I got involved with Jesus and scientists about the same time.
Mine was a simple childhood in a family of athletes, history buffs, readers and musicians.
But I started attending a Lutheran church the summer before high school and there met Jesus and then a cute guy.
Jesus saved my soul.
The cute guy told me, “I’m going to be an engineer someday.”
I thought it an odd profession in the modern age. I’d never met anyone who drove a train.
But we started going out and I soon learned other definitions for engineer: scientist, builder, fixer, problem solver, space capsule designer, clever guy.
Ah, engineers do more than drive trains.
Reader, I married the man–who became a nuclear engineer among other things.
He swept me off to the world of Navy nuclear submarines.
When you spend all your social time with those smart men and their clever wives, you start to think you may know something about nuclear engineering.
Here’s what this Bachelor of Arts knows: you push the rods in, you pull them out, and the boat goes through the water.
That’s all this feeble mind could handle.
But I did learn to question everything, to assume there was a scientific or mechanical answer to why things work the way they do. Anything was fixable.
I had always been rational, but living with scientists made it even more important.
Facts, logic, reason and observation were important tools for living a satisfying life.
Jesus and scientists
While the tension between science and Christianity is well known, many years ago we stumbled on an organization that married the two together in a beautiful way: Reasons to Believe.
Our pastor had heard about them and asked my husband to take a look, as a scientist, to evaluate their books and teaching.
My multiple-degreed engineer who drove a submarine, appreciated and savored their books from the start.
Finally, he could read Christian apologetics that melded with his understanding of science–across the board.
We’ve purchased and read every book Dr. Hugh Ross and his colleagues have written.
“Try this one,” my engineer said, handing me The Fingerprint of God.
Milky Way. Our solar system is one of billions in the galaxy. And the galaxy is one of billions in the universe. (Wikipedia)
My science credentials are meagre: classes along the order of “Calculus for idiots” and “Physics for Dummies,” taken at UCLA back in the dark ages.
I didn’t understand everything, but as I read, my brain felt like it was expanding in exciting and awe-inspiring ways.
The Hebrew word for day is flexible time-wise and can mean more than 24-hours–who knew that? (I understood the nuances of word choice!)
I gasped at the idea that we live in a universe that is “just right” and could be completely altered by the difference in the weight of a dime.
Bible accounts could corresponded with the continuing scientific findings in the secular world.
Really, it was breath-taking.
The Creator and the Cosmos
The other book my husband likes to share is The Creator and the Cosmos.
The cover of the third edition (I don’t know how many copies of this we have purchased and given away), lists the following questions which are answered inside:
Why are astronomers now talking about God?
What does the Big Bang say about God?
How can science show that God is personal and transcendent?
What new findings enhance the case for design?
What do recent measurements of the cosmos reveal about the Creator?
UFO (Wikipedia)
I went on to read a number of the books, my personal favorite is Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestrials.
(I loved the explanation as to the how and why of UFO sightings –it made sense to me from a spiritual standpoint, if nothing else.)
We listened to their podcast, we even met Dr. Ross once.
It is satisfying and wonderful to know the Jesus we worship, created the universe in such a knowable and marvelous scientific way.
So what?
Not all scientists or Christians agree with Dr. Ross and the other researchers and scientists at Reason.org.
But that’s okay.
When God created the universe according to the scientific laws is an apologetics issue, not a salvation issue.
Whether you believe in long-day creation or short-day creation, it doesn’t affect why Jesus came to earth–which is the most important question.
Creationism beliefs don’t change the reason Jesus walked among us.
They don’t alter the logic of the way he took his place on the cross to die for my sins.
No matter how God created the universe, Jesus and his sacrifice on behalf of all mankind remains true.
Even an English major can grasp that important fact.
Tweetables
Jesus, the scientists and an English major: me! Click to Tweet
Reason, logic, Jesus and the Creation of the Universe Click to Tweet
Apologetics is NOT a salvation issue. Click to Tweet
“(I loved the explanation as to the how and why of UFO sightings –it made sense to me from a spiritual standpoint, if nothing else.)”
Could you explain what that was? I have an idea, but want to hear your take.
Oops. I forgot to click the “Notify me of new comments. . .” thingie. I’ll do that now. 🙂
I’ve watched Dr. Hugh Ross on TV on multiple occasions. I watched him more in the past than I do presently. His show is very informative, though sometimes over my head. Loved knowing God put the Earth exactly where it needed to be to support human life. I have tweeted some of the Reasons to Believe posts from their main site from time to time.
It’s always fun, Lauralee, to find other people who appreciate Reasons to Believe. Do you get the weekly digest of newest findings? You can find everything–including signing up to receive that “round up” at http://www.reasons.corg
Karen–I read Lights in the Sky and Little Green Men a dozen years ago while flying to New Zealand. This is what always sticks in my mind.
Ross asked a question, “why is it that the people who spend so much time staring at the night sky–astronomers and aircraft pilots–so seldom report seeing UFOs? Wouldn’t they be the logical ones who saw them since they log so many hours actually looking for anomalies in the night sky?”
When studies dug around into the lives of those who saw UFOS, a huge percentage of them had some sort of occult experiences in their lives or in the lives of people close to them. In other words, there were spiritual issues at work in their lives.
He also noted that when UFO sightings from the past were examined–people have been observing strange things in the sky for a long time–they all mirrored the technology of the time. So, say, people claiming to see UFOs in the time of Jules Verne, for example, saw UFOs piloting flying balloons–not flying saucers.
Those UFOs that displayed paranormal behavior all acted in ways attributable to Satanic visitors.
So, while nothing conclusively can be nailed down as exact, the vast majority of UFO sightings come from people who have occultic activity somewhere in their past or that of close people to them, and everything points to Satanic influence.
If you don’t believe Satan is still around, of course, it may just as well be unidentified flying objects full of extraterrestrials for all your credulity claims.
Hope this helps. The book isn’t long, is clear and is well worth the read. Maybe I’ll go dig it out again. 🙂
Yup, that was my understanding as well.