ScienceandChristianity

Doyouhavetochoose?

Inmyopinion… no

Physical‘Laws’

Spiritual‘Laws’

PhysicalEvents

SpiritualEvents

Science

Theo

logy

But…thisisnotanoptionforChristians…..

interpretation ofGod’sWordintheBible

AND

interpretation oftheworldthroughscientificinvestigation

SHOULD/MUSTtallywitheachotherintheend

AbsolutetruthforaChristiandictates:

PhysicalLaws

Spiritual‘Laws’

PhysicalEvents

SpiritualEvents

Science

Theo

logy

NaturalTheolog

y

PhysicalLaws

“SpiritualLaws”

PhysicalEvents

“SpiritualEvents”

Science

Human

Philosoph

y/Theo

logy

Timescales

Spatialscales

nsec billionsofyears

nmLight-y

ears

Searchforunifying theories-Physics(GUT)-Biology(Evolution)

SCIENCE:HowtheworldworksphysicallyIterativeuncoveringofmechanismsEmpiricaldatadriven

CHRISTIANITY:RelationshipbetweenGodandhumans-History,literatureandspirituality

bible

humaninterpretationofthebible

Christianliterature

SCIENCE:HowtheworldworksphysicallyIterativeuncoveringofmechanisms(experimentaldesign,datameasurement&analysis)

CHRISTIANITY:RelationshipbetweenGodandhumans(History, literatureandspirituality)

Primaryliterature–-hierarchyofjournals-citationsandinfluenceofanarticle-authorsandtheirpastwork

Secondaryliterature– Reviews-hierarchyofjournals-citationsandinfluenceofanarticle-authorsandtheirpastwork

Tertiaryliterature-textbooks

GeneralPublicMediaDocumentaries

Primaryliterature–-bible– fixedreference

Exegesisby:Literaryscholars,HistoriansTheologians

WritersChristianleadersReferenceliterature(commentariesetc)

GeneralPublicChristians

Media

1.ScienceandChristianitydon’twork thesameway

2.ScienceandChristianitydon’tsolveinternaldisputesanddisagreementsthesameway

3.ScienceandChristianityarenotfocusedonthesameoutcomes

CanyoubeaChristianandaScientist?- yes

•Scientistsareexplorers,theyseekwisdom,theyarenotsatisfiedwithstatusquoanswers,theysearchformeaning,seekorderinuncertainty.

•Historicallymanyoftheworld’smajorscientificorganisationsanduniversitieswereestablishedbyChristian’sunderChristianprinciples.

•ThereisalegacyofChristianswhohavebeenscientistsinsuchrolesoverhundredsofyears.

•TheworldtodayhasmanyChristian’swhoareactive,wellrespectedandaward-winningscientistsacrossalltypesofuniversitiesandresearchinstitutions.

Anyhighprofilecurrentexamples?- yes

FranciscoJ.Ayala,Evolutionary geneticistandmolecularbiologist

University ofCalifornia

MartinJReesAstrophysicist

University ofCambridge

FrancisCollinsGeneticist

DirectoroftheNIH

MartinNowakMathematicianandtheoreticalbiologist

HarvardUniversity

MyJourney

GrewupinCanberra

BScandPhDattheAustralianNationalUniversity(BiochemistandMolecularBiologist)

HFSPPostDocFellowUniversityofOxford

ARCResearchFellowshipsatUWA

DirectorofanARCNationalResearchCentre– 120people

GrewupinaBaptistchurchcommunityinCanberra

BecameaChristianat~12– committingtofollowChristasLordandSaviour

ActiveCUmemberatUniversityatANU

ActivememberofevangelicalchurchessinceinCanberra,OxfordandPerth

Seeking toliveasa‘forgivenperson’andexplaintootherswhatthatlifeislike

Publishonproteinbiochemistry,mitochondrial function,evolutionofproteinsandproteomes,epigenetics, cellularfunction

WhyisbeingaChristianandascientistperceivedtobe‘hard’?-historyofantagonismbetweenscienceandtheology,churchandthestate,church‘interference’withtheoperationsofuniversities.

-mediaperceptionthatthetwoare‘opposites’.

-Christianmis-understandingofscience

-creationsciencedebateinUSschools,andtheriseoftheNewAtheistmovementopposingit

-linksproposedbetweenevolutionarythought,the‘meaninglessness’oflife,andsocialproblemsinwesternsocieties.

Scientificevidence

Polarisedviewsinthemediacreationism/evolutionism debate

ethicaluseofbiotechnology debateOriginofuniverseetc

PolarisedViewsInScienceandChristianity

Evolution– data,theoriesandthefoundationofinterconnectionsinmodernnaturalsciencesvs

‘Evolutionism’(e.g.theNewAtheists)- proofofmeaninglessness,denialofcreationorGod’sexistence,criticism/counteringofreligionandsuperstition.

Creation-biblicalaccounts,Christiantheology,foundationalprinciplesofGod’srelationshipwithhumans.vs‘Creationism’(e.g.CreationScienceMovement/InstituteforCreationResearch)- Literalscientificinterpretationofspecificscriptures,focusoneducation,litigationandresearchonevidenceagainstevolution.

Soisthereasolution?

• ExegesisofancientscripturesiscomplexanddebatedforlinguisticandexegeticreasonsamongstChristians:

e.g whatkindofliteratureisGenesis1andGenesis2?-history,poetryorpolemic(anargument)

howdoweinterpreteothersectionsofthebiblethatquoteorrefertoGenesis?

ShouldanyoftheBiblebereadasascientificdocument?

WhoweretheaudienceandwhatwasthecentralmessageofpassageX?

