Follow Jesus or be involved in social justice… Believe in God or choose Science? Why are we so desperate to make people choose?

The first ever Justice Conference in South Africa is going to be taking place in just 15 days time.  The primary question they are going to be exploring is the link between Jesus and Social Justice and the realisation that you really can’t separate the two effectively. It’s true – you can follow Jesus and be involved with social justice.

The science question has been a similar one. There has been strong thought in some spaces that you have to choose either God or Science.

Science is the study of things, or to put it a little more academically:

the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

So if there is a God and if He is a God who created the Universe, then surely Science is simply the study of the created things that God has made?

FOLLOWERS OF JESUS ARE ALLOWED TO USE THEIR BRAINS

Christianity has often been accused of being all about feeling, whereas Science is seen more as the logical, rationale, thinking.

Christians have not always been the biggest help when it comes to breaking this misconception. When someone disagrees with an opinion a Christian has on social media, the response will often be, “But the Bible says so” – end of story. They couldn’t tell you where the Bible says so but they have a vague idea that it’s in their somewhere and so the blanket answer tends to make other people stop pressing any deeper.

But if you do start to think about the ways of the Universe and the ideas of Science, could it be possible that both can stand alongside each other and maybe even confirm and back each other up?

Can you imagine what it might start to look like if followers of Jesus came up with better answers than, “Just because” or “I read it somewhere” or else a badly quoted likely out-of-context verse?

THE GREATEST COMMAND IS TO THINK

When Jesus was asked what the most important command in the Scriptures was, this is how He responded:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” [Matthew 22.37]

We have all heard about the heart and soul and even strength (that is found in another verse) but that little word at the end sometimes gets away from us.

Love the Lord your God with all your mind.

Wow, that is a game changer right there.

It seems like God, through Jesus, was giving us permission to use our minds. Even strongly encouraging it.

This is what I’ve come to realise. Being a person of faith does not mean disengaging from my brain. Rather it means we engage more deeply by connecting our understanding and experience with our faith and the knowledge we find in scripture. And then engage more authentically with those around us and show them we really know what we’re talking about.

WHEN YOU DON’T KNOW IT ALL

I’ve also discovered three words that really help me engage a lot more deeply when Science people are challenging my Christianity ideas. The words are, “I don’t know” and it is okay to use them.

It is completely okay not to know something. But it doesn’t help when we refuse to acknowledge that when it is the case or if we let that be the final statement on the thing. “I don’t know the answer to your question right now, but I will try and find out from someone who does.” That is a great response.

I have a friend Sean who reads Bible commentaries for fun and when it comes to theology he is one of the guys I turn to. My friend Mahlatse is studying African Philosophy and so can engage on that from a Christian perspective. And so on. It is an act of strength to acknowledge ignorance but then refuse to stay in that state. When I don’t know something I ask until I know it a little better.

SCIENCE AND JESUS COMBINED

If you are someone who has been put off Christianity because you don’t think it embraces Science, I encourage you to reconsider.

Discover some Christ-following people who are also well respected in the Science communities, who also believe that it is possible to have both.

Endeavour to search for a faith that doesn’t just allow but commands you to use your mind when approaching God.