The program includes 17 lectures and Hugh Ross's four main books. The
books, I believe, are quite good for introducing a non-believer to what I
would call palatable Christian presentations, not that being palatable is
the be-all end-all, indeed the "gospel will be foolishness to those that
are lost.". I've also given his books to my former students for
graduation presents, if they survived my courses.
As I've started the lecture series, I've felt uncomfortable with the 100%
certainty that pervades every point of Ross' talks. For one example:
Hawking is completely wrong in his no-boundary theory for quantum
gravity, and should spend his time on other ideas. Ross also talks often
about "exotic matter " as the primary result of the COBE satellite, and
that it has been perfectly confirmed by all other experiments. If I
remember rightly, the various background anisotropic experiments are
GENERALLY consistent, but by no means PERFECTLY so. My memory tells me
that astronomers mostly hold to dark forms of ordinary matter rather
than those theories requiring strange particles.
A second feeling I am getting is that Ross himself seems isolated from
outside criticism. He does not test his ideas in such forums as ours
where capable people will probably disagree.
Any thoughts ?
Al McCarrick
mccarric@mailgate.navsses.navy.mil