To know more about God, we study His handiwork. The heavens and the earth ARE His handiwork.

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

We continue our study of “Person of Interest” by J. Warner Wallace.

Igniter #1: Christ Followers Believed Matter Was Good and Worthy of Study.

Igniter #2: Christ Followers Believed Their World Was the Product of a Singular, Orderly, Rational God.

Igniter #3: Christ Followers Believed God Was Distinct From His Creation.

Igniter #4: Christ Followers Were Motivated by Their Desire to Worship the God of the Universe.

These igniters continue on page 188 through 190,

Igniter #5: Christ Followers Believed They Could Better Understand God by Observing His Activity in the “Book of Nature.” Christian scientists held both books in high regard (the book of Scripture and the book of natural revelation). They wanted to read these books correctly, understand them clearly, and share them precisely. They considered their scientific findings to be revelations about the nature and activity of God in the natural world.

Igniter #6: Christ Followers Pursued Physical and Intellectual Investigations of Their Environment. Most Greeks and Romans considered manual labor fit only for slaves. If ancient scientific theories were to be tested, empirical research (involving manual activity) would be required. This kind of empirical research (involving physical experiments) emerged quickly, however, in the earliest Christian educational facilities. The University of Bologna, for example, began dissecting human cadavers regularly in the Middle Ages. This shift from purely intellectual reasoning toward physical experimentation is unsurprising given that many of the earliest university professors and lecturers were Christian monks who had been steeped in a tradition of physical labor and didn’t view matter as inherently evil. These monks weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty, and they saw empirical research as an extension of their physical work and divine duty.

Igniter #7: Christ Followers Created a Place to Advance the Sciences. Scientific experimentation and discovery blossomed when like-minded scholars and students gathered in the context of modern universities. These institutions were the invention of Jesus followers (see Proverbs 2-12-23). Without this educational advancement, scientific discovery would not have flourished, nor would scientific information have been transmitted effectively from one generation to the next. When Christians established modern universities, they ignited the progress of science.

These seven attributes (see yesterday’s post for the first 4) of the worldview Jesus initiated account for an obvious truth: Jesus followers have had an oversized impact on the sciences.

Tomorrow, we will take a peak at scientific disciplines that were begun by Christians.

Abba, our Christian forefathers took Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,” seriously concerning the study of Your natural world. What I find most interesting is the advancement of technology and its propensity to prove Your Word is true. From the Telescope to the electron microscope, You are GOD, King of the Universe. Jesus, we praise You even as You hold the universe together! Amen.