Science and Faith (Part of the "I Don't Know What I Believe" Series)

(adapted from message preached at Liberty Hill UMC in Canton, GA)

C.S. Lewis, Christian apologist of the 20th century and author of the Chronicles of Narnia, was an atheist turn Christian. He said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” I must start out this message with my own prejudice. I agree with C.S. Lewis. I believe Christian faith gives us the lens through which we can see the world more clearly. I believe as Paul said to the church in Colossae, “In him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17). I affirm with the prophet Isaiah, “The whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3). I am convinced that Paul is correct when he says, “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made” (Romans 1:20).

I am convinced that there is no knowing without believing. Believing is our way of knowing the world. It is why Jesus told his disciples to follow him before they fully understood who he was. If we will come to believe in Jesus then we will discover that in him is hidden all the “treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). By indwelling the Christian story we come to see the world as it is supposed to be realized.

I know there are some who disagree with me. Some who say this makes knowledge too subjective. I fear a worldview that puts the search for truth through universal doubt. It leads down a dead-end road. The scientific view of doubting until something can be proven by empirical data can only lead to universal skepticism. It is a world where people like Friedrich Nietzsche say, “If you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” It drives one toward hopelessness.

Richard Dawkins in his book “The God Delusion” asserts that real scientist cannot be Christians. His reasoning is because being a scientist carries within its worldview a disbelief in God. The world must be viewed strictly in a natural sense without any interference from the supernatural. Dawkins and the New Atheist have a rather mechanical view of the universe.

However, not all scientist hold to strictly natural views of the world. Sir James Jean, English physicists and astronomer declared after careful observation, “The universe begins to look more like a great thought than like a great machine.” With new discoveries in the scientific world, more and more are convinced that there seems to be a consciousness behind the creation of the material world. Many scientists are denying the fact that nonliving material could create a living reality. As we continue to peer deeper into space, we can declare with the Psalmist, “The heavens are telling the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).

Science is not an enemy of faith. One can be a scientist and hold the view that there is a purpose behind all creation. The church needs to call up more scientists who are convinced that there is a God behind creation and that there is a reason for why we exist. Scientists are not the adversary. They are working out of a particular worldview. Scientists look at the order of things. Scientists whose worldview include a Creator look at the order of things and how it tells the glory of God. No matter how advanced science becomes it will not be able to answer the questions of why we are here and what is the point of living?

There is nothing in contemporary science that says God does not exist or if God does exist God cannot reveal God-self to us. Quantum Physics points to a relational aspect to the created order of things. It is a relationship that could only come through a conscious creation and not a random act. Before something is created it is formed in the mind. When you look at a piece of art work you ask, “Who created it?” When you look at a wonderful piece of furniture you don’t believe that it created itself. So, when looking at the inter-relatedness of creation and the order of creation how can we not say there was intelligence behind this work of art?

A lot of people who get hung up on a scientific worldview limit themselves to only what they can see. They are convinced that the natural order of things is all there is. Their view is restricted to the material world. Not all of reality involves space and material. If you want to know who I am you got to understand more than just my physical appearance. If you truly want to know a person then you need to know what they love, who they love, what their dreams are, and what their fears are. It is only when we begin to uncover a person’s consciousness that we can truly get to know a person. So, if we limit our knowing only to the physical world then we limit our ability to fully understand.

We live in a world obsessed with the natural/material world. We are all like Jacob and fallen asleep on the hard ground of reality in fear and loneliness. It was only until he let his dreams and imaginations take him to a place he had never been that he was able to say, “Surely the Lord is in this place – and I did not know it!” (Genesis 28:16). If we will allow ourselves to be open to the possibility that we live in a world created by God and this creator God has a plan and purpose for our lives, we will discover a world we never knew existed. Our definition of reality will expand beyond what can be seen with only our eyes.

There was a time when the king of Syria was at war with Israel, but every time he laid out his battle plans, Elisha, the Israelite prophet, would tell them to the king of Israel. The king of Syria was convinced that there was a spy among his rank. Everyone denied it. The king of Syria asked his aides to go get Elisha, the prophet. He was told that Elisha was in Dothan. “So he sent horses and chariots there and a great army; they came by night, and surrounded the city” (2 Kings 6:14).

A servant of Elisha rose early in the morning and when he went out he was greeted by this large army of chariots. He shut the door in fear and asked Elisha, “What shall we do?” The prophet replied, “Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them” (6:16). Then he prayed and asked God to open the eyes of his servant, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see” (6:17). When the servant looked again he saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. Elisha was surrounded by the army of the Lord.

If you are having trouble seeing the reality that God exist today, pray for eyes to see. If you know someone who is struggling with the existence of God, pray that they have the eyes to see. I believe God will reveal God self to us if we are open to believe.