For the exam, you would want to know at least the following about Christianity and science.

• Scientific explanations are arrived at by observing and measuring the world, and forming testable hypotheses about how it works.

• In contrast, Christian explanations are arrived at by the study of the Bible, Church tradition, and (sometimes) religious experiences.

  • N.B. Some Christians also study the natural world to understand God and the Bible better. We will not focus on them here.

• Sometimes science and Christianity explain the same phenomenon differently; this can be understood as science ‘challenging’ Christian explantions.

• Here we examine three examples of this.

Creation

• The Bible says God created the universe in six days (Genesis 1).

• However, scientific observations of the universe (specifically, of Red Shift and Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation) suggest it is closer to 13.8 billion years old.

• If a ‘day’ in Genesis 1 is understood to be 24-hours, then the scientific observations of the universe would seem to challenge the Christian explanation.

Human Origins

• The Bible describes God forming the first human, Adam, out of dust, and making the second, Eve, from his rib (Genesis 2. 4–25).

• However, scientific studies of the fossil record suggest that modern humans evolved gradually over millions of years.

• If the Genesis account is understood literally, the scientific explanation of human origins would seem to challenge it.

The Great Flood

• The Bible claims that at one point, God flooded the entire world, submerging even the tallest mountains, and killing everyone except one family (Genesis 7. 17–23).

• However, scientists point out that there is no evidence of a flood like this, and in any case there is not enough water in the world to submerge the tallest mountains.

• If the ‘Great Flood’ story is taken literally, then it is challenged by scientific explanations.