The Relationship Between Science And The Bible
In December of 1981 an Arkansas judge ruled that an account of life’s origin which postulates a Divine Creator is not scientific. Well is this judge enlightened or is he dragging us into the dark ages?
It’s true that the Bible shouldn’t be read as merely a scientific textbook. However that doesn’t mean the Bible contradicts science (e.g., Psa. 19:4-6; Rev. 7:1). Fact is, the very foundation of the scientific method is rooted in a biblical worldview. Christianity considers the world to be knowable, observable, descriptive, and above all, orderly because it has a designer of infinite knowledge and wisdom. Based on this premise, early scientists like Kepler, Bacon, and Newton believed that by studying creation, they were obeying not only the great commission, but the cultural mandate to subdue the earth as well. Maybe the best way to put it is to “think God’s thoughts after Him.”
It’s ironic that in an age of scientific enlightenment, skeptics still claim that science deals with what is observable while theology only deals with what is unobservable — especially in light of the fact that we can’t even explain what science is in the first place. Not only this, but much of what is being touted today as science isn’t really observable at all — things like quarks, electromagnetic fields, and even the evolving big bang theory. In fact, if we’re to consider only what is observable to be scientific, we’d still be saying that the earth is flat.
Truth is, God Himself bases his own integrity upon certain scientific premises (e.g., Jer. 31:35-37). For instance: the fact that Christ rose from the dead is testable and verifiable. To prove that he rose bodily, Jesus said to his disciples, see, touch, and eat with me (Luke 24:36-42; John 20:24-31; 1 John 1:1-4).
The point is, the Bible and science are neither mutually exclusive nor contradictory they fit together like hand and glove.