The relationships between science and religion OR How to talk to your lab partner.

Science historian Robert Crease evaluated responses to a 2008 Physics World survey that asked, “Which of the following reflects your views on science and religion?” He found he could place them in this matrix. Some may not know but I am a suker for a matrix, so this got me thinking. [A little note to all readers, I am about to geek out so if your not a science guy or gal go read E online. (No, please don’t!)]

Here is my take on the grid from a Christian perspective. (Note- I understand beliefs to mean worldview beliefs not just bare facts)..

• Religion as a set of beliefs is true of the worldview aspect of a faith. Even Buddhism, which is more a philosophy than a religion, has set of beliefs.
• Religion as a process cannot be true from a Christian worldview. Any process of grow in knowledge within Christianity does not go beyond the paradigms of basic Christian beliefs.
• Science as a set of believes is the secular and modern worldview in a nutshell, holding theory as fact (ae. evolution as cosmological and teleological paradigms). This perspective sees science as a body of knowledge that is definitive for how we see the world.
• Science as process is the classical understanding of empirical investigation into how things work. A valued perspective for a Christian as long as good thinking is implored and what is being investigated is clear.

Over all, I think this grid is a little flawed for it assumes that science can answer why questions. When by the nature of scientific investigation it only answers how something works. So the Red Zone is not always in conflict. For me, science as process and Religion as a set of beliefs would be a great posture for a Christian who is also a scientist. But many would argue that this would corrupt the scientific method by interpreting facts through Christian worldview. I beg to differ and direct those people to the work of Michael Polanyi. We all order facts by a worldview.

Further, one can hold science to be a set of beliefs and religion as a set of beliefs as long as they submit the facts of science to a higher body of knowledge the Christian faith. Any conflict is understood to be resolvable through faith in the sufficiency of scripture and more study and research. When forced to choose between worldview questions of existence science is silent and faith has the voice of a songbird. We must remember, science like philosophy is the handmaid to theology and not its master.

Finally, what we can take from this is insights for evangelism. The Four statements above best reflect the readers of physics world. It shows their views on the relationship between science and religion. In some ways this paradigm is a little flawed but interesting to think on. We can understand it best as a way the scientific minded thinks about science and religion giving us insight into how to present the gospel to them. Just some unorganized thoughts from the armchair