Ministry
removing stumbling blocks to faith in christ through education on the scientific and biblical evidence for an ancient creation
Photo Credit: Joel Duff
Beechnut Photography
why this ministry?
Young people raised in many churches are told the Bible teaches a recent six-day creation, and that scientific evidence to the contrary is weak and must be rejected. The actual scientific evidence, however, is much stronger than what is communicated from pulpits and young-earth websites. When students directly engage the scientific evidence in college or later in life, many feel misled by the church, and conclude that it must be their faith in the Bible that was mistaken. Questioning non-believers likewise face a monumental obstacle to faith when told that to accept Christ, they must dismiss what God’s natural creation seems to clearly communicate.
Tragic stories of storm-tossed or fully shipwrecked faith on the reef of young-earth creationism led to the start of Solid Rock Lectures. It is our conviction that an honest study of both Scripture and nature not only leaves an ample room for the legitimacy of modern science, but that the agreement between God’s written and natural creations can be breathtaking. Our desire is to remove obstacles of faith, and renew Christians’ ability to marvel and delight in the discoveries God is revealing in nature.
what we offer
Solid Rock Lectures offers chapel presentations, meetings with seminary or college classes, one and two day workshops, and even a week-long university course. Our most common venue is a one day or day and a half long workshop, but SRL will work with the particular needs, interests, and constraints of your institution regarding the length and subject material covered.
Our highest priority is to seminaries. Most church members look to their pastors for what to believe about science, yet few pastors have the training or background to evaluate the validity of scientific or young-earth claims. To best minister to those in the pews and to the world, pastors need to have at least a basic understanding of the evidence supporting an ancient earth and adaptation of life over time—even if convinced that the scientific conclusions are wrong.
Our Speakers
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gregg davidson, Ph.D
Growing up in a family with two preachers (both grandfathers) and a father who was a biology professor instilled Gregg with an early love for both Scripture and science. He earned a B.S in geology from Wheaton College, and a Ph.D in hydrogeology from the University of Arizona. Graduate work at the U of A included radiocarbon dating, processing samples in the same lab that dated the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Shroud of Turin. Gregg has been a professor of Geology and Geological Engineering at the University of Mississippi since 1996, and has served as the chair of the department. He frequently speaks and writes on subjects related to science and Christian faith. He is the author of ‘When Faith and Science Collide’, as well as faith/science articles in journals such as Modern Reformation and the Christian Research Journal. Gregg has authored 5+ books both on the subject of faith and science as well as other works of fiction and is host to the groundbreaking Podcast, The Seven Series.
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Ken Wolgemuth, Ph.D
Ken Wolgemuth is a petroleum geologist with over 30 years of experience in the oil industry. He received a B.S in chemistry from Wheaton College and a Ph.D in geochemistry from Columbia University. His broad work experience includes Dickinson College, the Hess Corporation, and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, publishing 20+ papers and research reports about geochemistry, and characterization of oil reservoirs. For the last 10 years he has been teaching oil industry short courses around the world in over 18 countries. He specializes in teaching geology to non-geologists, and founded Solid Rock Lectures to communicate geology of the Earth in seminaries and church venues.
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Joel Duff, Ph.D
Joel Duff is plant biologist and has been a professor of biology at the University of Akron since 1999. He received his B.S. in biology from Calvin College, and his Ph.D. in botany from the University of Tennessee. He has worked on numerous plant and animal systems using molecular methods to understand biological diversity. An author of more than 40 articles in science journals he has also published in Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith and maintains a blog, Naturalis Historia, where he writes about the intersection of science and faith.
how you can help…
Your donation helps us offer some of our workshops free of charge to hosting institutions, assists with promotion, and offsets the cost of projects (such as our recent involvement with a new book on the Grand Canyon).
Book a speaker.
We would love to help! Book a speaker today or send us and email to inquire about dates and availability!