top of page

Different Christian Perspectives on Science

 

Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.

Romans 1:20

Christian Theism

7

​Richard Wright explains postmodernism by saying, "Postmodernists speak of the existence of stories rather than truth". They do not have a particular allegiance to anything other than what a culture produces as truth. Their truth is what everyone agrees to believe, and they work to serve the dominant culture. They typically tend to believe that "the world that science produces is a human invention."

 

Postmodernism is an interesting worldview that is very popular among the American culture and even around the world. It is not typically accpeted by Christians and scientists alike due to its lack of forming truths.

 

 

In the book, Biology Through the Eyes of Faith, Richard Wright describes five key components of a Christian worldview. The following characteristics "lay out the basic framework of a Christian (theistic) worldview"

 

 

  • A triune God who is almighty, eternal, personal, holy, just and loving

  • The universe is bound by certain laws, but is dependent on God

  • Truth exists and can be found by God-given rational thought and through what God reveals to us

  • Moral law exists and applies to all humankind

  • Humans are made in the image of God

 

 

There are many different worldviews that Christians hold, but as we struggle to understand our world we must make sure we do not "hold worldviews that are inconsistent with biblical truth". Not even Christians can completely agree on which worldview we should hold, and this can be a hard question for Christian Scientists. Typically, this group finds different ways to integrate their beliefs with what science is discovering. These schools of thought include but are not limited to

 

 

  • Concordism: Bible supplies some information which can be harmonized with science

  • Substitutionism: Bible takes priority over modern science

  • Compartmentalism: Science and scripture are completely different realms of knowledge

  • Complementarism: Bible and science are complementary ways of viewing the universe 

 

 

No matter which worldview you ultimately end up choosing as being your basis between science and scripture, you must fully understand the challenges with each worldview. In my opinion, it is more important that we show Christ's love through our work in science, rather then being preoccupied with having all the answers. We will never have all the solutions, so let us seek God and remember to glorify Him in all that we do.

"Naturalism is the worldview that assumes that there is nothing outside the natural order" according to Richard Wright. It is a worldview adopted by many scientists who do not claim a particular religion. It claims that nature is bound by certain laws, it is self governed, it is self-explanatory, and it does not need a god in order to function normally.  

 

​Many scientists who are not Christian, hold this worldview and can elevate it to a religion of sorts. It is often called scientism and is another way that naturalism is expressed. It is interesting to note that while many Christian scientists do not agree with naturalism, they do use a variation called methodological naturalism. This simply "means that when scientists investigate the natural world, they employ entirely natural explanations in forming theories that attempt to explain how the natural world works."

 

For a better understanding of how Christian scientists can reconcile this with their beliefs, look at the second bullet under Christian Theism.

Postmodernism

7

Naturalism

7

Images from:

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/sunsets-and-sunrises/images/21056744/title/sunset-sunrise-wallpaper

http://fineartamerica.com/art/paintings/madart/all

http://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=239336120

bottom of page