Faith & Science

"Theology is not only about understanding the world; it is about mending the world."

                                                                                          ~Miroslav Volf


I have friends who insist if only the people of the world would believe as they believe, hold to their own theology, all things would be perfect - a near paradise on earth.
Since all truth belongs to God, all anyone really needs is to learn of God and He will reveal it to them, people need to learn the Bible, they implore; live in service to others, turn the other cheek and eventually, the grace demonstrated will reach right into the heart of the sinner.

While hopeful, that isn't all there is to the world; and may I so gently remind everyone that even in the Christian realm we have sincere believers who greatly disagree on matters of faith, society and how to reach those who are hurting and in need of help.

I have other friends who insist only through education, logic and science can the world be healed of its problems.
Everyone needs more education, to have access to knowledge, they tell me; then and only then, can the wonders of the world and universe be unlocked.

While thoughtful, education and science lack in one area - moral authority.
And may I be so bold as to remind my dear friends that even in the realm of science, there are educated men and women who sincerely disagree over certain 'facts' concerning global warming, the origin of the universe and what, if anything, can be deemed as 'moral' or 'right.'

Now, I must ask with a sincere heart → Why must we continue to place a gap between Faith and Science?

Sincerely, I must admit there is much to learn from each discipline.
Faith and Science, in my mind, are only opposed to one another as a thumb and finger are opposed on the same hand.
Without the thumb, the finger could not access adequate 'snackage'; likewise, without faith, science lacks moral authority and may turn tragic (as has happened in the past, think Nazis); without science, faith can become ridiculous, self-centered and self-serving.

As the thumb and finger exist, so does faith and science so that they become the means by which all Truth may be grasped.

For centuries, the greatest scientists were all theologians; where would we be without the thoughtful insights of Sir Isaac Newton?

Yet, Newton's chief concern was not earthly sciences, but the Queen of Science - Theology.

And Newton was not alone.

Today, there are scientists, historians, medical doctors, archaeologists, paleontologists and countless others working in the sciences who serve God; it is not a rare as one might be led to believe.

When I first learned of the earth sciences and biology as a young lad in public school, I had a teacher who refused to attack evolutionary thought (though he was a Christian, I later learned) and he also refused to attack the ideal of Creationism; equally, he would not let any student ridicule another for what they said they believed.

Once, I remember a student who was adamant and vocal that God, not science, was the answer to everything in the world, including our current learning.
He responded with a wise statement, 'Did you ever think that science might just exist to explore what God has already accomplished?'

Interesting...there's still truth in his statement from long ago.

What does continue to amaze me is that many Scientists can observe the same things I see, yet we view them with different lenses on our eyes with strikingly different conclusions.
In their results, I see a Creative God who cares for His Universe and Creatures; others whole-heartedly reject the idea of a God, especially a Creator, while accepting the astronomical odds for the Universe to exist by random chance.

Though few may admit it, the problem for millions upon millions of people is that they only know God insofar as He has revealed Himself; believing He has not revealed Himself to them.
But He has.

Therefore, the real problem is not the revelation of God, it exists in abundance; the problem is the fact that mankind would like to stand above the subject-matter (God) and study it according to human standards and methods, rather than bowing before Him in humility.

A. Tsiaras

I recently read about a gifted intellect embodied in a man named Alexander Tsiaras; who, among other feats, taught himself mathematics, physics and developed the first lenses used to photograph the first images of human eggs in an in vitro fertilization program.
In the words of Darth Vader, 'Impressive. Most impressive.'

But I digress.

Mr. Tsiaras observed the fact that the human body is largely made up of collagen; a rope-like protein of the hair, skin, nails, bones, cartilage and blood vessels.
In his studies, Tsiaras found that collagen changes structure in only one place in the human body's development; the eye.
In the eye, collagen spontaneously forms a transparent grid pattern.

In the questioning of how the human body 'knows' to do this genetic phenomenon, one must wonder how Divinity could not be involved in designing where each nerve cell should go.
Tsiaras himself declared it '...beyond human comprehension.'

