A lecture by Rev. Dr. Mark Phillips

We were honored today to welcome Rev. Dr. Mark Phillips at Hope school. A Pastor, scientist, theologian, apologist, teacher, author, incl. text- and work-textbooks. From Vanderbilt University as an animal surgeon and biochemist to the halls of Oxford University in England, where he earned one of three graduate degrees, to the Tonight Show, where he appeared with Steve Martin as the National Steve Martin Contest winner, to secondary schools and seminaries in Venezuela, China, Africa, and India, Dr. Phillips has a broad career of unusual diversity, equipping him for various educational and ministry roles.

Today Dr. Phillips, accompanied with his wife Angela, his daughter Elizabeth and his friend Joseph, were guests at Hope school. Rev. Dr. Phillips who visits the Holy Land, delivered a speech at Hope school for students and some audience from the local community. His lecture focused on the relation between science and religion and whether the science facts prove the existence of God or deny it.

“In preaching and teaching science, theology, and the Christian walk, I am passionate about preparing students to think critically, to apply His Word, to be intimate with God’s beauty and truth in all reality, defending the Christian faith with veracity.”

He discussed two great scientific discoveries in the twentieth century which matter to all of us By the end of the 19th century, atheism was gaining strength through Darwinian thought and a belief in a static universe. By the end of the 20th century, "these were significantly challenged by two great observational discoveries. Since then, the God of the Gaps has continued to shrink as Naturalism ofthe Gaps greatly increases with each new discovery in cosmology and biology. These two discoveries should be at least summarily taught to every secondary student, especially those in classical schools with the rhetorical skills to present this critical light to an unbelieving world indoctrinated by scientism (Over 80% of those who disbelieve the Bible say it is because they believe science disproves the Bible). He confirmed that "A key practice in science is to defer to the best possible explanation for what is observed". Evidence for (1) universal origins and (2) programmed biological informational systems; both demand that the best possible conclusion for what we learned in the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st is that a Designer Fine-Tuner Creator started it all and created all life.

At the end of the lecture, there was an open discussions with the audience who raised some issues and Dr. Phillips answered them.