God and Science: Why Reconcile Friends?

I’m not exactly sure why I’m taking up this subject today, so if it happens to hit you where you’re living, please let me know – sometimes a little confirmation that I “heard well” goes a long way.

I get the distinct impression that there are lots of folks out there on the street who think that reasonable science and any notion of God are incompatible – perhaps even at war with each other. And I’m hearing the phrase “follow the science” used by both sides of several different ideological debates that are swirling around out there – as if we could all be right even though our fundamental truth claims directly compete with each other. Welcome to 2022, when things don’t have to make sense!

Now I’m certainly no career apologist, and I don’t even pretend to be an expert on these matters, but I would like to share with you today a few of my thoughts. As always, I’m open to you showing me where I got a few things wrong. Bring it on, in fact, as long as you buy the coffee.

First of all, science doesn’t disprove God. It never has. In fact it can’t. There is nothing in established science which contradicts the existence of God. I’ll quote the National Academy of Sciences: “Science doesn’t have the processes to prove or disprove the existence of God.” Don’t ever concede that science is the only method available to learn things about the world. If you love your mother, for example, there’s no way to prove that scientifically. Science has its own severe limitations. And I’ll add here that, the more politicized science becomes (which seems to be happening at warp speed), the more of its limitations can be seen even by the casual observer.

Let’s tell the truth from history. Sir Isaac Newton was an influential scientist, and he claimed no contradiction between God and science. I think the same would be true for Johannes Kepler and lots of others. By contrast, Richard Dawkins contends that nature reveals the illusion of design, but that the universe is actually unguided and aimless. But I would contend that there are some big holes – even scientifically speaking – in that theory. My point is that even intelligent scientists can make claims that are beyond the reach of science. We have to understand that when Carl Sagan says “the Cosmos is all that is, or was, or ever will be,” he’s actually speculating more in the world of philosophy or theology than in the world of science.

I think it’s also worth noting that, when it comes to the origin of the universe, theories without an “ultimate cause” generally fail at plausibility on multiple levels. Said simply: if “nothing” ever existed, what would there be now? In my opinion, some of the atheistic theories out there require more intellectual leaps than a belief in the gracious God of the Bible.

As a pastor, here’s my personal observation: oftentimes people perceive that they have intellectual struggles with believing in a personal God (theism) when in fact a deeper conversation reveals that their key struggles are those of pride … or morality … or pain and suffering. I’m not claiming that there are no legitimate intellectual struggles, but I am saying that the issues are usually far more complex than an isolated intellectual roadblock. Romans 1 offers a sobering but essential diagnosis.

And we can’t forget that some scientists are simply offended by any notion of a sovereign God, just like some bankers and some teachers and some ice cream vendors are offended by any notion of a sovereign God. Humans are proud and generally don’t warm up to the idea of being ruled over by anyone. Maybe we think we have a problem with science when we actually have a problem with God. Craig Lounsbrough frames it like this: “If there is any evidence that points to the existence of God, it is found in man’s incessant desire to be ‘god’ and his repeated failure to be anything but men who wish to be what they are not.” Ouch.

The truth is that there is quite a bit of compelling evidence for God. Notice that I did not say “proof” in the scientific sense. But I did say evidence. I believe that the psalmist was correct (19:1): The heavens declare the glory of God. Just look around. Look into a telescope. Look into a microscope. Look at DNA. Just look.

Sometimes this “war” between science and God is exacerbated because people who profess to be Christians make preposterous claims about what the Bible says. Expressed another way, we make matters worse when we argue as if undeniably true points or soundbites that are unsupported by Scripture – but this is all too common. Sometimes people insist that the Bible in some passage is making a scientific claim – when in fact that is not the point of the passage at all. You and I must try really hard to “rightly divide” the Word – to get the Bible right. Here’s how I think through the matter … God’s Word, when properly understood, validates God’s world. And God’s world, when properly understood, validates God’s Word. In our observations and conclusions, we may get one or both wrong – but that’s no fault of either. Our job is to seek to understand both as best we can. In the Bible, faith is contrasted with sight, but not with science.

I believe, with all my heart, that God and science are friends.

What say you?

Pastor Charles