Slides for my talk on a Christian view of science

1. A Christian view of .. .. Science

2. Boa Constrictors & Warthogs

3. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

4. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

5. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

6. Creation Jesus is the source and sustainer of creation It is good ... very good Humans are the image bearers of God Develop the potential within creation Law/ Word/Norms

7. Fall Affects all of life Something created becomes a god Science

8. The Science of .....

9. Fall Affects all of life Something created becomes a god Science Divinised STRUCTURE & DIRECTION Demonised

10. Creation Cosmic in scope - all things are restored Restoration and renewal of the original creation All of life redeemed Fall Redemption

11. -conciliation -newal -generation -creation Re Re demption is f or the world it is not to Re deem individuals out of the world

12. 1. Fred Hoyle - a British scientist. 2. Stanley Jaki - a Hungarian Catholic priest and scientist 3. Henry Morris - an American Christian and engineer B. The big bang theory is wrong because it supports the idea of a divine creation A. The big bang is correct. It supports the Christian idea of a creation C. The big bang theory is wrong because it contradicts the Bible

13. 1. Fred Hoyle - a British scientist. He is an atheist 2. Stanley Jaki - a Hungarian Catholic priest and scientist 3. Henry Morris - an American Christian and engineer A. The big bang is correct. It supports the Christian idea of a creation B. The big bang theory is wrong because it supports the idea of a divine creation C. The big bang theory is wrong because it contradicts the Bible

14. 1 . We all have a worldview 2 . A worldview is the product of faith, shaped by religious commitments 3 . All human activity is shaped by worldviews 4 . Science is a human activity Therefore 5 . Science is shaped by worldviews

16. ASBO Jesus # (c) Jon Birch

17. 1859

18. (c) Stanley Harris

19. 1. Is the earth old? 2. Do we have a common ancestor?

20. Recent creationism Ideal time (Omphalos) Gap theory Progressive creationism Age day revelatory day Neo-Darwinism Creation and evolution: some options Age of the Earth? Young Old Common ancestor? Yes No Apparent Actual Atheistic Theistic naturalism evolution

22. True or false? Darwin originated the idea of organic evolution Darwin coined the term ‘survival of the fittest’ Darwin once considered being ordained Darwin claimed humans were descended from monkeys

23. True or False Darwin originated the idea of organic evolution Darwin coined the term ‘survival of the fittest’ Darwin once considered being ordained Darwin claimed humans were descended from monkeys False False False True

24. True or False ? Darwin made a death bed confession of faith Darwin made it intellectually respectable to be an atheist Darwinism is atheism Darwin became an atheist False False False True

25. True or False ? Most Christians at the time were against natural selection Perhaps - but certainly not all

26. True or False ? Most Christians at the time were against natural selection God made things to make themselves (Arch)Bishop Fredrick Temple Charles Kingsley

27. True or False ? Most Christians at the time were against natural selection Asa Gray James Orr

28. True or False ? Most Christians at the time were against natural selection I do not think that there is any general statement in the Bible or any part of the account of creation, either as given in Genesis 1 and 2 or elsewhere alluded to, that need be opposed to evolution B B Warfield

29. • Something is true only if it can be tested by the scientific method • Science is the most valuable, most important and authoritative sector of human learning • There are no truths apart from scientific truths • There can be other truths apart from scientific truths • Theology is not a subject at all • Conversation between science and theology is a monologue • Self-refuting: it is a philosophical claim not a scientific one Neither form can support the presuppositions that are essential to the practice of science! Scientism Strong Weak

30. (c) Stanley Harris

31. Evolution and creation Richard Dawkins once leaned across an Oxford dinner table and said to Alfred Ayer: ‘ ..although atheism might have been logically tenable before Darwin, Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.’ Zoologist G G Simpson when asked what is man? answered ‘The point I want to make now is that all attempts to answer the question before 1859 are worthless and that we will be better off if we ignore them completely.’

33. • Belief in a material world • Belief that the world is orderly • Belief that understanding the world is a valuable exercise • Belief that the world and its order can be known • Belief that science works

34. Copernicus

35. Science tells us how heaven goes, but theology how to go to heaven Galileo

36. Science is ‘thinking God’s thoughts after him’ Johannes Kepler

37. When I wrote my treatise about our System I had an eye upon such Principles as might work with considering men for the belief of a Deity and nothing can rejoice me more than to find it useful for that purpose. Sir Isaac Newton

38. ...the two great books, of nature and of scripture, have the same author, so the latter does not hinder at all an inquisitive man’s delight in the study of the former Robert Boyle 1627-1691

39. I believe that the more thoroughly science is studied the further does it take us from anything comparable to atheism Lord [William Thomson] Kelvin 1824-1907

40. Michael Faraday

41. And therefore, brethren, we ought to value the privilege of knowing God's truth far beyond anything we can have in this world. The more we see the perfection of God's law fulfilled in Christ, the more we ought to thank God for His unspeakable gift.

42. Sir, (a+b^n)/ n = x, hence God exists - reply! Leonhard Euler 1707-1783

43. The only desire which I can have is like David to serve my own generation by the will of God, and then fall asleep James Clerk Maxwell 1831-1879

44. In the distance tower still higher [scientific] peaks which will yield to those who ascend them still wider prospects and deepen the feelings whose truth is emphasised by every advance in science, that are great the works of the Lord J J Thompson

45. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

46. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

47. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

48. A tale of two circles: Science Religion Complementarity

49. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

50. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

51. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

52. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

53. A tale of two circles: Science Religion

54. A tale of two circles: Sciences Religion Theology Physical science

55. The design argument

56. Chance? Yes No No challenge to God’s sovereignty or divine providence Caused By God? Yes No Challenge to providence and sovereignty of God .