Inspired by Faith and Science: Does it matter?

Does it matter if Christians make faith and science out to be enemies, condemned to always be at odds with each other. Yes, I think it does.

1. It's foolish, and it makes faith look foolish--not a good witness to the wisdom of God. If we teach that the earth must be flat because the Bible says it has four corners (Isaiah 11:12, Rev 7:1) and everything can be seen from the top of a single mountain (Matt 4:8); or if we teach that the sun goes round the earth because the Bible says the earth doesn't move (various psalms, 93:1, 96:10, 104:5) and the sun does (Joshua 10:12, Ecc 1:5); then we're teaching man's interpretation in the place of God's word, which really isn't so much different from "teaching as doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt 15:7) as the hypocrites do.
2. It's dangerous. When we place a barrier between faith and science, we place a barrier between faith and people of science. We make it harder for a scientist to turn to the Bible when science convinces him there's a God. We make it harder for the college kid to go back to church once he's realized the evidence for evolution is so beautifully convincing, and just possible we cause "one of these little ones who believe God to stumble," to stop reading the Bible--at which point it's just possible God might have a few millstones waiting for out necks (Matt 18:6).
3. And it's sad. If we tell our scientifically minded kids they can't love God and study science, it's like telling the art student they can't love Rembrandt and study his technique. We deprive them of God-given joy.

I like Rembrandt and don't know a thing about his technique, but that's okay. And it's okay to love God and not know a thing about science. But it's not necessary.

Meanwhile, if the majority of scientists seem to scorn some peculiarly Christian interpretation of the evidence (say, concerning evolution), well, maybe that's just the same scorn we once had for the atheist Big-Bang-deniers--a question of religious conviction over-riding scientific investigation maybe, but not a question of faith.

1 comment:

  1. I agree totally with you Sheila. The problem is that most people are unaware that The Bible is very scientific and that the two are not contrary or at odds. I recently heard a sermon by Chuck Missler where he talked about the 10 dimensions that the scientific world has deemed the basis for all things. He also mentioned that the same conclusion was made by ancient Hebrew scholars while they studied the old testament. Go figure! =) You mean The Bible brought them to that conclusion and not modern scientists? Oh my!!! lol

    Blessings,
    Daniel L Carter
    Author of The Unwanted Trilogy

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