If you make a list of the figures who founded the great scientific disciplines—whether biology, astronomy, or quantum mechanics—you’ll find, again and again, that they were Christians. Not only did Christians dominate the birth of new scientific fields, but a staggering number have been awarded Nobel prizes in the sciences, more than all other groups combined. So, what made the difference?

The idea that Christians are inherently anti-science is not only common but persistent, echoed in conversations and cultural commentary for as long as I can remember. I often hear claims that Christianity has historically repressed scientific progress, sometimes citing stories of Christians burning scientists at the stake or actively inhibiting scientific advancement out of dogmatic stubbornness. But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the very opposite is supported by history if we care to examine it closely, step by step.

When you chart the history of scientific progress on a timeline, it moves along steadily, with incremental developments across the centuries. But suddenly, things start ramping up—with a surge that becomes unmistakable during the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries, a period we now call the Scientific Revolution. If you plot the life of Jesus on that same timeline, something fascinating emerges: Jesus stands right before this explosion of scientific discovery. Is that a coincidence? I don’t think so. The worldview that Jesus initiated served as a powerful catalyst for what became an unprecedented age of scientific achievement.

Why? First, Christianity introduced a way of seeing the universe that was absolutely critical for science to flourish. Instead of a world ruled by a disordered, chaotic pantheon of gods (as was common in the ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome), Christianity described the universe as the creation of one singular, orderly God. This God was not part of the creation, but separate from it—rational, consistent, reliable. Under the older pantheons, why would anyone investigate “why lightning strikes” when it could simply be attributed to Zeus’s anger?

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