Just a few weeks ago, NASA released a series of photos from the largest space telescope ever launched. The James Webb is larger than a truck and peers deeper into the universe than the Hubble telescope that has been orbiting the Earth for more than 30 years. We are learning more about the vastness and the age of space than our minds can barely comprehend.
How does this modern space technology affect the Bible’s story of God creating the heavens and the Earth? Certainly the Genesis account can’t compete with our modern space-age information.
Actually, every time someone invents another telescope or discovers a new planet, the Genesis story is called into question. But Genesis is not a scientific document, it is a statement of faith, expressed in the context of how the world was understood 6,000 years ago.
The first chapter of Genesis is a remarkable poem that has stood the test of time because it did not need to explain itself every time we moderns made a “new” scientific discovery.
I was a science major in a fairly conservative college. I studied zoology, geology, physics, astronomy and microbiology, among others. From time to time, I would adjust my faith as I pondered some of the teachings in my classes. When I became a pastor, I allowed my preaching to be open to the realities of the world rather than bang the Bible every time it seemed to reflect a viewpoint from an ancient century.
Our church organist, who served with me for about 15 years, teased me that the content of my sermons seemed to move a bit left every year or two. My defense was that the Bible has not changed, but the world in which we read it today is different from the world in which it was written.
Historians are suggesting that we are moving into the space age. We are coming to the point where sending people to the moon is no longer headline news.
The next exciting piece of space- related news could be that an extraterrestrial being has actually landed on Earth. If the James Webb telescope reveals galaxies and planets similar to those on earth today, perhaps we may encounter new neighbors whom God created for us way back at the point of the Big Bang.
Harry Bronkar is a retired Baptist minister living in Seven Lakes. Contact him at hbronkar@gmail.com.
Bill Nye, The (fake) science guy, believes we are descended from Martians. He might be. I’m from Adam and Eve. No other planets needed, or ever mentioned in the Bible.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Comments that violate any of the rules above are subject to
removal by staff.
Get unlimited digital access and support award-winning local journalism, for just 9.50 +tax a month. This includes access to the electronic replica edition of The Pilot.
Our best deal: Get all the news of Moore County delivered to your home each Wednesday and Sunday — and receive unlimited digital access to thepilot.com.
(1) comment
Bill Nye, The (fake) science guy, believes we are descended from Martians. He might be. I’m from Adam and Eve. No other planets needed, or ever mentioned in the Bible.
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Comments that violate any of the rules above are subject to removal by staff.