Faith vs. Science – False Fighting (Part 1)

So if you live in the modern Western world (and chances are good that if you are reading this you are a Westerner and you are alive), you’ve encountered this “faith vs. science” dichotomy many a time. It’s in the media and it’s in our schools; it’s everywhere and it’s not always polite. And the main tension, of course, is over what is true (epistemology, if you please). “What is true? In order for something to be true, do we have to be able to prove it? If faith (that is, evangelical Christian faith) is true, can scientific observation even contribute? Should it be acknowledged that Christian faith is, to some extent, illogical? If I’m a Christian, should I be afraid of science?” Oh, we’ve got some fun times ahead. This tension – this faith vs. science fiasco – is the philosophic Great Divide of our time.

But be aware – this was not always the case. This first post of the series will bring us up to speed.

Previously, we had a unified system of truth which was rooted in the only possible common denominator – God. It was believed that all truth is God’s truth. In many ways, studying the Bible was not considered one bit different from contemplating the way grass grew or observing the way animals interacted. It was all a reflection of God, either in his Word or in his world. Our concept of truth looked like this:

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