Christian Living in an Age of Science (8)

There are innumerable evidences both in heaven and on earth that declare [God’s] wonderful wisdom; not only those more recondite matters for the closer observation of which astronomy, medicine, and all natural science are intended, but also those which thrust themselves upon the sight of even the most untutored and ignorant persons, so that they cannot open their eyes without being compelled to witness them.  Indeed, men who have either quaffed or even tasted the liberal arts penetrate with their aid far more deeply into the secrets of divine wisdom.
­John Calvin, Institutes

We have already glimpsed the role that Christian faith had in helping to bring modern science into being. The late medieval Christian intellectual consensus – with its firm commitment to God as Creator and sovereign Ruler of the world – laid to rest the Aristotelian worldview imported to the West via Islam, and set the intellectual world on a totally different tack, one which has led to the scientific achievement we examined earlier.

In fact, every aspect of Christian doctrine, as understood by scholastic theologians and developed by men such as John Calvin, gave further impetus to scientific discovery and progress. Simply put, without the foundation laid by Christian doctrine, the modern scientific endeavor might never have come to be. While contemporary secular science has largely rejected any attachment to theology or any input from Biblical thought, it nonetheless still functions on a foundation poured from within a Christian worldview. As Mark A. Noll has observed:

~blockquote~“the claim that modern science, ethics, aesthetics, history, social science, psychiatry, and even criticism rest on a presumed or submerged theism deserves much more consideration than it regularly receives. The issue specifically is whether there is any good reason, apart from an active deity, to take for granted the regularity, communicability, universality, durability, and repeatability that are so basic for so many intellectual endeavors. But even that significant assertion has been advanced only rarely by Christian thinks in the marketplace of ideas. The much more obvious reality is that scientists, philosophers, historians, and critics have long been acting as if general theistic considerations, much less explicitly Christian concerns, were irrelevant.” (Jesus Christ and the Life of the Mind)~blockquote~

In this installment we will look at the different aspects of the system of Christian doctrine that played a role in encouraging the development of the scientific endeavor. We will use the Westminster Confession of Faith (1648) that quintessential statement of Protestant Christian doctrine, as our guide.

The doctrine of revelation

The first doctrine that the Confession of Faith treats is the doctrine of revelation. Immediately it is apparent that this “prolegomenon” to all doctrine has a bearing on the work of science.

The Confession explains that God has made Himself known through two “books,” that of nature and that of Scripture. Concerning God’s revelation of Himself in nature the Confession declares, the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable (I.I).  Here the Confession is simply summarizing what we read in such well-known Biblical texts as Genesis 1:3, Job 38-41; Psalm 19:1-6; Psalm 111:2-6, and Romans 1:18-21. The things God has made reveal Him. They provide true, albeit incomplete, information about God, and are intended, in part, to pique our interest and move us ahead in seeking the Lord, that we might know Him truly in Jesus Christ (cf. Acts 17:26, 27).

Steven Shapin explains that Christians during the Reformation, following the revelation of God in Scripture, turned to the revelation of God in creation in order to improve their knowledge of Him and of how they might serve Him:

“The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century laid special stress on the desirability of each Christian’s having direct engagement with Scripture, not relying on the interpretations of priests and pope, and the invention of printing with movable type in the 1450s made the injunction to read the Bible for oneself more practically realizable. A similar impulse informed the encouragement to read the Book of Nature for oneself, not relying on the traditional interpretations of institutionalized authority. Direct experience of nature was accounted valuable insofar as it was understood to be engagement with a divinely authored text.” (The Scientific Revolution)

It does not surprise us, therefore, to find in the writings of many early scientists explicit references to God and His praise, the fruit of their scientific investigations. They understood, from what they were reading in Scripture, that God was making Himself known through the creation as well, and they delighted to seek Him there through the various disciplines of scientific inquiry. The doctrine of divine revelation thus gave real impetus to early scientists as they pursued their work as diligently as any theologian or pastor, in the hope of advancing, not only greater knowledge of the creation, but of the Creator as well.

The doctrines of creation, man, and providence

In addition to the doctrine of revelation, other doctrines also served to lay a foundation for scientific inquiry. The works of God, as reported in the Confession, are three: creation, providence, and redemption. As the doctrine of creation, through its insights into how God reveals Himself, helped to spur scientific thinking, so did the doctrines of man and of divine providence. The Confession explains, God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy (V.I).

