Science And Theology (Protestant/Evangelical Caucus & Devotional)

We have been considering the doctrine of the sovereign providence of God, His active control and direction of all that happens in creation. Generally speaking, this control is invisible to us. That is, we do not see the Lord directly su-perintending the universe; rather, we see the effects of His control, the visible results of what He has planned and purposed as we look on the events of history, the movement of planets and stars, and other phenomena. In turn, that raises the issue of how we explain visible phenomena in the natural sciences as well as how various scientif-ic theories are related to the reality of divine providence. So that we will better understand providence and its relation to science, we will now spend some time considering this issue with the help of Dr. R.C. Sproul’s teaching series Creation or Chaos.

For at least the past one hundred years, the natural sciences have held a privileged place in Western society. It is not hard to understand why; after all, advancements in medicine, physics, chemistry, and oth-er areas have all improved our overall quality of life in many ways. Air conditioning makes us more comfortable during hot and humid weather. We can cross oceans in a matter of hours because of air trav-el. Antibiotics fight infections. Examples could be multiplied, but the point is that science has helped most Westerners enjoy a standard of living far higher than that enjoyed by kings just a few centuries ago.

The discipline of theology—which is actually a science of its own—has not enjoyed a similar level of acclaim in recent years. In fact, many people in our society believe that science and theology, faith and reason are opposed to one another. Yet these same people do not often real-ize that this is a rather new development in history. Modern science was birthed in Christian Europe, and many of the greatest scientific discoveries in history were made by Christians.

Given the parameters of the Christian worldview, however, this should not be surprising. As Dr. R.C. Sproul has often noted, the first scientific labors were carried out by Adam in the garden of Eden when he named the animals (Gen. 2:19). This was a work of taxonomy where-by the first man identified and distinguished living creatures. Fur-thermore, God’s promise to preserve the regularity of the natural order provides a basis for science (8:22). Because the Lord pledges that the rhythm of nature will continue, we have a basis for making test-able predictions and hypotheses in repeatable experiments.

A universe governed by chance gives us no foundation for science. Without God’s promise to preserve the natural order, we have no reason to be certain that we can make predictions about the past or future. And if we cannot do that, we cannot trust that the results of our experiments can be repeated, making it impossible to test the experiments of others, which is vital to scientific advancement. God’s revelation alone gives us a basis for science.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Proverbs 25:23 he north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Matthew 16:1–3 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them,1 “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Because the Lord pledges that the rhythm of nature will continue, we have a basis for making test-able predictions and hypotheses in repeatable experiments.

This thought really struck me and hit home. I never thought of it before. It is a very powerful proof that God is the foundation of science. Once upon a time, way long ago, my training was in science and I worked as a scientist. Even though I was not walking with the Lord at the time, I still saw His hand everywhere in science. I do so even more once I started walking with him. But I never thought to see His hand as the foundation on which science stands. Sproul is right on when he says that science can't predict anything if nothing is repeatable. "I am the Lord God, I do not change!"

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