Hasn’t Science Disproved Christianity?

It is interesting that some people want to pit science against Christianity, as though the two are mortal enemies in a duel to the death! Actually nothing could be further from the truth.

In seeking to prove anything about a person or an event from history we run into problems when trying to do so scientifically. In the same way that we don’t use the skills of mathematics to assess a poem, we don’t make use of science to prove historical accounts. It is not that science is inadequate but rather that, in this instance, it is simply inappropriate.

Scientific proof is based on showing that something is a fact by repeating it in the presence of the person questioning the fact (for example, through conducting an experiment). Under a controlled environment, observations can be made, data drawn and theories verified. This is an excellent method, as far as it goes, but you couldn’t make use of it to prove that you went to school or work last Tuesday or that you ate lunch yesterday.

When it comes to proving the claims of Christianity we need to make use of a different method: legal-historical proof. This helps us to answer questions like, ‘Did Julius Caesar live?’ or ‘Was Martin Luther King a civil rights leader?’ It is based on showing that something is a fact beyond a reasonable doubt. A verdict is reached on the basis of the weight of evidence. For example, to prove that you were indeed at school or work last Tuesday we might interview your school teacher or your work colleagues, or examine what ‘traces’ of your presence you left behind. In the same way, when it comes to proving or disproving Christianity, you might consider the material presented under ‘Can I trust the New Testament?’

Perhaps science and Christianity might be more friends than enemies after all!