LCMS Convention Workbook St. Louis, Missouri — 2019, Page 253

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II. THEOLOGICAL DOCUMENTS­­—COMMISSION ON THEOLOGY AND CHURCH RELATIONS
An absolute divide between science and religion is unfaithful to the goals of theology and
science. The realms of science and religion do overlap. Holy Scripture has a great deal to say
about the natural world and the natural knowledge of God. The Gospel makes historical claims
about what Christ did and does within ordinary history.

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Philosophical contributions of Christianity to science
(In Christ, 94)
“You will never understand what it means to be a human being through naturalistic
observation,” [Francis Collins] said. “You won't understand why you are here and what the
meaning is. Science has no power to address these questions—and are they not the most
important questions we ask ourselves?” 32

Read Luke 2:1–2 and Luke 3:1–2. How are the events of Jesus’ life and ministry anchored in
history? What words in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds place Jesus within ordinary human
history?
Parascience (In Christ, 93):
“Parascience” is the study of topics that are outside the reach of traditional science, topics that
cannot be tested or explained by scientific method or theories. Parascience treats current science
as ultimate truth when, at best, it actually reflects only the latest theory. Parascience moves from
descriptions of natural fact to conclusions about the way things should be, as well as concluding
what our human nature is and must be. For example, evolutionary ethicists claim to have
discovered the origins of moral norms, making their scientific account the ultimate account.
How do the following comments reflect the conclusions of parascience concerning human
morals and behavior?
“Science is starting to undercut [the idea of free will], by showing that there’s only one choice
we can make, which is the output of our materialistic brains. We are creatures of physics, made
of molecules. Therefore, our thoughts and behaviors are also the results of molecular
motions.” 29
“There is no evidence that prayers are answered … All our thoughts and memories reside in the
physical brain. It is very unlikely that they will survive death. They will die when our brains die
… Mystical experiences provide no evidence that they are not all in the head.” 30
“If we put together something like a final theory in which all the forces and the particles are
explained and that theory also throws light on the origin of the Big Bang and gives us a
consistent picture of cosmology, there will be a little less for religion to explain. But religion has
evolved along with science. It is something created by human beings, and as human beings learn
more and more their religion changes.” 31

Science, as Francis Collins comments above, does not have the power to address questions of
purpose and meaning, but the Christian faith does in fact address these very things. Christianity
is actually philosophically friendly to science because it provides key principles that support
science. For example, if science is an attempt to understand the natural world, then it must
consider the natural world to be fundamentally rational—a world governed by laws and
principles that can be understood. A “good explanation of such a coherent, law-governed world
is the existence of a single, rational, divine creator. Indeed, the whole idea of a universal law of
nature is derived from the prior idea of a single, rational legislator, and if these laws apply
throughout nature, then that legislator must be a supernatural being” (94).
Christianity also provides epistemological support, that is, support for questions about our
sources of knowledge. The natural world is governed by laws that can be discovered, and
“human reason is attuned to the rationality of nature and sufficient to discover its principles”
(95). The fact that we are made in the image of God—yet realizing that we are not God—gives
us the right balance of confidence and humility to make scientific progress without expecting
final answers.
Christianity also provides moral boundaries for science. “It gives reasons to think that we are
permitted to do science—because nature is not sacred—and we are required to do science—as it
is part of what it means to pursue our vocations as stewards of creation. Furthermore, as with all
legitimate vocations, science was instituted as a means of loving and serving our neighbors, and
God provides for our neighbors in part through the work of scientists … God provides
boundaries for legitimate science: it must not be used to harm others or the environment in such
a way that it harms the welfare of future generations” (97).
How do the following comments support the idea that we live in “a coherent, law-governed
world” ordered by “a single, rational, divine creator”?
“‘When you realize that the laws of nature must be incredibly finely tuned to produce the
universe we see,’ says John Polkinghorne, who had a distinguished career as a physicist at
Cambridge University before becoming an Anglican priest in 1982, ‘that conspires to plant the
idea that the universe did not just happen, but that there must be a purpose behind it.’” 33

