Are science and faith enemies or friends?
It is a subject that many of us find difficult to navigate and struggle to answer questions about, and SAT-7’s viewers in Iran are no different.
A second series of Science and Faith starts this month on SAT-7’s Farsi channel to help viewers get to grips with the key issues. Revd Mansour Bourji, who presents the programme alongside Dr Sasan Tavassoli, explained why SAT-7 is tackling this subject:
“Iranian society is becoming more and more secularised and for many educated Iranians the divide between faith and science is greater than ever. Christians young and old struggle with the same kind of questions about the authority of the scriptures and validity of scientific claims.
“In the midst of the media hype surrounding the controversies in this field, it is natural for some unprepared Christians to also consider faith and science as inherently opposing each other.”
Science and Faith examines the historical relationship between the Christian faith and science, exploring the contributions of Christians to the understanding of modern science. It highlights how scientists who are Christians have considered examination of the natural world as an act of “loving God with all their mind” (Luke 10:27), and knowing Him through His general revelation.
The scope and the limits of science
The first series considered creation, looking at the work of various scientists from Galileo to Darwin, and demonstrated how science and faith can go hand in hand. The second series will move on to critique Darwin’s Theory of Evolution as well as the work of other scientists, exploring what can be learnt from them and what is not consistent with Christian teaching.
Revd Bourji said: “It is important to highlight the scope and limits of science. This is where most of the confusion lays. When people claim or expect either Scripture or scientific method to answer all of life’s questions, the divide between science and religion widens.
“Therefore, it is important to remind Christians in our context to differentiate between science and the worldview that reduces it to scientific naturalism. Yet equally to remember that science, as a study of God’s world, can prompt us to re-examine our interpretation of God’s word and ultimately gain a better understanding of Scripture.”
Specific topics covered in Science and Faith include the origin of the universe, the Anthropic Principle (that the universe appears to have been fine-tuned for human existence), and the historicity of Adam.
Revd Bourji added: “We hope that viewers of this programme will have greater confidence as Christians in the reality of God as the creator of the world and be more prepared to answer challenging questions about the conflicts between faith and science.
“We also hope that they will gain a better appreciation for God’s revelation both in His Word and in His World, and ultimately grow in their faith by ‘loving God with all their mind’.”