Intelligent Design and Biblical Scripture

Guest Writer, Anna Lemind

REALITY is not as obvious and simple as we like to think. Some of the things that we accept as true at face value are notoriously wrong. Scientists and philosophers have made every effort to change our common perceptions of it. The 10 examples below will show you what I mean.

1. Great Glaciation: Great glaciation is the theory of the final state that our universe is heading toward. The universe has a limited supply of energy. According to this theory, when that energy finally runs out, the universe will devolve into a frozen state. Heat energy produced by the motion of the particles, heat loss, a natural law of the universe, means that eventually this particle motion will slow down and, presumably, one day everything will stop.

2. Solipsism. Solipsism is a philosophical theory, which asserts that nothing exists but the individual’s consciousness. At first it seems silly – and who generally got it into his head completely deny the existence of the world around us? Except when you put your mind to it, it really is impossible to verify anything but your own consciousness. Don’t you believe me? Think a moment and think of all the possible dreams that you have experienced in your life. Is it not possible that everything around you is nothing but an incredibly intricate dream? But we have people and things around us that we cannot doubt, because we can hear, see, smell, taste and feel them, right? Yes, and no. People who take LSD, for example, say that they can touch the most convincing hallucinations, but we do not claim that their visions are “reality”. Your dreams simulate sensations as well, after all, what you perceive is what different sections of your brain tell you to. As a result, which parts of existence can we not doubt? None. Not the chicken we ate for dinner or the keyboard beneath our fingers. Each of us can only be sure in his own thoughts.

3. Idealist Philosophy George Berkeley, the father of Idealism, argued that everything exists as an idea in someone’s mind. Berkley discovered that some of his comrades considered his theory stupid. The story goes that one of his detractors kicked a stone with his eyes closed and said, “There I’ve disproved it!” The idea being that if the stone really only exists in his imagination, he could not have kicked it with his eyes closed. Refutation of Berkeley is hard to understand, especially in these days. He argued that there is an omnipotent and omnipresent God, who sees all and all at once. Realistic, or not?

4. Plato and Logos. reality illusion Everybody has heard of Plato. He is the world’s most famous philosopher. Like all philosophers he had a few things to say about reality. He argued that beyond our perceived reality there lies a world of “perfect” forms. Everything that we see is just a shade, an imitation of how things truly are. He argued that by studying philosophy we have a chance of catching a glimpse of how things truly are, of discovering the perfect forms of everything we perceive. In addition to this stunning statement, Plato, being a monist, said that everything is made of a single substance. Which means (according to him) that diamonds, gold and dog feces all consist of the same basic material, but in a different form, which, with science’s discovery of atoms and molecules, has been proven true to an extent.

5. Presentism. Time is something that we perceive as a matter of course, if we view it at the moment, we usually divide it into past, present and future. Presentism argues that the past and the future are imagined concepts, while only the present is real. In other words, today’s breakfast and every word of this article will cease to exist after you have read it, until you open it again. The future is just as imaginary, because time cannot exist before and after it happened, as claimed by St. Augustine.

6. Eternalism. Enternalism is the exact opposite of presentism. This is a philosophical theory that says that time is multi-layered. It can be compared to a pound cake (however, unlike the time, a biscuit is not up for philosophical debate). All time exists simultaneously, but the measurement is determined by the observer. What he sees depends on which point he is looking at. Thus dinosaurs, World War II and Justin Bieber all exist simultaneously but can only be observed from a specific location. If one takes this view of reality then the future is hopeless and the deterministic free will is illusory.

7. The Brain in a Jar The “brain in a jar” thought experiment is a question discussed by thinkers and scientists, who, like most people, believe that human’s understanding of reality depends solely on his subjective feelings. So, what is the debate? Imagine that you are just a brain in a jar that is run by aliens or mad scientists. How would you know? And can you truly deny the possibility that this is your reality? This is a modern interpretation of the Cartesian evil demon problem. This thought experiment leads to the same conclusion: we cannot confirm the actual existence of anything except our consciousness. If this seems to sound reminiscent of the movie “The Matrix“, it is only because this idea was part of the very basis of the story. Unfortunately, in reality we have no red pills…

8. The Multiverse Theory multiverse reality Anyone who has not spent the last ten years on a desert island, has at least once heard of “the multiverse”, or parallel universes. As many of us have seen, parallel words, in theory, are worlds very similar to ours, with little (or in some cases, large) changes or differences. The multiverse theory speculates that there could exist an infinite number of these alternate realities. What’s the point? In a parallel reality you have already killed the dinosaurs, and you are lying under the ground at a depth of eight feet (because that’s what happened there.) In the other you might be a powerful dictator. In another you might never have even been born since your parents never met. Now that’s a memorable image.

