Steve Schramm
[Originally published as the first part of TCQ Week 2: What is Science?]
The Purpose of Creation
Carl Sagan, the famous astronomer and host of the TV show “Cosmos,” once wrote about the “pale blue dot” that is earth:
Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives…. every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there–on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
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The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot….
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known. — Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994
His worldview was supremely naturalistic. And many who share his beliefs point to this eloquent quote in defense of their claim that there mustn’t be a God. We’re a heaping pile of insignificance within a vastness we call the universe.
Yes, Sagan’s quote is eloquent and has a ring of truth to it, but his words are in service to a dangerous idea: That there is no fundamental design. That for all the beauty to be found in the cosmos, most of it is waste. A byproduct. In meaning nothing and in service of nothing. Richard Dawkins once quipped that we should not thank Jesus for dying for us; we should thank the stars. We’re made of the same stuff they are. They gave us life in their death.
But this picture of reality is missing so much. In a world that directionless, what does it even mean to seek purpose and meaning? Who cares what kicked off the Big Bang? Who cares whether the universe will end in heat death?
Yes — in this naturalistic view — the inevitable answer to every big question of life can be phrased:
So what? That’s it?
Surely there must be more.
Yes, I believe we live on a pale blue dot. But I don’t take away from it the grim picture of reality painted by Sagan. I take away from it that we live on a privileged planet, finely tuned and designed for life in order that God could accomplish his purposes. Let’s take a closer look at that more optimistic view.
What is the purpose of creation?
To Display the Glories of God
Revelation 4:11 and Psalm 19:1 give us rare insight into the creative purposes of God:
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev. 4:11)
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork” (Psalm 19:1).
There is maybe no greater question than, “Why does anything exist at all?” The Bible’s answer is so laughably simplistic: Because God wanted it to.
We humans talk about the purpose of our lives, our calling, etc. And rightly so, in some cases. But at the end of the day, we are here because God wanted us to be. He didn’t have to make this world. He didn’t have to make you and me. God simply wanted to.
I’m reminded of another Bible verse. We wonder at the stars. They are so beautiful and so big and wondrous. There are countless numbers of them. The universe, in many ways, balances because of them and their contribution. And yet, Genesis 1:16 says,
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
Oh yeah, those giant flaming balls of gas that would swallow the earth in an instant if not for God’s impeccable design, yeah — he “made those also.”
Of course, there was also a theological significance behind this verse. The ancient cultures around Israel deified the sun, moon, and stars. God won’t even give them the dignity of a name. And to further prove that they were not worthy of worship, he made sure to create them on Day 4, so as to not cause confusion around who the Creator really is.
The fact that we live on this “pale blue dot” does not make us insignificant. Exactly the opposite is true! The fact that in the entire known universe, our planet is special says something not about science but about our Creator.
Then, there’s the Fermi Paradox to consider.
It reasons:
- High Probability of Extraterrestrial Life: Given the vast number of stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone, many of which have planets in the habitable zone (where conditions might support life), it is statistically likely that there are numerous planets with life, some of which could develop advanced civilizations.
- Lack of Evidence or Contact: Despite this high probability, there is no conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life. We have not observed any signs of intelligent extraterrestrial civilizations, such as radio signals or spacecraft, nor have we found any direct evidence of their existence on earth or elsewhere in the solar system.
There are attempts at reasoning through this. Perhaps the conditions on earth are just so rare that it’s no surprise we are alone in the universe. Perhaps no other civilization has passed an arbitrary “great filter” that leads to the development of more complex life.
Or — perhaps God only created one planet on which he intended life to live, and the rest are (1) in service to his creation (for example, forming the conditions which make life on earth possible) and/or (2) God simply wanted to show off and display his glory.
I know that when I look at the heavens, I’m in awe of what God has made. It doesn’t bother me at all that we seem to be alone and special in the universe. It’s one of the greatest pieces of evidence for Christianity, as far as I’m concerned, which leads to my next point:
To Make God Known to Us Personally
God not only wants to display his glory to us. He fundamentally wants to have a relationship with us. Note, he doesn’t need to, he wants to. Big (and important) difference.
