Just when we thought the battle between science and religion was more or less over, a new wave of militant ‘science’ which opposes religious faith with a kind of religious zeal, is sweeping in, and belief in God is being confidently labelled a giant delusion. Wiser heads than mine will be well able to deal with the ‘ins and outs’ of this new debate. But as the late Prof C E M Joad was apt to interject, ‘it all depends on what you mean by "science"!’

In what can only be described as an inspired mistranslation, the King James Version at 1 Timothy 6:20 refers to ‘science, falsely so called’. Doubtless Paul was referring to the advent of a gnostic error in early Christianity which maintained that salvation is deliverance from ignorance. The apostle John faced it even more directly in his letters. But the label could equally apply to some of the pronouncements of many a scientist these days.

 Authentic science

Authentic science is all about observation, measurement, and, above all, verification. But there is a kind of pseudo science around which, by its very nature, cannot be tested and verified, and it is precisely this kind of approach which lies behind much of today's anti-Christian militancy. It surfaces in other areas of life as well, often with quite staggering self­ confidence. Its proponents seem to have unlimited access to the media, where their unverifiable conclusions about climate change, for example, are churned out unchallenged in what can only be described as non-stop propaganda. But while measuring the thawing of the ice-caps is genuine science, declaring that these changes in the environment are caused by carbon emissions is scientific guesswork. No one seems to be asking the question what caused the end of the last ice age? Clearly it wasn't the gas emissions and carbon footprints which brought it about, since cars, planes, rockets and gas heaters just didn't exist!

If ever the new hyper expensive technology purporting to demonstrate the ‘big bang theory’ can be persuaded to work without any more gas leaks, the whole operation will only demonstrate that a ‘big bang’ might well have happened. It will never be able to prove that it actually occurred. Least of all will it explain how the raw material of the universe which exploded so cataclysmically, existed in the first place. Like Darwin’s seminal work on ‘The Origin of Species’, the word ‘origin’ will remain an unexplained enigma!

 Caring for creation

Clearly Scripture requires us to venerate creation. The war-time slogans ‘waste not, want not’, and ‘is your journey really necessary?’ could well be re-minted for peace time too. Human beings are called to be vice-regents of God’s handiwork (Genesis 1:28). So a true scientist is one who seeks to explore the wonders of creation. As God's most obedient servant, he sits humbly before the evidence, treasuring the marvellous intricacy of the universe as something unique, awe-inspiring, and potentially holy. Moreover, like all truly learned people, authentic scientists are acutely aware of their ignorance.

Discovering the way the body works, or exploring outer space, for instance, are genuinely scientific projects, but dismissing the evidence of those who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, is scarcely being truly ‘objective’. Sadly, there is a woeful ignorance of Scripture in the population at large these days, so all kinds of unproven assertions about our faith frequently go by unanswered. Nowadays, the white-coated scientist in the laboratory is seen as a priest of the new religion, ‘science’, and the oft repeated mantra ‘scientists say’ is fast becoming a kind of holy writ. Back in the 1970s we were inundated with propaganda in newspapers and colour supplements which assured us that ‘scientists say we are entering a new ice age’. Now ‘global warming’ is all the rage and woe betide anyone who dares to challenge the accepted orthodoxy!

Like everyone else, scientists are fallen creatures with their own prejudices and presuppositions. Some are not always motivated by a selfless quest for truth, but can be notable more for an unshakeable belief in their own opinions. But then, are we Christians always as submissive to the truth of God as we claim to be? We need to ensure that ours is a truly authentic discipleship, free from anything remotely pseudo.

 

John Wood, now retired, was reared among a group of Christians called ‘The Peculiar People’. He has served as a pastor, college lecturer and worked with a mission bringing the gospel to Jews. His autobiography, ‘Confessions of an Oddity’ is available from the author at 2 Musgrave Close, Dovercourt, Essex, C012 3UJ and costs £5.00, post free.   

 

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