Science

Our world is knowable with astounding specificity. We record the birth of stars, track the paths of electrons, and decode genomes of living entities. When we ask questions of the natural world, we receive consistent answers about how the world operates. Yet, our world also presents to us mystery and fascination. We marvel at the improbability of life and the non-deterministic nature of quantum mechanics. We see in science echoes of both order and mystery. For this reason, science serves as a unique path in our pursuit of who God is and how we are to live faithfully before him.
Our Approach to Science
Introduction
For many, science and theology might best be described as having “irreconcilable differences.” Discourse around the two topics often results in confusion, division, and even hurt. This reality has not always been the case, nor must it continue to be. Theology and science are both searching for truth and a better understanding of how humanity relates to the created world of which it is a part.
The MI Approach to Science
Why Christians Should Care About Science
Our modern world has been uniquely characterized by the preeminence of science and scientific approaches to the pursuit of truth. This is understandable, since the discipline of science has answered questions that would grind the gears of any other discipline to a stop. Science has undoubtedly impacted our lives; scientific products help us live longer, produce more, and undertake new endeavours. Scientific discovery also opens us up to beauties of the natural world that were previously unknown to us. From the ocean’s depths to distant galaxies we continue to find beauty and awe afresh in both the familiar and unexplored. Growing in our understanding of science allows us to better appreciate its work, and see how it complements the Christian life.
Why Scientists Should Care About Christianity
The Christian story expands the impact and significance of science and its endeavours by providing a setting within which science has deep and prevailing meaning. As an act of love, God both allows for the world to demonstrate his creativity and mystery and yet continually somehow upholds this order that sustains it. This broader story gives science the freedom to do what it does best: carefully investigate the way the world is, theorize how it came to be that way, and project the changes it will undergo. The Christian story provides a wider body of knowledge within which science and other complementary disciplines can be properly understood. While each academic discipline has its own set of limitations, they can together—when viewed in light of a biblical framework—provide a far more comprehensive response to a much broader range of questions.
The Compatibility Between the Bible and Science
Conversations between scientific and faith communities have not always been productive. Historic conflicts such as Galilean and Copernican defense of heliocentrism against the largely geocentric stance of the Catholic Church, and the Scopes Trial over the inclusion of evolutionary theory in education, are well known. Science and theology, however, share common ground in that they love truth and desire to seek it out.
Since our world is coherent, whatever is true is consistently true—whether that be the effects of gravity or God’s love for the world—and remains true across all of life, even if not always apparently relevant. Historical problems, then, have not been the result of conflicting facts, but of conflicting perspectives (e.g. Galileo’s reading of the sky and the Catholic Church’s reading of the Bible). Science and theology both serve Christianity when they seek to answer questions appropriate to their discipline. When reading the articles that follow, consider which discipline is being asked to address the issues articulated.
Science as a Response to God’s Call to Humankind
Genesis tells us that part of our human vocation is to “subdue” the earth and exercise “dominion” over that which lives in it (Genesis 1:26,28). Science, through its investigation of the natural world, is vital to our fulfillment of this call, because it provides informed knowledge about the world in which we live. When we take into account the complex nature of human impact on the earth, scientific contributions become especially important. For instance, knowing how to best manage a river that is shared by millions of creatures demands a level of insight into the cumulative impact of individual actions that scientific methods uniquely provide. Science reveals to us how creation works, and adds richness and depth to the work of God’s hands we have been commissioned to cultivate.
How Scientists Can Serve the Church
As a scientist, exploring a world created, ordered, and sustained by God allows you to make a unique contribution to the church. Within the church, you can help Christians fall further in love with creation by explaining how the natural world works, re-enchanting us with beauty, and revealing how we fit within its processes. Your methodological approach to our love and pursuit of truth can encourage the church to strive for more precise answers, not settling for “rough and ready” responses. As an ambassador for the church in specialized and technical fields, you can provide an exemplar of someone whose discipline highly values logical progression and someone who at the same time recognizes the space for mystery and the role of faith. You are also well placed to voice the limitations of science, modeling a respect for other disciplines as more appropriately equipped to answer certain questions. In response to the articles that follow, consider how the church could be served by what is being presented.
