Are Faith and Science Compatible?

Hanging out with Christian scientists taught me even more about the nature of God.

Last week, I had the privilege of attending a conference hosted by The Biologos Foundation. In some ways, I felt like an odd duck. Biologos is an organization dedicated to demonstrating the compatibility of modern science and evangelical faith. I’m all about evangelical faith, but I haven’t participated in a modern science class in over two decades. Still, I’m very interested in the way Christians interpret Scripture (which, at least on the Christian side of the debate, seems to be the crucial matter at stake when discussing evolution), and I spend lots of time writing about what it means that we as human beings have been created by God in a purposeful way.

At the conference, we didn’t talk much about human uniqueness, or the doctrine of the imago dei (image of God), as it turns out. We did hear some compelling presentations regarding evolution, the very very old age of the earth and the surrounding cosmos, and the puzzling (from a Scriptural perspective) scientific conclusion that we are descended from thousands of humans rather than a solitary Adam and Eve. (This final point does not preclude the possibility of an Adam and an Eve existing and being singled out by God for a purpose, but it does lead to lots of speculation without any conclusive proof.)

For me, the experience resulted not so much in affirming my views on science, but rather in reminding me of the ways in which, as the Psalmist writes, “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1).

Throughout the Bible, the natural world serves as a window into God’s character as the Creator. Jesus follows this pattern when he uses nature both to perform miracles (the feeding of the 5,000, turning water into wine, …