The Religions Book

242

T

he idea that the earth
revolves around the sun,
rather than the other
way around, is today accepted
as fact. However, in the early
17th century, this theory, which
had been published by the Polish
astronomer Copernicus in 1543,
was in direct opposition to the
teachings of the Catholic Church
and sparked a controversy that
embroiled the finest natural
scientists of the day. Most notably,
Galileo Galilei, a mathematician in
Florence, was condemned as a
heretic for supporting the theory.

The positions of the Church and

of Galileo differed because of

the different ways in which they

arrived at truth. According to the

Church, truth was revealed by God,

and was supported by passages in

the Bible that suggested the earth

was at the center of the universe.

Science, on the other hand, used

experimental observations—

Galileo was a pioneer of using the

telescope in astronomy—to build

theories about the workings of the

world. Until well into the medieval

period, these two methods had

existed happily side by side.

THE CHALLENGE OF MODERNITY

IN CONTEXT

KEY MOVEMENT

Protestant Liberalism

WHEN AND WHERE

19th century, Europe/US

BEFORE

From late 17th century

Pietism develops within the

Lutheran Church.

From 1780s Immanuel Kant’s

philosophy champions reason.

1790s The Romantic

movement gains influence

in Europe as an alternative to

the Enlightenment.

AFTER

1859 Charles Darwin’s

publication of On the Origin

of Species results in tension

between a conservative view

of the Bible and science.

1919 Theologian Karl Barth’s

commentary on the Romans

marks the end of liberalism

and the start of neoorthodoxy

(the new orthodoxy).

In the 13th century, for instance,

the medieval theologian Thomas

Aquinas (p.229) had encouraged

the systematic exploration of the

natural world. He took it for granted

that a deeper understanding of

creation would lead to a better

knowledge of the creator.

This mutual respect was

conceivable as long as the results of

scientific reasoning coincided with

the concept of “divine revelation”

(truth communicated by God to

humans through Scripture) but not

when the two thought systems

reached different conclusions.

Christian experience

explains “why” the

world is as it is.

The Bible records the

religious experience

of its authors.

“How” and “why” are different,

but complementary, questions.

Scientific advances do not

disprove the Bible.

Science describes

“how” the world exists

as it does.

Science uses human

reason to discover facts

about the world.