Presuppositional Science

Something that came to mind last night:  To an unbeliever, Science and God are polar opposites. "You believe in God, while I believe in Science," is a fairly common claim that they would make. What they are saying is that science and God are in conflict with one another so that one or the other may be true, but not both. 

That's a false choice that we need to dismiss out of hand. Science and Faith are not in conflict at all! What the unbeliever is really saying is that science is only valid if it helps support their presuppositions of no sovereign creator or law giver. It is indicitave of their ongoing quest to suppress the truth in their unrighteousness.

So what's the Christian response? Study any and all scientific journals so you can find some data that they will accept as authoritative and use that to prove the validity of faith? Should you dismiss the Bible in your hopes of convincing this person of the necessity of faith and the existance of God?

That's a common response, for sure. But it isn't one that is honoring to God or loving to the lost. It will not gain you the type of reputation that will open future doors to more conversations that would be fruitful, for when you do try to discuss the necessity of the Gospel, you will rightly be called a hypocrite, for you would have been denying its  power all along, while relying upon your own. Leaning on the broken understanding of one who denies the existance of God, even though the Bible clearly states that all men know God.

Read Romans 1:18 to the end of the chapter. Read it again and again.

So what is the proper place in the tension between God and science? First understand that there is no tension. All things have been placed under the authority of Jesus. Science can be used to understand His greatness by learning about His creation. We should explore and learn all about this world and the cosmos that we can. But when we use our scientific pursuits in an attempt to suppress the truth in our own unrighteousness, we become like those Paul warns Timothy about.

2 Timothy 3:6-7 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.