Good Heavens! The Human Side of Astronomy

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.

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 abduction stories just fantastical tales told by individuals simply seeking attention or is there really something to them?  Is the idea of alien life, especially intelligent alien life, really science or just science fiction? Whether it is Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or a terrifying encounter with alien beings in one's bedroom late at night, one thing is clear, there is an inherent opposition to God in all of it, even open doorways to the demonic realm and the occult.  Here on part two Wayne and Dan discuss the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the nature of alien abduction stories.  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.

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 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 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.      Here on part five Charlie and John attempt Lunar Olympics only to have Houston quickly cancel them. Charlie describes a moment of fear he had when he fell backward on the moon, shares what the Saturn V rocket ride was like and the former CAPCOM voice of Mission Control for Apollo 11 gives us some life-saving guidance. To watch the video for this program go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t92uWbjtQQ4 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! on Patreon:   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 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 four Charlie tells the story of how he and John Young set a lunar land speed record in the Lunar Rover, shares what his space suit was like, tells the exciting and mysterious tale of "House Rock" and shares with us his wonder and awe of the views from the highest elevation man has ever been on another world.    To see the video for this episode, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKcXLtXHrzk 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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.