Is Science Bad for Christianity?

[Originally published as the second part of TCQ Week 1: Introduction: Should Christians Care About Science?]

Is Science a Distraction?

I’m a fan of attractions like the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. I’m a fan and member of Christian scientific organizations, I host and participate in podcasts about the topic, and I think books about science and the Bible are important.

But can these things be a distraction that keeps us from sharing Christ with others?

Of course they can! Anything can become a distraction. The question is not whether they can, but rather how normal people in the pew can use the information learned in classes like these to accomplish the Great Commission—our responsibility to share Christ with the world.

Yes, you can use everything we learn during this class in your evangelism efforts! That doesn’t mean you jump straight to discussing science—science doesn’t have an answer for everything. I don’t think it has an answer for most things!

But you may be surprised to find how useful even a cursory knowledge of science is, such that it could bolster your efforts when sharing Christ with others. Here are some ways that has played out in my own life and in the lives of others I’ve experienced.

Confidence in my own faith

As I mentioned—I am not a scientist. There is much I don’t know. However, the little I do know gives me a great deal of confidence when discussing these things with people who do know a lot of science.

I can tell facts from fiction by asking a few questions and drawing on the knowledge database I have because I care about learning about God’s world. Here’s an example.

It’s impossible to learn about dinosaurs without hearing about the age of creation. Every book and TV show that has anything at all to do with dinosaurs expressly mentions them living about 65 million years ago and beyond. I also know that dinosaurs are (definitionally) land animals, which means if the Bible is true, they were created on Day 6 of creation — with man.

What should I do with that information?

Well, if you know and understand just a few basic facts, it makes sense:

1. The word “dinosaur” was not invented until the late 1800s
2. The ancient world (and biblical writers) used dragon imagery quite a bit
3. The dating methods used to derive deep historical ages have problems
4. Fossilization usually happens very rapidly
5. We have many dinos buried in what appear to be floodwater sediments
6. Dino soft tissue (which cannot last for millions of years) has been discovered

Of course, there are many layers to the above, but those are the basics. And at the least, it shows there is more to the story. Perhaps the story is not settled on dinosaurs yet. And perhaps the reason why you HAVE to see/hear about “millions of years” if dinosaurs are mentioned has more to do with indoctrination than science.

Now — could the mainstream scientists be right about dinosaurs? Yes and no. If my understanding of the Bible is correct, no. If my understanding of the Bible is incorrect, yes. There are many good, believing brothers and sisters who think the earth is old. They understand Scripture differently on some points, and I think they’re wrong, but we’ll find out for sure one day.

Until then, I must do as the Apostle Paul suggested and be convinced in my own mind (Romans 14:5).

Objection-handling when sharing the gospel

Many people believe that science has completely upended the Bible. That is the entire context for our class. We’re going to see that it has not done so. But how might this truth be helpful to know in an encounter where you’re sharing the gospel?

It can be helpful both in the general and in the specific.

In general, it is helpful to know a bit of logic.

When someone says, “Science proves that God doesn’t exist,” how could you respond?

My own response would be to ask, “Wait a minute. How do you define science?”

Then let them respond. They may not even have a definition. If they do, it should result in something like, “The study of the natural world.”

To which you’d respond, “Okay, perfect. Then let me ask you another question: How does the study of the natural world disprove the existence of a supernatural God?”

They will not have an answer for this, because there is no answer. What you’ve exposed is a problem in their thinking. They have committed something called a “category error.” They’ve tried to use science (the study of a natural/physical thing) to disprove God (a supernatural/nonphysical thing).

If they are more sophisticated, they may try to show how science disproves specific claims of the natural world that the Bible makes. And there are many routes you could take on that. My personal opinion is to remove any obstacles to get them to Jesus and let him correct their bad thinking.

I might even say something like this: “Ok, suppose I were to accept that the Bible could contain errors. Some theologians do just that! This doesn’t logically entail that God doesn’t exist or that Jesus Christ is not the Savior. It still doesn’t solve your problem.”

(Again, not everyone would take this path, it’s just an example.)

In the specifics, it would be very helpful if you knew how to respond to specific scientific objections.

Someone might say, “Science has proven evolution. So we know creation didn’t happen like the Bible says.” If that objection were raised, I would probably respond like this:

“What do you mean by evolution?”

They might say, “Well, the fact that all life can be traced back to a single last common ancestor.” (I’m giving them a little credit for such a precise definition; theirs probably won’t be that clean.)

To which I might respond, “Interesting. We do know that organisms change over time. That kind of evolution is indeed incontrovertible. However, countless studies have been done demonstrating that Darwinian mechanisms cannot produce change beyond the classification level of Family (and in some rarer cases, Order). Have you ever engaged with some of those studies?”

