Saturday, March 15, 2025

Science and Faith--Allies, not Enemies

 Science makes human life more enjoyable and fulfilling. Faith, our religious belief system, imparts future and eternal significance to our lives. Individually, each entity is valuable, but linked together, they create synergy. One need not be a member of the clergy, a scientist, or a science educator to understand and benefit from the science/faith relationship. 

Scientific knowledge has increased dramatically since the beginning of the Scientific Revolution in the 16th century. In like manner, theological knowledge has also expanded as scholars have studied Scripture and the physical world to deepen their knowledge of the Christian faith. In our day It should be easy to discover how science and faith affirm one another. Unfortunately, many secular scientists do not perceive the relationship of the two realms.


The purpose of our blog is to demonstrate the linkage of science and faith. Some  challenge the validity of this linkage. They subscribe to the proposal of a well known scientist who popularized the acronym NOMA—non-overlapping magisteria—areas of inquiry. The scientist, Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) was an evolutionary biologist who may have strengthened popular doubt about whether topics of faith and science affirm each other. Gould’s NOMA acronym may have affirmed the common belief that science and faith are not related.


Even scientists who believe science and faith are mutually supportive do not propose that science discoveries prove God’s existence. Rather, they may cite a preponderance of evidence—a legal term defined as “a high level of likelihood.” Other legal terms such as beyond a reasonable doubt may apply to topics such as God’s existence, the creative activity of God, the issue of evolution, and the subject of miracles. The relationship of science and faith is a complex issue in our society. It is not enough to merely state that science and faith are mutually supportive. That proposal cries out for a vigorous defense.


We illustrate with a past post:


https://jasscience.blogspot.com/2010/06/intuition-and-induction.html


We exercise our intuition and powers of induction when we affirm characteristics of God, the Creator. Do we intuitively detect the existence of God by observing complex design features in the natural world wherever we look? Do we use inductive science to fortify our faith and belief in the reality of the Creator? 


We close by citing a 2025 volume published by RTB Press, Revealing God in Science. Reasons to Believe is an evangelical apologetics ministry dedicated to promoting the principle that Science and the Christian faith are allies, not enemies.


Revealing God in Science is an outstanding work on the relationship of science and faith. Reasons to Believe founder, Hugh Ross has stated that the Bible expresses accurate scientific claims. Ross is only one of twelve scientists of diverse backgrounds making a powerful case for the alliance of science and faith in this volume.