The hard questions

Science and Christian Faith

The idea that science and Christianity are at war is popular and mostly false. Modern science was born largely in a Christian culture that expected the world to be orderly because a rational God had made it. A thoughtful Christian view holds that faith and science ask different kinds of questions, science asks how, faith asks why and who, and that both, done honestly, seek truth.

Where a Christian view begins

Many founders of modern science, Kepler, Newton, Faraday, Maxwell, and others, were devout Christians who studied nature as the work of God. The conviction that the universe is lawful and intelligible, a prerequisite for science, fits naturally with belief in a rational Creator. Faith and science are not rival answers to the same question; they illuminate different dimensions of the same reality.

For the sharper debate, whether science disproves God, see our page written with skeptics in mind: does science disprove God?

The hard questions

Are faith and science really compatible?

Most Christian scientists say yes: science studies the mechanisms of the world, while faith addresses its meaning, origin, and purpose. Conflict usually arises when one is pushed to answer a question it was never meant to.

What about origins?

Christians hold a range of honest views on creation and evolution, from young-earth to evolutionary creation. Fellowships like BioLogos and the American Scientific Affiliation exist to discuss these openly and charitably.

Integrity in research

The pressure to publish tempts toward selective or exaggerated results. A Christian ethic calls for scrupulous honesty with the data, even when it disappoints.

The ethics of power

Science grants enormous power, over genes, minds, the climate, and weapons. Faith asks what that power is for, who bears its costs, and where wisdom must restrain what is possible.

Where to serve

Scientific skill serves the world and bears honest witness in the academy, in classrooms, clinics, and fields.

Frequently asked questions

Are science and Christianity at war?

Mostly this is a myth. Modern science grew largely in a Christian culture that expected an orderly, intelligible world. Many founders of science were Christians, and most Christian scientists hold that faith and science ask different kinds of questions.

Do Christians have to reject evolution?

No. Christians hold a range of honest views on origins, from young-earth creation to evolutionary creation. Fellowships like BioLogos and the American Scientific Affiliation exist precisely to discuss these questions openly and charitably.