Consider two conversations about Science and God on the streets of Leeds.
Less Fruitful Conversation
“Hello, my name is Susan and I believe that only science tells us the truth. This means that Christianity is a load of rubbish.”
“We don’t talk about stuff like that in our church. But if you believe in Jesus, God will forgive you and you can go to heaven after you die.”
“You haven’t really helped me here.”
More Fruitful Conversation
“Hello, my name is Susan and I believe that only science tells us the truth. This means that Christianity is a load of rubbish.”
“My name is Rocky and I have a question for you Susan. Do you agree with Eric Harris, the Columbine killer?”
“Sorry I don’t understand your point.”
“Just to fill you in Susan, Eric Harris and his friend, Dylan Klebold shot 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School, Colorado, USA in 1999.”
“What’s this got to do with science?”
“Eric, the murderer, would agree with you Susan about science. He wrote in his diary: “just because your mommy and daddy tell you blood and violence is bad, you think it’s a f―g law of nature? wrong, only science and math are true, everything else, and I mean every f―g thing else is man-made.”
“Wow, that’s very thought-provoking.”
“So would you agree with Eric that only maths and physics are true and everything else is man-made? Therefore there is nothing wrong with cold-blooded murder.”
“To be honest I’m not sure what to say, Rocky.”
“Susan I’m just trying to help you think about what you believe about life, the universe and everything. Are you a materialist like Eric Harris?”
“Tell me more about materialism.”
“Materialism is the belief that everything is just physical and only science tells us the truth. If only ‘physical stuff’ exists then the only things we can believe in are those things that can be measured by scientific equipment. This means that only maths and physics tell us the truth about the world. This then leads to the conclusion that moral statements such as ‘murder is wrong’ are human made and have no truth. A materialist would also say that Eric Harris had a brain bug, a glitch in his brain and that’s why he did it. In other words, Eric’s brain made him shoot his victims! So Susan I’d like to know – are you a materialist?”
“To be honest I have never thought about this issue.”
“Susan, I used to be a materialist like you but God spoke to me and told me about His Son, Jesus. Susan if you believe in Jesus…I’ll rephrase that…if you trust in Jesus your sins are forgiven and God will give you a fabulous resurrection body and you will live in a new heaven and a new earth.”
Why should I trust in Jesus? Isn’t he dead?
“No, He isn’t dead. After His resurrection he appeared to more than 500 people (1 Cor 15:6). Many people saw the risen Jesus who had conquered death. Thousands of Christians were then willing to die horrible deaths under Roman rule. Some were eaten by lions. Others were burnt alive. They did this because they had either seen Jesus or they knew someone who had. The Christian faith is based on these true accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
“This has been a really fascinating conversation. Thanks!”
Mark is a lively storyteller and the author of four books, including The Spy, the Rat and the Bed of Nails: Creative Ways of Talking about Christian Faith. His work is focused on storytelling and how this can help us to communicate the Christian faith. He has written many articles for the Baptist Times, RE Today, Youthscape, Direction magazine and the Christian Teachers Journal.
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