SCIENCE & THE BIBLE by Bolton Davidheiser, Ph.D., Chairman o f the Science D ivision, Biola College Scientific t?/tetfiod
JUST RELEASED The key to a b etter understand ing o f th e book of Jerem iah
I e t us suppose that you occasional- i ly break out with a rash. In order to find the cause, you experi ment eating different kinds of foods. Eventually you discover that the rash occurs every time that you eat raw tomatoes. In so doing you have em ployed the scientific method, which is a process of finding by experimen tation which one of a series of events may be assumed to be the cause of another. In this case, the first event of the series is the eating of the toma toes which is the cause of the second event in the series, which in turn re sults in the rash. Having discovered that eating tomatoes causes your rash, you might ask what it is about the tomatoes that does it. Further investigation may reveal the fact that the proteins of the tomatoes are being assimilated before they are completely digested. You could again ask why does that cause rash? In any such research one must sooner or later come to a stop and say in effect, “ I observe that this event is always followed by that event, and therefore I assume that the first is the cause of the second, though I cannot tell why.” If one event follows another just once or even a few times, it may be just a coincidence. But the more fre quently it happens the less likely it is to be coincidence, and the more likely it is that the first event really is the cause of the second. But still there is an element of chance, at least, until the experiment is repeated so often that coincidence becomes statistically ridiculous. It will be seen that proof by the scientific method is quite different from proof used in geometry, where in a few moments one can prove that the sum of the squares of the sides of any plane right triangle is equal to the square of its hypotenuse. One of the most celebrated scien tific experiments of all time was be gun April 28, 1881, at Pouilly le Fort in France. On the basis of 14 success ful trials in his laboratory Louis Pasteur announced a vaccine which would prevent the disease anthrax in domestic animals. His adversaries
challenged him, and he agreed to a public experiment. Much was at stake, for anthrax was an important disease economically. Also, if Pasteur proved to be right the germ theory of disease would be established and the classical theories of medicine would be outmoded. In the experiment, 31 animals were vaccinated and 29 were not. Then all of them were inoculated with anthrax germs. Pasteur himself became fear ful for a while about the outcome of the e xp e r imen t — he questioned whether 14 cases in his laboratory really had been sufficient trial or whether he should have tried more before announcing his vaccine? But soon all the animals which had not been vaccinated were showing symp toms of anthrax and within two days nearly all of them were dead, while none o f the va c c i nat ed animals showed the symptoms. Fr om a s t udy of the scientific method itself we can gather some clues as to why so few scientists are Bible-believers. The scientific method rules out the supernatural. Any ex periment is repeatable by anyone anywhere. Under the same conditions the same cause always produces the same effect. ,If this is always true there can be no miracles. Without the supernatural element, evolution be comes the logical explanation of the diversity of life, though it is based on circumstantial evidence rather than on the scientific method. If evolution is true, the fall of man is not historic and consequently there is no need for a Redeemer. About 40 years ago Professor Leuba of Bryn Mawr questioned a number of scientists and found that less than one half of them believed in a God who can answer prayer. He also f^und a proportionately l ar ge r amount of disbelief among the more outstanding scientists. On the other hand, considerably more than one half of the scientists desired personal immortality. Here is a wide open, though very difficult, mission field. The influence these men have on shaping the beliefs of young people in. our schools of learning is enormous.
by Fred M. Wood The key to understanding the book of Jerem iah is in Jerem iah's heroic effort to fu lfill God's call, knowing that no one wanted to hear what God had told him to say. Th is book presents that key — a serious study of the progres sive spiritual stages in Jerem iah's life. Not a verse-by-verse com mentary, it is a good expository study that students and teachers w ill welcome. $3.25 A t your local bookstore SPEC IAL OFFER Books which Foretold the Future With future forecasts according to prophecy 1. God's Time Piece, the Great Jewish Signs of Today. It proves that Christ's com ing is near, even at the door. 2. How the Bible is Being Fulfilled Today. Jt proves that 150 verses are being literally fulfilled today. 3. The Olivet Discourse, and the Future Explained by the Bible. What the Bible states about Communism, the United States in Europe and the Antichrist. 4. The Great Facts, Proofs, and Evidence of the Christian Faith. A book that gives great faith in God's Word. 5. The Importance of Attending the Wor ship of God. 6. How the Church Hinders the Gospel of Christ. These two are of special help to the Christian life. 7. God's Basis of Salvation. 8. The Way to Eternal Life. These two give most interesting expositions on the way of Salvation. 9. The Hydrogen Atomic Bomb and similar inventions in the Light of the Bible. 10. The Coming Conflict with Russia and Communism. Very interesting. 11 . Man's Existence After Death. An ac curate exposition from the Bible. 12. United States is in Danger. From Four Things. 13. The Great Problems of the Middle East in Light of God's Prophetic Word. — All for $1.25 — Rev. Andrew Olson, Bible Expositor Sequim, Washington
T H I N G S TO C O M E A Study in Biblical Eschatology By J. Dwight Pentecost. Th.D. "Impressed with its monumental char- acter", says Dr. John F. Walvoord 633 large pages. A classic public- ation.................................................... $7.95 from your bookstore or
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