Science: Friend or Foe

Psalms 19:1-4 (NIV)
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

            I have always liked science. When I was a boy I was given a science kit. I enjoyed doing the experiments and discovering new things. I had a microscope with slides of a variety of things from a human hair to the wing of a fly.

            When I was in high school I went on a mission trip to Haiti. As a part of that trip we visited a mission hospital. God got a hold of my heart through that experience. I felt His undeniable call into ministry. Because of my experience in Haiti I assume that God was calling me into medical missions. So I set my sights on that goal. I chose to be a biology major in college, with the goal of becoming a medical laboratory technologist and returning to Haiti. I spent the next six years immersed in the world of science.

            Some people see science as a threat to faith. I see it the opposite way. When we study science with the foundation of faith, our faith is strengthened and enhanced. The more we dig deeply into this amazing world in which we live, the more we see the fingerprints of God. The precision, the diversity, the delicate balance all point to an intentional creator and not some random act of chance.

            Dr. Richard Swenson has written a book titled, More Than Meets the Eye. It is filled with amazing stories of our amazing world. He talks about just how vast our universe is; a universe that continues to expand. He also takes us deep into the microscopic world that most of us never see. A every turn he exposes the fingerprints of God.

            The Psalmist didn’t have the sophisticated equipment that we have today, but he was able to understand the message written in the heavens. As he gazed into the night sky he could hear the voice of God calling out to him. Even more, he realized that the language of creation knows no boundaries. A person did not have to live in a certain place or speak a certain language to understand the profound message; God is actively present in our world.

            In Psalm 8, David stands in awe of God’s interest in him and in his ability to connect with the God of the universe. He expresses the truth that God is reaching out to us through all that He has created.

Psalms 8:1-9 (NIV) 

            O LORD , our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

            When I was in college my professors stressed the reality that all truth is God’s truth. If something is true, no matter who discovered it or where it came from, it is from God. We can manipulate truth and twist truth for our own ends, but that does not negate the reality that is something is true it comes from God.

            When Jesus said I am the way and the truth and the life He wasn’t just referring to “spiritual” truth. He was referring to all truth. The world we live in was created by Him and for Him. As we honestly explore this world we will discover more and more about the God we worship. Science should not be seen as an enemy to our faith. Instead we should enlist it as one of our greatest allies. For God has made himself known through creation. We have no excuse for not seeing Him.

Romans 1:20 (NIV)
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.