Not Just Science Questions Where Christian Faith And Natural Science Intersect

Not Just Science Copyright © 2005 by E. David Cook and Dorothy F. Chappell Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Not just science : questions where Christian faith and natural science intersect / Dorothy F. Chappell and E. David Cook, general editors. p. cm. Summary: "A look at some of the questions students should be asking as they study the natural sciences in relation to the Christian worldview and think critically about God's creation"-Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-10: 0-310-26383-2 (pbk.) ISBN-13: 978-0-310-26383-2 1. Religion and science. I. Chappell, Dorothy F., 1947- II. Cook, E. David (Edward David), 1947- BL240.3.N68 2005 261.5'5-dc22 All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ISV are taken from the International Standard Version of the Bible: New Testament. Copyright © 1998 by the ISV Foundation. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked TNIV are taken from the Holy Bible, Today's New International Version®. TNIV®. Copyright © 2002, 2004 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Interior design by Tracey Walker Printed in the United States of America 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 /?DCI/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C H A P T E R 1 Many authors have noted the close interaction between Christianity and science. Although the two are often assumed to be in conflict, a more positive relationship between science and faith is evident from their overlapping histories. The direct influences of Christian ideas on the success of science are often difficult to assess. However, their mutually supporting roles are evident in history, even when they sometimes appear to be in conflict. In fact, the roots of modern science can be traced to early Christian thought, and both science and faith can be seen as historically interrelated efforts to understand the physical universe and its creative source. Are natural science and Christian faith locked in conflict, or is there evidence of cooperation between the two? Perhaps the most typical view of the relationship between science and faith is one of conflict or confrontation, even though the emphasis on this "warfare" model has greatly diminished at the scholarly level. Historically, the idea of warfare between science and Christianity developed during the latter half of the nineteenth century with the rise of positivism and evolutionary theories. Before this time, a close relationship between the two was evident from the number of pioneering scientists who were Christians and the number of clergymen who participated in scientific activities. The growing professionalism of science in the nineteenth century ledChappell, Dorothy F. is the author of 'Not Just Science Questions Where Christian Faith And Natural Science Intersect', published 2005 under ISBN 9780310263838 and ISBN 0310263832.