Hugh Ross
Born
Hugh Norman Ross

(1945-07-24) July 24, 1945
Montreal, Quebec
Alma materUniversity of British Columbia (B.Sc.)
University of Toronto (M.Sc., Ph.D.)
SpouseKathy
Children2
AwardsTrotter Prize 2012
Websitereasons.org

Hugh Norman Ross (born July 24, 1945) is a Christian apologist, and old-Earth creationist.

Ross obtained his Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Toronto[1][2][3] and his B.Sc. degree in physics from the University of British Columbia.[4] He established his own ministry in 1986, called Reasons to Believe.[5]

Ross rejects both abiogenesis and evolution as explanations for the origin and history of life, contrary to the scientific consensus.[6] Ross' position overlaps with that of intelligent design, but Ross argues that the evidence points to Jesus Christ as the designer, instead of an undefined intelligent designer.[7][8][9]

Early life and education

Hugh Ross was born in Montreal, Quebec, and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia after moving there at the age of five.[10] His parents were James Stewart Alexander Ross and Dorothy Isabel (Murray) Ross.He was interested in science from a young age, often reading science textbooks as a child.[11]

As a teenager, Ross read works by philosophers such as Immanuel Kant and Rene Descartes, but felt their works contained inconsistencies and contradictions.[10][12] Ross also read Eastern holy books from religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism.[10][12] He began studying the Bible in secret due to his family's disapproval.[13] He was inspired by the way the Bible described historical and scientific information, eventually becoming a Christian.[12] 

Ross described his upbringing as moral, but not religious.[10][13] Ross became interested in astronomy at the age of seven, after asking his parents whether stars were hot when gazing up at the night sky. He visited the local library to find the answer.[14] He soon became convinced that the expansion of the universe and the Big Bang required a divine "cosmic beginner".[14] At 17 he began to serve as director of observations for Vancouver's Royal Astronomical Society and started examining religious texts.[14]

Ross received a provincial scholarship and a National Research Council of Canada fellowship and earned a B.Sc. in physics from the University of British Columbia in 1967,[14] going on to earn a M.Sc. in 1968, and a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Toronto in 1973. While in Toronto, Ross began meeting with his fellow Christian students to share their faith.[14]

The National Research Council of Canada sent Ross to Caltech as a postdoctoral research fellow to study quasars and galaxies from 1973 to 1978.[15][16][17][18] While at Caltech Ross met Dave Rogstad and joined his Bible study group, which included his future wife, Kathleen Ann Drake.[14] The group encouraged him to spread his personal story about scientific evidence and Christianity.[14]

Ross presents at Grace Church St. Louis in November 2022
Ross presents at Grace Church St. Louis in November 2022

Career

Ross served as a minister of evangelism at Sierra Madre Congregational Church. He was encouraged by leaders in his church to start his own ministry,[12] and in 1986 he and Kathy Ross founded the apologetics ministry Reasons To Believe in Sierra Madre, California.[14]

In 1991, Ross began writing books on Christian apologetics,[14] with his book sales exceeding a quarter million copies.[19]

In 2012, Ross won the Trotter Prize, delivering the Trotter Lecture at Texas A&M University on "Theistic Implications for Big Bang Cosmology."[20][21]

Ross has made radio and television appearances, and his work has been covered by news outlets including Christianity Today,[22] The Houston Chronicle,[23] The LA Times,[24] The Washington Post,[25] and Fox News.[26]

In July 2022, Ross stepped down as CEO of Reasons to Believe to focus his efforts on writing and other endeavors.[27]

Beliefs

Ross believes God has revealed his existence and divine nature through both the Bible and creation.[28] He also believes that his creation model is empirically testable, and equally plausible as the evolutionary model.[29] Ross also believes that the Earth is fine-tuned for life,[30] and that science and Christianity intersect rather than contradict each other.[31] Ross believes that God has created the universe for a reason and desires a relationship with humans.[32]

Ross believes the record of creation is "like the 67th book of the Bible." He attempts to use science to find common ground with people, including secular scientists who reject the idea of God.[19]