9. Fictional realism. This is the most fascinating branch of multiverse theory. Superman is real. Yes, some of you would probably choose a different story, for argument’s sake, Harry Potter might be real too. This branch of the theory argues that given an infinite number of universes, everything must exist somewhere. So, all of our favorite fiction and fantasy may be descriptive of an alternate universe, one where all the right pieces came in to place to make it happen.

10. Phenomenalism. Everyone is interested in what happens to things when we aren’t looking at them. Scientists have carefully studied this problem and some of them came to a simple conclusion – they disappear. Well, not quite like this. Phenomenalist philosophers believe that objects only exist as a phenomenon of consciousness. So, your laptop is only here while you are aware of, and believe in its existence, but when you turn away from it, it ceases to exist until you or someone else interacts with it. There is no existence without perception.

This is the root of phenomenalism. via listverse.com Read more at: http://www.learning-mind.com/10-mind-blowing-theories-that-will-change-your-perception-of-the-world/

Written by Dr. Caroline Leaf

Relating with members of the opposite sex can be frustrating and difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Successful relationships begin in the mind (which seeks understanding) and, through the choices we make, will end in the Spirit (which knows truth). In my book, “Who switched off your brain? The mystery of he said/she said”, I show the three C’s of relationships:

We are designed to complete each other and not compete with each other. We are compatible. We are complimentary.

Men and women have been created to complement one another through their own unique strengths; we are exponentially better together. This goes for husband/wife, father/daughter, mother/son, personal and professional relationships.

It does not take PhD to know men and women are not the same – we don’t think the same, talk the same or act the same. These differences aren’t a result of our environments and our upbringing, they’re built in by design, God’s design. As it say in Genesis 1:27, “He made male and female in His image.”

The video clip below from a series I did at Victory world church in Atlanta, highlights some of these points that I discuss in depth in my book “Who switched off your brain? The mystery of he said/she said”. More than a marriage series, it is filled with key insights that will help you better understand the often mysterious behavior of the opposite sex, and practical tips that will quickly improve your relationships! That book is also available as a digital download.

You are you and your express your uniqueness through your maleness and your femaleness, and you will be interacting with the opposite sex daily whether you like it or not! So in order to not get toxic in our minds, we need to understand each other and target that struggle! In doing so we increase our intelligence, health and longevity!

Why is this important? Here is a sobering thought: research shows that couples that have especially sarcastic and argumentative discussions heal 40% slower than those who don’t. And we all want to be healthy! So let’s start the holiday season with great relationships and thanksgiving in our hearts!

VIDEO
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October 20, 2014
By Guest Writer, Dr. Jeff Zweerink

“Two great tastes that taste great together!” So goes the tagline for Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. The first ingredient—chocolate—provides the sweet, rich taste. The second—peanut butter—adds a dense, salty kick. Together, they do indeed taste great.

And just like you need chocolate and peanut butter to make a Reese’s, so you need liquid water and plate tectonics to make a habitable planet.

Virtually everyone agrees that a habitable planet hosts an abundance of liquid water—the chemical reactions necessary for life require it. Research also shows that plate tectonic activity plays an important role in sustaining a planet’s liquid water. Studies of Earth’s history demonstrate that a diverse set of circumstances and mechanisms maintain the vital tectonic activity. And scientists continue to gain an even better understanding of the intricate processes that helped Earth sustain a healthy level of tectonic activity over billions of years.

As plates move across Earth’s surface, new plate material forms along some boundaries and at other boundaries one plate will dive under another in a process called subduction. Today, subduction happens as the young plate material moves away from hot ridges and cools. Eventually it cools to the point where it no longer floats on top of the less dense mantle and begins to sink.

Early Earth’s interior and mantle were too warm for this process to occur regularly. However, recent research shows that a different mechanism operated to maintain a healthy level of tectonic activity. Continental material forming and accumulating in the middle regions of the plates caused the plates to spread horizontally and push on the adjacent plates. Eventually one of the plates would push under another, thus starting the process of subduction. As time progressed, Earth continued to cool until the point where the cold plate edges would spontaneously sink into the underlying mantle.1

Plate tectonics has operated on Earth for at least the last three billion years—yet the planet has experienced enormous changes throughout this time. The Sun’s luminosity was previously 20–30 percent lower. The planet began with virtually no atmospheric oxygen and now oxygen makes up roughly 20 percent of the atmosphere. Once there were no continents; now they cover almost 30 percent of the planet surface. Life’s history began with relatively simple, single-celled life and now includes a great diversity of birds, mammals, fish, bacteria, and many other kinds of life.