Indeed.

 I read of Tsiaras' work and the observations of others concerning the human body, for I am not a scientist, and stand amazed at God's handiwork. 
Without a hint of self-righteousness toward anyone, I cannot help but think of the arrogance and pridefulness involved for modern Atheists to 'want more evidence' to prove the existence of God; as if God must prove Himself to them when He has already revealed more to them about Himself and His nature than the average man through their education and learning, although some have chosen not to acknowledge Him as the source.

Yet, I will be the first to admit that the evidence for a Creator is not over-powering; for, if it was, everybody would believe in an Intelligent Creator.
But God has testified of Himself through nature and science, giving all mankind no excuse to ignore Him; in short, those who want to know Him have ample evidence of God to begin their search.
And if the search is embarked upon, the Searcher will not leave empty-handed.

In defense of those who cling to Science, I can understand their plight; especially if the individual has had no faithful, religious or theological background.
To many, all religions are basically the same; although those within the religious faiths would not agree. 

As a Chaplain, one of my responsibilities is to know about the religious faiths of my Airmen so that they will not be neglected the Constitutional Right of the Freedom of Religious Expression.

At times, this has put me in unique situations; but I have never been asked to violate my own religious beliefs or my faith, nor do I know any Chaplain in the American military who has been put in such a position.

Yet, to be a good Chaplain to all the troops, one must at least know the basic tenants and beliefs of their faiths; this is especially true if their faith stands in contrast to your own.
Having said that, any person who does compare the religions of the world will soon find that most aren't compatible with one another; the vast majority don't even come close.

For example, in the 1990's on college campuses, there were many engaging in the New Age Movement; which was nothing more than an Old Age faith from the East.
In essence, the god worshiped looked a lot like the worshiper and offered little hope.
Truly, a god who is like me governing the universe is not only a sad thought, it also promises everyone that disaster looms.

Looking to those on the fringe of religious thought, the Wiccan, Mysticism, Scientology or even the Unity Church - all of it is symptomatic of a deep spiritual thirst for a God who is real; not one in my image. 
Most people choose to believe in whatever they think corresponds to how they see reality and how they want to live their lives.
Where many would see rebellion, the Christian should see a thirst for God and a seeker who does not know how to express their need.

How any person can say all faiths are the same is beyond me, but i can say that there is one thing most of the religions have in common → They are all works based, except for Christianity.

In most religions, to get to Heaven, or Nirvana, or Karma or whatever the adherent wants to call the afterlife, they have to do good deeds in order to qualify.
Their destiny in the afterlife is determined by what they can do in this life.

Not so with Biblical Christianity.

In Biblical Christianity, any good works we do is because of the faith which is in our heart and it has no bearing whatsoever on whether or not the person gets into Heaven.
That decision has already been made and it will not be reversed.

There is not one thing a person can do to make God love them more or less; God simply loves us the way that we are, but loves us so much that He refuses to leave us the way He found us. He wants to make us just like Jesus.

All religions revere Jesus in some way; even many scientists will give the man from Nazareth a nod of their head.
But this commonality is what ultimately divides Biblical Christianity from the rest of the belief systems of the world.

While Jesus is taught by others to be a Prophet, a Moral Teacher, a Divinely sent man, an Enlightened One and other positive titles; only Christianity holds that Jesus is the Eternal Son of God, co-equal with the Father who is on a Divine Mission to redeem a broken, fallen humanity in a hostile world.

Like sunlight through a magnifying glass, everything in Biblical Christianity is focused on Jesus Christ because He is God's focal point.
He is the 'Good News' of the ages.

My Christian faith rests not on my ability to keep Jesus' example in my life.
My faith rests upon the Resurrection.

And when I am being hit with doubt on all sides; when I begin to over-think the obvious; one thing remains, the Resurrection.
While I know there are doubters, there is a truth that no person on earth can deny; the disciples ran into a tomb outside of Jerusalem looking for the corpse of Jesus of Nazareth.

His body has never been found.



Until next time, win one for the good guys.