Science & the Personal God

Written by Darren Hewer

Often wisdom is realizing what we don’t know and a desire to honestly seek for answers. Dr Stephen Hawking, probably the world’s most famous living physicist, recently gave an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, which begins:

When asked by ABC News’ Diane Sawyer about the biggest mystery he’d like solved, he said, “I want to know why the universe exists, why there is something greater than nothing.”

This is certainly a noble question, and one that many people are seeking. But will Hawking ever be able to find the truth if he dismisses certain options out-of-hand?

When Sawyer asked if there was a way to reconcile religion and science, Hawking said, “There is a fundamental difference between religion, which is based on authority, [and] science, which is based on observation and reason. Science will win because it works.”

Does your relationship need help?: Talk to a mentor
Do you want to start over?: Facing the future after a major loss

Contrary to what Dr Hawking believes, science and religion will never be at war. Both accurate science and true religion are truth. Science “works” insofar as it accurately describes reality; so too with religion.

Earlier in the interview, Hawking says:

“What could define God [is thinking of God] as the embodiment of the laws of nature. However, this is not what most people would think of that God,” Hawking told Sawyer. “They made a human-like being with whom one can have a personal relationship. When you look at the vast size of the universe and how insignificant an accidental human life is in it, that seems most impossible.”

This of course is an example of backwards thinking. Hawking assumes that we have created God in our own image (which in fact can often happen, as the Israelites repeatedly demonstrated) and then concludes that a personal God is impossible. But God is not human-like, we in fact are privileged to share in God’s image; God to us, not us to God. Besides the fact that the fine-tuning of the constants required for life certainly make it seem like someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, how does the size of the universe mean that God is not personal?

If God created the universe, wouldn’t that mean God is necessarily creative? Necessarily intelligent to be creative, and powerful in order to be able to do so? Could an impersonal God create personal humans? We consider dogs “higher” life forms than frogs because, primarily, they are more personal. Humans are higher still than dogs. Is God “lower” in this sense than frogs? That seems ridiculous. As the psalmist says:

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what are mere mortals that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned them with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:3-5, TNIV)

Dr Bob Kellermen comments that “The personal God who knows Stephen Hawking personally considers him a brilliant fool” … this appraisal is not meant to be a insult, rather it is in line with scripture where it says that “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1) and “In his pride the wicked does not seek God; in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (Psalm 10:4) The personal God has revealed Himself to us most powerfully and most personally in Jesus Christ, Immanuel, “God with us”.

If you had one thing to say, or one question to ask, Dr Hawking, what would you say or ask? How do we reconcile his brilliance in one sphere with his “foolishness” in another? Share your experiences with us. If you have been having doubts about your faith recently, please contact us to talk about it.