Christ Church Columbia Station
Science and Religion - Psalm 19
Science and Religion
Psalm 19
Science and religion share two myths:
The utopian myth
The dystopian myth
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.
2 Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
Faith pushes scientific hypothesis and experimentation
Faith in a knowable reality
Faith in the hypothesis
Faith in the experiments
Faith creates moral accountability
Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the LORD is sure,
making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the LORD is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the LORD are true,
and righteous altogether.
Science and religion do not share the same magisteria
Psalm 19:12 Who can discern his errors?
Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
let them not have dominion over me!
Then I shall be blameless,
and innocent of great transgression
Learn to live with the tension – reject simple answers to complex problems. All truth is God’s truth. We have nothing to fear from truth!
“In matters that are so obscure and far beyond our vision, we find in Holy Scripture passages which can be interpreted in very different ways without prejudice to the faith we have received. In such cases, we should not rush in headlong and so firmly take our stand on one side that, if further progress in the search for truth justly undermines this position, we too fall with it.” – Augustine
We can hear the voice of God in multiple ways.
Psalm 19:1-4 ESV