Rector’s Reflections
Thursday 25th July 2024
Does there need to be a conflict between Science and Christianity?
In yesterday’s reflections, I wrote about how people have the different views on the question of God relationship to the physical world. For some people, God always remains outside the physical world. People might talk about God acting “in” the world, but such language can be dismissed as superstitious nonsense. For others, although it is true that generally speaking God is not involved in the physical world, there may be some times and occasions where the worlds of Science and Faith need to work together. This approach can be called the “God of the Gaps” approach – Theology is used to understand and explore the “gaps” in a purely Scientific explanation of the world. I should add that there is no agreement as to where these “gaps” exist, and how to fill them – some would argue that the “gaps” in existing Scientific knowledge need to be filled with fresh Scientific insights. Indeed, there is no logical reason why the “gaps” in existing Scientific knowledge need to be filled by insights brought from the world of religious belief: they can be filled by further Scientific research, or simply left unfilled. And then there are those who embrace “Natural Theology”: this approach takes the view that God is indeed actively at work in the physical world, and so Scientists and Theologians are basically undertaking the same sort of work, but speaking different languages. This is an interesting but controversial approach.
There is a further reason why people can have different views on the question of God’s relationship to the physical world. It’s all to do with the approach people take to the Bible.
Can the Bible be used as a Scientific text? If it is accepted that the Bible communicates the truth about God and about human beings, is this truth “scientific” in nature? Or does the Bible teach us “non-scientific” truths, such as how we are to live our lives, how we are to pray, and how we are to relate to our fellow human beings? And if the Bible does indeed include “scientific truths”, are these truths valid for all time, or do they simply communicate Scientific truth as it was understood at the time when the texts in question were produced? Scientific understanding is expressed differently in different cultures and languages, and the understanding of many issues develops and changes over the centuries. To use an obvious example, our current understanding of Medical Science is almost completely different from the understandings of Medical Science which prevailed back in New Testament times. If we believe that the New Testament teaches us the truth about Medical Science, do we believe that this truth is valid for all times, and if so, on what grounds is it reasonable to ignore the insights and researches of modern medicine?
People have different views on these questions. Many people would hold the opinion that God did not intend the Bible to teach us about Scientific truth, as Science is generally understood today. The truths taught by the Bible are theological, spiritual, ethical and historical in nature; they are not Scientific truths. You don’t go to a telephone directory for a recipe about how to make bread. Similarly, you don’t go to Bible for Scientific information about the physical world. The Bible isn’t that sort of book. It’s a great book, and arguably the world’s greatest book. But it’s not a Scientific textbook.
However, some people believe that the opening chapters of the book of Genesis can and should be read as a Scientific textbook. They believe that the account or accounts of Creation found in these early chapters of the book of Genesis are Scientifically true. This is a minority belief, but for those who hold this belief, there will clearly be a conflict between what they believe their Christian faith is telling them, and the generally accepted results of Scientific research over the last couple of centuries. It all depends on how you read the opening chapters of Genesis. If you read these chapters as conveying spiritual and theological truth, through the medium of narrative, symbol and language, there will be no conflict between your Christian belief and your views as a Scientist. However, if you choose to read these chapters as a timeless statement of Scientific truth, then conflict will arise. But note that the conflict does not arise because of “what the Bible says”, or because of “what Christians believe”. The conflict arises because of the way in which you have chosen to interpret the Biblical text.
People approach the Bible in different ways, and hence there will be different views as to whether the Bible teaches us that there is a conflict between Science and Christianity. Many Christians see no conflict between the Bible and Science; I am one of them. However, it is important to recognise that for some Christians, there is indeed a tension, and perhaps a conflict, between what the Bible teaches and the world of modern science.
So we have seen that Christians and Scientists hold a variety of opinions about the relationship between Science and Christianity. We have looked at some of the reasons behind this variety of opinion. What might one say by way of conclusion? We shall look at this in tomorrow’s reflections.
