Faith & Reason Ministries

Science and Christianity Overview and Chapter Summary

Copyright © 1985, 1986, 1998 by John D. Callahan

Book Cover for 2nd Edition (caption reads: A New Look at Difficult Questions)

Overview

WHO IS MAN ANYWAY? Most scientists believe we evolved from apes and live in a gigantic universe of billions of galaxies; man could be insignificant. Most Christians, on the other hand, believe that God specially created the human race from Adam and Eve; we are very important in the scheme of things. Yet we are evil and need to be redeemed by a Saviour, Jesus Christ.

This book takes a new look at our universe, in light of modern discoveries and age old problems, and answers intriguing questions. The author was a member of the technical staff at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and he has studied science all his life. Yet he was converted to Christianity in 1974 after an intense personal search for truth.

This book will give you new insights and surprises as it discusses: Biblical truths and fallacies, the dimensions and contents of the universe, the Big Bang, the great religious leaders of history, the deity of Jesus, the angels, the fall of Satan, the origins of life on Earth (evolution), the probability of life existing elsewhere in the universe, the solution to man's existence, and more!

Chapter Summary

Chapter 1. The Bible is the greatest book ever written. It contains the writings of great men of God who were largely inspired by Him. However, like any other document, it is not absolutely perfect, and in some places it is badly flawed. The Bible can be used as evidence to help us understand reality, but reality cannot be defined by the Bible. Observation and experimentation in addition to divine revelation are the keys man uses to unlock the secrets of the universe.

Chapter 2. The dimensions of the physical universe are staggering indeed. Our Galaxy alone, the Milky Way, is composed of a hundred billion stars; the sun is only one of them. We know that the universe consists of at least 100 billion other diverse galaxies. The universe is between 10 to 20 billion years old, and our solar system is 5 billion years old. The diameter of the Milky Way is 100,000 light-years, that of the known universe is billions of light-years. These scientific facts are questioned by few men.

Chapter 3. The spiritual universe must be interpreted in light of our knowledge of the physical universe. The evidence clearly shows Jesus to be exactly who He claimed to be: the only Son of God and as such God incarnate. God always existed and is the supreme being and creator. God created the universe, but it is perverted and contains evil. This can only be explained satisfactorily by understanding the nature of the created spiritual universe. The angels are far more numerous, old, and powerful than we ever imagined. They were created before any of the physical universe, and Satan's fall was truly profound. It affected the entire universe at a very deep and fundamental level.

Chapter 4. The creation story found in Genesis is, for the most part, not correct. Rather, the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and life began in the seas billions of years ago with very primitive forms. These forms slowly evolved into the wide variety of plants and animals we see today. Many, many animals evolved, lived and then became extinct. Man evolved over the last few million years from tree dwelling apes who began to live on the ground. Man's intelligence has allowed him to dominate the Earth.

Chapter 5. In light of all the evidence considered so far, we are now in a better position to understand man's true spiritual identity in the universe. Man is not the center and highest work of all God's creation. Besides the glorious angelic beings, intelligent life other than mankind most likely has developed or will develop somewhere in the vastness of the universe over the eons of time. Mankind is part of a great universe caught in the middle of a titanic spiritual conflict between God and Satan, good and evil. Since the conflict is so fundamental, we are to a large degree basically perverted, in darkness, and under Satan's control beyond our ability to understand. Despite this, God has provided a way for us to be right with Him and inherit eternal life. He came in the form of the man Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago. Jesus died upon the cross as payment for our sins. True belief in Jesus involves repentance from sin and brings the personal presence and power of God into a human being's life. It also brings forgiveness, eternal life, and the solution to man's dilemma upon the Earth.

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