“I believe in God. I believe our “universe” began with a the Big Bang 13.7 billion yeas ago, but I will give them .1 billion. 13.8 does not offend me...
I do not see that there is a conflict, if one says God is the Creator and He created the Big Bang.”
I agree with you. I might add, that ours may not be the first Big Bang, nor the last. The Universe may contract and re-explode in cycles.
If one takes the Catholic Church in the year 2014 as the measure, there is no issue between science and theology(faith), unless it is instigated by defensive scientists. Outside the Catholic Church, there is still an isolated remnant of protestant obstinacy as with the "young earth" creationist delusion.
It is useful btw for all the Catholic bashers to note, that the reformation Lutherans were even more geocentric in their readings of scripture than was the Vatican.
Where's the conflict?! Oh, there's conflict if we believe in a [little] God.
Looking up, seeing the universe of galaxies, filaments/galactic walls and voids, the large scale structure of the universe...I believe in a Great Big God.
As an edification pastor once explained in class, "The river cannot be higher than its source," when comparing the universe to God. The Creator must be larger than, exist prior to, exist outside of and beyond, the universe.