After a packed sanctuary sang For All the Saints, Chris Larson opened with prayer and a reading from I Corinthians. Mr. Larson then introduced the speaker for the first session, Dr. J. Ligon Duncan III. Dr. Duncan is the senior minister of First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Miss., and adjunct professor of theology at Reformed Theological Seminary. He is the president of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals and chairman of the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood. Dr. Duncan has written and edited several books including Women’s Ministry in the Local Church, The Westminster Confession into the 21st Century, and Should We Leave Our Churches?: A Biblical Response to Harold Camping.
The topic of Dr. Duncan’s address was Has Science Disproved the Existence of God? — a fascinating topic in light of the recent slew of books for and against atheism. Ligon noted that we need to be able to give an answer for the hope that is in us. Just as there is a greater openness today toward spirituality, antagonism toward the Christian message of Jesus Christ as the only way to God has increased. The leading atheists make the case that religion is downright harmful for society and must be eradicated.
WAYS PEOPLE SPEAK OF SCIENCE “DISPROVING” GOD
It is important that we understand the question: Don’t you think science has disproven the existence of God? The one posing this question could mean that naturalism (or materialism) is in conflict with Christianity. The answer is yes, it is in conflict, and Christianity has the upper hand in that debate. However, people generally have one of three topics on their mind:
1. They may be thinking about Christian origins versus evolution. They may suppose science has proven that God does not exist.
2. They may want to argue that miracles are impossible, and hence Christianity must be false.
3. They may suppose that archeological and astronomical developments seriously challenge the Christian faith. For example, the Bible teaches (so they say) that the sun revolves around the earth, and many religious people once believed such things. Now that we know such scientific ideas are false, we can dispose with Christianity altogether. In addition, people attack the Bible on the issue of inerrancy due to archeological developments. For example, it was common in the 19th century for people to criticize the Old Testament since we lacked archeological evidence for the existence of numerous tribes (such as the Hittites). But since then, we have obtained extensive archeological evidence for the historicity of many of these tribes. [This represents one of the limitations of science in settling ultimate questions. Scientific knowledge, by its very nature, is progressive, so it is always incomplete.]
On the other hand, sometimes the Bible uses telecentric language (e.g., speaking of the “sun rising and setting” — even though it is the earth that rotates). The Bible uses the normal language of human discourse. And miracles? Doesn’t the very claim for miracles undermine Christianity, since we “know” miracles do not occur? In response:
1. Miracles are not meant to be easy to believe.
2. Miracles in the Bible are not intended to occur on a regular basis. They are intended to be out of the ordinary. Those observing them understood that such things were highly unusual (e.g., a virgin giving birth). When Moses recounts the parting of the Red Sea he fully understands that such an event was singularly unique. We cannot walk away from the supernatural core of our faith. Without the miracle of the resurrection, we are without hope. And there is massive evidence that substantiates the Scriptural account of the resurrection. But we have to confront an ideology which assumes that miracles cannot occur. The Bible, by contrast, begins with the assumption of the supernatural in its very first verse (Gen. 1:1).
But sometimes the question is in the form: Hasn’t evolution called into question the claim that God made the heavens and the earth? The answer is no. Every aspect of evolutionary teaching is a description of the mechanism whereby life (in its present form) came to be. But it does not seek to explain or answer the ultimate foundational question of the origin of the universe. If you boil down the theories on the origin of the universe, there are three:
1. There was nothing, and then there was something.
[Problem: If something now exists, we are driven to the conclusion that something always existed.]
2. There has always been something. This impersonal something contained all power and potentiality to create life in all its current forms.
[Problem: Why doesn’t this external existence of “something” not also trouble the modern secularist? This “something” already has some of the properties of God.]
3. There has always been a sovereign, personal God though there has not always been a universe, He brought it into being. (And science cannot disprove this.) Before the universe was here, God was.
INTELLIGENT SCIENTISTS HAVE OFTEN BEEN CHRISTIANS
An objection from sociology is sometimes raised: You cannot be an intelligent, educated scholar and still believe the Bible. The problem with this is that the encyclopedia is filled with scientists who were bright, made important discoveries, and who were Christians. Francis Bacon, Keplar, Pascal, Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, and many others.
In the 1920s, 40% of leading scientists believed in the existence of a personal God. These statistics have not changed much in the last seventy years. Unbelieving scientists today generally bring their unbelief to their science. They reject Christianity for non-scientific reasons. Generally, science does not lead people to unbelief.
We are limited by the questions science can ask or answer. The way that we know something depends on what we’re talking about. If we want to know if we have Cheerios, we go check the cabinet. But how do we know that someone is a good friend? Science is not equipped to address that one. Nor is science equipped to answer the question about the origin of the universe.
STANDING FIRM
We must maintain the assertion that God is our Maker (Acts 17:24ff). But the world is not divided between worshipers and non-worshipers. We all worship something. Christians worship the God who made us. Everyone else is worshiping something else. If we look hard enough, we can find what is “at the top” for them (and usually it is themselves).
The nature of God (a spirit) is such that we must worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4). You can only get to know a spirit if that spirit wants you to know Him. This God who is spirit is revealed both in His creation and in His word. Romans 1 tells us not only that God speaks through His creation but that His message gets through (“God made it evident to them”). They reject it anyway not due to lack of evidence or rationality but because they are sinners and they want to stay on the throne.