Can I Believe in Science and Christianity?
A calm, thoughtful look at whether faith and science can truly coexist.
Many people quietly wonder:
“If I take science seriously…
can I also take Christianity seriously?
Or do I have to choose one or the other?”
This tension is common, especially for students, doctors, scientists, engineers, and anyone who thinks carefully about the world.
But here’s the truth — and it surprises many people:
You don’t have to choose.
You can believe in both science and Christianity.
And not just superficially — deeply.
Here’s why.
1. Science explains how the world works. Faith explains why it exists.
These are not competing explanations.
They are complementary ones.
Science asks:
What is this made of?
How does it behave?
What are the mechanisms and laws?
Christianity asks:
Why is there something instead of nothing?
Why are there laws at all?
Why is the universe orderly and intelligible?
Why do humans have consciousness, morality, beauty, and longing?
Science describes the mechanics.
Faith speaks to meaning.
Saying science and Christianity contradict each other is like saying:
“A poem and chemistry can’t both describe water.”
They’re answering different questions.
2. Many of history’s greatest scientists were Christians
Not despite their faith — but because of it.
Isaac Newton (physics)
Johannes Kepler (astronomy)
Blaise Pascal (mathematics)
James Clerk Maxwell (electromagnetism)
Gregor Mendel (genetics)
Francis Collins (Human Genome Project)
These thinkers believed the universe was knowable because it was created by a rational Mind.
Kepler famously said science was:
“Thinking God’s thoughts after Him.”
Christianity didn’t hinder their science.
It inspired it.
3. Science itself rests on assumptions it cannot prove
Science assumes:
the universe follows consistent laws
those laws are mathematically structured
our minds can understand reality
truth exists
logic is valid
cause and effect is real
These are not scientific findings.
They’re philosophical foundations.
Why should a random, unguided universe be rational, elegant, or intelligible?
Christianity provides a coherent answer:
A rational Creator designed a rational world for rational creatures.
Science thrives on that foundation.
4. Christianity is not anti-science; it affirms the natural world
Christianity teaches:
the physical world is good
creation is orderly
nature reflects God’s character
humans are meant to investigate the world
healing and medicine are acts of love
reason is part of God’s image in us
Jesus’ followers included practical thinkers:
a physician (Luke)
fishermen (empirical problem-solvers)
scholars
analytically minded people
The idea that Christianity opposes science is historically inaccurate.
5. Believing in science still requires trust — just like faith
Every scientist operates with trust:
trust in peer review
trust that experiments will be reproducible
trust in reliable senses
trust that math describes reality
trust that nature behaves consistently
Trust is not irrational.
It’s necessary.
Faith is not the opposite of reason.
Faith is what reason rests on.
Christianity simply says this trust is not baseless —
it reflects a deeper order behind the universe.
6. Christianity does not shut down questions — it encourages them
Contrary to stereotypes, Christianity invites:
curiosity
examination
honest doubt
critical thinking
wrestling with big questions
searching for truth
Jesus never said,
“Stop asking questions.”
He said,
“Love God with all your mind.”
Christianity isn’t threatened by science.
It welcomes the pursuit of knowledge.
7. Many scientists come to faith because of science
Common reasons include:
the fine-tuning of the universe
the mathematical beauty of natural laws
the origin of consciousness
the structure of DNA
the complexity of life
the mystery of existence
For many scientists,
the deeper they study the world,
the harder it is to believe everything is accidental.
Science often expands wonder —
and points beyond itself.
8. You can bring your full mind and heart to both science and faith
You don’t have to:
turn off your brain to believe in Christianity
deny your intellect to follow Jesus
reject science to trust God
Your curiosity, training, logic, and love for evidence are not obstacles to faith.
They are gifts you bring into it.
Christianity is not a retreat from reason.
It is a worldview large enough for both the mind and the soul.
So can you believe in science and Christianity?
Yes — absolutely.
Not by ignoring science,
but by appreciating its beauty and its limits.
Not by rejecting your intellect,
but by integrating it.
Science tells us how the world works.
Christianity tells us why it exists.
When held together,
they paint a fuller, richer picture of reality
than either one could alone.