I was raised in a Christian home, where my parents were new believers as they
both came to know the Lord when I was very young. I was raised in a
conservative church that is not aligned to any of Entwistle’s patterns, but if I had
to choose one, I believe my upbringing may have been most akin to a slight
fundamentalism. However, as I have aged, I see no need to be wary of science.
Science only validates the living God. Entwistle (2015) affirms, “Protestants
gravitated to science because of its potential to reveal glimpses of the Creator and
His character. Science, then, became a venue of worship and praise” (p. 32).
b b b b b b b b b I believe science demonstrates and supports the existence of God, so
there is no conflict between science and faith. Certainly, humans have not
identified all scientific realities, but with each observation rendered, each reveal or
support a created order by the uncreated One. For example, neuroscience has
revealed that trauma is stored in every cell, and this trauma can be passed along
to the offspring:
[G]enes are not fixed; life events can trigger biochemical messages that turn them
on or off by attaching methyl groups, a cluster of carbon and hydrogen atoms, to
the outside of the gene (a process called methylation), making it more or less
sensitive to the messages from the body. While life events can change the
behavior of the gene, they do not alter its fundamental structure. Methylation
patterns, however, can be passed on to offspring—a phenomenon known as
epigenetics. Once again, the body keeps the score, at the deepest levels of the
organism. (Van der Kolk, 2014, p. 152)
This scientific reality of epigenetics speaks to a biblical principle: “The wages of
sin is death” (New International Version, 1984/1973, Romans 3:23a). Whether the
individual inflicted with trauma committed the sin, the sin was perpetrated upon the
individual, or the fallen nature of our world brought about the trauma, the death
principle from the sin or the fall is propagated not only within the individual but can
also be transferred to any offspring. Further, epigenetics demonstrates another
biblical principle from the ten commandments, where God commands the Israelites
to have no other gods or idols before Him; however, if they do engage in idol
worship, then the consequences for this transgression will be to subsequent
generations (New International Version, 1984/1973, Deuteronomy 5:9b). This
example reveals God’s created order; simply that what we reap, we will sow. b
b b b b b b b b b Another example of science revealing God’s creation comes from the
current pandemic. Based upon fifteen different current studies, the natural
antibodies that God created to exist within humans after undergoing a virus is
proving more resilient and effective than man-made vaccines, according to a
recent article by Daniel Horowitz (2021). In this same article, Horowitz mentions
the Pfizer vaccine’s waning effectiveness while natural antibodies are continuing to
show resilience and not diminishing effectiveness over time (para. 2). Additionally,
Horowitz (2021) cites a Washington University study published in Nature (2021)
that found the following: “People who recover [even] from mild COVID-19 have
bone-marrow cells that can churn out antibodies for decades” (para. 8). Again,
science reveals God’s handiwork.
References
Entwistle, D. N. (2015). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity: An
introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of
integration (3rd ed.). Wipf & Stock Publishers.
The Holy Bible, new international version: Containing the old testament and the
new testament. (1984). International Bible Society. (Original work published in
1973)
Horowitz, D. (2021, August 25). Horowitz: 15 studies that indicate natural immunity
from prior infection is more robust than the COVID vaccines. Blaze Media.
https://www.theblaze.com/op-ed/horowitz-15-studies-that-indicate-natural-
immunity-from-prior-infection-is-more-robust-than-the-covid-vaccines
Van der Kolk, B. (2014) The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the
healing of trauma. Viking.
