Do the Bible and science contradict each other? When biblical writers describe the earth as being stationary or flat, does that mean the rest of the Bible is false and outdated?
The answer to both questions is no, said Jeremy Howard, an author, editor, speaker and Christian apologist. “The goal in reading the Bible is reading it well,” he said. “And we have to know that the Bible and a science textbook have two different goals, and those goals aren’t to make the same kind of claims about science.”
For instance, when the author of Psalm 104:5 wrote, “He (God) set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved,” he wasn’t making a scientific statement about the world, Howard said.
The writer was trying to make a statement about the power of the Creator within the view the ancients had of the world, he explained.
If God had tried to communicate with the people of Israel in terms of space science or other complexities not yet discovered, they wouldn’t have understood, so the language of the Bible is the language they could comprehend and write down, he explained.
So when Scripture refers to the floodgates of heaven, it doesn’t mean actual floodgates. It also doesn’t mean there’s an actual heavenly sea that can be scientifically proven, Howard said. “Does this mean there is a reason to claim we have an errant Bible? No, because it did not seek to outpace ancient concepts and teach true science.”
The Bible had a different purpose altogether, he said. God “was not intending to make a scientifically accurate statement. His aim was not to teach Hebrews about space but to teach them that He made everything they saw when they looked up.”
Understanding the original audience is vital to understanding how science and the Bible relate, Howard said. Christians “must take great care to read the ancient Scriptures responsibly and in accord with their historical contexts,” he said.
“Beware of mistaking biblical literalism for biblical authority or fidelity to God’s Word,” he said. “The Bible is the authority for matters it intended to address.”
And beware of thinking about the Bible and science in such a way that it creates a “radical divide” between what is known to be true in nature and what you insist is true.
“Science must remain tethered to the biblical worldview but not captive to a rigid biblical literalism,” Howard said.
For more information, visit www.jeremyroyalhoward.com.
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