Science and Bibilical Faith--Both Have Their Place

So, as you can tell, I find a lot of things in church newsletters that I get at work. I find things interesting and I think other people should know them. So, here is another one. This was published in the FBC Today newsletter of First Baptist Church of Grand Junction. It was written by Jerry Springston, the interim pastor there.

"Guard the Good News which has been entrusted to you. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith." (1 Timothy 6:20-21)

Upon coming to Grand Junction I subscribed to the [newspaper]. I try to read it from cover to cover every day. My favorite sections are the letters to the editor and the Saturday and Sunday opinions expressed in the You Said It articles. These provide windows into the thoughts of certain people (probably not the majority) in western Colorado. Their opinions most frequently address politics, public works and science and religion. Of course, it's the later topic that interests me most.

Two hundred years ago, scientists feared that trains speeding more that 50 miles an hour would self-destruct. Today they anticipate harvesting minerals from asteroids and communicating with life forms in other galaxies. Complete control of the aging process is expected by the year 2050. Despite prospects like these, age-old problems still exist--problems like human hatred, international strife and socio-economic inequities. Science itself poses dangers, such as nuclear holocaust and genetic engineering. Einstein regretted that his relativistic principles had influenced ethics and morality. "Science without religion is lame." he confessed. Beside Einstein, many of the greatest scientific thinkers--Galileo, Copernicus, Newton and Pascal--acknowledged the world of the Spirit.

So while science can show the wonder of God's intelligence and purpose, only faith can know and worship God as Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Beside, the world's greatest problem is not a lack of information, but alienation from God. It is not ignorance, but sin. Sin is a problem that science cannot address because sin is spiritual, residing in a person's heart and soul.

People cannot become greater or better than their heart. Only through the power and knowledge of God can they go beyond science to deal with the issues of personal character and human destiny. Character includes honesty, trustworthiness and compassion. But how can these be realized? The Bible teaches (as history confirms) that virtues and values do not come merely through study, education or the acquisition of knowledge. Some of the most intelligent and knowledgeable people of history have been exceedingly wicked. Our sinful, fallen nature requires that science and religion join together so that we both appreciate the wonder of God's creative power and know the joy of His salvation.