Rector’s Reflections
Thursday 25th July 2024
Does there need to be a conflict between Science and Christianity?
In yesterday’s reflections, I wrote about how people have the different views on the question of God relationship to the physical world. For some people, God always remains outside the physical world. People might talk about God acting “in” the world, but such language can be dismissed as superstitious nonsense. For others, although it is true that generally speaking God is not involved in the physical world, there may be some times and occasions where the worlds of Science and Faith need to work together. This approach can be called the “God of the Gaps” approach – Theology is used to understand and explore the “gaps” in a purely Scientific explanation of the world. I should add that there is no agreement as to where these “gaps” exist, and how to fill them – some would argue that the “gaps” in existing Scientific knowledge need to be filled with fresh Scientific insights. Indeed, there is no logical reason why the “gaps” in existing Scientific knowledge need to be filled by insights brought from the world of religious belief: they can be filled by further Scientific research, or simply left unfilled. And then there are those who embrace “Natural Theology”: this approach takes the view that God is indeed actively at work in the physical world, and so Scientists and Theologians are basically undertaking the same sort of work, but speaking different languages. This is an interesting but controversial approach.
There is a further reason why people can have different views on the question of God’s relationship to the physical world. It’s all to do with the approach people take to the Bible.
Can the Bible be used as a Scientific text? If it is accepted that the Bible communicates the truth about God and about human beings, is this truth “scientific” in nature? Or does the Bible teach us “non-scientific” truths, such as how we are to live our lives, how we are to pray, and how we are to relate to our fellow human beings? And if the Bible does indeed include “scientific truths”, are these truths valid for all time, or do they simply communicate Scientific truth as it was understood at the time when the texts in question were produced? Scientific understanding is expressed differently in different cultures and languages, and the understanding of many issues develops and changes over the centuries. To use an obvious example, our current understanding of Medical Science is almost completely different from the understandings of Medical Science which prevailed back in New Testament times. If we believe that the New Testament teaches us the truth about Medical Science, do we believe that this truth is valid for all times, and if so, on what grounds is it reasonable to ignore the insights and researches of modern medicine?
People have different views on these questions. Many people would hold the opinion that God did not intend the Bible to teach us about Scientific truth, as Science is generally understood today. The truths taught by the Bible are theological, spiritual, ethical and historical in nature; they are not Scientific truths. You don’t go to a telephone directory for a recipe about how to make bread. Similarly, you don’t go to Bible for Scientific information about the physical world. The Bible isn’t that sort of book. It’s a great book, and arguably the world’s greatest book. But it’s not a Scientific textbook.
However, some people believe that the opening chapters of the book of Genesis can and should be read as a Scientific textbook. They believe that the account or accounts of Creation found in these early chapters of the book of Genesis are Scientifically true. This is a minority belief, but for those who hold this belief, there will clearly be a conflict between what they believe their Christian faith is telling them, and the generally accepted results of Scientific research over the last couple of centuries. It all depends on how you read the opening chapters of Genesis. If you read these chapters as conveying spiritual and theological truth, through the medium of narrative, symbol and language, there will be no conflict between your Christian belief and your views as a Scientist. However, if you choose to read these chapters as a timeless statement of Scientific truth, then conflict will arise. But note that the conflict does not arise because of “what the Bible says”, or because of “what Christians believe”. The conflict arises because of the way in which you have chosen to interpret the Biblical text.
People approach the Bible in different ways, and hence there will be different views as to whether the Bible teaches us that there is a conflict between Science and Christianity. Many Christians see no conflict between the Bible and Science; I am one of them. However, it is important to recognise that for some Christians, there is indeed a tension, and perhaps a conflict, between what the Bible teaches and the world of modern science.
So we have seen that Christians and Scientists hold a variety of opinions about the relationship between Science and Christianity. We have looked at some of the reasons behind this variety of opinion. What might one say by way of conclusion? We shall look at this in tomorrow’s reflections.