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 agent formed different lifeforms in incremental (progressive) stages, and day-age creationism, 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.[33] 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[34]) are historic, distinct, and sequential, but not 24 hours in length nor equal in length. Ross agrees with the scientific community that any version of intelligent design is inadequate if it does not provide a testable hypothesis which can make verifiable and falsifiable predictions, and if not, it should not be taught in the classroom as science.[35][7]

Ross has criticized young-Earth creationists, in particular Russell Humphreys.[36]

Personal life

Ross married Kathy in 1977 and they have two sons.[37][12]

Kathy was formerly the senior vice president of Reasons to Believe and oversaw the organization’s communications.[12]

Ross has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.[38][39][10] He has credited his autism with helping him become an astrophysicist and an expert on celestial bodies.[39]

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 ISBN 978-0939497188
  • The Creation Hypothesis, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994 ISBN 978-0830816989
  • The Creator and the Cosmos. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1993, 2nd ed. 1995, 3rd ed. 2001, 4th ed. 2018 ISBN 978-1886653146
  • Creation and Time. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1994 ISBN 978-0891097761
  • Mere Creation, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998 ISBN 978-0830815159
  • Beyond the Cosmos. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1996, 2nd ed. 1999; Orlando, FL: Signalman Publishing, 2010, 3rd ed. ISBN 978-0984061488
  • The Genesis Question, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 1998, 2nd ed. 2001 ISBN 978-1576831113
  • The Genesis Debate, Mission Viejo, CA: Crux, 2002 (with five other authors) ISBN 978-0970224507
  • Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002 ISBN 978-1576832080
  • A Matter of Days, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004 ISBN 978-1576833759
  • Origins of Life, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2004 (with Fazale Rana) ISBN 978-1576833445
  • Who Was Adam? Colorado Springs, NavPress, 2005 (with Fazale Rana) ISBN 978-1576835777
  • Creation as Science, Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2006 ISBN 978-1576835784
  • Why the Universe is the Way it Is, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2008 ISBN 978-0801071966
  • More Than a Theory, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2009 ISBN 978-0801014420
  • Hidden Treasures in the Book of Job: How the Oldest Book of the Bible Answers Today's Scientific Questions, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2011 ISBN 978-0801072109
  • Navigating Genesis: A Scientist's Journey through Genesis 1–11, 2014 ISBN 978-1886653863
  • Improbable Planet: How Earth Became Humanity's Home, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2016 ISBN 9780801016899
  • Always Be Ready: A Call To Adventurous Faith, Covina, CA: RTB Press, 2018 ISBN 978-1886653016
  • Weathering Climate Change, Covina, CA: RTB Press, 2020 ISBN 978-1886653955
  • Designed to the Core, Covina, CA: RTB Press, 2022 ISBN 978-1956112016
  • Rescuing Inerrancy: A Scientific Defense, Covina, CA: RTB Press, 2023 ISBN 978-1956112030

Filmography

Title Type Year Role
Praise Self 1992-2013 Self
Earth: Young or Old? TV miniseries 2000 Self
Journey Toward Creation Video 2003 Self/Host
UFO Files TV series 2004 Self
Ancient Secrets of the Bible TV series 2007 Self
Dual Revelation Film 2008 Self
Marcus & Joni Self 2014 Self
Joni Table Talk TV series 2015 Self
Four Blood Moons Film 2015 Self
The Leon Show TV series 2015 Self
The 700 Club TV series 2019-2020 Self
The Hour of Power TV series 2021 Self
Norm Geisler: Not Qualified Film 2021 Self
Breath of Life TV series 2022 Self
1999: The Lost Story – Tailing the Millennium Film TBA Self
Universe Designed Film TBA Self