Featured Resources
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science
The Long, Strange Trip to Pluto, and How NASA Nearly Missed It
Kenneth ChangArticle New York Times -
science
A Young Earth Creationist's Perspective
Aaron DalyArticle BioLogos -
science
LECTURE SERIES: Christianity and Science
Marketplace InstituteFeature Marketplace Institute -
science
ARTICLE SERIES: Christianity & Science
Paul ArnoldFeature Marketplace Institute
Other Science Resources
Does Brain Equal Behavior?
Article Feature: Kathy Sawyer
Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
What My Daughter Wants You to Know About Prenatal Testing
Article: Amy Julia Becker
Source: Christianity Today
Medical practice: Reflections on the art of compassion
Article: Cameron Pierce
Source: Marketplace Institute
Part 6: The Metaphors We Use to Speak about God and Creation
Article: Paul Arnold
Source: Marketplace Institute
Part 5: The Opening of Natural Science: Including God in Creation
Article: Paul Arnold
Source: Marketplace Institute
Part 4: The Entrenchment of Natural Science: Ignoring God in Creation
Article: Paul Arnold
Source: Marketplace Institute
Part 3: The Closing of Natural Science: Removing God from Creation
Article: Paul Arnold
Source: Marketplace Institute
Did Scientists Really Discover the 'Gene That Makes Us Human'?
Article: Dave Unander
Source: Christianity Today
Battle Ready? It May Be Possible to “Vaccinate” Soldiers Against the Trauma of War
Article: Unknown
Source: The Economist
Science and Faith in the Life of Michael Faraday
Article: Colin Russell
Source: The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion
It Ain’t Necessarily So: How Much Do Evolutionary Stories Reveal About the Mind?
Article: Anthony Gottlieb
Source: The New Yorker
"God Particle" Found? "Historic Milestone" From Higgs Boson Hunters
Article: Ker Than
Source: National Geographic
Book Review of "Darwin’s Pious Idea: Why the Ultra-Darwinists and Creationists Both Get It Wrong"
Book: Ross Hastings
Source: Marketplace Institute
Show All
Does Brain Equal Behavior?
Article Feature: Kathy Sawyer
Source: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
What My Daughter Wants You to Know About Prenatal Testing
Article: Amy Julia Becker
Source: Christianity Today
Medical practice: Reflections on the art of compassion
Article: Cameron Pierce
Source: Marketplace Institute
Part 6: The Metaphors We Use to Speak about God and Creation
Article: Paul Arnold
Source: Marketplace Institute
Part 5: The Opening of Natural Science: Including God in Creation
Article: Paul Arnold
Source: Marketplace Institute
Part 4: The Entrenchment of Natural Science: Ignoring God in Creation
Article: Paul Arnold
Source: Marketplace Institute
Part 3: The Closing of Natural Science: Removing God from Creation
Article: Paul Arnold
Source: Marketplace Institute
Did Scientists Really Discover the 'Gene That Makes Us Human'?
Article: Dave Unander
Source: Christianity Today
Battle Ready? It May Be Possible to “Vaccinate” Soldiers Against the Trauma of War
Article: Unknown
Source: The Economist
Science and Faith in the Life of Michael Faraday
Article: Colin Russell
Source: The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion
It Ain’t Necessarily So: How Much Do Evolutionary Stories Reveal About the Mind?
Article: Anthony Gottlieb
Source: The New Yorker
"God Particle" Found? "Historic Milestone" From Higgs Boson Hunters
Article: Ker Than
Source: National Geographic
Book Review of "Darwin’s Pious Idea: Why the Ultra-Darwinists and Creationists Both Get It Wrong"
Book: Ross Hastings
Source: Marketplace Institute