2.22.2017

Ten ways in which Christian belief creates a hospitable environment for scientific inquiry


  1. The physical universe is an objective reality, which is ontologically distinct from the Creator (Genesis 1:1; John 1:1).
  2. The laws of nature exhibit order, pattern and regularity, since they are established by an orderly God (Psalm 19:1-4).
  3. The laws of nature are uniform throughout the physical universe, since God created and providentially sustains them.
  4. The physical universe is intelligible because God created us to know himself, ourselves and the rest of creation (Genesis 1-2; Proverbs 8).
  5. The world is good, valuable and worthy of careful study because it was created for a purpose by a perfectly good God (Genesis 1). Humans, as the unique image bearers of God, were created to discern, discover and develop the goodness of creation for the glory of God and human betterment terment through work. The creation mandate (Genesis 1:26-28) includes cludes scientific activity.
  6. Because the world is not divine and therefore not a proper object of worship, it can be an object of rational study and empirical observation.
  7. Human beings possess the ability to discover the universe's intelligibility, since we are made in God's image and have been placed on earth to develop its intrinsic possibilities.
  8. Because God did not reveal everything about nature, empirical investigation is necessary to discern the patterns God laid down in creation.
  9. God encourages, even propels, science through his imperative to humans mans to take dominion over nature (Genesis 1:28).
  10. The intellectual virtues essential to carrying out the scientific enterprise prise (studiousness, honesty, integrity, humility and courage) are part of God's moral law (Exodus 20:1-17).
Comment: Douglas Groothuis. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case for Biblical Faith (Kindle Locations 1034-1037). Kindle Edition. / Image source below is from ASA website here.

God has two "books" for us:

Nature / Science is the study of the Physical


His Word / Theology is the study of the Metaphysical




1 comment:

  1. JP, I'm still trying to figure out why in the KJV for a couple of hundred years Genesis 1:1 said "heavens" and now they changed it to the singular "heaven."

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