YouTube Picks
Following last week's post on YouTube I'm actually going to recommend a few YouTube videos I've enjoyed in recent weeks. There are three long ones, and two short ones.
I can't remember who recommended some of the longer ones--it might have been Rev. Brad Johnston--but they've been sitting open as tabs on my browser for about 6 months. I simply haven't had an hour to watch any of them. Last week I stuck them on my phone and listened to the audio of them while out driving. They were superb. [Note to self - audio is often sufficient. No need to wait until you have a clear hour to watch some of these things!]
The Longer Ones
James Tour - The Mystery of the Origin of Life
There's a lot of science in this one, but the overwhelming conclusion that we haven't even come close to creating a cell is unavoidable. Many great questions raised along the way.
[NB the apology comment in the YouTube description. Prof Tour did get carried away in his enthusiasm and was stronger in his denunciation of a fellow scientist than was warranted.]
Mathematical Challenges to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
Despite the intimidating title, this video is pretty accessible. I had read of David Gelernter's ditching of Darwinian Evolution on mathematical grounds and it was interesting to hear him talk through it and show the sheer weight of numbers making Darwin's theory unworkable. For me, one of the things which makes this video significant is that two of the three participants aren't coming from a Christian perspective.
[NB The language in one place is a little colourful]
Dr. Neil Stewart on Transgenderism
Former pediatric physician and current Senior Pastor of Christ Covenant Church (ARP) in Greensboro NC. He's a Northern Irishman, so that can only be good. This is a superb presentation--especially the last third, bringing the richness of the Christian Worldview to bear on the question of identity.
Brief Ones to Watch
And now for a couple of ones you need to see - audio isn't enough.
From conception to birth
TED talk by mathematician and image-maker Alexander Tsiaras. I don't know where this man is spiritually, but listen to his language as he describes the wonder of the human body.
Our Home Supercluster - Beauty that made an atheist wonder
I enjoy listening to the superb FutureProof podcast from Irish science journalist Jonathan McCrea on NewsTalk radio. He is an atheist, but is constantly caught up in the wonder of the universe.
On one podcast he was interviewing Hélène Courtois, Professor of Astrophysics in Lyon, about that supercluster in which our galaxy sits. He said that the structure and beauty of our supercluster (Laniakea) stunned him momentarily in his atheism.
The video below shows the imagery of the supercluster.
Hope you enjoy these!
