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THE K I N G ’ S BU S I NE S S
His Word. The sun is a chronicler of time, not of eternity. When time shall be no more, they shall not need the light of the sun, “for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:5). Q. Is there anything in science that seems to have its basic concepts in Scripture? A. Religion has raise'd the questions that science seeks to answer. In Job 38 (presumably the oldest book in the Bible) is a series of questions that ' science has now at long last answered, e.g., “Knowest thou the .ordinances of the heavens?” (v. 33, R. V.). Thanks to Galileo, Kepler, and Newton, we know them today. Q. If you were to point out the most startling comparison of Scripture to ■modern science, what would it be? A. The postulate that material sub stance has a non-material back ground. Note Hebrews 11:3b: “Things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” Q. Our present age is characterized by scientific knowledge and applica tion. Do you believe it is possible to make it a Bible-conscious age, as for example, be f o r e the c omi ng of science? A. More so. Unwittingly, science has paved the way for Scripture. The uni versal language of science is filled with the concepts of Scripture. It is not difficult to preach on ‘"Hie Lord . . . stretcheth forth the heavens” (Isa. 44:24), to a g r o u p that has studied “t h e expanding universe.” To helio-centric students, it is a satis fying thing that the Bible compares God to the sun, never to the earth. To modern astronomers who have de stroyed the classical views of uniform stellar brightness, it can easily be announced, “One’ star differeth from another star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). Q. Is not modernism based on the scientific spirit? If so, why are you not a modernist? A. Modernism is based on unbelief. Its weakness lies in failing to realize how wonderful the Bifile really is. Modernism is strong in so far as it uses the Bible, and also in so far as it has honored men of science. Funda mentalism has gone too far in attack ing men of science. But a new day h a s c o m e . Fundamentalism uses science as an ally of Scripture today. I have recently returned from two. or thodox student conferences, speaking on “The Correlation of Science and Re ligion,” and spent at least half of my time in this very type of evangelism. In this general field is- the present- day student awakening. Q. What do you consider the great est need of the hour? A. Soul-winners.
THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE [ Continued from Page 45]
A. Things are changing rapidly. But heretofore, many Bible believers relied on scientific “information” from unreliable sources, and again, many of our scientific men have held too loose views of the Bible. Q. What is the basic requirement for successful correlation? A. It is essential that we have the full equipment. A ray of light from Hercules will break up in the spectrum colors, as it penetrates the glass prism, and will reveal the vari ous hues from the infra-red on through the rainbow colors, except the ultra violet. If a quartz prism is substi tuted in place of the glass, the ultra violet light will be plainly seen. Men who study the world through the glass prism of pure intellect see every ray but one. The Word of God is the quartz prism of faith through which the h e a l i n g ray of Christ’s Spirit shines, and we sense its presence on the sensitive plates of our hearts. His Spirit bears witness with our spirit. Q. How do you "approach" a stu dent body that is unfamiliar with the Scriptures? A. Generally with a description of the architecture of the universe. Then I follow up with man’s relation to the universe. Q. Apart from mathematical rela tionships, what do you regard as most impressive in Nature? A. The undulatory concept, which is the basis of conveyance of sound, light, and life. “The Spirit of God moved " (Hebrew "Merahefeth") is taken from the stroke of a bird’s wing in flight. The Spirit of God came upon Jesus as a dove. That measure stroke in all Nature is most suggestive. It is a throbbing motion. Central in the universe is the heart of God, that sus tains all created things. Christ is the Word, the Light, .the Life. The uni verse is so constructed that it con veys the very marks of His Being. Q. What is the primary effect of religion on a person, scientifically, speaking? A. Offhand, I would say it tends to increase his capacity for endur ance. Q. How do you regard prayer in an age of science? A. I consider it the most potent force in the world, and possibly the most neglected. Q. What place does "blood atone ment" have in a scientific scheme? A. In one sense of the word, none. It is because of this limitation that we
have the love of God revealed to us in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ “Herein was the love of God mani fested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that i we might live through him” (1 John 4:9). On the other hand, the tendency of all biological science today is to discover the amazing p o w e r s and wonders of the blood. Witness the blood plasma bank! If scientists can see such amazing possibilities in the blood of men, what may not God see in the sinless blood of the Perfect Man? Q. Do the rules of scientific logic pertain to religion? A. The scientific method is based on logic, the religious on revelation. The former relies on the mental proc ess, the latter on a quality of heart: “Blessed are the pure in .heart; for they shall see God.” “Behold, I show you” (1 Cor. 15:51). •Yet, even many of the truths of revelation can be syllogistically applied. Q. Can science shed light on im mortality? A. Science offers to us the legiti-' mate use of the hypothesis. That is analogous to faith. “There’s a land that is fairer than day, and by faith we can see it afar.” It shows us the law of conservation—matter cannot be created nor d e s t r o y e d fey human agency,' but it can be c h a n g e d : “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15:51). It shows us the place and power of the human emotions. They are stronger than those of intellect. Our longing for immor tality is greater than any other tend ency of the soul. “He hath set eter nity in their heart” (Eccl. 3:11, R. V.). Nature’s answers to man’s questions are always the same, though he ask them a thousand times. The needle of the compass always points to the magnetic field near the North Pole, un less a foreign object interferes. Man’s longing for immortality is a universal constant, though occasionally a Clar ence Darrow might deny it. Carbon may take the form of wagon grease or glittering diamonds—and the fact that our sin-stained, corruptible bodies are to be changed to the likeness of His own glorious body is the glowing resurrection promise. Q. A student of astronomy asks, "How can you square entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, with the keeping power of God? According to this law, the sun will burn out, and we will be left in Stygian darkness, and I shudder at the drear prospects." A. God has taken care of that in
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