CERTAINTY WHERE SCIENCE IS IN DOUBT
There was an interesting discussion on the Breakfast programme on Radio 4 this week. It was about whether Charles Darwin would be able to get a job in a modern University Science Department. The initial discussion was not about whether his ideas would be acceptable – that was largely taken for granted. Rather it was about his approach and methodology. Short-termism is apparently now so dominant in Universities with the emphasis being on immediate impact. The necessary observation and reflection that Darwin used, and many other scientists in the past, takes too long.
If that had been all there was in the discussion it would have shown the growing bankruptcy in the administration and underlying management philosophies in our Universities, but little else. However the two contributors, who were both evolutionary biologists, went on to say that time for deeper and more careful research was vital. There were they said, ‘great gaps in the understanding’ of what really happened in the evolutionary process. They freely and openly admitted, with delightful candour, that the current state of knowledge was inadequate and much work remained to be done. On questioning they highlighted, as illustrations, the gaps in understanding of how natural selection works, the process of speciesisation and how and why genetic changes take place. It was refreshing to hear such true scientific mentality being shown.
Towards the end of the discussion John Humphrys, who was the interviewer, felt it necessary to interject in a somewhat tangential manner that ‘evolution was a fact’. Quite incomprehensibly he then took a side swipe at ‘slightly bonkers’ creationists. Why he should have done that is interesting to speculate. Perhaps he was beginning to fear that the honesty of these two scientists would lead listeners to begin to doubt the validity of Evolutionary theory? And maybe he found himself uncertain about how to respond to scientists being so open and honest in the public sphere?
Can you imagine how he would have dealt with two contributors expressing such questions about their own ideas had they been politicians. He would have torn them apart. Or what if they had been people talking on moral or ethical issues and exposing the weaknesses in their understanding of the real situation. He would have questioned the whole basis of their arguments and dismissed their doubts as proof that they had no answer to the situations they were speaking about. But these were notable scientists. Politicians have to be clear and precise in their policies and arguments. Social commentators must be decisive in their analysis of moral and ethical problems. And scientists are all about certainty. That is the world in which we live.
A leading Christian lobby group has circulated all its members encouraging them to challenge John Humphrys on the slight on creationists. What a foolish reaction. Let that go. There is something much more fundamental and important in this. Why, oh why, are evangelical Christians so sensitive about secondary issues and so blind to the real situation?
What John Humphrys is expressing in his unnecessary intervention is the religion of scientism that so permeates the public agenda. This applies not just in the world of evolutionary science, but also in areas of medicine and medical ethics, in the world of ecology and climate change, in the popular understanding of the meaning and purpose of life with all its social and ethical implications, and in almost every aspect of life. Science has the answer or will soon provide the answer. The gift of God to men to understand and analyse the world (Genesis 1:28) has been turned from a servant to a master. And it cannot meet that expectation.
In a society that claims there are no absolute values and no over-arching explanation of the world and its history and meaning, there is such uncertainty and instability that science must serve as ‘god’ to give a place of solidity. But science cannot perform that function. It cannot be ‘god’. It is designed to be a means of finding God as we behold the wonders of all that God has done.
So what we then get when science’s weakness is shown is the inevitable reaction of the insecure and fearful, intolerance towards those who differ from the accepted norm. The fear of the different and the challenging is the response of the uncertain. That is why he made the jibe at creationists. It shows an innate awareness that there is truth in the Biblical account of creation. Don’t challenge him. Pray for him and encourage him to think more deeply.
What we must do in our struggling world is provide a place of certainty and stability. The Word of God, the work of Christ in history and the saving grace of God in the lives of believers are sure things that lives can be built upon. Here is what we must present to women and men in such an uncertain age. What a glorious reliability there is in the Bible and the Saviour - absolute reliability!
But let us be wise and careful. Creation science (as opposed to the doctrines of creation) has its own areas of ignorance. It cannot explain everything and needs to speak with greater humility. Theistic evolution can often end up taking on board all the gaps of evolution and weakening the strong foundation of Scripture. Indeed there is a growing movement in the USA involving people like Dr Al Mohler which is rejecting it outright. Intelligent Design only goes so far and stops short of a full disclosure of God. So we who believe and preach the glorious certainties of Christ as revealed in the Bible must be wise and careful when we try to explain origins. The Bible and science are not in conflict but they do major on dealing with different issues. True science can never, in the end, contradict God’s Word, but it can explain things that Scripture does not deal with. That is why God gave Adam the mandate to enquire into creation and to develop scientific thinking. The Bible leads us to Christ and is the ultimate revelation of God.
Slowly people are coming to realise that evolution is not established as fact. It is a scientific theory that may appear to explain many things but falls seriously short in explaining others. Obviously we must point that out. Exclude God from the issue of origins and the development of the Universe and you are rudderless in a sea of uncertainty. We must not be afraid to say that. There is a Creator – the One and Only True God who is absolute in wisdom, power and holiness. Let us point everyone to Him and His salvation through Jesus Christ.
Roger Hitchings 05/02/2011