GOD AND SCIENCE A STUDY OF THE COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE

OUTLINE What is science? Is science fallible? Where do science and Christianity appear to conflict? What’s the real problem? How do we deal with non-believers who quote science as fact?

IS SCIENCE FALLIBLE?

WHAT DO SCIENTIST/PEOPLE THINK ABOUT KEY ISSUES? QuestionAAAS ScientistsUS Adults 1. Eating genetically modified (GM) foods 11% generally unsafe/88% generally safe 57% generally unsafe/37% generally safe 2. Ranking of K-12 STEM Education 16% best in world/38% average/ 46% below average 29% best in world/39% average/ 29% below average 3. Good time for Science52% good time (drop from 73% in 2009) 4. US Scientific Achievements15% best in the world/39% above average 5. Science’s Effect on the Quality of the US Environment 62% mostly positive/31% mostly negative/7% Don’t know 6. Climate Change (Earth is warming?) 50% mostly due to human activity/23% mostly due to natural patterns/25% no solid evidence Source:

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT SCIENTISTS? Key characteristics? Smart (maybe too smart or only book smart?) Logical? Rational? Committed to the truth? “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3

5 BIGGEST BLUNDERS IN SCIENCE Fleischmann and Pons cold fusion Einstein’s static universe Phrenology The blank slate theory Luminiferous aether Source: that-turned-out-to-be-wrong.php

WORDS TO WATCH OUT FOR Irrefutable Settled science Consensus Foolproof Peer reviewed Incontrovertible “The history of science is a chronicle of revision. For two thousand years, physicists maintained that heavy objects fall faster than light ones. Astronomers thought the Sun moved around the Earth. Physicians supposed that plagues were caused by bad air and treated their patients by bleeding them to death. The icons of the Scientific Revolution, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, all made serious errors.” Source: climate-science-is-fallible/

APPROACHES TO RECONCILING SCIENCE AND FAITH Compartmentalism Biblicism Dual Revelationism

COMPARTMENTALISM Science and Religion are Non-Overlapping Magisteria (NOMA) that have nothing to say about each other. Science tells us how about history and how the world works Religion tells us about God (theology) and how we should live (morality)

COMPARTMENTALISM - “WALL” OF SEPARATION Science Logic Reason Empirical Mind God Religion Faith Ethics Heart

BIBLICISM The Bible is the ONLY source of reliable knowledge Since creation is cursed after the fall, and humans are fallible, any man-made discoveries that disagree with the Bible must be rejected

DUAL REVELATIONISM Revelation #1 God’s Word (Special Revelation) Revelation #2 God’s World (General Revelation) Both sources will be consistent and complimentary when properly interpreted Psalm 19:1-6

DUAL REVELATIONISM DATA VS INTERPRETATION Data (Error Free) Interpretation (Error Prone) Bible Theology Record of Nature Science

THINGS TO DO Keep an open mind Beware of theories being presented as facts Be skeptical Pray for guidance

SOME GOOD ARTICLES SUGGESTED FROM LAST WEEK “Philosophers want to know why physicists believe theories they can’t prove” want-to-know-why-physicists-believe-theories-they-cant-prove/ want-to-know-why-physicists-believe-theories-they-cant-prove/ “ When Philosophy Lost Its Way ” way/?emc=eta1&_r=0 way/?emc=eta1&_r=0