by Hugh Ross, Ph.D.


Hugh Ross launched his career at age seven when he went to the library
to find out why stars are hot. Physics and astronomy captured his
curiosity and never let go. At age seventeen he was the youngest person
ever to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal
Astronomical Society. With the help of a provincial scholarship and a
National Research Council (NRC) of Canada fellowship, he completed his
undergraduate degree in physics (University of British Columbia) and
graduate degrees in astronomy (University of Toronto). The NRC also sent
him to the United States for postdoctoral studies. At Caltech he
researched quasi-stellar objects, or "quasars," some of the most distant
and ancient objects in the universe.

Not all of Hugh's discoveries had to do with astrophysics. He observed
with amazement the impact of describing for people the process by which
he came to personal faith in Jesus Christ. Some have expressed dismay
but most have been overjoyed to meet someone who started at religious
ground zero and through scientific and historical reality testing,
became convinced that the Bible is truly the Word of God. He was stunned
to discover how many individuals believed or disbelieved without
checking evidence.

Hugh's unshakable confidence that God's revelation of Himself in
Scripture and nature do not, will not, and cannot contradict became his
unique message. Communicating that message as broadly and clearly as
possible became his mission. He scouts the frontiers of origins research
to share with scientists and nonscientists alike the thrilling news of
what's being discovered and how it connects with biblical theology.
Between writing books and articles and recording the weekly television
program Reasons to Believe, he travels around the world challenging high
school and university audiences, churches and professional groups to
consider the evidence for what they believe. He presents a persuasive
case for Christianity without applying pressure. Because he treats
people's questions and comments with respect, he is in great demand as a
speaker and as a talk-radio and television guest.


Earlier this year I wrote about the delicate balance of nitrogen and
sulfur in Earth's soil, describing the complex processes cycling these
elements in and out-all fine-tuned for the needs of life on Earth.(1)
Subsequent research indicates that the same careful balance and the means
to maintain it exist for carbon and nitrogen in Earth's oceans.(2,3)
As on the continents, intricate processes at work in the oceans take
nitrogen out and put it back in, and these processes are directly
connected with the flow of carbon into and out of the environment. If
these processes of depletion and replenishment are out of balance, life
cannot survive. Further investigation reveals that this crucial nitrogen
cycle, on which the carbon cycle depends, relies critically on oceanic
oxygen cycles. And the oxygen cycle, in turn, is affected by the movement
of iron and trace elements from the continents to the oceans,(4) which
means that the forces governing continental buildup (tectonics and
vulcanism) and erosion (wind and water) must also be carefully balanced
and fine-tuned for life.

Planetary physicist John Lewis, whose book Physics and Chemistry of the
Solar System I highly recommend, also explains the fine-tuning of chlorine
for life. Chlorine does much more than purify swimming pool water. It
plays a significant role in determining erosion rates, several metabolic
processes, and the acidity of lakes and rivers.(5) As with nitrogen,
sulfur, carbon, oxygen, and other life-essential elements, chlorine must
be present in just the right amounts in just the right places at just the
right times. Does this sound like "The House That Jack Built"?

References:

1. Hugh Ross, "Evidence For Fine-Tuning," Facts & Faith, v. 11, n. 2
(1997), p. 2.
2. Miguel A. Goñi, Kathleen C. Ruttenberg, and Timothy I. Eglinton,
"Sources and Contribution of Terrigenous Organic Carbon to Surface
Sediments in the Gulf of Mexico," Nature, 389 (1997), pp. 275-278.
3. Paul G. Falkowski, "Evolution of the Nitrogen Cycle and Its Influence
on the Biological Sequestration of CO2 in the Ocean," Nature, 387 (1997),
pp. 272-274.
4. John S. Lewis, Physics and Chemistry of the Solar System (San Diego:
Academic Press, 1995), pp. 485-492.
5. Lewis, pp. 489-492.