Whowastheauthorandhowwastheinformationprovidedtohim?dream,vision,narration

Soisthereasolution?• Youdon’talwaysneedthemiraculous(physicallyunexplainableevents)fortheirtobemeaningandpurposeinevents.(Considersymbolismincommunion)

• Manythingswepreviouslydidnotunderstandhowtheyhappened,nowsciencecanexplaininprocess- thisisagoodthing.

• Stillmanythingssciencecannotexplaininprocessorconsidershighlyimprobableevents(mechanismunknownoroutcomeunusual)

• Explained,improbableorunexplainable≠true,unlikelyandfalseevidence

Myopinion:AChristianwhoignoresscientificevidenceandanswersismissingoutonwhat100sofyearsofhumanendeavourhastaughtusabouttheworld

Soisthereasolution?Boundariesofsciencearecomplexanddebated

Whensciencefindsnomeaning(eg inevolutionaryprocesses)itdoesnotmeanthereisnomeaning,justthatsciencecan’tfindit

Whensciencefindsnopracticalreasontoapplyethicalconstraintsitdoesnotmeanweshouldhavenoboundariesinourethics

- Art,Literature,Language,Law,Philosophyallhavetheirownmethodsdistinctfromscience.

-ChristianityarguesthatGod’sviewoverrideshumanviewsandwediscovertheseboundariesthroughrelationshipwithGod.

Myopinion:Ascientistwhothinksscienceanswerseveryaspectofourlivesismissingoutonwhat1000sofyearsofhumanexperiencehastaughtus

SowhataboutEvolution..

Apottedhistoryofevidenceandthetheoriestoexplainit

Progressionofevidenceasabasisforevolution

Evidenceoftimeelapsing inthebiologicalworld

Evidenceofprogressivecomplexityoforganisms

Genetic/DNAevidenceofrelationshipsbetweenorganisms

Evidenceofextinction,divergenceofpopulationsalongbiogeographiclines,evidencefromisolationanddifferentialselection

Evidenceofageoftheearth Astrometry, rockformationprocesses,rocklayers,oceanmud, icelayers,radioisotopedecayetc etc

• extremeclimatechangeovermillennia

• physicalenvironmentchangesacrosscontinents

• predatorandcompetitorchanges

• extinctions

• physicalisolationbylandmovementandislandboundaries

• adaptionthrough selectionovermanygenerations

‘Perfectcreations’inan‘unchangingworld’isnotwhatisobservedbyscientificinvestigation

Biologicalorganismsadaptandmodify, theyevolvedinthepastandcontinue toevolvetoday,

Thesameisseeninthebirds, thebees,theflowers,andinhumans

Lamarkianexplanation(~1790s)- passingoncharacteristicstooffspring thatareacquiredduring alifetimeofstruggle- asameansofevolution

Darwinianexplanation(~1860s)-survivalofthefittestbyselectionof traitsovergenerationsasameansofevolution (naturalselection)

-survivaloftheselected(sexualselection)

Neo-Darwinismexplanations-Mendelian Darwinism(~1930s)-synthesisofDarwinianevolution throughnaturalselectionwithMendelian geneticsgivesthemechanismofinheritanceandthemolecularbasisofvariance

-KinSelectionTheory(~1960s)– anexplanationofevolution insocialspecies– helpingofrelatedindividuals tomaximiseinheritanceofgenes‘like’youown

Progression ofPrinciples andPhilosophyofEvolution

SowhataboutCreation..

HowdoEvangelicalChristiansunderstandGenesis1anditsimpactonChristianTheology

- exegesis- explanationorinterpretationofatext

hayahandexist

befollow

boqermorningdawnclearingending

breaking forthorder

erebevening

dusk/darknessblurringbeginningmixingchaos

yowmdaytime

othertimesage

tobehot

echadonefirst

hayahandexist

befollow

AncientHebrewwordshavemanymeaningsandaretranslatedthroughcontext

“Andtherewasevening,andtherewasmorning--the firstday.”Gen1:5

1.Godmadeallthatconstitutesthisuniverseinwhichwelive2.Godwaspleasedwithhiscreation3.HumanitywastheclimaxofGod’screation4.HumanshaveaGodgivenresponsibilityovertherestofthecreatedorder.5.Godsustainsthecreatedordertothisday

CentralassertionsofGenesis1sharedbyallexegeticalpositionsof

mainstreamChristianity

Position1InterpretingGenesis1“Literalscientificreadingexegesis”

-6days(yowm=24h)creationsequence-creationexnihilo bytheWordofGod-instantaneousspeciesandlivingkingdom establishment-oftenbutnotalways-youngearthanduniverse

Position2“literalscientificreadingwitholdearthandperiodoftimeexegesis”

-6periodsoftimepresentedascreationsequence(yowm=age)-creationinitiatedbytheWordofGod-slowerestablishmentof speciesandlivingkingdoms inlinewithscientificevidence-oldearthandolderuniverse

Position3“Non-scientificreadingofthetextandexegesis”

-focusonwhatthepassagetellsaboutGodascreator-focusonpoeticnatureandstructureofthenarrativeanditsmeaning-’polemic‘theory fortheoriginofitsmeaning-’7daysofrevelation’ totheauthortheoryofitsorigin-parablepresentationofanunknowableworkofGod(seealsoJob38)

Soisthereasolution?ConstructiveconversationsbetweenscienceandChristianity

– notinthemedia….

-respecteachother’shistories

-understandeachothersapproachesandmethodologyofsolvinguncertainty….patienceisrequired

-recognisetheyfocusondifferentaspectsofthesamereality

-recognisethatscienceandChristianityarebothbasedonabsolutetruth– so….

-forChristiansthismeansseekingGod’swisdomtofindit-forscientiststhismeansbuildingdataandtestinghypotheses-forChristianswhoarescientists,thismeansdoingboth.