Jr High Small Group Questions:

1. What scientific facts convince you or help you to believe that God is real?
2. Why do you think some people believe science and faith conflict?
3. Read Psalm 111:2 and 1 Kings 4:29,33-34. Why do you think the Bible encourages us in the scientific process?
4. Probably the single greatest source of tension between God and science is neither God nor science, but scientism: atheism posing as science. Where do you see examples of this in school, on social media, or in your life?

Sr High Small Group Questions:

1. How did you feel watching this story?
2. What are some key ideas you learned from, this session?
3. How do people humanize and dehumanize you?
4. What are some things we can do to humanize people?

THE MAIN POINT

Science done properly, using the scientific method – is a noble pursuit, pleasing and glorifying to God.

THE BIBLE

Psalm 111:2, 1 Kings 4:29,33-34, Genesis 1:1

THE CONTEXT

Christians believe that God created the universe and everything in it. This includes the very laws of physics which govern it. Skeptics of this belief may mock the idea that there is a supernatural being who created everything, and that this belief is illogical or irrational, however, it is the most scientific and logical explanation for creation. The consensus amongst physicists is that the universe had a beginning. It started somewhere, at some time, by something. One explanation is the Big Bang theory, another is that God spoke it into existence. Logic permits only two options: it must be either natural (entirely dependent on space, time, matter & and energy) or not natural (supernatural). However just as a woman cannot give birth to herself, nature cannot give birth to itself, it would be a logical impossibility: nothing cannot create something.

The great fictional English detective Sherlock Holmes once said “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” Logic dictates that if there is a choice between nature giving birth to itself or a supernatural cause, the natural option must be eliminated. The supernatural option “must be the truth”.

The very foundation of nature and science is supernatural. Science is our tool to study how nature works. As we understand the creation better it helps us understand the creator better. Science done properly, using the scientific method – is a noble pursuit, pleasing and glorifying to God. The psalmist describes this so perfectly by saying: “The Lord’s works are great, studied by all who delight in them.”

THE CORE

1. Many of the greatest scientists of all time were Christians. Their pursuit of knowledge and the understanding of the universe led them deeply into a relationship with God. People like: Francis Bacon, Galileo, Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Charles Doolittle Walcott, Francis Collins, and John Lennox to name a few.

2. The primary threat to faith is not science but scientism (the belief that science explains everything). It is a philosophical commitment that is not held up by scientific scrutiny. Essentially, it is atheism wrapped up in a lab coat, requiring modern science to remove any notion of God or the supernatural out of logical understanding, reinterpreting any evidence that points to God.

For example, in the two-page article “The Origin of the Very First Species and the Start of Darwinian Evolution,” there are 28 ‘lack-of-data’ words and phrases, including “presumably,” “probably,” “possible,” “might have,” and “seems likely.” We need to train our minds to watch out for “lack-of-data” words that move us to believe something is concrete science when there are more nuances to the conversation.

3. While enthusiasts of modern science can leap to understandings of creation and the origins of life, Christians can make a similar leap when it comes to Biblical interpretation. The most common is around the creation story in Genesis. Christians who are utterly confident that their interpretation of Genesis 1 is infallible, often are unaware that other Christians, including some of the greatest theologians of all time like Origen (AD 220), Augustine (AD 400), and Thomas Aquinas (AD 1250) have different interpretations of the passage. Rather than having an overconfident position on the exact age of the earth or the specific details of how life came into being, it might be better to say, “I lean towards this understanding over that one for reasons I can‘t explain, but to realize the Bible says some things that make me cautious about insisting I am unquestionably right in my interpretation.” Sometimes though, the most honest response is “I don’t know.” This humble answer to a massive question shows that God is bigger than we can imagine and we may not know all the details but we do know him.

THE APPLICATION

As you prepare the application, challenge and/or encouragement, keep in mind these points:

• Probably the single greatest source of tension between God and science is neither God nor science, but scientism: atheism posing as science. Encourage your listeners to be critical thinkers and to educate themselves well.
• Encourage those who have a passion for science and the BIG questions, to do it. The more we discover, the bigger and more creative we realize God is.