In this episode, Sal and Andrew discuss various theories of how the Universe was created, with a focus on what is commonly called the "Big Bang theory". The Bible mentions the idea of a big crunch, in Genesis, but is there any historical support for this idea? Is there any way to understand the Big Bang as a physical system and is there any scientific support for it? How did our universe expand from a single point? How would you start a universe from nothing? Why do we see 3 dimensions of space and one of time? What does "the big bang" mean in the language of Christian faith? How do you reconcile the evidence for the big bang with the Christian view that God created our universe in seven days? How is the Big Bang theory compatible with the Bible's teaching about the existence of angels? Can science be used to answer the question of whether or not God exists? Is there any empirical evidence that there is a God? Is there any way to determine the age of the universe? Is the Big Bang theory a credible explanation for the origin of the Universe? In this episode, Sal and Andrew discuss various theories of how the Universe was created, with a focus on what is commonly called the "Big Bang theory". The Bible mentions the idea of a big crunch, in Genesis, but is there any historical support for this idea? Is there any way to understand the Big Bang as a physical system and is there any scientific support for it? How did our universe expand from a single point? How would you start a universe from nothing? Why do we see 3 dimensions of space and one of time? What does "the big bang" mean in the language of Christian faith? How do you reconcile the evidence for the big bang with the Christian view that God created our universe in seven days? How is the Big Bang theory compatible with the Bible's teaching about the existence of angels? Can science be used to answer the question of whether or not God exists? Is there any empirical evidence that there is a God? Is there any way to determine the age of the universe? Is the Big Bang theory a credible explanation for the origin of the Universe? Comments The show is fun. But I am an uneducated lay person (non-academic). There were some points I wanted clarified. "When you combine this [the law of conservation of energy] with the law of conservation of momentum, you get that the total energy of the universe is constant throughout all of time." I wasn't really sure what that meant. Also, I liked when he was discussing how the universe started from nothing, "Because now, the universe has negative pressure." This is the one I would like to hear. Because so much scientific evidence is now being shown to support the truth of the bible. For instance, the first book of revelation in the new testament says, "God made the heavens and the earth." The bible says nothing about it expanding, but we can tell that from observing the stars and galaxies. There is no logical explanation that seems to be even a little like how the Bible talks about this. The Bible talks about a big, huge body of water exploding from the center and expanding so quickly it became stars and galaxies in a split second. Hey Andrew! So awesome. My daughter is studying in Physics right now and I'm going to have to get her that book to her for her birthday. She had the book you showed her when she was 4 yrs old. Thank you so much for your books and awesome ministry. Thanks for the information! Please be aware that the "energy" you are referring to in science is not what the Bible is talking about. (E=mc^2 is incorrect). According to the bible, God created both matter and energy, the later being "bound" to matter by means of a "gravity force field" which is not explained by current science. You are correct in saying "negative pressure". In this case, I am trying to be concise. In science you refer to the force as "negative pressure" (actually a mathematical expression) not just as pressure. If you are asking, "why does God create by creating negative pressure?" I am answering you this way. Imagine a balloon that is not fully filled and the air is allowed to escape by an opening in the balloon. If the balloon is filled completely with air at normal atmospheric pressure the balloon is kept expanded by the air pressure. If it is slightly overfilled, or is a porous material, then the air pressure over the balloon will be higher than the atmospheric pressure. This will push the air out of the balloon (like air escapes when you rub it) and you get the same result as before: the balloon gets smaller. However, if the balloon is underfilled with air and there is a hole in the balloon, the air will not try to fill the hole, but will escape. Because of that air pressure outside the balloon will become negative (lower than atmospheric pressure) and then the balloon will grow bigger than normal. (Remember, to fill the balloon completely, you have to push the air into the inside of the balloon and push it out of the balloon. The amount of pressure which can be created in your body is finite and has an upper limit). To make it easier to understand, think of it this way. Imagine a balloon made out of water. One way to push water into the balloon is by using a siphon hose. Water in the hose will try to push the water out of the balloon, but will only be able to do so by its own pressure. When you pull on the hose the water tries to push back into the balloon, but will never be able to overcome the pressure of the air in the balloon (because of the weight of the water). Water can not create any pressure out of nothing, but can only act like a hose attached to a pump. When you close the valve in the hose, the water will try to come back into the hose, but will only be able to do so by its own pressure. The result is that your water will try to escape the balloon (negative pressure, but still pressure), but it will be forced back into the hose and back into the balloon (pressure) until it fills it completely. Now, it is the same situation as I described when I talked about the pressure difference. The universe started as a zero pressure (empty vacuum) and only had to create itself from nothing. It did this by creating a positive pressure on the inside (the matter that became the Earth), creating negative pressure on the outside, which in turn created an opposite force on the inside to push against (this is why gravity acts on all matter). The negative pressure on the outside is what allowed the universe to create itself (expand from a singularity). The inside was already a mass of matter from God's own creative effort (the Bible talks about God creating "light" before the Big Bang). This is the same thing as water entering a balloon at the bottom that has already created a positive pressure. You can read more about this on http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/index.php?s=1&submit=Go&submit_text=Search . In my experience discussing physics with people who were once in college or were well informed and knowledgeable makes it very difficult to get them to abandon their atheistic, materialistic perspective in favor of the belief in a Creator. They usually say, "What's the problem? I believe in God but can't see any proof of it so I just don't think about it." Or, "I do not believe in God so why do I need to think about this? It's a waste of time." I am not suggesting that in order to help a person who is not a believer, we have to do research, but for those of us who believe, research is part of being a believer and is helpful to those who are not believers. There is the issue of the Big Bang theory and there is the issue of believing the Bible. The one with the Big Bang does not require belief in a Creator (and neither does evolutionary theory). But, if you know that God exists, than why would you be bothered by how He created the universe? I am not saying that the Big Bang theory is true and should be the only viewpoint. I am simply saying that the Big Bang is consistent with the Bible and that we can see that in it's beginnings there are aspects of God's creative work. This is in no way implying that Christians should have a monopoly on science and accept everything it says without question. Some would agree with the idea that we see things the way they are as a result of their own creation and design, while others would agree with the idea that we are free to choose our thoughts, which would then seem to be our reality. I believe there is a higher being who determines the thoughts of our mind and the nature of our will, which makes us who we are. I believe God created everything and that he designed it the way it is and how it came about, so that we can understand it and have purpose in our life. God created light before the universe and when he did that he established time as we