SpeakingtoChurch 04Mar25

Speaking to Christians About Science: 

Speaking to Christians About Science Prof. Deborah Haarsma, Calvin College March 25, 2004 ASA/Templeton Lecture at Baylor University

Know Your AudienceWhat are they thinking?: 

Know Your Audience What are they thinking? “My pastor never talks about science, I don’t know what to think” “My elder warned me not to study evolution in college” “Science is at odds with Christianity (science hasn’t won, has it?)” “Science is hard to understand, but I have my Bible & common sense”

“Doesn’t science support atheism?”: 

“Doesn’t science support atheism?” “The stifling grip of religion on Man's mind stems partly from its early start, when, as our ancestors dropped from the trees they first sought explanations and solace; it also stems partly from religion's control (for both benevolent and malevolent purposes) of the behavior of individuals and societies. … Someone with a fresh mind, one not conditioned by upbringing and environment, would doubtless look at science and the powerful reductionism that it inspires as overwhelmingly the better mode of understanding the world, and would doubtless scorn religion as sentimental wishful thinking.” - P.W. Atkins "The Limitless Power of Science" in Nature's Imagination – The Frontiers of Scientific Vision John Cornwell ed. (1995, Oxford university Press, NY)

Know Your AudienceWhat are they thinking?: 

Know Your Audience What are they thinking? “You don’t believe we came from apes, do you?” “The Big Bang is a matter of belief, just like religion” “Science results keep changing, scientists don’t really know the answers”

Don’t start with lots of scientific data: 

Don’t start with lots of scientific data Five Independent Age Measurements: Radioactive dating of moon rocks and meteorites: 4.6 billion years old Stellar life cycle: 13±1.5 billion years old White dwarf cooling time: 12.7±0.7 billion years old Light travel time to distant galaxies: ~9 billion years old Continuous expansion of universe: 13.7±0.2 billion years old

Where to start: 

Where to start Build trust by establishing common beliefs: Open in prayer God created the universe (“I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth”) Scripture is trustworthy and authoritative for what it intends to teach

Encourage positive attitudes toward science: 

Encourage positive attitudes toward science Before addressing difficulties of science & faith, discuss the positive interactions: Science as a Christian vocation, the worth of studying God’s creation Celebrate the glory of God displayed in Creation

Belgic Confession: 

Belgic Confession Article 2: The Means by Which We Know God We know him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, since that universe is before our eyes like a beautiful book in which all creatures, great and small, are as letters to make us ponder the invisible things of God: his eternal power and his divinity… Second, he makes himself known to us more openly by his holy and divine Word, as much as we need in this life, for his glory and for the salvation of his own.

Give framework for dealing with issues (before hitting specifics): 

Give framework for dealing with issues (before hitting specifics) Nature Science Biblical Studies Scripture God No Conflict Author of Author of Potential Conflict Human Interpretation Human Interpretation

“Two Books” is a tool for resolving conflicts between science & theology: 

“Two Books” is a tool for resolving conflicts between science & theology Strategy: don’t throw out one and keep the other (don’t ignore any of God’s revelation) keep pursuing both until the underlying unity becomes clear Hope: Nature and Scripture are both from God and cannot conflict (all truth is God’s truth)

Usefulness of “Two Books” model:: 

Usefulness of “Two Books” model: All Christians can agree that: Scripture is authoritative, revealed truth Biblical interpretation is separate from scripture itself, and is open to error Nature is a fundamental part of God’s revelation and can’t be ignored Science is open to error

Start with a low-stakes example: 

Start with a low-stakes example Are science and religion at war? “Hardly a generation since [Galileo] has not seen some ecclesiastic suppressing evidence, or torturing expressions, or inventing theories to blacken the memory of Galileo.” – Andrew White, A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom”, 1896, republished 1960 Yes, conflicts between science and religion have occurred at times But conflicts have been rare (many scientists are religious, most scientists are busy doing science) Many conflicts are not fundamentally science vs. religion, but mainly cultural or personality conflicts faulty logic

Examples of Faulty Logic: 

Examples of Faulty Logic Fallacy of assuming either science OR Christianity must be wrong Example: Christianity requires the Earth to be stationary Science proves the Earth moves Therefore, Christianity is false The “god of the gaps” fallacy: God must be the cause of events that science can’t explain. When science advances, God is no longer needed. God sustains all of the world, both the parts science can explain and the parts it cannot. ← unacceptable ← is science wrong? ← error is here

Discuss range of views, not one or two: 

Discuss range of views, not one or two Sincere Christians hold a wide range of views on controversial issues Discuss pros and cons of all views How to discuss: state reasons for your own position understand the positions of others respect the intelligence, motives, and faith of others remember what all Christians agree on

Case study: Age of the Earth: 

Case study: Age of the Earth How shall we interpret Genesis 1? Compare and contrast with: Genesis 2 Psalm 104 John 1:1-5 Colossians 1:15-20

Possible interpretations of Genesis 1: 

