Apprentice Owl Apologetics

            With the advent (no Christmas pun intended) of the COVID vaccine, I have seen a huge uptick of Christians who are claiming some conspiracy theory of aborted fetus tissues being used in the production of the vaccine. I did some digging, and their claims are a little twisted. HEK293 and HeLa cells were used in the studies leading to the production of the vaccine. HEK293 cells were derived from the kidney tissue of an aborted fetus, and HeLa cells were derived from an African American cancer patient without her knowledge or consent. So yes, these cells were derived from aborted tissue and a human source in an unethical manner, but these cells have been immortalized, meaning that the cells can divide continuously. They cannot grow into a functioning human being, as the cells are already specialized into a certain type of cell. These cells being used does not mean that babies are constantly being killed when these cells are used. Does this histo...

            I have taken a little bit of time off, not really by choice, but due to a crazy semester back teaching in person and being a first round father while doing all of that. My wife and I have faced personal and professional challenges, and I believe that we have used them to grow as people, and to grow closer to God. This won’t be my usual fair of apologetics, but rather my thoughts and reflections on a year of a pandemic, a crazy election, a growing and learning daughter, and me getting close to the end of my 20’s. Lesson One: This has followed around our having to teach college classes over zoom. I need to really express my interest in Chemistry in my voice when all I really have to work with is my voice and a screen. My students rarely turned on their cameras, and my usual means of engagement had to change. This had me thinking back in the spring about being all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). I work for a university that pri...