CrossExamined Blog
Tackling today’s toughest questions, these posts explore topics on God, morality, science, and culture.
Whether you’re a skeptic or believer, each article challenges your worldview and sharpens your thinking. Engaging, thought-provoking, and unapologetic, this is a place to dig deeper and follow the truth wherever it leads.
The Molecular Flagellar Clutch of Bacillus Subtilis
CrossExaminedI have previously outlined a few of the key mechanisms undergirding flagellar assembly, and the remarkable process of bacterial chemotaxis by which bacteria change direction in response to chemical signals. There are, of course, a number of different variants in those systems. If you thought that these remarkable mechanisms bear a strong resemblance to an […]
In Explaining the Cambrian Explosion, Has the TalkOrigins Archive Resolved Darwin's Dilemma?
CrossExaminedA correspondent recently referred me to an article in the TalkOrigins Archive responding to the argument that “Complex life forms appear suddenly in the Cambrian explosion, with no ancestral fossils.” TalkOrigins is a popular online resource that collects attempted answers to some often-heard challenges to Darwinian evolutionary theory. The article offers seven responses to the […]
New Paper Reveals a "Novel Insight into the Non-Coding Repertoire"
CrossExaminedOn an almost weekly basis, new research floods in documenting previously unidentified functionality of many different classes of non-coding DNA elements. This consistent trend renders untenable the dogmatic claim that our DNA is mostly junk. A paper was recently published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research that identified a previously unknown function of non-coding (nc)RNA […]
Apologetics Resources for Kids
Theology and Christian ApologeticsI often get asked to recommend apologetics resources for kids. Our friends at Ratio Christi have put together a list of recommendations by age group, all the way down to elementary school. Click here for details.
Evidences Jesus is ALIVE
4. Is the NT True?My guest on the radio program today was Dr. Tim McGrew, Professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan University. He provided five lines of evidence that Jesus is ALIVE: A Appearances to his followers (1 Cor 15, Mt 28, Lk 24, Jn 20-21, Acts 1, Josephus and others) L Low status of women in first century […]
A New Study Adds Further Depth to the Information Story
CrossExaminedPreviously on ENV, I have described several remarkable features — and the finely tuned characteristics — of the genetic code found in nature. A new study, published in the journal Nature and conducted by a research team at the University of California, San Francisco, identifies an additional, hitherto uncovered, layer of information associated with the […]
Irreducible Complexity with Four Glasses and Three Knives
CrossExaminedA post at Uncommon Descent offers an innovative way of illustrating the concept of irreducible complexity — one that is likely to be more resistant to Darwinist misrepresentation than Michael Behe’s well-known mouse trap analogy. The illustration is intended to address the common misconception that irreducible complexity entails that (a) the individual subcomponents cannot be […]
Massimo Pigliucci: Theodosius Dobzhansky, in His Famous Comment about Evolution, Was "Patently Wrong"
CrossExaminedWriting on his “Rationally Speaking” blog, internationally acclaimed evolutionary biologist turned philosopher Massimo Pigliucci has weighed in on a recent paper published by Addy Pross entitled “Toward a general theory of evolution: Extending Darwinian theory to inanimate matter.” What was of particular interest to me was Pigliucci’s comments on Theodosius Dobzhansky’s famous statement that “Nothing […]
The Argument From Cosmic Fine Tuning
2. Does God Exist?, Theology and Christian ApologeticsThe concept of cosmic fine tuning relates to a unique property of our universe whereby the physical constants and laws are observed to be balanced on a ‘razor’s edge’ for permitting the emergence of complex life. The degree to which the constants of physics must match precise criteria is such that a number of agnostic […]
This Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, It's the Unreasonable Rally
Atheism, Culture CrossExaminedThis Saturday, March 24, on the National Mall in Washington D.C., atheists and secularists from all over the world will gather for a day of entertainment from guest speakers, comedians and musicians. The Reason Rally, which claims to be the “the largest secular event in world history,” features such notable figures as Richard Dawkins, Michael […]
British Geneticist Robert Saunders Weighs in on Signature in the Cell
CrossExaminedReaders may recall my exchange with British geneticist Robert Saunders (here and here) following Stephen Meyer’s lecture at the Lord McKay dinner in London (which you can now watch here). At the time, Saunders admitted that he had not read Signature in the Cell, nor had he attended the lecture. It was, therefore, not entirely […]
The Intolerance of those Fighting for “Tolerance”
College Events, Culture CrossExaminedThis is an article on my I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist presentation that a homosexual group protested last night at Ohio University. Notice one student said that I shouldn’t be speaking because anyone opposed to homosexual behavior and same-sex marriage is “hateful.” The people who say they are fighting for “tolerance” […]
Who is the Angel of the Lord?
