Reasons to Believe

Reasons to Believe (RTB) is an American nonprofit Christian apologetics organization founded in 1986 by Hugh Ross, a Canadian-born astrophysicist and advocate of creationist interpretations of science. The organization promotes forms of old-Earth creationism, particularly day-age interpretations, and seeks to use scientific evidence as a means of explaining and defending Christian belief. Its work combines astronomy, earth science, biology, anthropology, theology, and philosophy with arguments concerning the existence of God, the reliability of the Bible, human uniqueness, and the relationship between scientific discovery and Christian doctrine. RTB operates as a ministry and educational organization rather than as a conventional commercial brand. It publishes articles, books, audio programs, videos, podcasts, and other multimedia material, and it organizes lectures, conferences, workshops, and public discussions featuring its researchers and speakers. Its stated ministry approach is associated with the passage from 1 Peter 3:15–16, which emphasizes readiness to explain one's hope with gentleness and respect. The organization presents science as compatible with Christian faith and argues that certain observations in cosmology, planetary science, geology, biology, and human origins are more consistent with its creation model than with strictly naturalistic interpretations. A major part of RTB's intellectual identity is its testable creation-model program. Among its published claims are that Earth and the universe occupy a particularly favorable location for the emergence of advanced life and for the observation of the wider cosmos; that future astronomical findings may support the idea that Earth is unusually suited both to habitability and scientific discovery; and that human beings possess biological, anatomical, behavioral, and genetic characteristics that distinguish them from other primates. RTB also advocates a local interpretation of the biblical flood, associating it with a large flood event in the ancient Near East rather than with a worldwide inundation. The organization maintains an in-house research and apologetics program. Its scholars have included Hugh Ross, Fazale Rana, Jeff Zweerink, Kenneth Samples, and George Haraksin. RTB also describes a broader scholar community of approximately 350 participants working across apologetics, earth sciences, theology, and related disciplines. Through its Reasons Institute, the organization offers science-apologetics courses in cooperation with educational institutions including Biola University, Regent University, and Southern Evangelical Seminary. RTB Press, established in 2013, serves as the organization's internal publishing operation and has issued more than 25 books by RTB scholars. Before creating RTB Press, the organization published a number of titles through Baker Publishing Group. RTB additionally maintains an active public-media presence through podcasts, a YouTube channel, online articles, and recorded talks. It has received recognition as a Best Christian Workplace in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, and is associated with the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability and Independent Charities of America. The organization's scientific claims have attracted criticism from both secular and Christian writers. Critics argue that RTB's creation model does not satisfy the normal criteria of a scientific theory, relies on supernatural assumptions, is difficult to falsify, and sometimes treats observations already known to science as retrospective predictions. Debate has also focused on RTB's view that humans are not descended from a common ancestor shared with other primates and that modern humans descend from a specially created pair who lived tens of thousands of years ago. These positions remain central to RTB's apologetic identity but conflict with mainstream interpretations of genetic, fossil, and evolutionary evidence.

Reasons to Believe was founded in 1986 by Hugh Ross, an astrophysicist who developed a Christian apologetics ministry centered on the relationship between scientific evidence and biblical belief. From its beginning, RTB distinguished itself from young-Earth creationist organizations by adopting an old-Earth framework. Its day-age interpretation allows the geological and astronomical ages accepted by mainstream science while reading the creation days in Genesis as extended periods rather than ordinary 24-hour days. The organization's central mission has been to make a positive case for Christianity using arguments drawn from science, philosophy, and theology. RTB's work addresses cosmology, planetary habitability, geology, the origin and development of life, human origins, biblical reliability, and the existence of God. Rather than treating science and faith as inherently opposed, the organization argues that scientific discoveries can provide evidence consistent with Christian theism and can serve as an evangelistic bridge to audiences interested in science. As RTB developed, it expanded beyond the work of its founder into a research, publishing, teaching, and media operation. Its output has included books, articles, audio programs, videos, podcasts, lectures, and public events. The organization has also built a network of affiliated scholars and speakers. Its in-house research group has included Hugh Ross, Fazale Rana, Jeff Zweerink, Kenneth Samples, and George Haraksin, while its wider scholar community has been described as numbering approximately 350 people involved in workshops and discussions in apologetics, earth science, theology, and related fields. Education became another institutional component through the Reasons Institute. The program offers courses in science apologetics and has been connected with educational settings such as Biola University, Regent University, and Southern Evangelical Seminary. This work extends RTB's mission from public communication into more structured instruction for students, church audiences, and people seeking formal study of science and Christian apologetics. Publishing has been an important part of the organization's history. RTB previously issued twelve books through Baker Publishing Group and later established RTB Press in 2013 to publish books by its own scholars and ministry contributors. More than 25 books have been associated with the RTB Press program. The imprint gives the organization greater control over the presentation and distribution of its creation-model and apologetics arguments. The organization's intellectual program includes several distinctive claims. RTB argues that Earth occupies an unusually favorable position for both advanced life and the observation of the universe, and it presents this as a model that could be assessed through future astronomical discoveries. In human-origins debates, it argues that humans are biologically distinct from other primates and maintains that the first humans appeared comparatively recently, while placing earlier bipedal hominids much further in the past. RTB also interprets the biblical flood as a local event, sometimes associating it with evidence of a large flood in the ancient region of modern Iraq around 2900 BCE. These claims have generated sustained criticism. Writers including Robert Pennock and Steven Novella have questioned whether RTB's creation model qualifies as a scientific model or theory, arguing that it can reinterpret known evidence as prediction and is not readily falsifiable. Psychologist Brian Bolton criticized the treatment of human origins in an updated edition of Hugh Ross and Fazale Rana's book Who Was Adam?, pointing to what he viewed as supernatural assumptions, circular reasoning, and an inequivalent comparison between faith-based creationism and evolutionary explanations. Evangelical geneticist Dennis Venema has also challenged RTB's rejection of common ancestry between humans and other primates. Such disputes have made RTB a recognizable participant in broader controversies over creationism, evolutionary biology, and the boundaries between scientific and religious explanation. In institutional terms, RTB remains an active nonprofit ministry. It is associated with the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability and Independent Charities of America, and it has received Best Christian Workplace recognition for 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. In July 2022, Fazale Rana, formerly the organization's vice-president of research and apologetics, became president and CEO, marking a leadership transition from the founding era while preserving the organization's science-and-faith apologetics mission.

