Nuclear Physicist Insists Evolutionary Worldview 'Fails Dismally;' Says Denial of Genesis Account Should Not Be 'Taken Lightly' by Christians
A nuclear physicist who recently spoke out against the theory of evolution in relation to the origin of human life, has warned Christians that public denial of the Genesis creation account cannot be "taken lightly."
In an interview with Christian News Network on Monday, Brandon van der Ventel, who holds a Ph D. from South Africa's Stellenbosch University, stressed the importance of having a biblical worldview while addressing the theory of evolution.
"The denial of the Genesis account is not a matter to be taken lightly by Christians," said van der Ventel. "If the biblical record is not true, then we are left with naturalism and atheism, of which the consequences are truly horrific."
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"The final arbiter of any theory must be based on the strength of its description of physical reality," he continued. "It is in this respect that the theory of evolution fails dismally."
"Physics can also play a role when it comes to the sticky question of dating certain objects. It is important to understand that dinosaur bones, for example, are not found with a time stamp attached to them. Every publicized age is based on certain assumptions and conflicting radioactive dates are commonplace," he added.
Van der Ventel believes Christians need to hold fast to the knowledge that God created the universe with a specific order, and argues that if faith in the Genesis account is lost, the validity of the rest of the Bible can be questioned. He further contends that the theory of evolution is the No. 1 reason why many Christians no longer believe in the creation account.
Various scientists who err on the side of the Genesis creation story have set out to prove its validity using their craft.
Just last week, well-respected molecular geneticist Georgia Purdom talked about the documentary "The Genetics of Adam and Eve," in which she argues the validity of the creation story by tracing the genetics of all people to Adam and Eve. Purdom collaborated with the Young-Earth Creationist apologetics ministry, Answers in Genesis, to make the film.
"One of the most compelling genetic evidences for an original human couple created by God is mitochondrial DNA research done by creation geneticist, Nathaniel Jeanson," said Purdom to Christian News Network. "He clearly shows that the common human female ancestor of us all (biblical Eve) lived within the biblical timeframe of several thousand years ago."
Other Christians who work in the field of science, such as former Bethel College evangelical philosophy of science professor Jim Stump, do not believe in a literal interpretation of the creation story, and instead think Adam was the result of the evolutionary process.
Stump stepped down from his position at the Indiana school in June after he publicly disagreed with the school's new corporate position that states: "the first man, Adam, was created by an immediate act of God."
Stump explained his decision in a joint statement made with the college last month.
"In considering this corporate commitment, I decided to resign from my position at Bethel in order to pursue alternative work, rather than remain under the new statement and bring tension to the Bethel community," wrote Stump.
"While there are recent reports in national media describing the dismissal of faculty at religious institutions over origins, it should be clear that I initiated my own resignation; I was never asked to resign from Bethel College. In fact, many Bethel leaders have been extraordinarily supportive of me throughout this lengthy process of arriving at the statement."
Dove-award winning Christian singer Michael Gungor also made headlines last year for expressing his beliefs about the book of Genesis, suggesting that he views its stories as allegory and not historical.
"I have no more ability to believe, for example, that the first people on earth were a couple named Adam and Eve that lived 6,000 years ago. I have no ability to believe that there was a flood that covered all the highest mountains of the world only 4,000 years ago and that all of the animal species that exist today are here because they were carried on an ark and then somehow walked or flew all around the world from a mountain in the middle east after the water dried up," said Gungor in a blogpost titled "What Do We Believe" from February 2014.
"I have no more ability to believe these things than I do to believe in Santa Claus or to not believe in gravity. But I have a choice on what to do with these unbeliefs. I could either throw out those stories as lies, or I could try to find some value in them as stories," he added.
