It’s the number one question people of all ages have about science-and-faith and it gets asked in lots of different ways. Genesis or evolution? Science or the Bible? Why doesn’t the Bible mention dinosaurs? I don’t understand how what I learn at school makes sense with what I learn at church? The question essentially is this:
How can there be a God who creates when science tells us so much about how our world works?
Whatever form the question takes, I always begin my response with this sentence:
Science tells us how our earthly house was built; the Bible tells us how God made it a home, a sacred space, to live with us.*
As I’ve used this approach over the years, I’ve been amazed again and again at how simple and effective it is. I’ve seen the light bulb turn on—for persons of all ages—as their confusion clears and dissonant information is instantly harmonized, like suddenly realizing how two puzzle pieces fit together. I’ve learned that even kindergarteners easily grasp the house story/home story concept.
Sometimes, this simple sentence is all it takes to satisfy the questioner. Sometimes, it opens the door to a deeper conversation about the relationship of science and the Bible within the house story/home story framework.
So impactful is this simple sentence that I use it preemptively to begin and frame every discussion and Bible lesson that touches on the topics of Genesis 1 or Creation.
I encourage you to give it a try the next time you get asked a science-and-faith question.
*Based on the work of biblical scholar John Walton, which I first wrote about in a previous post.