Astronomer Hugh Ross speaks on relationship between faith, science

Photo and story by Emily Blalock / Contributing Writer

Internationally recognized astronomer and pastor Hugh Ross gave a lecture demonstrating the relationship between faith and science at MTSU in the Tennessee Room of the James Union Building on Tuesday from 7 to 9 p.m.

MTSU students and faculty, as well as many members of the Murfreesboro Community and churches in the area, filled the ballroom to hear Ross’s lecture, entitled “The Harmony Between Science and Faith: Cosmic Reasons to Believe in Christ.”  

Nate Callender, an MTSU faculty member in the aerospace department, started the event by introducing Ross.  

“He is a Christian apologist and scientist whose approach is to develop a biblical creation model that is testable, falsifiable and predictive,” he said.  

Ross earned his degree in physics at the University of British Columbia and his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Toronto. He received the Ide P. Trotter Prize from Texas A&M University in 2012 for his work connecting science with religion.

Ross is the president and founder of Reasons to Believe, an organization dedicated to spreading the Christian gospel through scientific research, and the author of multiple books – including The Creator of the Cosmos, Improbable Planet: How Earth Became Humanity’s Home and A Matter of Days: Resolving a Creation Controversy.

“It was at age 16 that I became persuaded that the universe had to have a beginning, and if there’s a beginning, there must be a beginner,” Ross explained. “And so at age 17, I began to look for that beginner.”

“The Bible says more about the history of the universe than all the rest of the world’s holy books combined,” Ross added.

Ross argues that new scientific discoveries continue to point towards the truth of creationism rather than erode it.  

“We humans are living at the one time in the history of the universe where we can read 100 percent of the history of the universe by looking through our telescopes,” he said. “I don’t think that was an accident.”  

Savannah Cook, an MTSU freshman and dance major, heard about the event through her church.

“I’ve had like the beginning of all the thoughts he’s thought,” she explained. “But, I’ve never been able to like fully be able to explain. He knows every aspect. He has the brain to remember all of it no matter what question you give him”

Cook hopes that MTSU will host more events such as this one in the future and that more students will take advantage of such opportunities.  

Aaron Kelly, who is a philosophy major and senior at MTSU, came to the event to hear new information about cosmological arguments for religion.  

“It’s always a relevant topic, definitely,” he said.

The organizing partners of the event included The Reform Student Fellowship, MT 316, The School of Christian Thought, National Religious Broadcasters and Open Arms Faculty and Staff Fellowship.  

The hour-long lecture was followed by a Q&A session where audience members were encouraged to ask any further questions they had.

A table was set up in the lobby for people to purchase copies of Ross’s books on their way out.

For more information about Ross and his organization, visit here.