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).
c c c c c 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. c
c c c c c 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.