Notice — I always end with a question. The point is not for me to convince them of anything. I’m not a scientist, remember? I may not even be able to argue the specifics of the studies I mentioned (though it’d be great if I could as a bonus). Chances are, they will respond to that last statement without having a clue what I’m talking about.

If this happens, I might say, “Yeah, a great book about that is Darwin Devolves by Michael Behe. It will answer many of your questions, and there has been a lot of interaction among scientists online about that book you might find fascinating. But let’s get back to the real issue…” And then you get the conversation about Christ back on track.

You just need to know enough to handle objections and get back to the main thing as quickly as possible. Patiently guide them in the discussion and let them come to their own conclusions, prompted by the questions you ask.

The context for difficult discussions

Learning more about science — God’s world — is important for another reason you might not have considered: There is no more pressing issue today than God’s design for the human family.

It is almost impossible to discuss homosexuality, transgenderism, or the traditional family structure without being labeled as a hateful, mean-spirited bigot. But I’ve found that using creation as a way to set the context for my beliefs is helpful.

If someone is calling you names and putting you down for your views, you might just ask this question:

“I understand why you feel so strongly about this. But let me ask you a question. Suppose there really is a Creator God. The God of the Bible. Suppose for a moment he is real and his Word is true, and there’s true danger in deciding to live in a way that is against what he has commanded. Don’t you think it makes sense for me to warn you about that danger?”

Now I have no clue how they will respond to that specific point. But the idea is, you want to point them back to creation. Show them that the problem is not because you’re “afraid” of them or you’re simply not progressive enough. Take them all the way back to the beginning, and show that God designed creation to work a specific way.

You could even cite modern studies (of which there are plenty) showing how the traditional family landscape is best for children. You could explain the current population decline (which is very dangerous) and show how the solution to that is the traditional family as God’s Word lays it out.

The point here is, blame God. You heard me right. After all, you don’t believe this stuff “just because”! You believe it first because God’s Word says it and only second because modern science actually bears it out. Take them back to the beginning to show them that God’s design is good and that you don’t hate them, you simply want them to live within the beauty of God’s good design so they can live a truly fulfilled life.

Displaying the beauty and provision of God

In the last few years, Americans had the incredible opportunity to see a total solar eclipse. The eclipse is a breathtaking feature of God’s creation. Indeed, I saw many Facebook posts of folks sharing their eclipse videos and pictures and showing how it displays beauty in God’s creation.

But if you know a little science, it gets even better. In my view, the only thing more beautiful than an eclipse is the science behind how it happens.

That we’re aware of, there is no other system in the entire universe like our sun/moon/earth system. That alone is significant.

Now, couple that with the fact that there is such precise design in this system that the sun is 400x larger than the moon, but it’s also 400x farther away from us than the moon.

• The diameter of the sun is about 1.39 million kilometers.
• The diameter of the moon is about 3,474 kilometers.
• The average distance from the earth to the sun is about 149.6 million kilometers.
• The average distance from the earth to the moon is about 384,400 kilometers.

The ratio of the sun’s diameter to the moon’s diameter is roughly 400:1, and the ratio of their distances from earth is also roughly 400:1.

In engineering, there is a concept known as “overdesign.” A toaster that toasts is necessary. A toaster with a digital countdown timer and a heads-up display showing the temperature of the bread is overdesigned. The Sun/Moon system is necessary for life on earth. Their ability to produce a beautiful total eclipse is purposeful overdesign—an unmistakable mark of the Creator.

This is Psalm 19:1 in action — God showing off.

Explaining how science is a Christian endeavor

Just as I am not a scientist, neither am I a historian. But knowing just a little bit of the history of science can be very useful when having spiritual conversations.

Here are just a few facts about science and its history that would be useful to know:

• Science doesn’t prove things right; it can only prove them wrong.
• Those who invented the scientific method were theists, mostly Christians.
• The practice of science began with theists who saw natural order in the world.
• Historians know that only the mixture of Greek Philosophy and the Hebrew concept of a transcendent (set apart) Creator could result in an ordered world.
• “Conflict thesis” — the notion that science and religion are necessarily in conflict — has been thoroughly debunked.
• Science doesn’t “say” things. Scientists do, and scientists all have worldviews, biases, and philosophical pre-commitments.

This set of facts alone is enough to show that science is not something we need to be scared of as Christians. And anyone who claims science proves the Bible wrong does not have a grasp of how science even came about.

So, a person says, “Science proves the Bible wrong, so I would never be a Christian. That’s silly fairytale stuff.”

You might respond with: “Well, that’s interesting, since some of the most instrumental scientists like Francis Bacon, Louis Pasteur, and Isaac Newton were all Christians. They all seemed to think science helped them learn more about God. What specifically makes you think science has somehow replaced God or proved the Bible wrong?”

And then let them go into specifics. And maybe they don’t have an answer, which is fine, and you get the conversation back on track.

The goal is to put a stone in their shoe. Make them think a little bit. Annoy them in a good way.