Hugh Norman Ross (born July 24, 1945) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

astrophysicist,

Christian apologist Christian apologetics ( grc, ἀπολογία, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics has taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in ...

, and old-Earth creationist. Ross obtained his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in astronomy from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and his

B.Sc. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in physics from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

. He established his own

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

in 1986, called Reasons to Believe, which promotes progressive and day-age forms of old-Earth creationism, by developing what the ministry calls a "testable creation model". Ross rejects both

abiogenesis In biology, abiogenesis (from a- 'not' + Greek bios 'life' + genesis 'origin') or the origin of life is the natural process by which life has arisen from non-living matter, such as simple organic compounds. The prevailing scientific hypothes ...

and

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

as explanations for the origin and history of life, contrary to the

scientific consensus Scientific consensus is the generally held judgment, position, and opinion of the majority or the supermajority of scientists in a particular field of study at any particular time. Consensus is achieved through scholarly communication at confe ...

. Ross' position overlaps with that of the

intelligent design Intelligent design (ID) is a pseudoscientific argument for the existence of God, presented by its proponents as "an evidence-based scientific theory about life's origins". Numbers 2006, p. 373; " Dcaptured headlines for its bold attempt to ...

, but Ross argues that the evidence points to Jesus Christ as the designer, instead of an undefined intelligent designer.

Early life and education

Hugh Ross was born in Westmount,

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, and raised in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. His parents are James Stewart Alexander Ross and Dorothy Isabel (Murray) Ross. Ross became interested in astronomy at the age of seven, visiting his local library to find out why stars were hot. He soon became convinced that the

expansion of the universe The expansion of the universe is the increase in distance between any two given gravitationally unbound parts of the observable universe with time. It is an intrinsic expansion whereby the scale of space itself changes. The universe does not exp ...

and the Big Bang required a divine Causal Agent. At 17 he began to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society and examined religious texts. He was not persuaded by any Eastern religious texts provided by his neighbors and reading the Bible held that its cosmology correlated with the astronomy he was studying. After two years of studying Bible texts, Ross concluded, "I had essentially proven to myself that the Bible is more reliable than the laws of physics I focused on in my university courses. The only reasonable conclusion I could see was that the Bible must be the inspired Word of God." Ross received a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council of Canada fellowship and earned a

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

from the

in 1967, going on to earn a

M.Sc. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in 1968, and a Ph.D. in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

from the

in 1973. While in Toronto, Ross began joining with his fellow Christian students to share their faith. The National Research Council of Canada sent Ross to

Caltech The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

as a

postdoctoral research fellow A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

to study quasars and galaxies from 1973 to 1978. While at Caltech Ross met Dr. Dave Rogstad and joined his Bible study group, which included his future wife, Kathleen Ann Drake. The group encouraged him to spread his personal story about scientific evidence and Christianity.

Apologetics career

Ross served as a minister of evangelism at Sierra Madre Congregational Church from 1975 to 1986. In 1986 he and Kathy founded the apologetics ministry Reasons To Believe in Sierra Madre, California. He began making radio and television appearances, plus audio tapes to advance the ministry. In 1991 Ross began writing books on Christian apologetics. In addition to apologetics writing, Ross speaks regularly in academic venues and churches, as well as the regular podcasts "I Didn't Know That" (formerly Creation Update) and "Science News Flash". He spoke at the 2008

Skeptics Society The Skeptics Society is a nonprofit, member-supported organization devoted to promoting scientific skepticism and resisting the spread of pseudoscience, superstition, and irrational beliefs. The Skeptics Society was co-founded by Michael Sh ...

's "Origins Conference" at

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

alongside

Nancey Murphy Nancey Murphy (born 12 June 1951) is an American philosopher and theologian who is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA. She received the B.A. from Creighton University (philosophy and psychology) in 1973 ...

Victor Stenger Victor John Stenger (; January 29, 1935 – August 25, 2014) was an American particle physicist, philosopher, author, and religious skeptic. Following a career as a research scientist in the field of particle physics, Stenger was associat ...

, Kenneth R. Miller, Sean Carroll,

Michael Shermer Michael Brant Shermer (born September 8, 1954) is an American science writer, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of ''Skeptic'' magazine, a publication focused on investigating pseudoscientifi ...

and

Leonard Susskind Leonard Susskind (; born June 16, 1940)his 60th birthday was celebrated with a special symposium at Stanford University.in Geoffrey West's introduction, he gives Suskind's current age as 74 and says his birthday was recent. is an American physicis ...

. Ross has debated scientists

Jerry Coyne Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fi ...

Eugenie Scott Eugenie Carol Scott (born October 24, 1945) is an American physical anthropologist, a former university professor and educator who has been active in opposing the teaching of young Earth creationism and intelligent design in schools. She coined t ...

, Peter Ward,

Lewis Wolpert Lewis Wolpert (19 October 1929 – 28 January 2021) was a South African-born British developmental biologist, author, and broadcaster. Wolpert was best known for his French flag model of embryonic development, where he used the French flag a ...

