Caption – “Give Thanks To The Lord” featuring the London Touring Cast – Risen! The Musical at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth

“Yours Is A Jealous Love” featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Precious” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Last week I started to consider if there is a conflict between Science and Christianity and began with a look at the issue of evolution. I made the points that evolution is a theory and not a fact and that not all notable scientists believe in evolution. Also that science is constantly being refined and corrected and so it is bad science to regard any scientific theory as anything more than provisional.
What I wish to consider today relates to the story of Creation in Genesis – one of the main reasons why some think there is a conflict between Science and Christianity. There are different interpretations amongst Christians as to what the Bible means by God creating the world in six days, however the point of Genesis 1 is not to answer questions of “How” the world was created but “Why” and by “Whom.”
Nicky Gumbel in “Searching Issues” writes:
The Bible is not primarily a scientific book but a theological one. It offers a personal explanation rather than a scientific one. The scientific explanation does not prove or disprove the personal one; rather it is complementary. Even Stephen Hawking has admitted that “Science may solve the problem of how the universe began but it cannot answer the question: “why does the universe bother to exist?”
Dr John Lennox uses the following illustration:
I show various academics the most magnificent cake ever seen and ask them to analyse the cake for me. A world famous nutritionist talks about the balance of the various foods which make up the cake. A leading bio- chemist is more interested in the basic chemicals that form the cake and the physicist states that it really is about protons and quarks. The mathematician argues that the cake is, in fact, all about the fundamental equations governing the motion of the electrons and protons. After their exhaustive analysis of the cake I then ask them one more question “Please tell me why the cake was made?” And there before them is Aunt Matilda who made the cake. Irrespective of all the amount of scientific analysis she is the only person who can answer the question of why the cake was made. And then Aunt Matilda puts everyone out of their misery by explaining that she made if for her nephew’s birthday party.
The maker of the cake/ the maker of the world is the one who has to speak to explain why the cake/world was made. Aunt Matilda tells us why the cake was made and in the Bible God tells why the world was made. In Genesis, the focus is on the “why” and by “whom” rather than the “how” – so there is no conflict with science.
And now for something completely different! If you are in the London area today or tomorrow it would be great if you could see some members of the cast of Risen! The Musical – Jodie May Quirke ( Mary Magdalene) David Murray ( Thomas ) and Johnny Fitzharris (James) who are performing in “Ordinary Days” at the Hounslow Centre, TW3 IES – 7.30 pm