A question.
What do these men have in common: Isaac Newton, Werner von Braun, Louis Pasteur, Francis Bacon, Charles Babbage, Carolus Linnaeus, Raymond Damadian, Johann Kepler, Lord Kelvin, Gregor Mendel, Louis Agassiz, Samuel F. B. Morse? They were all scientists who made significant contributions to science. But they have something else in common. They were also believers in Jesus Christ.
That shouldn’t be so surprising, but people continue to presume that faith and reason are incompatible, that belief in Jesus Christ is only for the ignorant. For instance, a recent challenge came from champion poker-player and outspoken atheist, David Sklansky, wagering $50,000 that no one of Christian faith could beat his SAT score. However, within a day, someone accepted the challenge: Ken Jennings – the Jeopardy champion who holds the record 74-episode winning streak, who is also a devout Mormon.
The fact is that historically, most scientists in past centuries were also believers in God who saw no conflict between faith and reason. And as the knowledge on life’s complexity continues to grow, so does the number of non-Darwinian scientists. Proverbs 1:7 reminds us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” (New King James Version). What better starting point in our quest to understand the creation can there be than to know the Creator. Dr. George Washington Carver put it this way: “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths,” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NKJV).
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, open my eyes and my understanding to see Your signature on all of nature and Your imprint on every person. Strengthen my faith and my reasoning powers, I pray. Amen.
