Does the Scientific Method Demonstrate Christian Truth-Claims?

Truth, if it is to be acknowledged and accepted by all people as universal truth, must stand up to critical scrutiny; it must be tested. We have seen in previous blog articles that truth doesn’t flow exclusively from customs and traditions; authority figures and institutions; feelings, intuitions, and common sense; instinct; pragmatism; rationalism; sense perception; or religious experience. These truth-tests serve only to confirm truth, not reveal it. We are left with only one remaining truth-test. It is the only valid and reliable way to determine truth: the scientific method.

Let me say at the outset that I am not endorsing the philosophy of science or the naturalistic conclusions of science (scientism). The scientific worldview is subject to many distortions that evolve out of its erroneous presuppositions (see my book The Christian Combat Manual). But I am suggesting that the scientific method for discovering truth is the most reliable method because it alone is can be tested. The scientific method, although encompassing some difficulties, is overall the most reliable method for acquiring truth. John Warwick Montgomery affirmed this position:

Empirical or scientific method is the truly valid way of approaching truth because it alone can accomplish to the satisfaction of all what the other methods . . . cannot; not only do its results not need to be tested for error independently, but is in itself capable of determining what authority to follow and what common sense beliefs and presuppositions to hold. (The Shape of the Past: A Christian Response to Secular Philosophies of History, 265)

I’m going to postpone a full discussion of this truth-test until the following blog article (and several articles following) because it needs to be examine in more detail than the other tests. For now, I will just highlight its main tenants.

The scientific approach to acquiring and testing truth comprises two important principles: evidence and probability. As a system, the scientific method involves inductive reasoning, that is, accumulating reliable evidences that points to a general conclusion based on the highest degree of probability attainable.

Although probability leaves the door open for possible error, it is the closest we can come to absolute truth outside of self-evident or self-defining first principles. Probability conclusions, derived from objective evidence, is the most trustworthy method there is for acquiring and testing truth. It reveals the clearest and most logical choices between conflicting alternatives.

Almost all decisions in life are based on probability, whether they involve scientific matters (all scientific laws are based on probable results); legal matters (we send people to prison based on the preponderance of evidence—probability); historical matters (we evaluate historical evidences and draw conclusions based on the probable accuracy of documentation); or personal matters (we determine our chances of crossing the street safely).

We live in a world in which scientific proof is the accepted model for truth verification. As one observer put it, we look upon science with a sort of uncritical reverence. Because scientific thought has become the paradigm through which truth is sought, it behooves us to use this model whenever possible to increase our chances of gaining a hearing with unbelievers. If non-Christians believe that the scientific method is the only path to truth, let’s walk that path with them and show that it too leads to Christ.

Most of the unbelievers who ordinary Christians encounter in the work place, among family and friends, or while participating in evangelistic outreaches are non-religious, secularized people programmed to believe whatever dogma science touts. These individuals may not accept our presuppositions (rationalism), our arguments that Christianity works (pragmatism), or our religious experiences (“I’ve heard them all before and they mean nothing to me”), but they may listen if we point out that Christianity is supported by facts, and these facts can be checked-out and verified using the scientific method of investigation. Hence, the scientific approach is the most effective way to gain the ear of an unbeliever. It is trustworthy both in defending the Christian worldview and in testing worldviews promulgated by non-Christian religions. (c)

The remaining articles in this series will develop and apply the scientific method, as it applies to religious truth