There are two ways in which God communicates to us: Special Revelation and General Revelation.
- Special Revelation is Scripture. This is the carefully orchestrated direct communication of God to man through a human agent. That human agent can be in the form of a prophet or the written Word.
- General Revelation is nature. This is how God communicates using the world around us. We cannot learn specifics about God through nature, however, we can learn generally about the world God made and use reason to come to conclusions about God.
There are two mistakes many Christians make when it comes to General Revelation that we need to discuss.
Nature is not a Book
Some contend that God wrote two books, not just one. The book of Scripture and the book of nature. This is usually argued to make the case that what we learn from the study of the natural world can inform the correct interpretation of Scripture.
So, for example, the mainstream scientific view is that 13.8 billion years ago, there was a “Big Bang” that kicked off the development of — well, everything. The “nature is a book” proponents want us to use that as a data point, not materially different from Genesis 1:1 — “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.”
On this view, since both mainstream science (i.e., the study of the natural world) and Scripture speak to the beginning of everything, they should be used to interpret one another. Therefore, Genesis 1:1 is describing the Big Bang.
This sounds really good and promising…if not for at least three flies in the ointment.
The first is that nature simply isn’t a book!
Sure, both nature and the written Word need interpretation. But books contain propositional statements that can be interpreted. Nature, however, must first be studied and then placed into propositional statements, which must then be interpreted. So, at the very least, there is one additional layer of interpretation when it comes to the natural world versus Scripture.
The second comes down to the assumption of something called Concordism, which is the view that science and Scripture can be directly mapped onto one another. That requires a lot of unpacking, and will be discussed much further in Lesson 4.
The third problem deserves its own section:
General Revelation is not Science
My brothers and sisters who take the “two books” view often conflate science and general revelation. It’s important to note that these are not the same thing. Science is the study of the natural world. General revelation is the natural world!
Yes, we learn about the natural world through science. But so many use this view to justify believing what the mainstream (or consensus) of scientists believe. But if the history of science has taught us anything at all, it’s that the consensus is often wrong.
So, the vast majority of scientists — whether secular or religious — believe in the Big Bang. Does that mean we should see Genesis 1:1 as teaching the Big Bang? In my view, no. The Big Bang is an attempt at understanding all of cosmic history. It’s an interpretation. But there are other views available.
And when you take Genesis 1 at face value, you will see very many problems in lining it up with the history of cosmic life held by the Big Bang. It’s important we remember that the heavens declare the glory of God, not “the mainstream scientific consensus interpretation of the history of cosmic life”.
If we have that straight, we can be assured that God intends for us to use nature as a way of connecting more deeply with him. There is a reason why observing the stars, sitting by a beautiful lake, or taking a hike through the mountains makes you feel like you are closer to God in some way. You are.
This idea of connecting with God personally through nature is taught in Scripture. For example:
Proverbs 30:24–28: “There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.”
Job 12:7–10: “But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
This direct application of nature to the human experience is not only useful in the “mountainous Instagram photo with a Christian quote while drinking morning coffee” sense but also in a scientific sense. For example, we’ve used ant trails to help create traffic patterns in major cities around the world.
Other examples include:
- Velcro: Inspired by the way burrs stick to animal fur, George de Mestral invented Velcro.
- Bullet Train: The design of the Shinkansen Bullet Train in Japan was improved by mimicking the beak of a kingfisher, resulting in reduced noise and increased speed.
- Gecko Tape: Adhesives inspired by the way gecko feet adhere to surfaces.
Humans — even those opposed to God and his purposes — cannot help but to fulfill the Dominion Mandate. That’s because God has crafted nature in such a way that it reflects his glory and goodness and allows us to get to know him through it. He is the Great Engineer, the Great Scientist, and our Great Creator, all in one.
To be continued…
