Is Science At War With Christianity?

Some believe Christianity has always been at odds with science, that faith clashes with reason. But this is not true. The following is an outline for a presentation I have given. If you'd like more details, let me know.



1. Christianity has done many things for the world -- sanctity of life, regard for women, emphasis on charity/poor, health care, education, free enterprise/work ethic, American democracy, individual freedom/autonomy.

2. Modern science arose out of Christianity -- observation, experimentation, verification

3. Due to Christian worldview
rationality of God vs. Greek gods
relationship of God to the world vs. animism
nature of the physical world vs. Eastern religions
nature of people as rational vs. Islam
view of progress and the future vs. ancient world

4. Medieval times -- start of science
farming, inventions, medicine [plow, crop rotation, iron tools, blast furnace, windmills, waterwheels, . . . ]
universities

5. Galileo -- not church vs. science
he was a critic of the Italian academic establishment (Aristotle)
enemies used the church to defeat him
he saw no breach between science and theology

6. Growth of science during the Reformation [rejected old theories, Royal Society]

7. Many of the early scientists were Christian [Mendel—genetics, Vesalius—anatomy, Kepler—astronomy, Newton—physics, Descartes—math ]

8. The Enlightenment -- start of naturalistic science

9. Today, Christianity still relevant in regards to science
big bang theory
fine-tuning of the universe (anthropic principle)
intelligent design
multi-dimensional reality (allows for miracles)

10. Problems with science today
not objective
science has limits -- some scientists have rejected rational realism, current theories can change (1861 French Academy of Science publication)
science has many presuppositions that must be accepted by faith [universe understandable, naturalism, . . . ]
scientists sometimes speak out of area of expertise (Carl Sagan)
some scientists claim only things verified by the scientific method are valid -- self refuting


11. Outside of science there is an entire other world
laws of logic
morality
emotions
truth
language
numbers
mind/soul

12. Conclusion: unfair split between science and Christianity
[two separate realms?? ]
[Science used to be seen differently—go where evidence took you.]
[ Many views can blend the two –near-death/ Big Bang. ]
[ Creationists can use science. ]
[Evolution has religious significance]

Solution—goal of science should be truth—old tradition; like medical examiner (natural causes? foul play by an intelligent agent?—universe may be result of an agent!!)



Resources

6 Modern Myths About Christianity (P. Sampson)
7 Myths About Christianity (D. and S. Larsen)
arn.org
The Case for a Creator (L. Strobel)
Christianity on Trial (V. Carroll and D. Shiflett)
The Creation Hypothesis (J.P. Moreland)
Darwin on Trial (P. Johnson)
Darwin’s Black Box (M. Behe)
equip.org
The Fingerprint of God (H. Ross)
The Genesis Question (H. Ross)
icr.org
Icons of Evolution (J. Wells)
Modern Physics and Ancient Faith (S. Barr)
Of Pandas and People (P. Davis and D. Kenyon)
Origins of Life (H. Ross and F. Rana)
The Privileged Planet (DVD)
reasons.org
str.org