29
Worrall, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/05/150531-religion-science-faith-healing-atheism-peoplengbooktalk.
30
Stenger, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/victor-stenger/christianity-and-modern-science_b_5182177.html.
31
Steven Weinberg, in an interview with Ana Elena Azpura, http://www.newsweek.com/will-physicists-find-god84363

32
National Human Genome Research director Francis Collins, quoted in Cornelia Dean, “Scientists Speak Up on
Mix of God and Science,” The New York Times, August 23, 2005, at
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/23/us/scientists-speak-up-on-mix-of-god-and-science.html.
33
Begley, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/newsweek/science_of_god/scienceofgod.htm.

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Session 5: Biblical Knowledge and Scientific Knowledge (Chapter 4, pages 98–124)

“Greek mathematicians divided up the circumference of a circle by its diameter, for example,
and got the number pi, 3.14159 … Pi turns up in equations that describe subatomic particles,
light and other quantities that have no obvious connections to circles. This points, says
Polkinghorne, ‘to a very deep fact about the nature of the universe,’ namely, that our minds,
which invent mathematics, conform to the reality of the cosmos. We are somehow tuned to its
truths.” 34

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good
work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

“The fact is, as we find better ways to farm, powerful new medicines to heal and more effective
ways to power our society, the poor benefit, societies are transformed for the better and the
world looks and is more of what God intended it to be. Christians are to champion the good of
their city and society as a whole. Leveraging scientific study and achievement for the betterment
of people is an entirely Christian thing to do.” 35
In Session 5, Biblical Knowledge and Scientific Knowledge, we will discuss the authority of
Holy Scripture and compare the kind of knowledge that is important to science with the unique
kind of knowing central to our Christian faith.
Responsive Reading of Psalm 14

The Lutheran Confessions state: “First, we confess our adherence to the prophetic and apostolic
writings of the Old and New Testaments, as to the pure, clear fountain of Israel, which alone is
the one true guiding principle, according to which all teachers and teaching are to be judged
and evaluated.” 36
“If Christians are to accept science, they have to admit that the Bible is not a reliable source of
information about the natural world. And why should we believe it is a reliable source of
information about anything? The creation story in Genesis is a myth. And, it is not the only story
in the Bible that science can now prove is largely fiction … Actually, intellectual Christians
today are gradually disassociating themselves from the God of the Old Testament, who is
certainly an unpleasant character. Thank goodness he is fictional.” 37
How do we, as Christians, know certain things? Is there a genuine conflict (as indicated in the
third quote above) between what we know from Holy Scripture and what we know from modern
science? Sometimes we speak of knowing things in science, and believing things in the Bible.
However, as Christians we also speak of knowing God’s will (Romans 2:18) or knowing our
Creator (Isaiah 40:28). In this session we will compare the kind of knowledge that is important to
science with the unique kind of knowing central to our Christian faith.

Knowing as a Christian
(In Christ, 98)
There are similarities in learning from each of God’s two books, the book of His Word and the
book of His world. In both books there is information that must be analyzed, categorized and
arranged in meaningful ways. Another common feature is the use of prior knowledge. The
interpreter of Scripture uses what he already knows—including grammar and vocabulary—while
studying the text, just as scientists use prior knowledge in their fields of study.
Read Isaiah 53:7–9. What prior knowledge do we have (from elsewhere in Scripture) that helps
us understand the meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy? Read John 6:49–51. What prior knowledge do
we have from the Old Testament that helps us to interpret Jesus’ words? Read Acts 8:26–35.
What information was needed for the Ethiopian eunuch to correctly interpret Isaiah’s words?

Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration, The Book of Concord, 527.3.
Victor Stenger, “Christianity and Modern Science,” Huffington Post, April 21, 2014 at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/victor-stenger/christianity-and-modern-science_b_5182177.html.

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34
35

Begley, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/newsweek/science_of_god/scienceofgod.htm.
Stezter, http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2015/may/3-reasons-for-christians-to-engage-in-science.html.

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2019 Convention Workbook