There’s no denying that Stephen Hawking is intellectually bold as well as physically heroic. And in his latest book, the renowned physicist mounts an audacious challenge to the traditional religious belief in the divine creation of the universe.
According to Hawking, the laws of physics, not the will of God, provide the real explanation as to how life on Earth came into being. The Big Bang, he argues, was the inevitable consequence of these laws ‘because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing.’
Unfortunately, while Hawking’s argument is being hailed as controversial and ground-breaking, it is hardly new.
For years, other scientists have made similar claims, maintaining that the awesome, sophisticated creativity of the world around us can be interpreted solely by reference to physical laws such as gravity.
It is a simplistic approach, yet in our secular age it is one that seems to have resonance with a sceptical public.
But, as both a scientist and a Christian, I would say that Hawking’s claim is misguided. He asks us to choose between God and the laws of physics, as if they were necessarily in mutual conflict.
But contrary to what Hawking claims, physical laws can never provide a complete explanation of the universe. Laws themselves do not create anything, they are merely a description of what happens under certain conditions.
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Hi! John:
Thank you for this post. It’s arguments are very powerful indeed. I hope Hawking’s new book won’t mislead too many non scientists and encourage more atheist scientists.
God bless!
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You are welcome. John Lennox is one of my favorite apologists. I’m glad that he responded in such direct terms – and so quickly after Hawking’s announcement. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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You may be a Christian, or you may be a scientist; you cannot be both. The escape hatch of the hiddenness of god simply will not do. Metaphysics and science are as water and oil. Above and beyond that question, there are reasons why skepticism is spreding. Apologists never bother to find out why this should be the case, they simply redouble their efforts to bring their benighted and sinful brothers and sisters into the fold. Rational and reasoned objections to religious belief cannot possibly be entertained. Either the devil or liberalism is to blame. Is there no activity or sphere of thought into which religious ideas must be injected? Must the collectivist impulse of religion be poked into every eye and shoved down every throat?
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That is an interesting statement you make regarding the impossibility of being both a scientist and a Christian. If you click on the link “Scientists Who Doubt Darwinian Theory” (in the upper right margin), you will find many highly credentialed, experienced, and respected scientists who doubt the Darwinian theory of evolution. Not all are Christian, but some definitely are.
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