Worldview
This page constitutes an overview of my beliefs regarding science, nature and conservation. I am unapologetically a born-again Christian and biblical (“young-earth”) creationist. My foundation for living my life, enjoying nature and conducting science is God’s infallible Word- the Bible.
Biblical Basis
I believe in a recent, literal, six 24-hour-day divine creation as recorded in Genesis 1. All living organisms are descended from original created kinds (baramins in Hebrew) that God created with high genetic variation, or heterozygosity, for the purpose of “filling the earth” for the duration of its existence (Genesis 1:22, 28). Natural selection (which is NOT evolution) is a real process that has decreased genetic variation, or heterozygosity, in organisms over Earth’s approximately 6,000-year history as animals have become specialized to different environments. Very little new genetic material has been created as a result of this process- instead, natural selection has largely operated on existing genetic variation built into creatures’ genomes by God at creation. Organisms speciate (adapt, or become new species) within the divinely preset boundary of the created kind (often at the Linnean Family or Order levels), and no crossovers between kinds have ever been recorded (Genesis 1:11-12, 21, 24-25). Dogs and cats are a great example of this. Much variation exists within both the felid and canid kinds, but no cross-breeding between a dog and cat has ever been observed because the two taxa are genetically and reproductively incompatible. Dogs have only produced more dogs, and cats have only bred more cats. A population of canids and a population of felids was created with high genetic variation during creation week, and the two have speciated greatly since then. This view is very different from that of Darwinian “molecules-to-man” evolution, which sees animals as progressing from less-advanced life forms to highly evolved ones over millions of years. I have found Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson’s work to be exceptional for delving into the issues of natural selection, kinds and creation in detail- see his writings on the subject here.
God also made humankind on the seventh day of creation week as male and female (Genesis 1:27). The first two people, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden and caused all of humanity to become separated from God- including you and me. All of us are sinners both by nature and because of Adam’s actions, but God in eternity past chose a subset of humanity to be reconciled to him for eternity, while the rest will go to eternal punishment. Through the perfect sacrificial work on the cross of his incarnate Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, he has renewed the hearts of those he chose and made them alive in Christ. Those who believe can now know the infinite Creator of the universe personally and will one day be with him in glory. If you have not received Christ as your Savior, I encourage you to get right with God and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
How Science Fits Into a Biblical Worldview
Science is defined as a process designed by humans to understand the world more fully using rigorous methods of observation, inquiry, hypothesizing, and testing to come to tentative, useful conclusions about the physical world. It is a very real manifestation of God’s command to humankind to “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28). Through science we gain knowledge of and mastery over the materials and living things around us. An important characteristic of science is that it cannot discover truth- in fact, if you think about it, all scientific conclusions will ultimately turn out to be false. This is because there are infinite explanations and variables that could explain any one phenomenon, and each conclusion is only an approximation of what is really happening.
Contrary to popular belief, science is not incompatible with the Bible and spiritual realities. Rather, science helps to explain and explore God’s creation in keeping with his “subdue the earth” mandate. Note that the Bible’s propositions always trump conclusions found by science, not the other way around. The Bible is the sole source of truth, while science ultimately cannot produce truth.
There are many, many scientists in modern-day and throughout history that hold to recent biblical creation and have contributed tremendously to their respective fields- click here for a list of modern creationist scientists. Historical scientists and “founding fathers” in their field who held to creationism include Francis Bacon (scientific method pioneer), Galileo Galilei (astronomy), Johann Kepler (astronomy), Blaise Pascal (hydrostatics), Robert Boyle (chemistry), John Ray (biology), Isaac Newton (physics, calculus), John Woodward (palentology), Carolus Linnaeus (biology, classification), Louis Pasteur (bacteriology, sterilization), Joseph Lister (antiseptics), George Washington Carver (inventor), Dr. Frank Marsh (palentology), and Dr. Henry Morris (hydrology). These are only a few of the many historical figures in scientific and medical field who held to creationism.
Of course, because science is a human venture, it is fallible and can produce erroneous theories that are contrary to Scripture, like evolution and eugenics. Macro-scale evolution from molecules to man over massive periods of time–from one kind into another, from primitive live forms into advanced creatures–is incompatible with a recent six-day miraculous creation by God. Smaller-scale mechanisms that operate within kinds like speciation and adaptation are not evolution, but processes that act upon existing information by whittling it down and decreasing genetic diversity.
Humans’ Relation to Nature
The mandate in Genesis 1 to subdue the earth has another aspect: humans have responsibility as caretakers of creation to manage and tend it wisely, not to overhunt, overfish, and engage in wanton habitat destruction. Common sense laws like poaching penalties, bag limits and tags for hunters have been instituted in the United States at the state and federal levels that help to prevent these types of things from happening. However, too much government involvement and regulations can lead to clumsy processes that end up doing more harm than good, while citizens end up having very little say in the outcome. In my view, conservation is best left up to individual states and even local governments or non-government organizations, which have a much better handles on the conditions and needs of the immediate environment. Huge government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency over-regulate and over-burden American business owners and taxpayers, while doing little good or even harm to America’s nature. Ducks Unlimited is a fantastic example of an non-governmental organization that is spearheading conservation and producing real results (waterfowl populations have increased in number over the past few years).
Moving forward, we must find a balance between conservation and anthropogenic development. Biodiversity is important for us to conserve as stewards of creation as well as for its ecological services to humankind, but ultimately man is made in the image of God while other creatures are not. Nature should not be elevated above man in importance or worshiped as a god. Instead, creation’s main purpose is to point us to the Creator- God’s divine attributes can be easily discerned from nature (Romans 1:19-20), and his infinite creativity and ultimate engineering show in the smallest ant as well as the tallest redwood. Initiatives like economic degrowth and human depopulation are inherently anti-human and anti-biblical, because they devalue human life and go against God’s command to “fill the earth”.
A hot-button topic in our culture today related to the environment is human-caused (anthropogenic) climate change. Unfortunately, the dominant messaging on climate consists of doomsday scenarios that don’t match up with the true variety of climate science projections. Many climate scientists are breaking away from the “consensus” and sharing evidence that humans contribute very little, if at all, to changes in climate over long periods of time, and that carbon dioxide has negligible effects on the atmosphere while benefitting primary producers: plants. Components of our natural system, including oceanic weather systems like ENSO and NAO, as well as our sun’s ever-changing activity are much more powerful influences on the earth’s long-term climate. The debate on this issue is much more complex and detailed than can be covered here, but a great resource for explaining alternate causes of climate change is the CLINTEL (Climate Intelligence) site, which features articles written by top climate scientists from around the globe. I also appreciate the work done by the CO2 Coalition, a body of scientists who advocate for the benefits of carbon dioxide and push back against politicized climate science. Because climate change is largely natural and carbon dioxide is beneficial, there is no need for worldwide governments to institute “carbon-zero” policies, carbon taxes, transitions to electrical technology, and other “green” initiatives that often end up being ineffective or even causing damage.
These are some of my personal views on science, the Bible, and how humans should care for nature. I strive to be open about my beliefs and don’t shy away from standing up for my convictions. If you disagree with my views, let’s have a constructive conversation. Leave a comment in the comments section below to start a dialogue!
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