These changes demonstrate a remarkable match to the description given in Genesis 1. The fact that plate tectonics operated throughout these changes and Earth’s surface remained covered in liquid water point to an intelligence that ensured the planet’s habitability while orchestrating all the necessary changes for humanity to survive and thrive.

Subjects: Plate Tectonics
Guest Writer, Dr. Jeff Zweerink

While many Christians and non-Christians see faith and science as in perpetual conflict, I find they integrate well. They operate by the same principles and are committed to discovering foundational truths. Read more about Dr. Jeff Zweerink.

References:

Patrice F. Rey, Nicolas Coltice, and Nicolas Flament, “Spreading Continents Kick-started Plate Tectonics,” Nature 513 (September 18, 2014): 405–8.

When the world seem to be in chaos the Word of God remains the foundation. God has a plan for each soul and each collective parties as for Christians.

Proverbs 19:20-21
Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Psalm 17:3
Thou hast tested mine heart; Thou hast visited me in the night; Thou hast tried me and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

Psalm 64:5
They encourage each other in an evil purpose; they commune in laying snares privily; they say, “Who shall see them?”

Psalm 140:4
Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man, who has purposed to overthrow my goings.

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God’s plan is non negotiable and never withdrawn. Once working in the vein of God’s plan for you brings joy regardless of the circumstances. The plan is not tentative but is absolute. Your desired self shall materialize and this is best for all mankind.

Each bible scripture gives joy for a time when in the Spirit of Jesus, the Son of God. Continuing in the knowledge of the Word of God brings more times of enjoyment. The world condemns the truth of the scriptures and shall suppress your joy, but continually building wealth of knowledge of the Word of God shall overcome the world’s condemnation.

Compromising any scripture shall lead to the lost of all of it; for God is perfect. Seek His Perfect Will. Jesus is available at any time to guide you and counsel you unto the truth.

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Seek God’s counsel in the name of Jesus and all things shall be added unto you. The Lord Jesus shall lift you as an eagle and soar high above all, and shall reveal to you answers to mystery after mystery until all is revealed.

*** Will Myers

October 16, 2014
Guest Writer, Dr. Fazale Rana

Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation’s final law
Tho’ Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shriek’d against his creed

— Alfred, Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H.

If God exists—and if He is all-powerful, -knowing, and -good—why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?

Perhaps nothing epitomizes the problem of pain and suffering more than the cruelty observed in nature. When asked about the elegant designs that characterize biological systems, Charles Darwin retorted, “What a book a devil’s chaplain might write on the clumsy, wasteful, blundering, low and horridly cruel work of nature!”

This enigma keeps many skeptics and seekers from the Christian faith and even troubles some believers. Yet, researchers from the US have recently uncovered an important function for long-lasting pain in animals, signifying that the suffering these creatures experience can have a purpose.1

In animals (and humans), injury can lead to long-lasting discomfort, whereby repeated exposure to pain-producing stimuli causes an increasingly amplified response well after the injury has healed. (This phenomenon is called nociceptive sensitization.) Biomedical researchers have long regarded nociceptive sensitization as maladaptive because, in humans, anxiety is associated with it. For a skeptic, the amplified response to pain in animals seems senseless, exacerbating the problem of pain and suffering. But is it so senseless after all?

A collaborative team of researchers (from the University of Texas, George Mason University, and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA) recently studied nociceptive sensitization in squid and concluded that heightened sensitivity to pain helps these creatures avoid predation. Squid are an ideal laboratory model because they undertake a well-defined sequence of defensive behaviors when threatened by a predator.

When threatened, previously injured squid (that had fully recovered from their injury) reacted sooner than squid that had not been injured. However, the previously injured squid displayed a slower response to predatory threats when the scientists used anesthetic to block pain immediately after injury and, thus, prevent nociceptive sensitization from developing.