Such a view of divine providence meant that the world was truly knowable. The “laws of nature” are nothing other than descriptions of the ways an orderly and faithful God upholds the world He has made. Jonathan Edwards explained, “It is by the immediate influence of God upon things according to those constant methods which we call the laws of nature, that they are ever obedient to man’s will, or that he can use them at all” (An Humble Attempt…).

God is not a God of chaos, but of order; moreover, He has created and appointed men to be the keepers of His creation, intending that they should develop its goodness in ways that glorify Him and benefit all creation. It follows from the doctrines of creation, man, and providence that exploring, studying, and learning to use the creation should be part of our human undertaking under the cope of divine providence and within the “laws” of nature by which God governs the material world.

Willis Glover explains: 
~blockquote~“The concept of the laws of nature as it was understood in seventeenth-century science had not been known in the ancient world. Natural law in ancient classical thought had been law immanent in nature and in particular natural objects; natural law as it was conceived by seventeenth-century virtuosi, on the other hand, was a law imposed on nature by a law-giver who was beyond and outside of nature.” (Biblical Origins of Modern Secular Culture)~blockquote~

An orderly God, Who reveals Himself through His works and leads His people to improve His creation, would be pleased for men to study, research, and experiment with His creation, as well as to publish their findings and to develop technologies, products, and services to glorify Him and improve the welfare of all.

Practically, and pastorally, the pioneers of the scientific revolution, and those who supported them in the Church, believed that the work of science would complement the work of pastoral ministry in helping to reinforce right belief and sound Christian living. As Shapin explains, “Knowledge of nature was considered deeply relevant to problems of order, not least because nature was widely understood to be a divinely authored book whose proper reading and proper interpretation had the potential to secure right belief and thus to guarantee right conduct.”

The doctrines of redemption and sanctification

The doctrines of redemption and sanctification were understood by Christians in the seventeenth century as having implications not only for human salvation but for the renewal of the world. Through His work of redemption, Christ has put fallen men back on a course in line with God’s original intention. It would make sense especially for redeemed humans to take up the work of science as an expression and extension of their own having been reconciled to God through the saving work of Christ.

By His work of sanctification, Christ fits those He has redeemed for the tasks appointed to them by God. The Confession outlines the sanctifying work of Christ, Who prepares His people for every good work under the tutelage of the Church. It explains that God has given to the Church the ministry, oracles, and ordinances of God, for the gathering and perfecting of the saints, in this life, to the end of the world (XXV.III). Each redeemed person would be expected to improve on his salvation by discovering ways of serving God most in line with his abilities, interests, and giftedness. Those inclined to study and discovery were regarded to be as faithful in their service to the Lord as those enlisted to preach and minister within the Church.

The doctrines of divine revelation, creation, providence, redemption, and sanctification played a significant role in providing impetus for early scientists in their various works. The foundation they laid, of Biblical teaching and Christian doctrine, remains the basis for all scientific activity in our day, even though this is no longer acknowledged by many in the secular arena. Nevertheless, it is clear that the words of Scripture and the great doctrines of the Christian faith informed, guided, and constrained those early scientists, at the same time that they led them to believe that they could learn more about God and His world, and serve Him faithfully, through their disciplined, diligent study of the cosmos.

For reflection or discussion

1. In what ways can you see that Christian doctrines underlie the work of the modern scientific enterprise? What ideas or presuppositions does science take for granted, which can only have come from the Christian worldview?
2. The doctrines of creation, man, providence, redemption, sanctification, and the like apply to all believers, not just those who are working in the arenas of science or theology. How should these doctrines move you to a greater interest in the work of science?
3. Do you think there are some “basics” about science that every believer should understand in order to understand the world and to know God better? What might those be?
4. Do you think it is inherent that Christianity and science should be at odds with one another? Why do you suppose representatives of the modern scientific community like to promote this idea of a war between faith and science?
5. Suppose someone were to say to you that there is no connection between science and faith. How would you respond?

I am grateful to Dr. Andrew Bobb for his help in pulling together the resources and contributing to the development of these studies. For more insight to this topic, get the book, Christianity and the Nature of Science, by J. P. Moreland, from our online store. You should also read the article, “Are Christians ‘Anti-Science’?” by Charles Colson.

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