's coming. If we really are, we will live with a sense of urgency. Whether or not we believe it, there is a God and He is going to judge us all. His eyes are fixed on each of our lives and He has a standard by which He measures our decisions. It's all fun and games now but one day there will be A Big Bang and He'll drop the hammer. It's our desire in the Faith Science movement to make everyone aware that we can no longer use science as an excuse to not serve God. He made science and it cannot replace Him regardless of what Stephen Hawking says. (see yesterday's blog)

Psalm 95:6-11(NLT) - Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today! The Lord says, “Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did at Meribah, as they did at Massah in the wilderness. For there your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw everything I did. For forty years I was angry with them, and I said, 'They are a people whose hearts turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I took an oath: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’”

God's reaching out today to all of us. He wants our hearts. He wants our worship. He created the universe and everytime we look up we see His awesome splendor. This is His turf and we have no choice but to give Him worship. Today let's glorify God for all He's done. He's worth it.

Faith Science - What is man?

Psalm 8:1-9(NLT) - O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

I sit here in tears writing this blog as I worship The Lord from the depths of my heart. The same God who created the vast universe and orchestrated the intricate details of human DNA is interested in a personal relationship with me. By a mere thought in His consciousness my existence could be nothing but a memory but He chooses to use my life to fulfill His purpose on the earth. What is man that your are mindful of us? What is man that you made us a little lower than yourself. Why did you consider us worthy of glory and honor? Why did you put us in charge of all creation? I bless you Lord from the depths of my heart. Thank you, thank you, thank you. If other human beings choose to discrespect you, there will continue to remain a remnant who will praise you. If the remnant stops, there will still be me.

If God doesn't exist, why did the concept of his existence become almost universal? —Basanta Borah, BASEL, SWITZERLAND

I don't claim that God doesn't exist. God is the name people give to the reason we are here. But I think that reason is the laws of physics rather than someone with whom one can have a personal relationship. An impersonal God.

- Stephen Hawking, 10 Questions for Stephen Hawking, Time Magazine, November 15th 2010, Read here

I actually thought Stephen Hawking was an atheist. Well, he's not. By his own admission, he doesn't question the existence of God. He questions the existence of a personal God with whom we can have a relationship. This makes sense because anyone who has that much understanding of Physics cannot deny that there is a power greater than all of us. His problem is that he expects to understand the nature of a relationship with God using his head. Relationships are built from the heart. Like the writer states in our main scripture for today, it's impossible to understand why God would consider a relationship with mankind. The same God behind the laws of Physics could not possibly care that much about me.

Psalm 53:1(KJV) - The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

Atheists are fools and should be treated as such - Anonymous

The least I can say is that based on the definition of a fool in Psalm 53:1, I won't call Stephen Hawking a fool. He is not a fool, he is just on a journey toward truth. However, the people who follow his teachings and use it as the foundation for their atheistic beliefs are in a different category. In his search, Hawking has stopped short of admitting that nothing he's seen or discovered has disproven God's existence but He just doesn't understand the personal nature of God which is fine. There is nothing wrong with admitting that you don't understand something. I do that all the time. If I don't know, I don't know. He doesn't know how God could be personal which is not a result of his factual research and is not scientific in nature but is merely his way of saying, he doesn't understand what we understand.

I have a few theories that can explain why a man of his great intelligence would not believe in a personal God.

1 He doesn't have a personal relationship with God so claiming that we can't have a personal relationship with God makes him feel better about himself.

2 He probably knows the truth and is offended because God has not done what he wanted God to do for him. People who want something and don't get it suffer from "fox and sour grapes" syndrome. If you can't get the grapes they suddenly become sour.

3 He cannot wrap his mind around the nature of God. Of course not. Neither can we. That's why He is God and we're not.

Romans 1:18-22(NLT) - But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.

Oh how the wise have become foolish! They have no excuse!

Faith Science - Bold as a Lion

Isaiah 61:1-3(KJV) - The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

It's 2:30 AM EST and I'm up writing this blog right now. I had an interesting dream last night that has left an indelible mark on my mind and heart. Let me share with you the salient points;

"I kept this lion as a pet for some time. It was extremely disciplined and fit nicely into my daily routine. One day, I put it on a leash and took it out into the streets for a walk. I didn't reach too far from the house before I started drawing some serious attention. Dogs were barking, people were staring and commotion was building. Suddenly, I released it, turned around and returned home. I could hear the mayhem in the background but I didn't care. The time had come."

I awoke and The Lord spoke to me. 

Proverbs 28:1(NIV) - The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Acts 4:13(NKJV) - Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Acts 4:31(NIV) - After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

The lion represents the anointing on my life. I've kept it "domesticated" for some time. I've attracted limited attention because of it as I've displayed it on a limited level. However, it's time for me to stop holding it back. God wants me to let it go free and whatever happens, happens. The Holy Spirit, who is the source of the anointing, is the source of my boldness. I'm not afraid. I'm taking this message to world and The Lord will protect me.


Like Jesus, today I stand in the "temple" and declare, "The Spirit of The Lord is upon me and He's anointed me to teach Faith Science - Where Faith and The Scientific Method Collide. It will set many people free who've been held in mental bondage due to ignorance and intimidation from those with a secular agenda."

Psalm 53:1(NLT) - Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!

Atheists are fools and should be treated as such. - Anonymous