The Psalmist tells us that the “voice” of this “speech” goes out “through all the earth.” The new image of a black hole is yet another way in which God’s “eternal power and divine nature” have been “clearly perceived … in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20).

Astronomers made news by capturing the first image of a black hole. But the beauty that shone from the Event Horizon Telescope didn’t just validate Einstein’s theory of general relativity. It testified that we live in a mathematical and orderly universe. Psalm 19 puts it this way:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge. (Psalm 19:1-2 ESV)

The Psalmist goes on to tell us that the “voice” of this “speech” goes out “through all the earth.” The new image of a black hole is yet another way in which God’s “eternal power and divine nature” have been “clearly perceived … in the things that have been made” (Romans 1:20).

Because the only way Einstein can develop a theory on paper, and have it play out in practice a hundred years later, is if our galaxies were designed by an Intelligence far greater than we can fathom.

That’s why Christians in particular should celebrate the recent breakthrough.

Christianity Promotes Scientific Advancement

Many today think of Christianity and science as operating in wholly different spheres. The irony is that the advances of modern science are largely the product of Christian thinking. The ancient Greeks thought the world was rational. But because they figured the laws of science could be deduced from reason, they didn’t vigorously pursue the advancement of science. If nature’s laws could be deduced philosophically, and if the physical world was inherently corrupt and less “pure” than the world of ideas, why conduct empirical research?

For example, Aristotle (384-322 BC) taught that heavier objects fall faster than light ones. In his book Mechanics, Hero of Alexandria (AD 10-70) taught the same thing. It would have taken 10 seconds to perform a simple experiment to disprove this concept. But neither bothered to do this. Because the laws of nature were to be worked out by reason alone.

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