Skip to main content

A God of Science

As a Christian with a scientific background, it always saddens me when people find ways to create or imagine conflict between faith in God and science.

If it's true that God created the universe, then he invented science itself. The very idea of a universe that follows a consistent set of laws was his. And a good thing, too. Imagine a universe where random and unpredictable events were commonplace. Where you could pour water into a glass and, when you drink it, it might become bleach. Or where your bedroom might unexpectedly turn upside down while you were asleep in bed. Not a universe any of us would like to live in!

Some Christians see a conflict with science at the very start of the Bible, in Genesis chapter 1. The seven days of creation, interpreted literally, contradict the assertion that the universe evolved slowly over billions of years - something that science claims as fact supported by evidence. 

So is science mistaken? Is the Bible in error? Or is a literal reading simply the wrong reading in this case?

When we view the Bible - a collection of ancient, Middle Eastern writings - through our modern and literalistic European lens, there's an obvious risk of misunderstanding. So, when it comes to debatable interpretations, it's surely sensible to keep an open mind and be persuadable. As Oliver Cromwell wrote to the Scottish covenanters, to 'consider it possible that you might be wrong'.

As long ago as the third century CE, Augustine of Hippo reached the same conclusion:

'In matters that are so obscure and far beyond our vision, we find in Holy Scripture passages which can be interpreted in very different ways without prejudice to the faith we have received. In such cases, we should not rush in headlong and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if further progress in the search for truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it.' ('The Literal Meaning of Genesis').

If facts appear that call into question our interpretation of the Bible, we should examine our interpretation at least as critically as we do the facts. 

The Bible itself teaches that genuine faith has no need to deny facts. Abraham, 'without weakening in his faith, faced the fact that his body was as good as dead... and that Sarah’s womb was also dead' (Romans 4: 19). Jesus said, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' (John 8: 31-32).

If we need to deny the facts to hang on to our interpretation, we've lost sight of the truth. We are shouting to become imprisoned in a big hole of our own digging.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Robbing The Poor To Feed The Rich?

Now that cuts in spending seem to be on the agenda of all the main political parties, the big questions still to be answered are: how much? And where will the axe fall? According to a recent poll by Ipsos MORI, published by the BBC ( http://bit.ly/d168R ), the most popular candidate with most people is overseas aid. That’s not really surprising. It’s understandable that during severe financial crisis most people want our government to look after our own affairs first. Charity, as the saying goes, begins at home. But is it really right for the poorest nations of the world to be penalised for a crisis that was brought on by the rich? The developing world already spends $1.3 on debt repayment for every $1 it receives in grants (Source: World Centric, http://bit.ly/b5C7f ). Every day at least $100 million flows from the poor of the world into the pockets of the rich. Existing problems like drought and famine will not go away just because there is a worldwide recession, and the poor are mo...
2 comments
Read more

A God Who Needs To Be Praised?

In one of the online forums I visit occasionally, someone recently asked the question, "How can I believe in a God who needs to be praised?" The short answer is, of course, "You can't". What's unbelievable is not so much that the creator of the universe might be suffering deep personal insecurity and be in constant need of affirmation. That would be odd, but not a complete logical impossibility! What's unbelievable is the ridiculous notion that his insecurity might somehow be compensated by a bunch of humans constantly telling him how wonderful he is. If there is a God at all, he surely does not *need* our praise. But if what he wants from us is relationship, that would really explain where praise fits in. First of all, praise is a vital part of any healthy relationship. It's so easy to tear down and criticise each other. We also need to take time to affirm and build each other up. If God has taken toward us the relationship of father, and our relati...
1 comment
Read more

The Ordinariness of Faith

I hit some traffic last Saturday. I don’t mean literally hit, but I do mean traffic. I was driving back from Barnes to Twickenham when suddenly the traffic ahead ground almost to a standstill. Seeing how long and slow moving the queue was, I took a leap of faith. I took a blind left turn and switched on the satnav. Without really knowing where I was going, I followed the satnav to Roehampton, where I hit another major jam. Fortunately on the satnav screen I noticed a side road heading towards Richmond Park. So I swung off-piste again and drove through the park, missing the traffic and enjoying an uninterrupted drive home. The leap of faith paid off.  How is it, I wonder, that some people can write off faith as some sort of mindless and mystical belief, and despise it as unreasonable? They reduce it to something ethereal and strange, and talk about ‘people of faith’ as though there is some other group of people who are not ‘of faith’. And yet we all exercise faith in very ordinary...
1 comment
Read more