When Faith and Science Collide

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Education is often the battlefield where faith and science take up opposite sides to duel it out.  As parents and even teachers, we wonder if we have to check Christian faith at the door of schools to allow unbiased learning. Is science brainwashing children and removing biblical truth? Are Christian faith and science mutually exclusive incompatibilities? We wonder if this is the cosmic doomsday portrayed in Paramount Picture’s 1951 science fiction disaster movie “When Worlds Collide.” Will there be anything left, any inhabitable space as science and faith battle for the minds of students?

FBA embraces Christian faith and science together in the classroom. The perceived duel between them is in fact a false dichotomy. Science actually leads to deeper worship of God, rather than drawing students away from Him! Christian faith doesn’t have to be forced into science. Rather, as we explore the world through systematic and organized experiments, revealing the underlying order and complexity, we grow in greater appreciation of God and His wonderfully magnificent creation.

For instance, providing a scientific description of a rainbow – sunlight refracting through water droplets to reveal the spectrum of colors in visible light – does not diminish that God is the one who created water, light, colors, and even the behavior of light. And not only is God the Creator, but He is the Provider, sending the water molecules in rain to bless the earth and sustaining life. And God is the Promise-keeper, using a rainbow as a forever reminder of His promise to all of humanity to never again destroy the world in a flood like He did in the time of Noah.

Faith Seeking Understanding

Anselm of Canterbury, an 11th century theologian, says “For I do not seek to understand so that I may believe; but I believe so that I may understand.” The order here is significant. We believe first, trusting that God is who He claims to be as presented in the Bible. Then, as we explore the world that He created, we grow in better understanding our faith.

When worlds collide, when science and faith face off, we are led to worship God deeply! We embrace scientific exploration of the world, finding that observations and results fortify Christian faith not damage it. We challenge students to continually observe the world and explore its intricacies. As we do, God is there!

About the author: Jonathan Seabourn is the Chemistry and Physics teacher at First Baptist Academy in Dallas. FBA serves students PK3 – 12th grade.