Because nociceptive sensitization is widespread, it likely serves a similar benefit among other animals, as well. These results indicate that pain (and the concomitant suffering) plays an important role in enhancing animals’ survivability following an injury and recovery. This insight (and others) indicates that the pain and suffering in the natural realm is not necessarily incompatible with God’s existence and His goodness. It can serve a good purpose.
Dr. Fazale Rana

In 1999, I left my position in R&D at a Fortune 500 company to join Reasons to Believe because I felt the most important thing I could do as a scientist is to communicate to skeptics and believers alike the powerful scientific evidence—evidence that is being uncovered day after day—for God’s existence and the reliability of Scripture. Read more about Dr. Fazale Rana

References:

Robyn J. Crook et al., “Nociceptive Sensitization Reduces Predation Risk,” Current Biology 24 (May 19, 2014): 1121–25.

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Guest Writer, Dr. Caroline Leaf

The deeper you think the more intelligent you become. This is a scriptural and scientific truth: scripturally we are told throughout the Bible (see Proverbs specifically) to get knowledge, understanding and wisdom; scientifically the deeper you think the more thoughts and memories you will grow inside your brain. This means we are not designed to skim the surface of things, but rather to think things through, to read deeply, to understand and build strong memories.

The deep pursuit of knowledge increases not only our intelligence but also our health. In fact, recent research has shown that better health is another good reason for getting a degree. According to one study led by Dr Walsemann, attaining a degree after 25 years of age is associated with better midlife health and fewer depressive symptoms. About 38% of US citizens attain their highest degree after their mid twenties. Because of the economic downturn more and more people are going back to college later in life to enhance their opportunities for employment or to change career fields. This is good step in the right direction of improving mental and physical health!

SEE RESEARCH LINK

And, while we are on the topic of developing our intelligence, let’s talk about the other end of the spectrum…getting our children to read books! Research shows that books in the home are an important factor in determining a child’s education level. In fact, according to a 20-year study done at the University of Nevada, parents who have books in their home increase the level of education their children will attain. They found that having a 500-book library (even with illiterate parents) could propel a child 3.2 years, and sometimes as much as 6 years, further in education on average. And it doesn’t have to be 500 books; the researchers found that having as few as 20 books in the home still has significant impact. My own four children have been exposed to books since they were infants. I would take them to the library from the age of 4 months in order to ingrain a love of reading in them…even if they only sat on the books at first! They are all in their late teens now and to say that they love reading would be a great understatement. The first piece of advice I gave any parent in my private practice, and the piece of advice I would still give to anyone who asked me how to help advance their children’s education, is read read read…and read some more!

SEE RESEARCH LINK

The development of deep thinking through books is a great return on investments. But remember, reading the Bible is your greatest return on investment!

Click INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT to learn more about the Switch On Your Brain 5-Step Learning Process (R) or order the PROGRAM to learn ‘How to Learn.’
JOIN US AT THE 2015 ANNUAL SWITCH ON YOUR BRAIN CONFERENCE – DALLAS TEXAS AUGUST 21st/22nd TO DISCOVER THE PERFECT YOU!!

REGISTER now for early bird pricing! Reserve your Hotel room (WESTIN – Dallas/Fort Worth Airport). Their are special rates for Conference delegates and an Organic meal and refreshments will be provide on the Saturday. The hotel provides shuttle services.

Watch the PART 1, PART 2 and PART 3 U-Tube interviews with Dr Caroline Leaf and Sid Roth (It’s Supernatural – 2010) to learn more about discovering the Perfect You.

Delegates at the Conference will each receive a signed Copy of Dr Leaf’s hardcover book THE GIFT IN YOU and after completing the Gift Profile will develop an understanding in maximising their Gift as well as Practical exercises in Choosing to live out their Gift and overcome Gift Blockers.

READ MORE about the Perfect You!

Order the hardcover BOOK or the CURRICULUM PACK to understand your Gift from God, your Perfect way of thinking.
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Guest Writer
Dr. Hugh Ross

Christian clubs are now denied recognition on the nations largest university campus because these clubs discriminate based on beliefs. This development alarms me, and I can imagine it alarms you, too. The pace of cultural change is accelerating.

Whats good about an alarm is that it signals a time to wake up. I believe God is sending a message, loud and clear, to the church in America. Weve taken our freedom for granted, and perhaps more to the point, weve taken our influence for granted. To paraphrase Dr. Francis Schaeffer, how shall we now live?

Its time to apply our God-given creativity, energy, and resources to pursue our mission of loving people into the kingdom of Truth and Life. Loving means engaging secular culture in a gentle, respectful way. And one of the ways you can do that is with a gift to support the ministry of Reasons to Believe today.