Possible interpretations of Genesis 1 Concordist: Young earth theory six 24-hour days Gap theory long gap between Gen 1:1 and 1:2 Local creation theory creation of land for Israel Day/Age theory Hebrew for day can mean age Literal Day theory 24-hour day at end of each age Non-concordist: Visionary day theory days of revelation to the writer Proclamation day theory days happen outside Earth’s time Developmental continuity God gives land & sea potential to make life Creation hymn/poem poetic factors determine order Ancient Near East cosmology

Poetic structure of Genesis 1: 

Poetic structure of Genesis 1 Days of forming light (v.3) air & water (v.6) land (v.9) plants (v.11) Days of filling lights & stars (v.14) birds & fish (v.20) animals (v.24) humans (v.26)

Hermeneutic principle : 

Hermeneutic principle FIRST: Understand what the passage meant to the original author and audience SECOND: Apply that message to our lives today Works for all passages of scripture Can result in literal or non-literal interpretations Primary meaning is clear to all, detailed subtle meaning best learned through study

Egyptian view of the world: 

Egyptian view of the world From The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms by Othmar Keel (New York: Crossroad, 1985)

Day : 

Day 3 6 5 4 2 1 Sheol Waters Below 0

Egyptian view of the world: 

Egyptian view of the world From The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms by Othmar Keel (New York: Crossroad, 1985) sky goddess Nut earth god Geb sun god Re air god Shu Osiris, god of the dead sun god Re

Ancient Near East Cosmology interpretation of Genesis 1: 

Ancient Near East Cosmology interpretation of Genesis 1 Physical structures and events match those of ancient cultures surrounding the Hebrews (Egyptian, Babylonian) Theology is very different, must have been striking to original Hebrew author & audience Theological message should be dominant for us, rather than structures & events

Why would God use Ancient Near East Cosmology to teach theological truths?: 

Why would God use Ancient Near East Cosmology to teach theological truths? To not confuse the author and original audience To aid in communication to surrounding cultures and future generations To show that God is willing to meet us where we’re at, without raising us to his level of scientific understanding

Point out views of ancient & reformation church leaders : 

Point out views of ancient & reformation church leaders “The Holy Spirit had no intention to teach astronomy; and in proposing instruction meant to be common to the simplest and most uneducated person, He made use by Moses and other prophets of the popular language that none might shelter himself under the pretext of obscurity.” -- John Calvin

Explain the Scientific Evidence: 

Explain the Scientific Evidence Five Independent Age Measurements: Radioactive dating of moon rocks and meteorites: 4.6 billion years old Stellar life cycle: 13±1.5 billion years old White dwarf cooling time: 12.7±0.7 billion years old Light travel time to distant galaxies: ~9 billion years old Continuous expansion of universe: 13.7±0.2 billion years old

Distinguish different meanings of “evolution”: 

Distinguish different meanings of “evolution” Micro-evolution: mutation and natural selection cause a single species to change over time Macro-evolution: mutation and natural selection over millions of years have produced all species Evolutionism: an atheistic worldview that claims to be based on macroevolution

Denounce Evolutionism: 

Denounce Evolutionism “No intervening spirit watches lovingly over the affairs of nature. … No vital forces propel evolutionary change. And whatever we think of God, his existence is not manifest in the products of nature.” Stephen Jay Gould “Man is the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind.” George G. Simpson

Meanings of “creationist”: 

Meanings of “creationist” Creationist: believes that God created the world, disagrees with evolutionism Young Earth Creationist: believes that God created the world in six 24-hour days Evolutionary Creationist: believes that God created the world over billions of years (as described by mainstream science)

End positively: 

End positively Assure audience it’s OK to not have answers to all questions raised Emphasize ideas that all Christians agree on (e.g. Jesus is our savior, God made a big universe but He loves each one of us, etc.) Share a scientific result that shows God’s glory Sing a hymn together M74 Gemini Observatory

Share resources Don’t reinvent the wheel! : 

Share resources Don’t reinvent the wheel! http://www.asa3.org and ASA members http://www.calvin.edu/~dhaarsma/scifaith.html Books to have an adult Sunday School class read: God Did It, But How? by Robert Fischer, ASA press 1997 Coming to Peace with Science: Bridging the Worlds between Faith & Biology by Darrel Falk, IVP 2004 Toward a Christian View of a Scientific World by George Murphy, CSS Publishing Company 2001 Species of Origins: America’s Search for a Creation Story by Giberson & Yerxa, Rowman & Littlefield 2002

Share resources Don’t reinvent the wheel! : 

Share resources Don’t reinvent the wheel! http://www.asa3.org and ASA members http://www.calvin.edu/~dhaarsma/scifaith.html Books to enrich your teaching: For Pastors: Proclaim the Wonder: Engaging Science on Sunday, Scott Hoezee, Baker 2003 For Teachers: Teaching Science in a Climate of Controversy, ASA Press Portraits of Creation. VanTill, Snow, Stek & Young, Eerdmans 1990 Perspectives on an Evolving Creation, Keith Miller editor, Eerdmans 2003