Science and the Bible

Some people believe that science and belief in the Bible are fundamentally opposed, and, of course, for some people, they are. Plenty of mistakes have been made by Christians wedded to interpretations of scripture that, in many cases, were actually man-made ideas. Plenty of mistakes have been made in the other direction, for example, claiming that broad statements of scientists are scientific, even though they are philosophical or even political, not scientific.

There are scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments which teach that a proper interpretation of scripture, and of scientific evidence, are not in opposition, but compatible.

Here's Psalm 19:1-3, in the KJV (which is in the public domain): Psa 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psa 19:2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. Psa 19:3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.

And here's Romans 1:20a: For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.

The Bible tells us that people who look at what science teaches about the natural world with an unbiased heart can see evidence of God's design.

I believe that, if we had the correct interpretation of scripture, and the correct interpretation of scientific evidence, they would be completely compatible. Fallen creatures that we are, we have neither. Both of these are aspects of God's revelation of Himself to humans, as are our conscience, Jesus Christ, and other things.

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Originally posted December 19th, 2004. The material above the asterisks has not been altered. I am re-posting on January 28th, 2005, now that the Bloglines Search utility has started indexing my blog.