Your support allows RTB to develop and disseminate unique tools that break through skeptics barriers and equip believers for evangelism. Because of your partnership, the Gospel is advancing right now, even amid bleak circumstances. Thanks to technology, we are crossing borders within America and around the world!

To show the reach of your support, I want to share this Facebook message from a young friend in Libya:

Im a Christian convert from Libya. Im just here to say thank you very much for all you do for the Glory of the true and living God in a logical, sensible manner, with reason and fact. Your debates with atheist scientists (whom I sympathize with because I was an atheist myself after leaving Islam) helped me come to know God….Your debate with Victor Stenger, your argument with Ken Ham, and finally your website (for which I have a tremendous amount of appreciation with all its real, factual, scientific evidence) led me to believe in the account of the Bible. And I started to look at the world from a totally different point of view. This newfound faith changed me in every aspect of my life. Glad to say that Ive been a Christian for almost two years now, thanks to you…

As we rejoice with this young man, were also thrilled to share that RTB will join, this month, in a media partnership with TWR, the largest Christian communications network in the world. Through a global platform called TWR360, millions of people will be exposed to RTBs teaching for the first time! Think of how many, like this young man in Libya, will find their lives changed. Now we can reach into the heart of some of the worlds most troubled places—where missionaries cant set foot—with a clear and credible exposition of truth!

RTBs evangelistic approach, which links the book of nature with the book of Scripture to show that Christ is both our Creator and Savior, carries a profound impact, especially in circles of influence. This opportunity to spread our message more widely is a challenge we gladly embrace. Only with our donors help can we continue producing content, not only for TWR, but for all our outreach endeavors.

Featured Resource

Origins of Life by Fazale Rana and Hugh Ross: This re-release, complete with a link to countless supplementary resources, reveals a model that shows how perspectives on first lifes beginnings can be tested—as a creation event—with astounding results. Rana and Ross challenge the myth that scientific evidence supports naturalistic theories and show how research corroborates a transcendent Creator who formed and nurtured the initial life-forms and more

October 6, 2014
By Dr. Hugh Ross

Only during the last few decades have scientists recognized the many mass extinction and speciation events throughout life’s history. Psalm 104:29–30, however, described these events thousands of years ago:

When you [God] hide your face, they [Earth’s creatures] are terrified. When you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.

Earth’s organisms have experienced several catastrophic upheavals. The Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction event (TJEE) is the second greatest mass extinction event on record. It eliminated more than 95 percent of terrestrial megaflora species,1 plus all the animal species dependent upon these plants. For continental organisms it was at least as devastating as the Permian-Triassic event,2 which wiped out over 70 percent of land species.3

The TJEE is the only mass extinction event in deep time for which an accurate absolute date exists because the strata containing the fossils and footprints of creatures living just before and just after the TJEE shows both the cyclic variations in Earth’s orbit and several reversals in Earth’s magnetic field. Thus, geophysicists have established that the TJEE occurred 201.564±0.015 million years ago.4

Despite the destruction caused by the TJEE, the mass speciation that followed was surprisingly quick and robust. Within 10,000 years or less large theropod dinosaurs appeared,5 and in less than 100,000 years dinosaur species diversity attained a stable maximum.6 Especially astounding is not just the body size and complexity of the new species but the fact that they appeared amid hostile environmental conditions. The TJEE coincided with the first and greatest of the four volcanic eruptions that formed the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province.7 These eruptions poured out 2–3 million cubic kilometers of lava—enough to pave Earth’s entire surface 4–6 meters (13–26 feet) deep. The first eruption had hardly subsided when the first large theropod dinosaurs appeared. And the dinosaur species diversity reached a stable maximum while climate changes were still extreme.8

Mass Speciation Reflects the Creator and Challenges Evolution

The rapidity and diversity with which large dinosaurs appeared fits what one would expect from the actions of a Creator intent on taking advantage of shallow seas, lakes, and swamps resulting from the breaking up of the Pangaea supercontinent. It is consistent, too, with the Creator’s desire to endow Earth with all the necessary resources humans would need to fulfill His purposes.

However, the short time between the TJEE and the Jurassic speciation is far too brief to allow for a naturalistic explanation. Long-term evolution experiments performed in real time show that even under extreme laboratory pressure the most evolutionally flexible species experience nothing more than microevolution.9 Evolutionists responded with the suggestion that a few small-bodied reptiles survived the TJEE and, due to the hostile conditions and lack of competing species, rapidly evolved into a huge population of diverse, complex, large-bodied dinosaurs.10 Conservation biology research refutes this hypothesis.

