The Bible as a Source Document?

The Transcendental Authorship of Scripture Makes it an Excellent Source for Discoveries in Science

We live in an enigmatic age. Never has there been a time when the research has been more robust than it is today, in support of the biblical account of creation, the history of the nation of Israel, the sinful nature of humanity, and the evidence for the Resurrection. In spite of this mass of evidence supporting a wide variety of biblical claims, a relatively recent Gallup poll suggested fewer Americans than ever give credence to the Bible being the actual Word of God (24%), with increasing numbers relegating it as “a collection of fables, myths, and history.”

Now if the Bible is more than a “collection of fables” and is authored by an otherworldly, all-knowing supernatural being–responsible for the creation of matter, space, and time–then should we not expect to see evidence for his omniscience in his alleged words? I would argue that from cosmic beginnings to human beginnings, the evidence for the Creator’s sapience is abundant in Scripture.

As a young man, astronomer Hugh Ross logically reasoned that the Bible had to be inspired by a transcendental, all-knowing agent, because it revealed knowledge about the origins, composition, and laws governing the universe that could not have been knowable at the time the various ancient authors penned their creation narratives–literally thousands of years ago. For instance, whereas other ancient religious texts spoke of a past eternal universe–something resembling a steady-state model–it is singularly and uniquely the Biblical account in Genesis that informs us of an actual cosmic beginning from nothing–a.k.a. the Big Bang. In fact, history tells us that Big Bang cosmogony was met with considerable resistance by many within the scientific community because of its implications as a model supporting the Genesis account. It seems this might suggest Scripture is more than merely a supplier of ancient myths and fables.

In Ross’ Navigating Genesis: A Scientist’s Journey through Genesis 1–11, the astronomer provides still more distinct evidence that the inspiring agent of scripture revealed truths about his creation to the ancient writers that were only recently ascertained by scientists in the last century. Dr. Ross explains that if the Genesis account of the order of creation is deliberated through the lens of an observer standing on the surface of the earth, (which is precisely the frame of reference to which the reader is directed to in Genesis 1:2) this order corresponds to what we know from orthodox astronomy, geology and biology. Naturally, we should ask then, how did Moses know that plant life made its appearance (third “day”) on earth prior to animal life (fifth “day”)? More specifically, who informed Moses that amphibians, reptiles, and birds (again, fifth “day”) made their debut before mammals (sixth “day”)? This natural history was not known in Moses’ time–or, perhaps this is merely a fable?

Ross is so convinced Scripture can inform future scientific discoveries that his organization, Reason to Believe (RTB), has developed a sophisticated conceptual framework termed the creation model. The model provides a powerful rubric by which we can anticipate “discoveries that could either verify or falsify the model’s explanation(s).”  True to the scientific method inspired by Francis Bacon’s writings, RTB’s model is testable. To Ross and his team, there is no proverbial war between science and religion. Instead, nature reflects the Creator’s general revelation–cast in the book of nature–and the truths to be found in scripture are his special revelation. Since these two revelations emanate from a single Author, they harmonize. Whenever conflicts may arise, Ross suggests reexamining the data, recognizing that our understanding is often incomplete.

For the scientists at Reasons to Believe then (and there are quite a few), the Holy Bible offers so much more than merely fables, myths and history. Rather, the concomitant truths between Scripture and nature have enabled and inspired Ross and colleagues to write with excellent scholarship works addressing the Anthropic Principle, origins of life, origins of humanity, and more recently, artificial intelligence. Lest anyone think these writings are merely simple talking points from an ill-equipped “creation science” organization–they are extensively footnoted, with copious references to articles in the peer-reviewed literature. Ironically, at a time when skepticism of Scripture’s Authorship is on the rise, the solid evidence by Ross and many others supporting the Bible continues to grow.