Scripture answers
(Genesis 1:1 NIV)
The Principle of the Conservation of Energy, Part 1
Energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared. I had planned to write about that fantastic equation, helping non-physicists to understand its meaning, but I was beaten to the punch by a large number of folks, including Peter Tyson, who did quite a good job.* Then, I thought of debunking an idea which has circulated, to the effect that Einstein plagiarized someone else’s work when he presented his ideas on that equation, which is, I believe, an unfortunate misconception. Finally, I chose to write about the principle of energy conservation and why I think it is wrong.
Knowledge with Humility
Lord, my heart is not proud;
Chaos Part 3: A New Theory
In this last part of the series on chaos theory, there will be an abrupt change in direction. The chaos that ensued after the fall of Adam and Eve involved the whole universe and all of the time from Genesis 3 to Revelation 21. That would seem to fit my hypotheses from Part 1. But the problem is that applying actual chaos theory to the mess that is human history is more than I can do without stretching ideas to their breaking point. I tried it, ideas broke and what I wrote got very boring. So, that’s enough of that! Let’s just talk about the Bible. Better yet, let’s just listen to the Bible!
Chaos Theory Part 2
This may be a bold blog post. I request your patience. I will attempt to prove — or at least be unable to disprove — my first hypothesis about chaos reigning in the early universe and ending when God separated light from darkness in Genesis 1:4.
Chaos Theory Part 1
It might be a bit strange, I admit, to consult chaos theory, the study of systems that exhibit apparent randomness, in an attempt to make sense of time periods in the Bible. After all, it is common for Christians to say that the Lord is a God of order, not chaos, that He is “orderly.” Why would an orderly God create a chaotic universe? Part of the answer is that, in scientific terms, “chaotic” means unpredictable more than it means disorderly. But I will get to that. For now, I merely state my hypotheses: the universe was in a chaotic state some time period before the separation of light from darkness, returned to chaos with the rebellion of Adam and Eve, and will come into everlasting orderliness at the fall of Satan and the destruction of death. You could be laughing, you could be appalled, but to me these are exciting hypotheses! And even if they don’t hold water, I believe that we can still learn a few things about God, and about chaos theory, from a healthy consideration of these ideas.
Words for All of Us
The Uncertainty Principle
The word “uncertainty” causes anxiety in a lot of people. Perhaps they feel that we are living in especially uncertain times and being reminded of that is hard for them. But the way that God designed the world of the very, very small — the world of electrons, for instance — makes clear that He is in charge of absolutely everything. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely everything. (I chose the words “in charge” rather than “in control” because God allows mankind to have control in some instances.)