• 2022

  Fazale Rana becomes president and CEO

  [1]Reasons to Believeen.wikipedia.org

  Fazale Rana succeeded to the organization's top executive role after serving as vice-president of research and apologetics.

• 2013

  RTB Press established

  [1]Reasons to Believeen.wikipedia.org

  RTB launched an in-house publishing operation for books by its scholars and ministry authors.

• 1986

  Reasons to Believe founded

  [1]Reasons to Believeen.wikipedia.org

  Astrophysicist Hugh Ross founded the organization to promote Christian apologetics through arguments involving science and an old-Earth creationist framework.

A science-oriented evangelical apologetics ministry that presents old-Earth creationism as an intellectually and evidentially defensible account of nature, human origins, and biblical reliability.

• Education

  Reasons Institute

  Reasons Institute is RTB's structured educational program in science apologetics. It provides courses and related instruction for audiences seeking a systematic treatment of scientific evidence, Christian theology, philosophy, and the defense of biblical belief. The program has been offered in association with institutions including Biola University, Regent University, and Southern Evangelical Seminary.

• Publishing · 2013

  RTB Press

  RTB Press is the organization's in-house publishing imprint, founded in 2013. It publishes books by Reasons to Believe scholars and contributors on subjects such as creationism, human origins, cosmology, science and faith, and Christian apologetics. The imprint followed an earlier publishing relationship through Baker Publishing Group.

• Digital media

  RTB Media

  RTB's media output includes podcasts, online articles, audio programs, videos, and a YouTube channel. These materials translate the organization's research and apologetic arguments into accessible formats for church, educational, and general audiences interested in science and Christianity.

• Events

  Science apologetics events

  The organization hosts lectures, conferences, workshops, and public discussions in which its scholars and speakers address questions about science, theology, biblical reliability, human origins, and the existence of God. Events function both as educational programming and as public evangelistic outreach.

• 2022

  Appoint a new president and CEOOther

  Background

  Fazale Rana had served as RTB's vice-president of research and apologetics and was a senior figure in its scientific-apologetics work.

  Action taken

  Rana was named president and chief executive officer in July 2022.

  Aftermath

  The leadership transition placed a longstanding RTB researcher and apologist at the head of the organization.

  Source

• 2013

  Create an in-house publishing imprintStrategy

  Background

  RTB had previously published books through Baker Publishing Group and sought a dedicated channel for works by its own scholars.

  Action taken

  The organization established RTB Press to publish and distribute books aligned with its science-and-faith apologetics program.

  Aftermath

  RTB Press went on to publish more than 25 books according to the referenced organizational description.

  Source

• 2022

  Fazale Rana named president and CEO[1]Reasons to Believeen.wikipedia.org

  Leadership change

  Fazale Rana, previously RTB's vice-president of research and apologetics, became president and chief executive officer in July 2022.

• 2022

  Reasons to Believe receives Best Christian Workplace recognition[1]Reasons to Believeen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  RTB was recognized as a Best Christian Workplace in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022.

• 2013

  Reasons to Believe establishes RTB Press[1]Reasons to Believeen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The organization created RTB Press as an in-house publishing imprint for books by its scholars and ministry authors.

1. 1Reasons to Believeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Reasons to Believe official websitereasons.org