For many, the issue of science versus religion is a very serious and ongoing dispute, with some believing that one side will eventually win at the expense of the other. Many non-Christians base their belief that there is no God on the ‘God-of-holes’ theory, and as a result many Christians take an ‘anti-science’ stand in the belief that in the modern world you cannot believe in God and the Bible. But is this really the case?

The emergence of science as anti-religious in the minds of many would seem to be due more to philosophers than scientists themselves — indeed, recent surveys have shown that as many as 80% of science graduates from some Universities are Christians in the UK, compared with just 30% of arts graduates in others. The popular argument in the minds of many is that given science can explain things which were previously attributed to God, there is no longer a ‘need’ for a God. Previously He had been used to explain the gaps in our knowledge — now these gaps no longer exist, there is no need for a God. This is commonly known as the ‘God-of-holes’ argument.

The diagram above demonstrates this argument; the box represents the universe, and how man comprehends it. As science expands and we learn more, there are less gaps or ‘holes’ in our knowledge which are attributed to God. Thus, some claim that due to science’s prolific progress, there is no longer a need of, or space for, God.

However, the Christian concept of God is very different to that of those who believe in this argument. Christians believe that God is transcendent — thus the gaps in our knowledge are simply that, there is no need to have to attribute them to God. This is very clearly illustrated in the third diagram above.

Put simply, science is the systematic and empirical investigation of the universe around us. Biblical faith is accepting the Christian truth revealed in the Bible: God made the universe and man is responsible to Him. Jesus paid the price for man’s sin on the cross so that we can be saved if we repent.

The fact is that upon closer examination, the two sides are not nearly so mutually antagonistic as some would believe. I believe that Biblical Knowledge and Science are actually wholly compatible. Science is based on Biblical principles. Consider the leading scientific minds at the time when modern science began to take shape in the seventeenth century. Bacon (the founder of the philosophy of modern science), Kepler (the astronomer who discovered the elliptical orbits of planets), Pascal (mathematician and theologian), Boyle (the chemist who discovered the physical characteristics of gases) and Sir Isaac Newton (who founded the law of gravity) were all Christians. Professor Paul Davies wrote in the New Scientist (15 Oct 1988):

The supposition that the physical world possesses systematic characteristics which rational investigation could discover and incorporate in a coherent vision of the world probably has its origin more from theology than science … this belief was essential in Isaac Newton’s work and that of his contemporaries during the rise of modern science in the seventeenth century.

The three main principles of scientific study established in the seventeenth century were objective observation, reproduction of these observations and experimental verification of theories based upon these observations. These relate and are based on the character of God - that He is rational, true and transcendent.

• Because God is rational, we can see ‘order’ in creation — this is visible by objective observation.
• Because God is true (or faithful),we can see uniformity in creation — this allows the reproduction of scientific observations.
• Because God is transcendent, we can’t assume that scientific theories are true — thus experimental verification of scientific theories is necessary.

This can be illustrated as ‘building blocks’ as shown in the next diagram.

Can science survive without Christianity? There are strong reasons to believe that science and Christianity are reciprocal allies.

Professor Dennis Alexander

Of course, there remain some areas where science and the Bible would appear to conflict — the creation issue being one of the most hotly contested by Christians themselves. Science tells us that planet Earth is roughly 4,600 million year old (I think!). The Bible says that God made the earth in six days. Clearly, the two would seem to be in conflict, especially as God made man on the sixth day whereas science suggests that man has only been an inhabitant of earth for a very short amount of time. Here the question of interpretation is important. Some take the six days to be literal, and others take them not to be.

In my opinion, I believe science to be a gift from God. Putting it very simply, I believe that the Bible tells us about God — the Creator — and that science tells us about the universe — His creation. To all who take the six days to be literal I would ask them for their interpretation of Psalm 119 v 105:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path

Does this mean, then, that on a dark night I should get my Bible out and use it as a torch? Perhaps I could set fire to it. This is not ever to say that Genesis is untrue, thus blowing a huge hole in the side of Christian credibility but merely to appreciate that God’s Word shows huge diversity and different parts use different methods to convey the truth. As a Christian leader at York university once told me:

“To me it doesn’t matter how God created the world. I know He created it and the He can explain how to me when I see Him.”

Clearly it is a matter for the individual to discern which parts of the Bible to take literally and which not to. What is important is that we don’t let such differences of interpretation interfere with the fact that we are all part of the body of Christ. What is even more important is that we don’t ever lose sight of God’s love in Christ. That is not to say that we should dismiss or ignore science. If we believe in an omnipotent God who has spoken through many people and even caused animals to speak, is it not possible He could give us science to help us learn more about ourselves and the universe in which we live? Could He not use it to try and tell us something?

In conclusion, I believe science and the Bible not only to be compatible, but that biblical faith supports science. I leave you with a quote from Professor John B. S. Haldane :

If my mental functions are determined completely by the movement of atoms in my brain, I have no reason to suppose that my opinions are true and thus I have no reason to suppose that my brain is made of atoms.

Colin Ellis