Dr Michael LeFebvre,. author of The Liturgy of Creation: Understanding Calendars in Old Testament Context, sits down with Kristine Johnson and John James Kirkwood to discuss the controversies over the creation accounts in The Bible and why are still talking about them. Is there a "plain reading" of the text? What can we learn from Israel's ancient Holy Days in relation to creation narratives? Is it more likely that the creation narrative is an historical account or are there sacred rhythms of labor and worship hidden in a liturgical approach? Michael LeFebvre is a pastor and a Bible scholar. He received his PhD in Hebrew Bible from the University of Aberdeen, he was ordained through the Reformed Presbyterian Church, and he served for seven years as an adjunct professor of Old Testament studies with the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He is an active member of the Center for Pastor Theologians and presently works in human resources while in a ministry transition. He and his wife, Heather, live in Indianapolis and have five teenage and adult children. Purchase Michael's book: The Liturgy of Creation: Understanding Calendars in Old Testament Context, at our Amazon affiliate link here: https://amzn.to/44f6wI9

Dr. Mary Schweitzer calls in to Voices in the Wilderness to speak about Faith and Science.

At the age of 5 she announced to her brother and his friends that she was going to be a Paleontologist. And then, as she puts it, “Life got in the way.” After a long and winding road, Mary Schweitzer eventually got there. Since receiving her PhD in Biology from Montana State University in 1995 she, along with her mentor and colleague, Jack Horner, have turned the world of Paleontology upside down ushering in a whole new set of tools and a series of firsts.

Currently Dr. Schweitzer is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University and an Associate Researcher for the Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University.

Dr. Schweitzer was the first scientist to identify the gender of a dinosaur, even showing that a T-Rex named Bob, was actually a female and pregnant at the time of her demise. Dr. Schweitzer was also the first to identify and isolate soft tissue in an ancient fossil bone. Her work has ushered in the first real change in Paleontology in the last 300 years, her techniques are as ground-breaking as her presence and inspiration have been in smashing the glass ceiling for women in that field. Her influence has led to the developing field of Paleoproteomics, where Dr. Schweitzer has also discovered that iron particles may play a part in the preservation of soft tissue over geologic time.All in all, there’s something about Mary.

This episode first Streamed Live on April 2nd, 2023 here: https://youtube.com/live/ObKFcmrEHbs

Dr. Abram Bicksler, President/CEO of ECHO, joins Voices in the Wilderness to share how Science can help the poor and why Creation Care is a necessary component of the Gospel message for Christians. Dr. Abram Bicksler is the president of ECHO Global Farm and earned his Doctorate and Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences with a focus on sustainable cropping systems and completed his Bachelor’s degree at Taylor University in Environmental Science and Biology. As a leader and researcher, Dr. Bicksler has been published in a number of journals including: Experimental Agriculture; Agronomy for Sustainable Development; Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems; the Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education; Ecosystems and People; the International Journal of Development Research; and, the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, in addition to contributing to a number of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) publications. While at FAO, Bicksler guided agroecology and sustainable food systems initiatives in multiple regions of the world. Before serving in Rome, Bicksler led the ECHO Asia Impact Center’s international staff team, coordinated and implemented regional networking and training events, initiated research culminating in multiple published studies, planned and began execution of the ECHO Asia Small Farm Resource Center, and grew the capacity of the ECHO Asia Seed Bank.

This episode first Streamed Live on March 26th, 2023 here: https://youtube.com/live/OrBu21F_CJw

Voices in the Wilderness welcomes Arend J.T. Poelarends, PhD, to talk about the integration of faith in the University. Arend is the director of the Center for Faith and Learning at Anselm House, a Christian study center at the University of Minnesota, where he leads the university engagement initiatives, inviting speakers to campus to engage the various disciplines with the Christian intellectual tradition. Dr. Poelarends organizes university roundtables about the big questions, and comes alongside Christian faculty to support them in integrating their faith with their work. Arend J. T. Poelarends, PhD is the director of the Center for Faith and Learning at Anselm House, a Christian study center at the University of Minnesota. He received his PhD in Astrophysics from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where he studied the pre-supernova evolution of stars that are about 10 times as massive as our sun. He continued his education at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, where he obtained an MDiv, after which he taught for 11 years in the physics and engineering department at Wheaton College (IL) and co-directed the Wheaton College Science Station, a field station in the Black Hills in South Dakota. His research at Wheaton focused on modeling the evolution of a particular class of binary stars, describing the conditions that would lead to the formation of double neutron stars and which form the progenitors of gravitational wave sources. Since the summer of 2022, he is associated with Anselm House, where he leads the university engagement initiatives, inviting speakers to campus to engage the various disciplines with the Christian intellectual tradition, organizing university roundtables about the big questions, and coming alongside Christian faculty to support them in integrating their faith with their work.

