This post is the beginning of a series which explores how to integrate spirituality and science. The series begins by drawing on the fourfold Wesleyan approach to the quest for truth. This Wesleyan quadrilateral, as it is known, consists of Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. These four ways of knowing invite us to integrate spirituality and scientific inquiry. In this post we investigate the first part of the quadrilateral: Scripture.
When my children were little, Pokemon was all the rage. They loved discovering and trading the little plastic discs (found in chip packets and called tazos) with their friends. One day my younger son informed me that some of his friends had claimed that Pokemon was satanic and that, if you placed a tazo inside a Bible, it would scream and burst into flames. He asked if the claim was true, so I suggested he try it. I think he was a little disappointed when nothing happened.
A MAGIC BOOK AND A BOOK OF MAGIC
This strange claim about Pokemon tazos revealed something not just about how some people viewed Pokemon, but also how those people viewed the Bible. Many people feel that the Bible has, in itself, a supernatural power. I suspect that you might find the followers of most religions have a similar view of their own sacred texts. The problem with this approach is that it turns the Bible (or other sacred texts) into a magical book and a book of magic. Reading Scripture in this way creates a spirituality which is more like a Harry Potter story than living in the real world.
Perhaps it is this ‘magical’ approach to spirituality and its sacred texts that creates the great divide between science and faith. But what if there is another way for science and spirituality to connect? What if sacred texts are a way of knowing, of understanding the world and our place in it, that can inform, and be informed by, scientific discovery?
What if sacred texts are a way of knowing, of understanding the world and our place in it, that can inform, and be informed by, scientific discovery? Click To TweetWHAT ARE SACRED TEXTS REALLY?
I believe that, essentially, sacred texts are a form of collective memory to remind a people of their history and wisdom. They are a unique kind of insight into our world and into our personal and collective stories that gives us meaning. And they reveal how our small existence in this tiny paragraph in the cosmic story is connected to a bigger narrative, a larger reality.
Viewed in this way, sacred texts can offer great value to our scientific endeavours. Scripture reminds us that life is more than data and truth is more than facts. In Scripture we see people wrestling with moral and ethical questions related to their (scientific) understanding of the world, and we learn how to engage more deeply in the complex but important conversations about life, the universe, and everything.
In Scripture we see people wrestling with moral and ethical questions related to their (scientific) understanding of the world, and we learn how to engage more deeply in complex but important conversations... Click To TweetSCIENTIFIC SCRIPTURE AND SCRIPTURAL SCIENCE
It is a futile and foolish quest to use Scripture to deny or contradict what science reveals. But, it is immensely important and helpful to bring Scripture into the conversation as a call to a more compassionate and ethical scientific method.
Conversely, scientific inquiry has to be more than just a tool to prove the truth of sacred texts. Our reading of Scripture becomes much deeper and more relevant to our lives when we allow the insights of science to inform how we read the ancient stories.
Our reading of Scripture becomes much deeper and more relevant to our lives when we allow the insights of science to inform how we read the ancient stories. Click To TweetAs we learn more about our universe through the discoveries of scientists across the world, it can be tempting to see sacred texts as relics from the past with no relevance to today. On the other hand, as we find value and truth in Scripture, it can be tempting to reject what science reveals as nothing more than a quest to undermine faith. Yet both of these approaches leave us with an inadequate and incomplete knowledge of ourselves, other people, the universe, and even the divine. Only by viewing sacred texts scientifically and science scripturally can we bring both ways of knowing together into a meaningful and insightful body of knowledge.
Only by viewing sacred texts scientifically and science scripturally can we bring both ways of knowing together into a meaningful and insightful body of knowledge. Click To TweetINTEGRATING SCIENCE AND SACRED TEXTS
- What is your relationship with Scripture?
- What value does science have in your life?
- How can you integrate these two ways of knowing more effectively in your own life and faith?
Why not share your stories and insights in the comments? Let’s keep the conversation going together.
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I have no problem with this – for me it is using the ‘reason’ element of the quadrilateral alongside the ‘scripture’.
In spiritual direction, as an instrument for growth into Christ-likeness, we keep returning to the concept of Image of God. What is my image of God and how does that image impact the way I live out my faith?
I appreciate this post as it helps me to ask similar questions like what is my view of Scripture and what is my view of science and how do those images impact the way I live out my faith?
So a false image of God would be God as a magician. Equally a false image of Scripture would be a as magical book.
As we move further and further away in time from when the texts were written so we need more and more research to help us understand the contexts of those times. This calls us to a greater rigour in our faith. It calls us to put effort in.
As a scientist and ordained person I value the insights of this post. They have helped bring greater clarity to me on my journey.
Thank you so much for these insights, Susan. Your perspective resonates strongly with mine. And I’m so glad that you found this post helpful.
I would love to hear more about your background as both a clergy person and a scientist. How do you integrate these two aspects of your work and life? How do you navigate the dialectic between science and faith in your own life and ministry?
My scientific background is in molecular biology. I hold a PhD in this but that 20 years ago. Since then I have been ordained as an Anglican priest and serve as a school chaplain. This is a unique opportunity to engage with issues of science and faith with teenagers.
For me, I believe that science seeks to discover how the world came into existence. So science will show light on how God made the world. Science shows us the mechanism of life. Faith leads us to the meaning of life.
The Bible contains many different genres of writing. None of them could be classified as “scientific textbook style”. Understanding this helps me to know that I should not use poetry to invalidate science.
Thank you for sharing your story, Susan.
What a wonderful gift to be able to bring together an advanced scientific qualification with your spirituality and ministry. The students to whom you are a chaplain are very lucky to have you to show them how faith and science inform and shape each other.
I love your final comment: “I should not use poetry to invalidate science.” Absolutely!