See also

References

  1. ↑ Utter, Glenn (August 1, 2001). The Religious Right, 2nd Edition. ABC-Clio Inc. p. 111. ISBN 978-1576072127.
  2. ↑ "Faculty Page". Meet Our Faculty. Northern California Bible College. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  3. ↑ University of Toronto, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics Theses 1930-1996, Ross, Hugh Norman/ Radio sources with low frequency outoffs, 1972
  4. ↑ "Reasons to Believe - About -Who We Are". Reasons to Believe. 2012. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  5. ↑ Hugh Ross. "Summary of Reasons To Believe's Testable Creation Model". Archived from the original on 2016-02-01.
  6. ↑ "Section 5: Evolution, Climate Change and Other Issues". Pew Research Center - U.S. Politics & Policy. 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  7. 1 2 "Creation Scientists Applaud PA Judge's Ruling Against 'Intelligent Design'-Dressing Up ID Is No Substitute for Real Science". Reasons To Believe. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2007-09-25.
  8. ↑ Hugh Ross. "A Beginner's-and Expert's-Guide to the Big Bang: Sifting Facts from Fictions".
  9. ↑ Hugh Ross. "More Than Intelligent Design".
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "100 Huntley Street: September 20, 2022". www.100huntley.com. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  11. ↑ Butcher, Andy (2003-06-01). "He Sees God in the Stars - Charisma Magazine". Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The happy warrior". WORLD. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  13. 1 2 "Astronomer Hugh Ross Discusses Faith & Science". Regent University. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "My Story: Dr. Hugh Ross | Cru". Cru.org. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  15. ↑ Dr. Hugh Ross, President & Founder of RTB, about
  16. ↑ Caltech Campus Pubs, January 22, 1999
  17. ↑ Caltech Campus Pubs, Jan. 15, 1999
  18. ↑ Dr. High Ross. "My Story: Dr. Hugh Ross". Cru.
  19. 1 2 Butcher, Andy (2003-06-01). "He Sees God in the Stars - Charisma Magazine". Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  20. ↑ "Astronomer Hugh Ross Receives Prestigious Trotter Prize and Speaks at Texas A&M for Endowed Lecture Series March 8, 2012". Red Orbit.com. 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
  21. ↑ "Trotter Lecture Series - Texas A&M College of Science". 2022-04-04. Archived from the original on 2022-04-04. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  22. ↑ O'Neal, Sam (12 April 2007). "Bookmark: Creation as Science". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  23. ↑ Quick, Mark (2003-07-22). "Intelligent Design model deserves equal class time". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  24. ↑ Lobdell, William (2001-06-23). "Seeing Faith Through Science". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  25. ↑ "For some, eclipse day showcases God's majesty. For others, it means the Rapture is coming". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  26. ↑ "Could 'mysterious radio signals' prove the existence of God? | Fox News Video". Fox News. 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  27. ↑ "Reasons to Believe Names Successor". Reasons to Believe. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  28. ↑ Ross, Hugh (2018). The creator and the cosmos: how the latest scientific discoveries reveal God (Fourth ed.). Covina, CA. ISBN 978-1-886653-14-6. OCLC 1034740438.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  29. ↑ Ross, Hugh (2012). More than a theory: revealing a testable model forcreation (Paperback ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books. ISBN 978-0-8010-1442-0. OCLC 794541436.
  30. ↑ Ross, Hugh (2022). Designed to the core. Covina, CA. ISBN 978-1-956112-01-6. OCLC 1350647516.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  31. ↑ Ross, Hugh (2014). Navigating Genesis: a scientist's journey through Genesis 1-11. Covina, CA. ISBN 978-1-886653-86-3. OCLC 861521932.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  32. ↑ Ross, Hugh (2008). Why the universe is the way it is. Grand Rapids, Mich. ISBN 978-0-8010-1304-1. OCLC 216937304.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  33. ↑ Pennock, Robert T. (February 28, 2000). Tower of Babel, The Evidence against the New Creationism. The MIT Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-262-66111-X.
  34. ↑ "Yowm". StudyLight. Retrieved 2006-10-18.
  35. ↑ Hugh Ross. "More Than Intelligent Design". Facts for Faith, Issue 10. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2015-03-23.
  36. ↑ Samuel R. Conner and Hugh Ross Ph.D., The Unraveling of Starlight and Time Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine, March 1999
  37. ↑ "Kathy Ross".
  38. ↑ Michalski, Daniel (2019-07-30). "The Gift of Autism". Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  39. 1 2 "Autism Positives | Joni and Friends". 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
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