For Christians, these cherished words affirm that there was a beginning of the universe and that God created it. However, naturalists immediately raise an objection to this belief. They argue that the very claim of creation is false on the ground that its source is the Bible, and therefore lacks any scientific basis. They would further assert that science can discover natural mechanisms for how things work while creation appeals to a God who cannot be detected.
Parameters for Investigating Nature
The Bible is not a science textbook. Nevertheless, it touches on subject matters that are of great interest to science, including the origin of the universe and the origin and complexity of life. The Bible teaches that God is the author of Scripture (one source of revelation) as well as nature (a second source); thus, implying that there are truths that can be obtained from both revelations. This affirmation leads to the conclusion that there should not be any conflict or contradiction between the two.
Physicist Arno Penzias, who won the Nobel Prize for discovering the cosmic microwave background radiation (leftover radiation from the universe’s beginning), seemed to support the biblical claim of creation after the breakthrough.
He said, “The best data we have are exactly what I would have predicted, had I nothing to go on but the five books of Moses, the Psalms and the Bible as a whole.”
And philosopher J. P. Moreland, in his book, Scaling the Secular City responds to the “creation is false” objection by pointing out that the objection commits an informal logical fallacy called the “genetic fallacy”. In other words, the thrust of the argument is focused on the source of the claim, the Bible, rather than the claim itself - that is, the creation event. Secondly, he goes on to argue that the claim should be evaluated based on the evidence it offers for its validity and not just its source alone.
If the biblical account is indeed true, then both Scripture and nature are two of God’s dynamic channels of self-disclosure. Both these revelations should ultimately converge and reveal the same truth since “all truth is God’s truth.”
What truths do naturalism and biblical creation claim to know? How does each view account for the origin of life and of the universe?
Explaining the Complexity of Life
The Bible provides a reasonable account for the specified complexity seen in life. Psalm 139:13-16 declares that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God. When we consider the microcosm of life in a cell, it testifies to the veracity of this claim. When we consider the complexity of information found in a cell and further examine its functions, we cannot help but compare it to machines that are designed by intelligent minds. Similarly, when we look at the complexity of life in general, we cannot help but conclude that this elegance would inevitably point us to an infinitely intelligent Mind.
Again, the naturalist may object and say that this biblical account of complexity is not a mechanism, thereby rendering it invalid. However, energy, time, and chance alone cannot produce the level of specified complexity that we observe. The additional inputs of intelligence and an ordering mechanism are needed to specify the information content. Thus, naturalism seems to fall short in explaining the complexity of life.
Important Note : The article is taken from the website https://reasons.org/
1.J. P. Moreland, Scaling the Secular City: A Defense of Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House; 1987) 211
2. Psalm 19 helps us discover God’s fingerprints in creation and his specific will for us through his Holy word
3. Francis A. Schaeffer, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer: A Christian Worldview: A Christian View of the Bible as Truth, Vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1985) 139.
