God and Science

                I must have been 15 years old when I had my first clash with science.  My geology teacher explained in a matter-of-fact way that the Earth is millions of years old based on techniques which are used to age rock formations.  This timeline conflicted with my understanding; the Bible informs me that the Earth's age can be measured in thousands of years, not millions.

                Some friendly people from Northrop Grumman were recently on campus to discuss their latest joint venture with NASA, the James Webb Space Telescope.  According to one of the lead scientists working on the project, this design will allow us to see "further back in time" than any previous telescope.  She was referencing the hyper-sensitive infrared device which has been designed to capture even the faintest light.  Scientists hope to analyze this light, surmising that faint equates old light which has traveled the longest and furthest.  Since light travels in a straight line at a constant velocity (through the vacuum of space), scientists extrapolate age and distance based on specific properties of the measured light.  This technique utilizes the mathematical principle of interpolation, wherein a relatively narrow set of data is extended to explain a much broader set.  The well known radiocarbon dating method which has been used to age fossils and mineral deposits works the same way.   That method has taken 65 years of observation to age objects by a factor of millions.   Does that sound reasonable to you?

I feel that I have digressed; my intent is not to discredit any specific scientific method.  I believe that God said "let there be light", and there was light.  Scientists want a light source.  All light that has ever been observed has a source, so that means all light must have a source, right?  I believe that God didn't make the Sun until the fourth day; that's three whole days of light without a tangible source.  Am I crazy?  If God can create the Earth, then I'm satisfied that he could provide a light source for a few days in such a way that defies scientific understanding.

It takes over 8 minutes for light from the Sun to reach Earth.  It takes over 4 years for light from the next closest star to reach Earth.  The next closest galaxy is 3 million light years away.  I accept those statistics; I believe that energy, dissipated today in the form of light takes 3 million years to travel from the Andromeda Galaxy to Earth.  Yet this does not prove to me that it took 3 million years for Andromeda to become visible to Earth, or 8 minutes for light from the Sun to strike Earth the first time.  I am convinced that when God made the Sun, the leaves on the freshly formed trees benefited right away.

One of the most reassuring passages in scripture is in Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"  When I look up at the stars, when I consider the vast expanse of space it makes me feel really, really small.  That God has shown me His mercy, that He cares for me means so much knowing how insignificant I am. 

If I don't accept that there was light before there was a Sun, then I would be free to disregard the rest of the Bible too.  If I cannot trust that God can keep His word intact, then how can I truly know anything about Him and what he expects of me?  My suggestion that a galaxy 3 million light years away can be visible to Earth, when both are merely thousands of years old is a stumbling block to many.  I truly wish this were not the case.  It saddens me to know that so many doubt God's sovereignty because science is such a persuasive form of peer pressure.  I find it helpful to remember that God is not asking us to take anything on faith that is untrue.  On the contrary, seeking God and seeking truth are synonymous.   What then are scientists searching for?