This episode first Streamed Live on January 31st, 2023 here: https://youtube.com/live/NQ4_-GrsyJg

How do we nurture fruitful conversations when it comes to faith and science in the classroom? Why is science denial so prevalent in Christian HomeSchool resources? How do those who have been harmed in Christian settings find healing? If some corners of Christianity have been so wrong about the physical world, why should we trust what they say about the metaphysical? Join Faith Stults as she sits down with Kristine Johnson and John James Kirkwood of Voices in the Wilderness to offer some constructive advice. Faith Stults is Program Manager at BioLogos where she helps Christian educators bring science and faith discussion into their classrooms. She has Master's degrees in Astronomy and in Science Education, and has spent the last decade developing curricula for NASA, researching science pedagogy and teaching high school physics and astronomy at Christian high schools. Faith’s passion for science education and for healing the church’s relationship with science came out of her experience as a science-loving kid growing up at Christian schools.

This episode first Streamed Live on December 18th, 2022 here: https://youtube.com/live/PUaqKz0TbTc

Bruce Glass, author of the book, Exploring Faith and Reason: The Reconciliation of Christianity and Biological Evolution, joins Voices in the Wilderness to discuss his book and this pressing controversy. Join Kristine Johnson and John James Kirkwood for an extended LiveStream interview on Sunday, December 18th at 12:00pm MST, 1:00 CST. Bruce Glass is a businessman, artist, and author. For more than 35 years he has been engaged in the business of commercial photography, traveling for assignments throughout much of the United States. As seen with this book, he also has a keen interest in the matters of philosophy, faith, and science. He and his wife Ginny live in Houston, TX. Exploring Faith and Reason: The Reconciliation of Christianity and Biological Evolution by Bruce Glass is available for purchase at our Amazon Affiliate Link here: https://amzn.to/3Ps2u8J

Author, Janet Kellogg Ray, joins Voices in the Wilderness to talk about the new Study Guide for her book, Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark. How do we start the hard conversations with those who have a very narrow view of Science and The Bible? What is the best way to overcome built in bias? Is there a better way to defuse a charged conversation that will build instead of burn a bridge? In Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark? The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit, Janet Kellogg Ray reached out to Christians who experience cognitive dissonance between their creationist commitments and modern science. With this new study guide, she returns to her argument with fresh perspective and an eye toward practical instruction. Ray approaches her topic with empathy for her readers while maintaining scientific rigor. This discussion guide is the perfect companion for students and nonexpert readers of her book, as it includes notes, discussion questions, and lists of external resources to supplement the original. Expanded treatments of each chapter’s topics encourage thinking with and beyond the concepts introduced in the main text. Janet Kellogg Ray, a science educator who grew up a creationist, doesn’t want other Christians to have to do the exhausting mental gymnastics she did earlier in her life. Working through the findings of a range of fields including geology, paleontology, and biology, she shows how a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis simply doesn’t mesh with what we know to be reality. But as someone who remains a committed Christian, Ray also shows how an acceptance of the theory of evolution is not necessarily an acceptance of atheism, and how God can still be responsible for having created the world, even if it wasn’t in a single, momentary, miraculous event. Janet's books are available at our affiliate links below. Make sure you pre-order her newest book: The God of Monkey Science: People of Faith in a Modern Scientific World: https://amzn.to/3AbVtSJ Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark?: The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making It All Fit: https://amzn.to/40iEXef A Study Guide for BABY DINOSAURS ON THE ARK?: https://amzn.to/3mLJ9Fu

Episode 18 first aired as a LiveStream on December 04, 2022. See here on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kcKU3DUpvk
What is it like to be a woman and a Christian in Academe? Are the barriers in the Academic Community similar to those in the Evangelical world? What can we glean from Feminism to find our way? Dr. Janel Curry joins Kristine Johnson and John James Kirkwood of Voices in the Wilderness to explore these questions and more. Join us for a LiveStream broadcast on December 4th at 12:00pm MST - 2pm EST. Janel Curry graduated from Bethel College (now Bethel University) in 1977 with high honors, earning a B.A. in political science. She then earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in geography from the University of Minnesota. Curry began her career in 1985 at Central College (Iowa) where she taught geography. She moved to Calvin College in 1996 and taught full-time until 2000 when she transitioned to an administrative position as the Dean of Research and Scholarship. She then served as Provost at Gordon College in Massachusetts and Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs at Medaille College in Buffalo, NY. Curry has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed articles, 20 book chapters, and 4 books. Her research has ranged from the exploration of human-land relations, institutional health and resilience, and theological perspectives on nature to women in leadership and higher education in a global context. Much of Janel Curry's published research, essays and blog posts can be found through her website at https://www.janelcurry.com