Why should nature be rational, and submit to rational analysis?
These are notes from the recent Science & Faith: Friend or Foes? Conference held at Westminster Theological Seminary and sponsored by the Discovery Institute. I apologize for their fragmented nature.
Psalm 114:10 - springs gush forth - the day-to-day workings of nature are attributed to God.
Top-down approach - Christ as centre of Creation - Col. 1:16 - for by him all things were created, and Col. 1:17 - in him all things hold together, i.e., Christ is the foundation as well as the agent.
Divine Archetype
God the Father --> the Son (reflecting/homology) - Hebrews 1:3 - the exact image
God --> Adam (Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule..."
cf. Genesis 5:3 "When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth."
Adam --> Seth in Adam's image, but different
John 1:1-2 - allusion to Genesis
The Spirit - sustains animal and human life - "breath of life" Genesis 7:22 - humans, animals breathe, plants breathe, cells breathe oxygen for metabolism
What is the meaning of God's presence? Creator-creature distinction.
* Absolutely transcendent God
* Distinct actions
* God is present controlling and judging
vs. Materialism - everything is reducible to matter and energy, no God -- no distinct orders; no real consciousness or purpose - then, why and how is awareness - illusion? Epiphenomenon? Generated from mere complexity? "Emergent"?
Problem: nothing comes from nothing.
* Purpose.
Purpose of the Father - Son as executor of purpose
Human plans, purposes - how come? Materialism - universe has no plan or purpose
Animals - seeking, responding - have things in them reminiscent of human purpose, e.g., go after food
Plants - living, growing
Cells - have purpose - "you can hardly read a page of biology without encountering the language of purpose -- even though they deny purpose"
Cells are "molecular machines" - a machine can only be evaluated if you understand its purposes-- designed to do something -- either working, idle, broken, impaired
* Control. Closely related to purpose.
Omnipotence of the Father - Son is executor - Spirit as energizer
An adequate explanation of reality must include: matter, energy, purpose and information
Old Testament theophanies foreshadow the incarnation, e.g., the three layers in Ezekiel chapter 1 - 1) cloud, 2) cherubim 3) human figure, surrounded by fire, e.g., God's judgment
God's glory is copied. King vs. human copy-king. Light vs. nature's copy-light.
Matthew 1:23 Emmanuel - God with us.
Mathematics:
Note the beauty, elegance of mathematical equations, e.g., F=ma (Force= Mass * Acceleration).
The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences by Eugene Wigner: "it is not at all natural that "laws of nature" exist, much less that man is able to discover them"
Why should nature be rational, and submit to rational analysis?
Dr. Poythress is the author of Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach.
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