Rector’s Reflections
Thursday 25th July 2024
Does there need to be a conflict between Science and Christianity?
In yesterday’s reflections, I wrote about how people have the different views on the question of God relationship to the physical world. For some people, God always remains outside the physical world. People might talk about God acting “in” the world, but such language can be dismissed as superstitious nonsense. For others, although it is true that generally speaking God is not involved in the physical world, there may be some times and occasions where the worlds of Science and Faith need to work together. This approach can be called the “God of the Gaps” approach – Theology is used to understand and explore the “gaps” in a purely Scientific explanation of the world. I should add that there is no agreement as to where these “gaps” exist, and how to fill them – some would argue that the “gaps” in existing Scientific knowledge need to be filled with fresh Scientific insights. Indeed, there is no logical reason why the “gaps” in existing Scientific knowledge need to be filled by insights brought from the world of religious belief: they can be filled by further Scientific research, or simply left unfilled. And then there are those who embrace “Natural Theology”: this approach takes the view that God is indeed actively at work in the physical world, and so Scientists and Theologians are basically undertaking the same sort of work, but speaking different languages. This is an interesting but controversial approach.
There is a further reason why people can have different views on the question of God’s relationship to the physical world. It’s all to do with the approach people take to the Bible.
Can the Bible be used as a Scientific text? If it is accepted that the Bible communicates the truth about God and about human beings, is this truth “scientific” in nature? Or does the Bible teach us “non-scientific” truths, such as how we are to live our lives, how we are to pray, and how we are to relate to our fellow human beings? And if the Bible does indeed include “scientific truths”, are these truths valid for all time, or do they simply communicate Scientific truth as it was understood at the time when the texts in question were produced? Scientific understanding is expressed differently in different cultures and languages, and the understanding of many issues develops and changes over the centuries. To use an obvious example, our current understanding of Medical Science is almost completely different from the understandings of Medical Science which prevailed back in New Testament times. If we believe that the New Testament teaches us the truth about Medical Science, do we believe that this truth is valid for all times, and if so, on what grounds is it reasonable to ignore the insights and researches of modern medicine?
People have different views on these questions. Many people would hold the opinion that God did not intend the Bible to teach us about Scientific truth, as Science is generally understood today. The truths taught by the Bible are theological, spiritual, ethical and historical in nature; they are not Scientific truths. You don’t go to a telephone directory for a recipe about how to make bread. Similarly, you don’t go to Bible for Scientific information about the physical world. The Bible isn’t that sort of book. It’s a great book, and arguably the world’s greatest book. But it’s not a Scientific textbook.
However, some people believe that the opening chapters of the book of Genesis can and should be read as a Scientific textbook. They believe that the account or accounts of Creation found in these early chapters of the book of Genesis are Scientifically true. This is a minority belief, but for those who hold this belief, there will clearly be a conflict between what they believe their Christian faith is telling them, and the generally accepted results of Scientific research over the last couple of centuries. It all depends on how you read the opening chapters of Genesis. If you read these chapters as conveying spiritual and theological truth, through the medium of narrative, symbol and language, there will be no conflict between your Christian belief and your views as a Scientist. However, if you choose to read these chapters as a timeless statement of Scientific truth, then conflict will arise. But note that the conflict does not arise because of “what the Bible says”, or because of “what Christians believe”. The conflict arises because of the way in which you have chosen to interpret the Biblical text.
People approach the Bible in different ways, and hence there will be different views as to whether the Bible teaches us that there is a conflict between Science and Christianity. Many Christians see no conflict between the Bible and Science; I am one of them. However, it is important to recognise that for some Christians, there is indeed a tension, and perhaps a conflict, between what the Bible teaches and the world of modern science.
So we have seen that Christians and Scientists hold a variety of opinions about the relationship between Science and Christianity. We have looked at some of the reasons behind this variety of opinion. What might one say by way of conclusion? We shall look at this in tomorrow’s reflections.