CrossExaminedThroughout the Old Testament, we routinely encounter the mysterious character who goes by the title “The angel of the Lord.” By looking at the numerous appearances of this individual, we can piece together clues as to His identity. The first time the angel of the Lord is introduced, he makes an appearance to Hagar, the […]
The GULO Pseudogene and Its Implications for Common Descent
CrossExaminedL-gulonolactone oxidase (GULO), the final enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway of ascorbic acid (vitamin C), is a subject that comes up often in discussions of common ancestry. The functioning GULO gene allows most plants and many animals to produce vitamin C from glucose or galactose. In some taxa, however, the GULO gene does not function […]
Did They Really Exist? A Biblical and Scientific Defence of Adam and Eve
Theology and Christian ApologeticsThe historicity of Adam and Eve is a question which strikes at the heart of the Christian faith. If the primordial pair did not exist, then the historical and Biblical doctrine of the fall becomes extremely difficult to maintain. The apostle Paul clearly linked God’s redemptive plan and Christ’s atonement for sin with the fall […]
Mr. Bonhoeffer Goes to Washington
Culture CrossExaminedMy friend and best-selling “Bonhoeffer” biographer Eric Metaxas brilliantly wove wit and humor through a speech against dead religion at the National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday. Calling on the heavenly witnesses of Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer, Metaxas courageously defended life and natural marriage before about 4,000 people and with President Obama and Vice President Biden sitting […]
Is Banning Same Sex Marriage Discrimination?
Culture CrossExamined[Note: This is an exchange which took place between myself and an anonymous correspondant regarding a recent article I published on Blogos.org (and also posted here). The correspondant’s comments are appended below and immediately followed by my response.] Dear Blogos Editor, First of all, congratulations on your new site. I’m glad and excited for your […]
Joining the Conversation: Perspectives on the Discussion with James Shapiro
CrossExaminedI have followed with interest the discussion (“Is James Shapiro a Design Theorist?”) initiated by Bill Dembski and now involving James Shapiro, Ann Gauger and Douglas Axe. The nub of the issue seems to relate to conflicting conceptions about what constitutes a legitimate scientific explanation (what philosophers call the “demarcation problem”). Click here to continue […]
British Free Schools that Teach Intelligent Design as Science Will Lose Funding
Culture CrossExaminedThe British Guardian newspaper reports on recent developments in UK governmental policy on teaching evolution in free schools (which, though state funded, are normally not required to follow the national curriculum): Click here to continue reading>>>
On the Origin of Mitochondria: Reasons for Skepticism on the Endosymbiotic Story
CrossExaminedWith regret, ENV recently noted the passing of biologist Lynn Margulis. Margulis, a scientist whom I admired greatly, was never a stranger to controversy, going so far as to call neo-Darwinism “a complete funk” and asserting that “The critics, including the creationist critics, are right about their criticism. It’s just that they’ve got nothing to […]
Turek & Cornuke to Lead Footsteps of Paul Cruise, July 2012
4. Is the NT True?Frank Turek and Bob Cornuke (the REAL Indiana Jones) will be leading a “Footsteps of Paul” cruise in July 2012! Our ship will be Oceania’s beautiful “Regatta.” We’ll present evidence and insights about the New Testament while we tour the Biblical sites of: Ephesus (Ephesians, Paul’s home for three years, and his confrontation with Diana […]