Peter Atkins Peter William Atkins (born 10 August 1940) is an English chemist and a Fellow of Lincoln College at the University of Oxford. He retired in 2007. He is a prolific writer of popular chemistry textbooks, including ''Physical Chemistry'', ''Ino ...

and Rob Tarzwell. He has also debated young-Earth creationists, including

Ken Ham Kenneth Alfred Ham (born 20 October 1951) is an Australian Christian fundamentalist, young Earth creationist and apologist, living in the United States. He is the founder, CEO, and former president of Answers in Genesis (AiG), a Christian apolo ...

Kent Hovind Kent E. Hovind (born January 15, 1953) is an American Christian fundamentalism, Christian fundamentalist evangelist and tax protester. He is a controversial figure in the Young Earth creationism, Young Earth creationist movement whose ministry ...

Duane Gish Duane Tolbert Gish (February 17, 1921 – March 5, 2013) was an American biochemist and a prominent member of the creationist movement. A young Earth creationist, Gish was a former vice-president of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR ...

, Danny Faulkner, Andrew McIntosh, John Morris and

Ray Comfort Ray Comfort (born 5 December 1949) is a New Zealand-born Christian minister and evangelist who lives in the United States. Comfort started Living Waters Publications, as well as the ministry '' The Way of the Master'', in Bellflower, California ...

. In 2012 he won the Trotter Prize, delivering the Trotter Lecture at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

on "Theistic Implications for Big Bang Cosmology."

Old-Earth Creationism

Ross believes in progressive creationism, a view which holds that while the Earth is billions of years old, life did not appear by natural forces alone but that a

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

agent formed different lifeforms in incremental (progressive) stages, and

day-age creationism Day-age creationism, a type of old Earth creationism, is an interpretation of the creation accounts in Genesis. It holds that the six days referred to in the Genesis account of creation are not ordinary 24-hour days, but are much longer period ...

, a system of reconciling a literal Genesis account of creation with modern scientific theories on the age of the universe, the Earth, life, and humans. He rejects the young-Earth creationist positions that the earth is younger than 10,000 years and that the creation "days" of Genesis 1 represent literal 24-hour periods. Ross instead asserts that these days (translated from the Hebrew word ''

yom Yom ( he, יום) is a Biblical Hebrew word which occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The word means day in both Modern and Biblical Hebrew. Overview Although ''yom'' is commonly rendered as day in English translations, the word yom can be used in differ ...

'') are historic, distinct, and sequential, but not 24 hours in length nor equal in length. Ross and the RTB team state that the vast majority of young-Earth creationist arguments are

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or falsifiability, unfa ...

. They agree with the scientific community that any version of

is inadequate if it does not provide a testable

hypothesis A hypothesis (plural hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. For a hypothesis to be a scientific hypothesis, the scientific method requires that one can test it. Scientists generally base scientific hypotheses on previous obse ...

which can make verifiable and falsifiable predictions, and if not, it should not be taught in the classroom as science. Ross is a critic of young-Earth creationists, in particular

Russell Humphreys David Russell Humphreys is an American physicist who advocates for young Earth creationism. He holds a PhD in physics and has proposed a theory for the origin of the universe which allegedly resolves the distant starlight problem that exists in ...

and

Personal life

Ross has been married to Kathy for 40 years, and has two sons.

Bibliography

Ross has written or collaborated on the following books: *''The Fingerprint of God''. Orange, Calif.: Promise Publishing, 1989, 2nd ed. 1991, 3rd ed. 2005 *''The Creator and the Cosmos''. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1993, 2nd ed. 1995, 3rd ed. 2001, 4th ed. 2018 *''Creation and Time''. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1994 *''Beyond the Cosmos''. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1996, 2nd ed. 1999; Orlando, FL: Signalman Publishing, 2010, 3rd ed. *''The Genesis Question'', Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1998, 2nd ed. 2001 *''The Genesis Debate'', Mission Viejo, CA: Crux, 2002 (with five other authors) *''Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men'', Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002 *''A Matter of Days'', Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004 *''Origins of Life'', Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004 (with Fazale Rana) *''Who Was Adam?'' Colorado Springs, NavPress, 2005 (with Fazale Rana) *''Creation as Science'', Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2006 *''Why the Universe is the Way it Is'', Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008 *''More Than a Theory'', Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2009 *''Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job: How the Oldest Book of the Bible Answers Today's Scientific Questions'', Baker Books, 2011 *Navigating Genesis: A Scientist's Journey through Genesis 1–11, 2014 *''Improbable Planet: How Earth Became Humanity's Home'' Baker Books, 2016 *''Always Be Ready: A Call To Adventurous Faith,'' 2018 Additionally, he has contributed to the following volumes: *''The Creation Hypothesis'', Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994 *''Mere Creation'', Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998 *''Why I Am a Christian'', Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 2000 *''The Day I Met God'', Sisters, OR: Multnomah 2001

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Hugh 1945 births Living people Founders of new religious movements Christian writers Christian apologists 20th-century Canadian astronomers University of Toronto alumni Christian Old Earth creationists Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian Congregationalists Scientists from Montreal Scientists from Vancouver University of British Columbia Faculty of Science alumni Writers from Montreal Writers from Vancouver 21st-century Christians