From the most distant galaxy to the depths of the ocean – if we have a way to study it, it is within the realm of science. Therein lies the rub of course: we must have a way of studying it. There are aspects of the cosmos which, while observable, are impossible to study. While observation is itself meaningful, it does not offer the opportunity to say something which is knowingly true. Science is pursuing things which are knowingly and provably true. The rest is mere speculation. 

The Christian is tasked with being a citizen of Heaven while living in a broken world alongside sinful men and women within the context of a given culture or society. One aspect of that living that has seemed to transcend all cultures or societies throughout time has been a fascination with and study of the natural world. And so it behooves the Christian to think rightly about not only the natural world but also our study of it. This thinking has often tended to swing to the extremes, as is often the case in a fallen world. At times we have rejected science or scientific discovery; other times we have wholesale accepted it without any critical thought. I’ll be posting the occasional article highlighting various aspects of the intersection between science and the Christian faith. My hope is that they may be helpful and thought-provoking discussions, perhaps offering perspectives that readers haven’t considered in the past. Future articles will look at aspects of the historical development of modern science and how Christians of past generations have contributed to it, either positively or negatively. Of course we’ll examine Scripture and how it views the natural world. We may even touch on the occasional scientific controversy.

But to begin, I want to offer a simple definition of science that helps us define what it is and what it is not. Science is the pursuit of real and provable knowledge about the universe gained by proper experimentation and revision. This definition is my own, taken both from my own journey in professional science and from over a decade of teaching undergraduates through various sciences. It covers three important aspects of science: why, what, and how.

Why? Science is the pursuit of knowledge. It is why for millennia men and women have spent their lives engrossed in the natural world – they seek knowledge. The very best scientists have a natural curiosity about the world around us, a curiosity that encompasses both hobby and profession. A scientist is driven by the desire to better understand how things work or why things exist as they are in nature. Yet that pursuit of knowledge isn’t always done within the setting of a lab or university; science can be done in the confines of the home.

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