Creationism versus Evolution, Big Bang versus God’s creative act, Ex-Nihilo—the fight for explaining the origins of the universe goes on.
As a Christian, committed to Christ Jesus, Lord and Savior of humanity, I am concerned about Christian negative attitude toward science, reflecting a stubbornness that leans toward a kind of willful ignorance and naiveté regarding scientific knowledge and research.
I’ve been watching the newly made Cosmos series, with its new host Neil de Grasse Tyson. He’s the new Carl Sagan of our time.
It’s sometimes direct and sometimes subtle, but, like Sagan, it would appear that his scientific worldview gives no place for a Creator God, as revealed in the Bible. However, does that mean that we Christians should reject everything he presents to us in the Cosmos series regarding time and space, and the make up of the stars and galaxies, the forces of gravity and quantum theory, the speed of light, and more? I don’t think so.
If God IS, and we truly believe that God is, and that God created all that is, we have nothing to fear. Ergo: Scientific knowledge is simply a way of pulling back the curtain on the stage of life, revealing the mechanisms which God put in place that allows life to be what it is. God’s assertive I AM will not be threatened by science.
Science has its limits. It can only explain so much and do so much. However, in terms of physical and material needs, faith has its limits as well—unless we expect God to miraculously provide us with a well-balanced meal every day, like manna from heaven—we need to use our God given brains to work, produce, and care for our daily needs.
When religion fights science, religion becomes ignorant, naïve, foolish, and inept. Worse, it also becomes authoritarian and abusive of its social, political, and ecclesial power. History has proven as much. Remember what the church did to Galileo—and many others.
However, when faith embraces science, it becomes not only more informed but that much wiser for it, more appreciative regarding the nature and power of God, and thus more respectful and awestricken, less conceited and self-righteous. Faith is deepened.
Thus, Christianity could benefit from having more Christians willing to study and embrace scientific research in all branches, without fear of losing one’s faith or becoming an apostate. Faith in God that is unable to endure the discoveries of science is weak and pitiful and deserves to be lost or discarded.
Indeed, if every single person of faith that ever entered into a lifelong career of scientific study ended up an apostate that should be a wake up call; it would mean something quite significant. But that is simply NOT the case. There are many physicists, astronomers, chemists, theoretical mathematicians, physical and cultural anthropologists, and other scientists who are devout and committed believers in Christ and followers of Christ; their lifelong study of science resulting in the deepening and expanding of their faith, rather than diminishing it. That is a mighty testament itself.
My fellow brothers and sisters, in Christ, let us not fear science or demonize the scientific community. Yes, there are those atheistic scientists who would wipe religion off the face of the earth, if they could; believing religion itself is a threat to humanity’s further evolutionary progress. But they have no such power. As believers, we know where the greater power lies.
We Christians simply need to learn, study, and grow in the knowledge of the universe ourselves, like any other intelligent and mindful human being. After all, in the end, if something is TRUE, it will be true for all people, at all times, and in all places. And the nature and reality of TRUTH is what we’re talking about.
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