“Hillsong Worship Leader [Marty Sampson] Announces He Wants No Part in Christianity Anymore.”[1]Marty says in the interview, “I am not in any more. I want genuine truth. Not the ‘I just believe it’ kind of truth. Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion.”[2]
Is that true? Has science poked holes in Christianity?
The year is 1953. Watson and Crick have just discovered the structure of DNA. Contrary to what the Bible had taught for thousands of years, almost every scientist still thought the universe to be static and eternal. We had only discovered – at most – five characteristics of the universe that have to be fine-tuned for life. The Oparin-Haldane idea of life originating from a warm little pond was alive and well with the recently complete Miller-Urey experiment.
What has happened since 1953? Have the last 65 years seen a flood of evidence from nature making Christianity less reasonable; “piercing the truth” of the essential tenets of the faith?
To answer this, I will focus on three basic beliefs of the Christian faith that can addressed by science:
1. The universe was created by God. Does current cosmology agree?
2. The universe was designed for us. Does current physics agree?
3. God created life. Does current biology – specifically origin of life research - agree?
The universe was created by God. Does current cosmology agree?
The creation of the universe is supported by the most tested and confirmed scientific theory – General Relativity. The discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation in 1964 provided the last piece of evidence to convince the scientific community that the universe had a beginning; the data since has continued to point to a creation event. The current standard model for the universe includes an absolute beginning to time, space, and matter – which of course supports the first tenet that the universe was created. Alexander Vilenkin, physics professor at Tufts University, said in 2012 that “All the evidence we have says that the universe had a beginning.”[3]This, of course, agrees very well with the first verse in Genesis.
The universe was designed for us. Does current physics agree?
The design of the universe is becoming so accepted that the question is no longer if the universe is fine-tuned for life, but instead has become, “who or what is responsible for the fine-tuning?” The second tenet is support by current science. Paul Davies, physics professor at Arizona State University wrote an entire book in 2006 addressing the question, “Why Is The Universe Just Right For Life?”[4]He starts chapter eight with this quote, “Scientists have long been aware that the universe seems strangely suited to life, but, they mostly chose to ignore it. It was an embarrassment – it looked too much like the work of a Cosmic Designer.”[5]Hugh Ross of Reasons To Believe has been keeping track of the number of characteristics of the universe, galaxy, solar system, and earth that must be fine-tuned for us to exist. His number has climbed from around five in the 1960’s to over 1000 today – in every area of scientific study.[6] We continue to find increasingevidence that we are part of the purpose of the universe; this design supports what is taught in the Bible.
God created life. Does current biology – specifically origin of life research - agree?
Origin of life research since 1953 has made the creation of life on earth more reasonable and a materialistic explanation of life less reasonable. Since 1953 we have determined that there was no pre-biotic chemical soup (no warm little pond). As we do more research, organic synthesis under the conditions of the early earth of the large molecules needed for life has become more and more difficult.[7] Also, chemists having to intervene to do these synthesis reactions in the lab actually provides evidence for an intelligent mind needing to be involved in the creation of life. The organic synthesis reactions required for life to begin all require a researcher to control some aspect of the experiment to get the needed result. Evolutionary biologist Simon Conway Morris has pointed out, “Many of the experiments designed to explain one or other step in origin of life are either of tenuous relevance to any believable prebiotic setting or involve an experimental rig in which the hand of the researcher becomes for all intents and purposes the hand of God.”[8]An intelligence is necessary every time we duplicate origin of life chemistry; materialism predicts that these reactions should occur on their own. The more origin of life research we do, the more evidence we find for a creator!
Since the discovery of DNA in 1953, we continued to uncover how amazing the chemical code for life actual is. DNA is information. It has been said to be a language and a super advanced computer code; the more we investigate, the more complex it shows itself to be! Since the only source of information is a mind, the evidence we find as we research DNA increasinglysupports that life was created.
Instead of science piercing the truth of Christianity, virtually every discovery and major advance in science over the last 65 years has supported Christianity and made the existence of God more reasonable!
1. The universe was created by God. Supported by current cosmology!
2. The universe was designed for us. Supported by physics and almost every area of science!
3. God created life. Supported by origin of life research and the discovery that DNA is information!
[1]Charisma News, Jenny Rose Spaudo, 8/12/2019
[2]ibid
[3]https://uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/vilenkins-verdict-all-the-evidence-we-have-says-that-the-universe-had-a-beginning/
[4]Paul Davies, The Goldilocks Enigma, First Mariner Books, 2006
[5]Ibid, page 151
[6]https://www.reasons.org/explore/blogs/todays-new-reason-to-believe/read/tnrtb/2004/06/07/fine-tuning-for-life-on-earth-updated-june-2004
[7]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU7Lww-sBPg
[8]Fazale Rana, Creating Life In The Lab, Baker Books, 2011, page 195
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