Science and faith are often pitted against each other. Many have felt they must make a choice between either being a person of science or a person of faith. Dr. Vern Poythress, Professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary and the author of Redeeming Science, joins the panel on Christ the Center to discuss the relationship between Christianity and science. He argues that not only is science compatible with Christianity, but that the Triune God of the Bible is required in order for the very possibility of science to exist. Listen to this broad-ranging discussion that touches upon science, mathematics, the creation days, and a Christian approach to education.
Archive.org
Panel
- Vern Poythress
- James Dolezal
- Jim Cassidy
- Nick Batzig
- Camden Bucey
Bibliography
Nickel, James. Mathematics: Is God Silent? Vallecito, Calif.: Ross House Books, 2001.
Poythress, Vern S. God-Centered Biblical Interpretation. Phillipsburg, N.J.: P&R Pub., 1999.
—. Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2006.
—. The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses. Brentwood, Tenn.: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, 1991.
—. Understanding Dispensationalists. 2nd ed. P & R Publishing, 1993.
Van Til, Cornelius. Introduction to Systematic Theology. 2nd ed. P & R Publishing, 2007.
Wolterstorff, Nicholas. On Universals: An Essay in Ontology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1970.
Other Formats
Tags: doctrine of god, science, vantil
Participants: James Dolezal, Jim Cassidy, Nick Batzig, Vern Poythress
Browse more episodes from this program and learn how to subscribe.
Thanks.
Renowned Scientists on Intelligent Design
I downloaded the book and scanned it, and found it very interesting. I’m planning to give it a more thorough read. Thanks!
Dr. Poythress has several interesting chapters in the book. He even discusses the relationship of music to mathematics. His chapter on linguistics in a sense berthed a new book that will be published this year.
Forgive the long quote, but you may find it interesting:
“The difference that it (the doctrine of the Trinity) makes has to do with the development of science and technology, and the role of science and technology regarding human life, among other things. At this point in human history people — the populations of the world — are dependent upon science and technology. Life as we know it could not exist without them. They are the foundation of our contemporary life support systems, i.e., food production, medicine and shelter.
It is significant that modern science and technology developed in the Christian West. They did not develop in India or China, both of which have very long histories. There was plenty of time for science and technology to develop in either India or China, but they did not. Why not? Why did they develop out of the Christian West? The short answer is that they developed out of the doctrine of the Trinity, and Christianity is the only religion or worldview that incorporates and advances such an explanation of God and of reality. And that is what the doctrine of the Trinity is — an explanation of God and reality that fits the facts.
A full explanation of exactly how the Trinity works is more difficult than simply stating it. For the most part the doctrine of the Trinity has been considered to be a mystery. And it is, but not because it is completely unknown. Rather, it is mysterious because it is both hard to explain and it is not completely understandable. Yet, in spite of this difficulty everyone uses the doctrine of the Trinity every day, and people have always relied upon it, though for the most part our reliance is at a subconscious level. It’s sort of like relying on air. We breathe it, but for the most part it goes unseen and unnoticed as we go about our daily lives. The reality of the Trinity is, like air, a common, fundamental condition of ordinary living. People assume it to be true yet rarely acknowledge it, much less consciously think about it. But without the reality of the Trinity, life as we know it would be impossible.
Philosophically, the doctrine of the Trinity answers the fundamental issue posed by Plato (and others) known as the one and the many.1 All human cultures in some way have to account for the myriad of objects and phenomena in the world. We have to make sense of the world in order to live in the world. And the use of science and technology require that we make a particular kind of sense of the world.
We live in a world of objects — things — that are constantly changing. Yet, in this world of objects and change, there seems to be an underlying unity and stability. There is a rational consistency in the way that the world works. For instance, every human being begins as an infant and then grows into an adult and dies. Adults are very different than infants in every regard — in fact, they are in many ways unrecognizable as being the same object. Yet we recognize that they are the same, that something has remained the same even though the infant has changed into something that is quite different from its original state. And if we trace human life back into the womb or forward into death, we see even more astonishing changes. Yet, in spite of the changes we recognize an enduring consistency, a unique individuality in the midst of change.
Or consider an acorn and an oak tree. They are completely different, yet we recognize that they share an essential identity over time. The one becomes the other such that the consistency between them is absolutely reliable. Something remains constant between these two very different things. And we see the same rational stability and constancy across the variety of objects that inhabit our world. While the world is full of diverse trees, there is still some constancy and stability to the idea of “treeness” which never seems to change.
This observation of the world of phenomena leads many cultures to believe that the diversity of things and their changes can ultimately be related back to a single thing, a unity or a oneness that remains constant in the midst of the flux of change. It is this constancy, this unity of individual things that gives them their identity. This concern is at the heart of the scientific endeavor and helps us to know how things in the world work.”
(from my book Arsy Varsy — Reclaiming the Gospel in First Corinthians)