I am a scientist… and a disciple of Christ. I believe that geology, biology, and other sciences provide compelling evidence on the origin of earth, life, and the universe. I also believe that God created the universe and all that is in it. And I don’t consider these to be in conflict with each other. Some say that makes me an oddity.
I faced the conflict between creation and evolution early in high school. When we studied evolution in biology class, the girl behind me opened her Bible to Genesis. I looked at her, puzzled. She pointed to her Bible and said, “This is the only book that’s right.” I asked, “How do you know God didn't use evolution to create us?” She didn't actually say anything but her look said it all: “Heretic! How dare you say that!” That wasn't the last time I got that look... and sometimes it has come from scientists.
Is the Bible so truly at odds with science (and visa versa) that we are forced to choose between the two? Or is it the way we choose to interpret the Bible?
Some Christians take the creation account in Genesis as a literal explanation of how God created the world and refuse to believe the scientific body of evidence that suggests the earth took a little longer to form. In the worst instances, they have declared that Christian faith depends on believing the 7-day creation story and the concept of an earth that is no more than 6-10,000 years old. In their view, evolution is a threat to Christian faith.
On the other end of the spectrum are those who say the Bible is filled with legends that are incompatible with scientific thought or reason. Both sides, interestingly, make their case using a literal translation of Genesis and other passages in the Bible.
But others (including me) believe that science and religion are not at cross purposes and that creation vs. evolution and faith vs. science are false dichotomies. Science focuses on answering “How?” (How did life originate? How do things work?) while religion focuses on “Why?” (Why are we here? What is our purpose?). They’re not incompatible.
Several years ago, Rev. Jay Click led a Bible study using the book The Mighty Acts of God (Arnold B. Rhodes, rev. by W. Eugene March). The authors describe the creation stories in Genesis as a statement of faith:
“When a person grasps the fact that this account of creation [Gen. 1:1-2:4a] is neither a fairy tale nor the kind of history that is literally viewed in process by human eye, but a theological confession placed in the literary framework of the Jewish week, many worries about the so-called conflict between science and religion will vanish into thin air…. The biblical writer used the worldview and thought-forms of the time to express faith in God as Creator for all days.” [p. 17]
God is not confined to a box, a book, or a set of observations and theories. God is bigger and more mysterious than all of that and we miss a lot when we begin to think that our narrow perspective is all we need to know God. We create trouble when we insist that our narrow perspective is all anybody else needs to know God.
I put the book The Language Of Science and Faith on my reading list when I read a review [http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/book-review-the-language-of-science-and-faith] that included this quote from the book:
“…all Christian positions on origins share a commitment to a mysterious and transcendent divine action, and we might as well acknowledge that we are all in that boat together. The conversation needs to be about what is revealed in the details of the creation, not who can explain exactly how God works (for nobody can). We should all start with the affirmation that the world is the product of a transcendent intelligence and then inspect that world to see what we can find out.”
More often, instead of a conversation we find a false dichotomy that is driving many young, intelligent people away from faith. I have friends who left church because they felt they were being pushed to choose between faith and science. I know people who felt betrayed when they discovered that the creation accounts in the Bible are not supported by science as we know it. If that’s not true, they argue, what else is not true?
Is that what our faith is about? Where in the good news of God’s love and reconciliation for the world does Jesus say “You have to believe the earth was created in 7 24-hour days”? Are we losing the message by getting wrapped up over distractions? Does it really matter what you believe about how the earth was created? After all, what we believe doesn't actually change what God really did.
Do you see a conflict between the creation accounts in the Bible and the scientific explanations of the origin of the universe and of life? Do you feel there’s a tension between science and faith? How do you think we could better open a dialogue between science and faith? Is it something you even care about? I do because I work among scientists who feel the conflict and tension, some so much they no longer consider themselves part of a faith community, but it may not seem as big an issue for people who aren't scientists.
In trimming down the original draft of this post (yes, it was even longer), I managed to cut out all responses to the question How do we reconcile the two different creation stories presented in Genesis 1 and 2? in Banned Questions about the Bible[p. 68-72]. They touch on some of what's here.
I also cut out a lot of other material. If you’re interested in reading more, here are some background links I used:
A recent article summarized in Science Daily describes the origins of modern-day creationism and notes that faith and science haven’t always been at odds on the Earth’s age and origin.
The review for The Language Of Science and Faith can be found here on the Internet Monk. The authors of the book also run the BioLogos Forum, which promotes dialogue on faith and science. Among other things, I learned that the controversy between creation and evolution is largely an American issue that breaks along conservative and liberal ideologies.
Peter Enns wrote a post on reading Genesis like an adult in which he say that some of the stories in Genesis are legends used to help explain the inexplicable. I was following that track until veering off, but may come back to it later this week.
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