Many Christians argue that Science
and Bible must agree for sake of inerrancy, authority, trustworthiness and
inspiration. That's why there are many efforts done to interpret passages of
the Bible through scientific lens. This leads them to think they can convince
others that the scripture is really divinely inspired. One of the basic root
causes for such attempt is a belief that God cannot lie and err and he calls us
to follow him as an example. The claim is made that Bible speaks itself to be
fully trustworthy without determining any particular premise.[1]
Next, when any premise of science
gets opposed to what the Bible teaches, we are taught to pick up stones and hit
it mercilessly. Criticism overflows and many scientific premises gets rejected.[2] These people prefer to
exalt Bible over fallible science. While other innocent mind acts funny by
sharing posts on Science and Bible with extremely general science matching up
with what the Bible has said. They are funny because they haven't realized
where the Bible actually gets criticized.
Interpreting the Bible through a
scientific lens is bad hermeneutics although not a heretic approach.[3] This is called
"concordism". This makes gentiles get attention towards the Bible at
first but slowly it begins to act as a poison against their fresh faith.[4] The focus is done more on
unnecessary subjects than what Bible is really intended for.
To keep myself at safe side, I am
also from science background. I am keen interested in physics, chemistry and
astronomy. I have also witnessed God's glory and intelligence while studying
science in my college. I am currently in applied science. I was too a crazy
person who tried to read science into the Bible. I had too gone through the
difficulty phase when I found several details in the Bible not getting in
parallel with science. However, the more I tried to understand the Bible, the
more I realized I was catching a wrong train. Slowly I became a non-concordist.
So far, I think, these should be
the Top 10 alerts when you are trying to deal with the case of Science vs Scripture:
1. Make sure that you just don't follow plain text reading
of the Bible and input your understanding of present context in its chapters.
The Bible was obviously written for us but not to us.[5]
2. Before hurrying to debunk, criticize or hit sarcasm to
anything related with science, be sure you have firmly studied them and
honestly representing them. It doesn’t matter even they are against the
scripture but it matters how far you are honest for sake of truth.
3. Before you shout aloud "we believe what the Bible
says!", make your place secure by testing whether you have really
"understood the Bible!". Don’t try to make the Bible say something which
it never intended to say!
4. Don’t input your presumption without studying how the
original audience understood it. Of course, they might have gone through errors
in their understanding but there is always progression as the time flows.
5. Be sure to know that science is progressive. Investigation
is still ongoing. We cannot make an immediate conclusion based on a particular
outcome.
6. The Bible has its own world and we need to visit it as if
we are time travelling. We need to learn how people understood this world,
their languages, vocabulary, literature, neighboring environment, culture and
so on. The Bible still remains trustworthy because it demonstrates the reality
of history in a particular period of time. Scientific facts alone aren't
parameter to establish whether something is reliable.
7. The Bible has more scope in theological interest. Science
has its scope in exploration.
8. To find scientific facts in the Bible doesn't make it
reliable, credible, trustworthy and inspired. Yes, God doesn't make error but our
God knows how to teach others and take wise approach. He used familiar
languages of the contemporary time just the same way we use today.[6]
9. Don't promote famous infographics on Science and Bible
which only touches general premise of science. Many have done this. Explore science
in depth and you will know such posts are useless efforts for evangelism.[7]
10. God doesn't require scientific information and accuracy
in his word. He can use foolish things of this world to make wiser become
embarrassed. He can allow flawed means to communicate infallible truth.[8] Guess what? He used flawed
humanity to complete his plan of redemption![9]
To be straightforward,
we should never make any attempt to exalt the Bible as inspired God’s Word by
taking support of science. These attempts are found to be done only with
general fields of science but everyone should realize where actually the Bible
has been getting severe criticism in science. Its time to be conscious and not
crazy believers.
References:
Kimball, Dan, and Sean McDowell.
How (Not) to Read the Bible: Making Sense of the Anti-Women, Anti-Science,
pro-Violence, pro-Slavery, and Other Crazy-Sounding Parts of Scripture, 2020.
Accessed May 31, 2022.
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2980238.
Kramer,
Brad. “No, Modern Science Is Not ‘Catching Up’ to the Bible.” Apologetics. Biologos.
Last modified January 24, 2018. Accessed June 8, 2022.
https://biologos.org/articles/no-modern-science-is-not-catching-up-to-the-bible.
Oakes,
John. “How Do I Explain Evolutionary Creationism to My Young Earth Creationist
Friend? – Evidence for Christianity,” n.d. Accessed October 30, 2022.
https://evidenceforchristianity.org/how-do-i-explain-evolutionary-creationism-to-my-young-earth-creationist-friend/.
“Concordism
| Reasonable Faith.” Accessed June 8, 2022.
https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/concordism.
“God’s
Eternal Plan for Man and the World.” NepalChurch.Com, September 9, 2019.
Accessed October 30, 2022.
https://nepalchurch.com/19428/gods-eternal-plan-for-man-and-the-world/.
“Inspiration
and Inerrancy: Distinguishing Ends and Means, Process and Product.” Dr. Michael
Heiser, August 11, 2008. Accessed October 30, 2022.
https://drmsh.com/inspiration-and-inerrancy-distinguishing-ends-and-means-process-and-product/.
Ray
Comfort Teaches Us How Not to Interpret the Bible, 2021. Accessed October 30,
2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK8qEjNrMNw.
“Systematic
Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine | Wayne Grudem | Download.”
Accessed August 20, 2022. https://b-ok.asia/book/753374/23dde1.
“The
Lost World of Genesis One : Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate | John H.
Walton. | Download.” Accessed June 10, 2022.
https://asia1lib.club/book/2516329/96bf93.
[1] “Systematic
Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine | Wayne Grudem | Download,”
accessed August 20, 2022, https://b-ok.asia/book/753374/23dde1.
[2] John
Oakes, “How Do I Explain Evolutionary Creationism to My Young Earth Creationist
Friend? – Evidence for Christianity,” n.d., accessed October 30, 2022,
https://evidenceforchristianity.org/how-do-i-explain-evolutionary-creationism-to-my-young-earth-creationist-friend/.
[3] “Concordism
| Reasonable Faith,” accessed June 8, 2022,
https://www.reasonablefaith.org/writings/question-answer/concordism.
[4] Ray
Comfort Teaches Us How Not to Interpret the Bible,
2021, accessed October 30, 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK8qEjNrMNw.
[5] Dan
Kimball and Sean McDowell, How (Not) to Read the Bible: Making Sense of the
Anti-Women, Anti-Science, pro-Violence, pro-Slavery, and Other Crazy-Sounding
Parts of Scripture, 2020, 57, accessed May 31, 2022,
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2980238.
[6] “The
Lost World of Genesis One : Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate | John H.
Walton. | Download,” accessed June 10, 2022,
https://asia1lib.club/book/2516329/96bf93.
[7] Brad
Kramer, “No, Modern Science Is Not ‘Catching Up’ to the Bible,” Apologetics, Biologos,
last modified January 24, 2018, accessed June 8, 2022,
https://biologos.org/articles/no-modern-science-is-not-catching-up-to-the-bible.
[8] “Inspiration
and Inerrancy: Distinguishing Ends and Means, Process and Product,” Dr.
Michael Heiser, August 11, 2008, accessed October 30, 2022,
https://drmsh.com/inspiration-and-inerrancy-distinguishing-ends-and-means-process-and-product/.
[9] “God’s
Eternal Plan for Man and the World,” NepalChurch.Com, September 9, 2019,
accessed October 30, 2022,
https://nepalchurch.com/19428/gods-eternal-plan-for-man-and-the-world/.
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