Hugh Ross (astrophysicist)

Hugh Ross

Dr. Hugh Ross (born 1945) is a Canadian-born Old Earth Creationist. An astronomer by training, he has established his own ministry called Reasons To Believe that promotes the form of Old Earth creationism known as progressive creationism. Ross accepts the scientific evidence of the age of the earth and the age of the universe, but he rejects evolution and abiogenesis as explanations for the history and origin of life. Mainstream scientists consider Ross's arguments against evolution to be pseudoscientific. [1]

Biography

Ross earned a BSc in physics from the University of British Columbia and an MSc and PhD in astronomy from the University of Toronto, and he was a postdoctoral research fellow at Caltech, studying quasars and galaxies. Ross was the youngest person ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver’s Royal Astronomical Society, and before starting Reasons to Believe, he was on the staff of Sierra Madre Congregational Church.

Today, in addition to his research and writing, Dr. Ross maintains an active speaking schedule as well as hosting a weekly television program called "Reasons to Believe", which is aired on Christian stations, and a weekly radio webcast.

Thought

Ross' overall philosophy is that science and religion are not only compatible but complementary and, with Thomas Torrance, that the scientific method itself springs from the Reformation and the Bible. He adopts the common view that there are two "books" of revelation from God – nature and the Bible – which both offer us accurate knowledge and each of which can correct our misunderstanding of the other. Moreover, he argues that the Bible is the only scientifically accurate religious text when interpreted consistently.

Ross and his associates are formally engaged in proposing an alternate, scientifically testable model for the formation of the universe, earth, and life itself that accounts for both scientific and religious (particularly Christian) explanations for each. To this end, they are publishing a series of sixteen books covering various aspects of the model in detail, utilizing current scientific understanding and a Christian worldview.

The primary apologetical method used by Ross and Reasons to Believe is evidentialist in nature and attempts to show that the probability of the universe forming in such a way as to allow it to generate life as we know it is too improbable to be due to random chance. Thus, he posits a creator outside spacetime who purposefully controlled and directed the creation of the universe and created life. The idea that the universe has finely tuned parameters which cannot be significantly altered without destroying the possibility of life is referred to by mainstream cosmology as the anthropic principle.

Creationism

Ross is considered a creationist because he believes God creates life on earth and that it did not develop by natural forces alone. Yet, he firmly rejects any Young Earth Creationism (YEC), which requires that Genesis 1:1 mean that the earth be younger than 10,000 years, or that the creation "days" of Genesis 1 represent literal 24-hour periods. Ross instead believes these days (translated from the Hebrew word yom^[2]) to be historic, distinct, and sequential, but not literally 24 hours in length nor equal in length. He agrees with the scientific community at large that the vast majority of the work being done by YECs is pseudoscience, and he rejects the Intelligent Design movement because it is unscientific in his view since it doesn't provide a testable hypothesis which can make predictions as to the nature of future discoveries and therefore be falsified or verified. Ross' own view is generally known as progressive creationism.

Ross is sharply criticized by YECs for his acceptance of uniformitarian geology and astronomy over what they see as a plain reading of Genesis and for promoting "fixity of species", which denies speciation. YECs use speciation to explain how present biodiversity could have arisen from the small number of "kinds" after Noah's Flood.^[3]

Some of Ross' work – particularly his criticism of evolution – is faulted by some in the mainstream scientific community as being little different from YEC, but Ross claims his work provides a better fit for the data than either the YEC or the conventional models.

Bibliography

Ross has written many articles and over 50 papers on science and faith issues, and he has written or collaborated on the following books:

• The Creator and the Cosmos. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1993, 2nd ed., 1995, 3rd ed. 2001
• The Fingerprint of God. Orange, Calif.: Promise Publishing, 1989, 2nd ed. 1991, 3rd ed. 2005
• Creation and Time. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1994
• Beyond the Cosmos. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1996, 2nd ed. 1999
• The Genesis Question, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1998, 2nd ed. 2001
• Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002
• A Matter of Days, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004
• Putting Creation to the Test, Colorado Springs, NavPress, 2006
• The Genesis Debate, Mission Viejo, CA: Crux, 2002. (with five other authors)
• The Origins of Life, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004. (with Fuz Rana)
• Who Was Adam? Colorado Springs, NavPress, 2005 (with Fuz Rana)

Additionally, he has contributed to the following volumes:

• The Creation Hypothesis, Downers Grove, IL: InterVasity Press, 1994
• Mere Creation, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998
• Why I Am a Christian, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2000
• The Day I Met God, Sisters, OR: Multnomah 2001

External links

• Reasons to Believe official web page
• Answers In Creation - Old earth creationist ministry with similar beliefs to Dr. Ross