The Christian and Science

I begin today with a quote from R.C. Sproul that I've been chewing on for a while:

"It's very possible for science to correct theology. It is impossible for science to correct the Word of God. But it is possible for science to correct the word of the theologians. And a judicious theologian is careful to examine that body of knowledge that comes to us from nature as well as that body that comes from grace . . . The Christian should be the most passionate scientist of all - the one who is most rigorously open to truth where ever he finds it - not being afraid that a new discovery of truth is going to destroy his foundation for truth. Because if our foundation of truth is true, all other truth can only enhance it and support it." - R.C. Sproul

This quote has it's most well-known historical example in Galileo and his proposition that the sun was the center of our solar system rather than the Earth. The condemnation of his idea stated "The proposition that the sun is in the center of the world and immovable from its place is absurd, philosophically false, and formally heretical; because it is expressly contrary to Holy Scriptures".

Today we see potential parallels in the area of Young Earth creationism (YEC) and other ideas that appear to fly in the face of popular science. While I am not suggesting that one should accept every new idea science rolls out without scepticism, neither should we discount it simply because of our own interpretation of the Bible. If our foundation of truth is true, all other truth can only enhance it and support it.