.jpg)
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and
certain of what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).
The modern era is often
characterized as the age of science.
The evidence, ubiquitous: ever-progressing medical science and the astounding technology of our smartphones with global communication networks and almost limitless apps. Even the engaging of war – and the reporting of catastrophic military events – demonstrating science-enhanced precision and stealth which, mere years ago, would have been the stuff of fantasy science fiction.
And so, in an age of
rational logic, sensory perception and rigorous empirical testing those who are
highly educated and sophisticated have asserted that there is no place in the
21st century for faith.
Or, is the science OR faith
assertion a false dichotomy?
In recent years, scientists
have been losing faith in the reporting of scientific research, due to
fudged conclusions in published results of experimental science.
Kirk Durston, ?Ph.D. Biophysics, wrote in his blog, “In 2012, the science journal Nature, published an article revealing that out of 53 landmark papers in cancer research, only 11% could be reproduced.” 1
Nature is a prestigious international journal first published in 1869, publishing highly regarded
peer-reviewed science and technology.
Then in March
2017, an article in Nature found that after “numerous studies … failure to replicate published findings is the norm.” 1
Dr. Durston draws specific attention to the phrase “is the norm”.
The problem is not with experimental science; it is with
human nature under the influence of pressure to publish, the desire for
academic advancement, and competition for funding.
The 2 areas of research most
affected appear to also be the areas most heavily funded: cancer research and
climate change.
“If you wish to see where human frailty experiences the greatest pressure, follow the funding,” Durston concludes. 1
Notwithstanding the erosion of faith in science, is “religious faith” compatible with science?
Dr. William Lane Craig, a recognized expert in the field of the philosophy of science, declares: “science can provide evidence for a philosophical premise leading to a conclusion that has theological significance.” 2
In other words,
empirically-derived scientific facts are theologically neutral.
However, the profound
applicability of mathematics to the physical phenomenon in the universe, the
fine-tuning of numerous physical constants to fall within a precise life-permitting
range, and the continuous probing of cosmological data all provide significant
interpretative scope to point to the Designer-Creator.
Dr. Craig believes “contemporary science is more open to the reality of a transcendent Designer and Creator of the universe than it has been for centuries.” 2
I have to wonder if the acoustic illusion once posited by Friedrich Nietzsche has affected those that confidently – if naively – proclaim that science has eradicated the need for God?
Nietzsche’s fallacy is that if I don’t hear anything, I conclude there must be nothing to be heard.
British philosopher and theologian Os Guiness cautions, “The advanced modern world has a lopsided view of reality and of how truth may be found. It majors on what can be known through rational logic and sensory perception, so that scientific observation and experimentation form the main body of modern knowledge. The effect is to minimize intuition even though intuition plays an undeniable part in all creativity and discovery, whether artistic or scientific.” 3
Takeaway: may we be among those who marvel at the natural creation of our imaginative God. May our discovery ignite growing faith at Who He is and what He’s done.
Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my
heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. Great are the works of
the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them. Glorious and majestic
are his deeds, and his righteousness endures for ever (Psalm 111:1-3).
1 kirkdurston.com blog-post: Faith and Science: Part I - Experimental science and implications for faith in science and God …by Kirk Durston
2 reasonablefaith.org
podcast: The Seven Most Googled Questions About God …by William Lane Craig
3 Os Guiness, Signals of
Transcendence, IVP Press, Downers Grove, Ill, 2023
…graphic: Ann 2000 - File:?????????.JPG, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=138936770 (wikipedia.org)
