Is there “Tension” between Science and Christianity?

At an open Q&A session after his lecture, famous atheist Richard Dawkins said, “Science puts men on the moon, while religion flies planes into buildings.”

It should go without saying that we often feel that the realms of science and religion are competing and contrarian categories. After all, popular voices in all forms of media project it that way with incredible frequency, especially from voices that are considered to be part of the “New Atheist” movement of the last 20 years. 

Let’s consider three pieces of evidence that demonstrate, in a practical sense, that any alleged tension described between Christianity and science is simply a device employed by those wishing to downplay the validity of Christian thought - and nothing more. 

1. As Europe grew out of its pagan roots, it was the preeminence of the Christian metaphysical assumptions that provided such great scientific minds as Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Isaac Newton with a foundational worldview that prompted a natural curiosity about how the universe operates. This was a major departure from what had historically advanced science, which focused more on practical innovation such as better tools, buildings, etc (things that served an immediate practical purpose). 
   

2. How would a specific astronaut serve as a practical example that disproves the alleged tension between faith and science? Let me introduce you to Col. Jeff Williams. Retired Army Colonel, and as of January 2024, retired astronaut. Col. Williams served NASA and its mission for more than 27 years. According to NASA.gov, Williams has spent 534 cumulative days in space covering four different trips,  of which he operated in direct command of the International Space Station. But what makes him most notable for my purposes - is that he holds to a literal six-day creation, otherwise known as “young earth creationism.”  Despite Col. Williams's views of the early chapters of Genesis (which also include a global flood), Williams has not only made the cut for one of the most prestigious jobs in the world (NASA astronaut), but he thrived and excelled to the point in which he was trusted with the command of the entire space station. There is no doubt the qualifications for mathematics and science would be rigorous, and we can objectively conclude that the primacy of scripture served as no impediment to his success in the field. 
   

3. A study completed by Baruch Shalev, which measured the demographics of 100 years of Nobel prize winners, found that 65% of Nobel winners were Christian, and another 20% were Jewish.  When it came to the areas of physics and medicine, Christians represented just under two-thirds of each category (64% and 65%). Interestingly, Christians represented an even greater number when it came to awards given in the field of chemistry (74%). How could we possibly suggest that religion, specifically Christianity, causes a conflict in the sciences when a significant majority of Nobel prize winners have identified with this worldview?

Historians of Science David Lindberg and Ron Numbers explain that “Despite a developing consensus among scholars that science and Christianity have not been at war, the notion of conflict refuses to die.” As I stated in the beginning, this alleged conflict is nothing more than a device used by those who seek to discredit and invalidate the Christian worldview. However, we can be confident that as we see how this “tension” has played out both historically and in modern sciences, no such tension exists. 

“It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.”

Proverbs 25:2