Some people like to pit science and faith against each other. Yet the more I delve into each of these, the less conflict I see. It's only strawmen versions of science and faith that war against each other. True science and true faith work together beautifully.
For example, one of the things I like best about Christianity is also one of the things I like best about science.
In scientific study, if you disagree with a point, you can test it yourself. One of the marks of legitimacy in scientific discovery is repeatability; if your conclusion is accurate, other people should be able to replicate your experiment and achieve the same results. Thus a thousand chemistry students in a thousand different classrooms can mix together the same chemicals and see the same glorious reaction.
If you want to see for yourself, you can! Despite the education degrees, science isn't an elitist enterprise; anyone can discover, anyone can experiment, anyone can test your results and witness them for themselves.
It's much the same in Christianity. We're not preaching an elitist religion where only the top-tier people get to commune with God. Pastors are no different than everyone else in church. We're not the spiritual nobility, telling all the common people what to do. Rather, as an old saying goes, we're simply beggers telling other beggers where we've found bread.
Jesus is accessible to all. If you doubt what I say about Him, simply go to Him and see for yourself! If you simply accept my words about God without checking for yourself, we're doing it wrong.
One of the glorious things about Jesus is how He invites any seeker to experience Him. We don't have to prove ourselves or purify ourselves or go through elaborate efforts just to get a word in with God. Jesus invites us to experience Him immediately.
The preacher and the scientist are both held accountable by those to whom they speak. If the scientist claims something outlandish, we have only to repeat his experiment to see whether or not his words are true. If the preacher says something outlandish, we have only to go to God, to read His Word, to see whether or not his words are true.
Neither the preacher nor the scientist has the authority to simply declare that their opinions are the truth. They must be tested, confirmed, approved, and verified. If their words are accurate, they should not fear any investigation; as the saying goes, real gold fears no fire.
So every time I say something about God (or about scientific studies), please do not simply accept my words at face value! Challenge them, explore them, test them, investigate them.
If I'm wrong, you are doing me the best service in the world by pointing out my errors, so that I can be corrected and find a better grasp of the truth.
And if I'm right, then we can together marvel confidently at the God whose truths give hope to the hopeless and love to the loveless.
One final note: Throughout history, many authority figures in spiritual institutions have neglected this approach to truth. They have opted more for declaring their words are truth and forbidding others to challenge them, often by denying people access to the Scriptures or by insinuating that no one who hasn't studied as much as they have can challenge their words.
This is rubbish. Jesus chose a fisherman, Peter, and a scholar, Paul, as two prominent leaders in the early church. Peter's words are no less valid than Paul's, despite his lack of study. Paul even commended the Bereans for their diligence in checking his words against the Scriptures, making sure that he didn't get away with any falsehood or exaggeration.
The mark of authentic authority is its willingness to be challenged, to be engaged, to be questioned, to be investigated.
The scientist's authority comes from how well he has observed and understood the physical world; if she has done so well, she should have no fear about people challenging her work.
The preacher's authority comes from how well he has read the Scriptures and sought to accurately represent God. If he has done his job well, he should have no fear of people challenging his words.
So there you have it. If you want to see whether or not a preacher or scientist is trustworthy, challenge them and see what they do.
Real gold fears no fire.