Rapid and extreme climate change, which characterized the TJEE, stymies evolutionary development. An experiment performed on tiny crustaceans with a reputation for evolvability demonstrated that their rate of evolution (assisted by guided selective breeding) was unable to keep pace with even a modest change in average temperature.11

Numerous studies also confirm that when an animal species suffers a population collapse and faces environmental stress, it rapidly goes extinct without human intervention.12 Furthermore, the extinction risk and the speed with which extinction occurs rises dramatically with adult body mass.13

God’s Purposes for Extinction and Speciation

Why did God wipe out and replace life so frequently? For one thing, these mass creation events perfectly compensated for the Sun’s increasing luminosity by producing new life-forms that could draw more greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Another reason is keeping Earth packed with the greatest possible biomass, biodiversity, and biocomplexity. This ensures that humans have all the biodeposits they need to launch and sustain global high-technology civilization—which allows Christ’s followers to fulfill the Great Commission in the shortest time possible.

Subjects: Dinosaurs
Dr. Hugh Ross

Reasons to Believe emerged from my passion to research, develop, and proclaim the most powerful new reasons to believe in Christ as Creator, Lord, and Savior and to use those new reasons to reach people for Christ. Read more about Dr. Hugh Ross.

October 2, 2014
By Guest Writer

From Bob Miller:

lf one believes unequivocally that God created our universe, why would one even consider, no less research and study, scientific explanations for the origins of the universe or alternative ideas such as its not having a beginning?

****

Science is possible only because our universe is an orderly place governed by natural laws, which—when properly understood—are predictive and reproducible. This understanding of the universe had its genesis in the Judeo-Christian Scriptures, as can be seen by contrasting the early pagan worldview with the Judeo-Christian worldview.

The early pagans, including the Greeks and Romans, believed the world was ruled by irrational gods with human characteristics like spite and jealousy. Some cultures even believed there was a demigod associated with every rock and tree. Such a world was a terrifying place; people felt they had to pray or sacrifice continually to appease capricious deities. Although Aristotle is credited with the first systematic formulation of science, he did not tempt nature; he “didn’t do silly experiments, but proved truth with impeccable logic.”1 Yet Aristotle’s logic failed to pass muster when the scientific method based on experimentation was developed; and we do not believe it was an accident that this development coincided with the Protestant Reformation.

By contrast, the Bible claims God created the universe and “fixed laws” govern the cosmos (Jeremiah 33:25, NET). Genesis 1 illustrates how God created the universe and life in a structured, systematic, logical, progressive manner. And knowing that the universe is orderly and predictable is the first step in exploring natural law—or doing science.

Some psychologists claim humans have a “science-fostering intelligence,”2 an innate curiosity about the world around them. If so, its first evidence was in the Garden of Eden, when God awakened Adam’s curiosity by bringing animals to him and instructing him to name them (Genesis 2:19–20, NASB).

But the essence of your question is why would a Christian—a person who believes in a personal creator-God who “works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28, NIV)—bother to investigate the natural world? The answer may be found in Genesis 1:27–28 (NASB):

God created man in His own image…male and female He created them….And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over…every living thing that moves on the earth.”

God designed humans to be His agents on Earth by acting on His behalf to make a “very good” world better. Those who believe in the Judeo-Christian God pursue science—including cosmology—to learn more about our creator-God and to follow his command to make the world a better place. Among countless examples, Jesuit priest and scientist Georges Lemaître (1894–1966) first proposed the expansion of the universe, which validated the biblical description of the cosmos (see Isaiah 40:22) and was key to big bang cosmology. And it was a devout Christian, Michael Faraday (1791–1867), who doggedly pursued the discovery of electromagnetism guided by Romans 1:20 (NIV):3

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made.

We believe secular scientists follow this same innate, God-given desire—even though they may not recognize its source.

Daniel J. Dyke, MDiv, MTh

Mr. Daniel J. Dyke received his Master of Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary 1981 and currently serves as professor of Old Testament at Cincinnati Christian University in Cincinnati, OH.

Dr. Hugh Henry, PhD

Dr. Hugh Henry received his PhD in Physics from the University of Virginia in 1971, retired after 26 years at Varian Medical Systems, and currently serves as Lecturer in physics at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, KY.