In some sections of society, it has become fashionable to denounce science as evil and sinister. The atom bomb and pollution are cited as practical examples of its destructive effects. Understandably, we may share similar misgivings, particularly over the grandiose claims sometimes made in the name of science, and we are right to dismiss the spurious theory of evolution with its pernicious implications for faith.
Evolution is falsely called science, however, as it is mere human speculation. And we must resist the temptation to reject the good with the bad. If we do, we shall deny ourselves the positive potential that true science offers. The pursuit of science by the believer can be undertaken to the glory of God both in the study of the divine creation and also in its application for the benefit of mankind.
In this article we hope to show the debt Western science owes to the heritage of the Bible. In a subsequent article, God willing, we plan to develop the theme of the constructive relation between science and religion in the past and for us.
A clash of philosophies
“For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:21).
Thus the inspired Luke sums up the Greek tradition of intellectual speculation which dated back to Plato (429-347 B.C.). This philosophy was fundamentally at odds with biblical revelation, making a clash between the two inevitable.
Greek to us
It is not easy for us today to comprehend this ancient train of thought. The Greeks regarded nature as a self-sufficient, self-supporting divinity with a built-in logical principle. Even the so-called creative force had to submit to this.
Because man was part of the “logical necessity” of the universe, he was assumed to have an intuitive knowledge. This gave him the ability to be able to understand the world of which he was a part by the exercise of sheer reason. It was this rational philosophy that Paul encountered.
The biblical Creator
Contrast this with the scriptural revelation. God is omnipotent and omniscient. He is not limited by the laws of nature as if they are superior to Himself. The physical world owes its origin entirely to His external creative power.
Man’s capacity to understand the physical world is not through any innate power of reason but by the use of a God-given intellect, albeit incomparably inferior to that of his Maker: “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:9).
This appreciation has far-reaching implications: as man is separate from nature (not part of it in the Greek sense), he can only come to understand it by observation and experiment. This is the empirical (as opposed to rational) approach.
Scientific method and the Bible
When scientists today use the “scientific method,” they are often unaware of this biblical heritage and some might even dispute it. In the past, however, it was the motivation for the inquiries of the scientist — “To think God’s thoughts after Him” as Kepler put it. Indeed, such an attitude became a key characteristic of Western science, especially in England in the 16th and 17th centuries.
The rational approach did linger for a long time, particularly in France where Descartes (1596-1650) sought to produce a total grand philosophy of the world arguing from first principles. He was in many ways following the Greek tradition in this venture.
Contrast his breathtaking self-confidence with the attitude of Isaac Newton (1642-1727) whose approach was summed up in his famous attributed remark:
“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.”
This accords very much with the outlook of the biblical writers who were awed by the knowledge gained by humble observation — an experience that was “too wonderful” for them.
Scientific practice and the Bible
Just as the scientific method was influenced by the Bible, so was the way science was practiced. Seeing nature as “divine,” the Greeks thought it arrogant to attempt to copy it. Therefore the intellectuals scorned the work of the “artisans” as being inferior to that of the philosophers.
As science based on biblical understanding developed, however, it became increasingly recognized that, from the beginning, God had conferred on humans some of His power of command over His handiwork. Thus the practical application of science came to be regarded, not as an affront to nature, but rather as being divinely sanctioned.
Men and women were to rule cooperatively with their Maker for the good of their fellows. To this end, they were encouraged to pursue technology as a duty, a notable advocate of such a stance being Francis Bacon (1561-1626).
In this thinking, all who seek to better the lot of their fellows in this way are following the divine path of concern for the welfare of others which is encouraged throughout scripture.
God’s words and works
In our contemporary society where the religious motivation has been largely lost, it is easy to see science at its worst in its cynical rejection of the Creator and its ruthless and selfish misdirection. But with the prepared mind of the believer, we can be more positive than this.
Faith in the power and wisdom of God can be strengthened by new discoveries and it is ungrateful to despise the blessings that we enjoy from their practical application. Indeed, countless generations over the centuries have been influenced for spiritual and physical good by the constructive interaction of the Bible and science. They have regarded them as complementary, one revealing His words and the other His works.
The fact that observation and experience open up the working of God is a blessing, for the Greek approach served only to exalt unaided human speculation. A true scientific approach gives us confidence in the majesty and splendor of God’s works. And this serves to enrich our knowledge of the same One who has revealed His plan in His written word. Thus the Psalmist proclaims: “The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein” (Psa. 111:2).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One