Think Outside the Box
Did Jesus Christ really rise from the dead?
In The God Delusion (p. 59), Richard Dawkins claims that, "The methods we should use to settle the matter, in the unlikely event that relevant evidence ever became available, would be purely and entirely scientific methods." R.C. Metcalf agrees that science offers one of the strongest lines of relevant evidence, but contends that a comprehensive case should draw from many sources of human knowledge.
In Colliding with Christ, Dr. Metcalf adds to the textual and historical evidence in favor of the physical resurrection of Jesus by presenting a thought-provoking new model that explains the events of the first Easter scientifically.
If you've ever struggled with thoughts that science has refuted the Christian faith... think again! The evidence is still mounting... The jury is deadlocked...
...but Jesus Christ is alive and well!
One of the fundamental notions underlying Dr. Metcalf's omninatural model is the real existence of a large 4th spatial dimension, a concept that will soon be subject to experimental analysis. Within the next five years, experiments at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland may offer compelling evidence for higher dimensional space. While simple to state, this concept is often misunderstood. The eminent Harvard physicist, Dr. Lisa Randall, author of Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions, describes the difficulties she has had explaining these ideas to a lay audience:
Dr. Lisa Randall on Inquiry with Mark Lynch - WICN-FM Radio, Worcester, MA 01/29/06 (MP3)
The Greek mathematician, Ptolemy (83-161AD), using a simple thought experiment, "proved" only three spatial dimensions could exist. Ptolemy suggested we first think of a line, which only has one dimension, length. If we then draw another line, perpendicular to the first, we will have defined a second dimension, height. If we continue by drawing a third line, perpendicular to the first two lines, we will have defined a third dimension, depth. Ptolemy declared that since we are unable to draw a fourth line, perpendicular to the first three, a fourth spatial dimension cannot exist.
Dr. Lisa Randall on WNYC New York Public Radio, The Leonard Lopate Show 03/29/06 (MP3)
Of course, Ptolemy was unaware of ultraviolet light, microwaves, and x-rays, all of which exist beyond our direct human perception. To date, science has uncovered a slew of previously undetectable subatomic particles. The 14 TeV (tera-electron-volt) Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will collide protons with 7 times the energy of the next largest existing collider, the Tevatron in Batavia, IL. Higher energy collisions will allow us to probe shorter distances. Higher energy collisions should also produce highly massive particles (E=mc2 tells us that mass and energy are directly proportional, that is, when one increases, so does the other). We hope to find evidence of massive Kaluza-Klein (KK) particles, which are the theoretical virtual partners of the particles that mediate the four fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong and the weak nuclear force. Evidence for the KK partner of the graviton will provide evidence for a real 4th spatial dimension. Further elucidation of these ideas can be found in Colliding with Christ. Dr. Metcalf also explains these ideas more fully during his live presentations.
Dr. Lisa Randall on WGBH ThoughtCast, Arts and Ideas, with Jenny Attiyeh, 04/10/06 (MP3)
The likelihood of a real, fourth spatial dimension has been a common idea among physicists studying String Theory for quite a few years. At Strings 2003, a conference for string theorists held in Kyoto, Japan, Dr. David Gross addressed this possibility, even though, at the time, he did not fully accept its implications. The following year, Dr. Gross was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Frank Wilczek and David Politzer.
Dr. David Gross at Strings 2003 in Kyoto, Japan (MP3)
So, what does all this talk about
a fourth spatial dimension have to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
This is where Colliding with Christ comes in... order your copy today!
<<< or be patient.... more to come.... >>>
