TWEAKING THE BIBLE TO CONFORM TO “SCIENCE”

I just read a sample of Christian physicist Michael G. Strauss’ book, “The Creator Revealed.” He writes:

• The discoveries of modern science regarding the origin and development of the universe, the big bang, actually reveal God’s character and agree with the biblical accounts of creation.

In many instances, this is true. For example, Big Bang cosmology points to the Biblical fact that the universe had a beginning (Genesis 1:1), in opposition to the Steady State theory, which claims that it has always existed.

Strauss adds:

• Rather than view modern science as the enemy, we can see how the conclusions of modern science emanate from the God of truth and agree with other revealed truth. Then even the science classes in our secular universities will strengthen and support our Christian faith.

Modern science has been very supportive of the Christian faith, even if the modern consensus regarding the theory of evolution has not been so. Consequently, it is important to distinguish between the practice of science to understand the physical world of God’s creation, and the conclusions that scientists might wrongly embrace. In other words, there is often a disparity between the thinking of scientists with the truth of science. Therefore, to reject the present scientific consensus is not a rejection of science per se.  

I was beginning to wonder if Strauss was mistakenly conflating the two. His next statement seems to suggest that he regards the scientific consensus as the “gold standard” by which to judge everything else:

• As a university professor, I have seen what can happen when Christian young people attend college and are confronted with “atheistic” science. All too often, the facts of nature seem to conflict with what the student has been taught is true from the Bible. Because the facts from science are undeniable, the logical option for many students is to reject what they have been taught about God and the Bible. I have talked to many students who have rejected Christianity because of the perception that the record of nature contradicts the words of the Bible.

If the “facts from science are undeniable,” then science is the final arbiter of all truth claims, even the truth claims of the Bible. Perhaps I’m reading too much into Strauss’ purpose, but it seems to me that he is asking Christians to interpret the Bible according to the “facts from science.”

Strauss is understandably concerned that some Christians have rejected their faith because it doesn’t seem to conform to the “undeniable” facts. However, I am afraid that his solution might be to show Christian college students that, by tweaking their interpretation of the Bible, they can make the Bible fall into line with present scientific consensus. Theistic evolutionists try to do this through what they consider a “minor” adjustment. Students merely need to recognize that the Bible is not about the physical world but the spiritual world.  Evolution, on the other hand, is not about the spiritual but the physical. As if by magic, according to this mind-set, all possibility of any contradiction between evolution and the Bible disappears.  But in that convoluted process, true Biblical faith disappears as well.  The spiritual message is embedded in the physical, its historical context. Consequently, we cannot have the spiritual message of the Cross without the historical component--for example, that Christ actually and historically died for our sins.

God’s Word must reign supreme above every other truth claim--the claims of our feelings, family influence, culture, ethnic identity, sexuality, and even over the claims of the university and its scientific consensus.  Perhaps we need to show these students that the findings of science can be understood to fall into line with the Bible, as the Bible requires. 

• For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)

Instead, the Church has a shameful habit of being taken captive by society, including the wholesale acceptance of what is currently popular in the scientific community.  As a result, the Church had unfaithfully accepted Geocentrism and the Steady State theory without Biblical support.