Science and Logic and Geeks. Oh, My!

Last updated on: June 30, 2014 at 6:01 pm by Mark Sandlin

Science and Logic and Geeks. Oh, My! 2014-06-30T18:01:05-05:00 Mark Sandlin

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

By: Mark Sandlin

Science, logic and geeks are going mainstream and it’s killing the church. More precisely, the Church’s long-standing aversion to science and logic is being highlighted and underscored as more people embrace geek culture in entertainment.

Of course, the resistance to science and logic is understandable, right? Facts and beliefs can be such strange bedfellows. In far too many minds, science and logic challenge faith and belief. So, ironically, it’s logical for an institution founded so heavily in faith and belief to stand over and against science and logic.

I mean, we can’t have doubt can we? Not in the Church. Right? Forget about various Psalms and such. Doubt would be the end to faith, right?

Wrong.

I, for one, believe the opposite is true. The Church’s fear of science and logic and geeks (oh, my!) and the doubt they might cause is much more likely to be the end of faith for many. Honestly, it already has been.

From political satire by the likes of Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver, which use logic to lampoon the intentionally misleading presentations of far too many news sources, to the much applauded success of a television show about geeks (The Big Bang Theory), mainstream culture is embracing things that are dripping with science, logic and general geekiness. Personally, I love it. Churches? Well, in general, not so much.

As a matter of fact, far too many Christian churches seem to be poo-pooing it all.

While he doesn’t necessarily represent all of Christianity, or even a majority, Ken Ham’s debate with Bill Nye was a good example of the crux of the problem. Ham’s argument constantly circled back to him saying “there’s a book (the Bible)” that tells me it’s true. Nye, in turn, talked facts and empirical evidence.

Now, it turns out that 42% of Americans still have a creationist view of the origins of humanity. Let that just sink in a minute. There are 42% of Americans who are willing to let facts that can be proven true through empirical evidence be outweighed by a book that they believe to be true because the book itself, in their minds, tells them it is true. Don’t even get me started on the fact that it isn’t a science book nor does it purport to be one.

I’m an ordained minister and that kind of thinking makes me want to ball up into the fetal position in a corner and rock myself to sleep. I can just barely imagine what it does to folks who already have questions about the church.

The Church has an image problem. It’s something we’ve earned. It’s something we deserve. The truth is that evangelical, fundamentalist and mainline Christian churches have long poo-pooed science. For that matter, some of the most significant “challenges” to science have historically come from organized religion. And, I’m beginning to wonder if the majority of the Church will ever be able to outgrow it.

When the re-boot of Cosmos staring Neil deGrasse Tyson (the modern day answer to Carl Sagan) opens with 8.5 million viewers and four of the top five movies so far this year are firmly rooted in things geeky, it’s time for the Church to take off its rose colored glasses when it comes to reading the Bible and replace them with a pair of black horn rims that are taped together in the middle. It is well past time for the Church to get it’s geek on.

Why? Because this is not a debate. Debating empirical evidence using your personal belief is like skydiving using a fishing net for a parachute. It’s not going to work and you look ridiculous doing it – and, ultimately, you’re not going to like how it ends. When you look at where most of society is willing to invest its time and money, it’s abundantly clear that we are beginning to understand that science and logic and geeks should be valued rather than marginalized and even villainized as the Church has been prone to do.

In Proverbs we learn that Wisdom is the thing in which God delights daily. Maybe it’s time for more of the people of God to do the same thing.

Previous Post

May 22, 2014

NETWORK’s Position on Immigration Reform - A Response to Rev. Jimmerson

Next Post

June 10, 2014 A Prayer For The Nation On The Event Of Another Shooting

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category abortion Advent Afterlife agnostic America atheist Bible bourbon Brad Pitt Brokeness Christianity Christmas Church Civil Rights Confessions Congress Conservative Christianity Crucifixion Easter election Elections Equality Facebook Feminism Ferguson Fiction Following Jesus Foodie Gamers God GOP Gospels Gun Control Health Care Hell Heretic Heritic Holy Week Humanism immigration Inclusiveness Innovation Institutionalized Church Intellectualism Islam Jesus Job Justice Lectionary LGBT Life Love Matthew 11 Minister MLK Mother's Day Movie Review Movies Music Nones Obama peace Political Pope Francis Poverty Prayer Prison Progressive Christianity Prophetic Question Mark refugee Resistance sex shooting Sin Spirit Thanksgiving The 10% The Christian Left The Walking Dead Theology Trinity Trump Uncategorized unChristian Unemployment United States violence voting war Women's rights workers rights

Select a Month January 2017 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 October 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz