For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:18-22, KJV)

The Bible tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. God then made all life that lives on earth, culminating in the creation of man. After God created Adam and Eve, He ceased His creative efforts. From a Judeo-Christian perspective, man and the earth are pretty special to God. The "traditional" interpretation of Genesis believes that of the six days of creation God used one day to create the heavens and the earth filled with light, then He spent the next five days making provisions for the survival of His final creation - man. Is it any wonder that for thousands of years man has believed he is the center of the universe? Yet as we shall see, God has gone to even greater lengths and time to show his love for man.

The earliest theories on the cosmos placed the earth at the center of the universe. The sun, moon, planets and stars all circled the earth. The Mesopotamians taught this theory, centuries before being taught by Aristotle, and later by Greek astronomer Ptolomey. This was not the only theory taught, even from the beginning their were dissenters, Greek astronomer Aristarchus in 270 BC taught that the earth circled the sun. Aristotle carried more clout than Aristarchus though and so the debate was silenced for generations.

During the following centuries the Roman Church grew very powerful, becoming the spiritual and, just as often, political authority in the "civilized" world. Because of this the scientists of that day often had to answer to Rome for their discoveries. Out of threat of punishment, the scientists were often forced to conform their discoveries to church policy. It was believed by the church that the universe was perfectly ordered, this meant not only was the earth the center of the universe but the universe must rotate around the earth in perfect circles. Since observations by astronomers did not collaborate this simple view of perfection the Ptolomic model of the universe became very complex, with planets circling on circles around circles. I suppose the concern was that God could not withstand the close scrutiny of the universe by science, therefore the Church had to defend God by demanding the facts be altered to conform to the perfect universe.

In 1530 Copernicus published his theory that the earth revolved around the sun. Copernicus' work was written in Latin the language of the church and the scholarly. The church quietly tolerated this theory until 1633 when a very vocal Galileo confirmed the views of Copernicus in the language of the everyday man. Galileo was brought before the Roman Inquisition for "grave suspicion of heresy". Galileo was sentenced to house arrest for life, and it was considered heresy by some to look through his telescope. Interestingly the Roman Church itself had licensed Galileo to publish his work prior to the Inquisition. Despite his arrest Galileo's work changed the way the universe is viewed.

Another publication, made in 1611, also changed the way the universe was viewed. The King James Bible was well received and gave easy access to God's word to the English speaking common man. Galileo's work opened the door allowing science to freely discover God's universe. The King James Bible set mankind free to discover God, and man's place in His universe. Science and the Bible coexisted relatively comfortable along side one another for the next 200 years.

And then - Darwin. The name itself can boil the blood of many an otherwise quiet peace loving Christian. In 1827 Charles Darwin entered the University of Cambridge to become a clergyman for the Church of England. Upon graduation Darwin signed on as an unpaid naturalist on the survey ship HMS Beagle for an expedition around the world. During this expedition Darwin saw first hand things in the earth he could not explain by the theories he had learned. Among these were fossils of believed extinct creatures that closely resembled living creatures. Also the Galapagos Islands proved very puzzling to him. With each island having different but similar forms of the same species of animals. Darwin's natural selection theory was published in 1859. It claimed that species slowly change through time as favorable adaptations make the animal better able to survive in its environment. These creatures would then pass this favorable change on to their offspring. This theory was met with much criticism among scientists and religious leaders alike, even though Darwin originally gave God the glory of being responsible for the gradual changes he perceived in the species of animal life on earth.

Scientists obviously began to embrace this "evolution" theory as research continued on the newly discovered fossils of the huge extinct creatures we call dinosaurs. The first dinosaur fossils were discovered in 1820. What fueled the fire of separation between science and the theologians was that paleontologists believed the fossils were very old, far older than the traditional Bible creation date allowed. Geologists likewise began to question the age of the earth; it appeared to them not to be a few thousand years old but millions of years old. Meanwhile astronomers such as Edwin Hubble (the Hubble Space Telescope honors his name) using Galileo's invention, the telescope, began to make some startling discoveries of their own. Not only was the earth not the center of the solar system, but also the solar system was not even at the center of the galaxy. It was way out in the suburbs of an ordinary galaxy that was one of millions of other galaxies. The universe also seemed to be much older to astronomers than even the earth. They now believe it to be some 17 billion years old.

These galaxies were found by Edwin Hubble to be moving away from each other at a high rate of speed. This led physicist George Gamow to present the big bang theory for the creation of the universe. In the 1960's astronomers Penzias and Wilson observed a background radiation pattern of incredible uniformity and intensity occurring in every direction of the cosmos. This discovery is considered to be important because it precisely coincides with predictions made by the big bang theory. The mention of the big bang is probably despised by most Christians almost as much as Darwin or evolution closely followed by dinosaurs, and cave men.

Ah yes, cavemen. How the atheists must have laughed about these prehistoric men. After all what could Christians possibly do about cavemen? Scientists believe the fossil records show that Australopithecus, an upright walking ape-man, lived in east Africa and the Middle East some 4 to 5 million years ago. Some 2 million years ago scientists say Homo erectus, a stone tool-making creature with a large brain and more human-like features, replaced the ape-man. These creatures (Peking Man) are found from Africa to tropical China. Homo Sapiens (not modern man) are believed by scientists to have appeared 200,000 to 300,000 years ago. Homo Sapiens were later replaced by Homo Sapiens Neanderthalis, or Neanderthal man about 100 thousand years ago. The fossil record indicates Neanderthal lived from ice age Europe to the Middle East. Modern man (Homo Sapiens Sapiens) appears abruptly as Neanderthal becomes extinct according to some scientists around 40,000 years ago.

The discoveries of the scientists though important did not shape the public mindset nearly as much as did the so-called "Scopes monkey trial" in 1925. The political and media circus surrounding this trial are legendary. The trial was staged to test the Tennessee law forbidding the teaching of evolution. The law was upheld by the court's decision but John Scopes conviction was later overturned on a technicality. The real significance of the trial was that the media's coverage of it nurtured an atmosphere of antagonism between theology and science in the public's mind. This perception that science and the Bible are incompatible continues even today.

In a recent Gallup poll it was found that half the adults in America believe that the earth is 6,000 years old. The reason they give for believing this is "the Bible says so". Meanwhile, according to Christian astronomer Dr. Hugh Ross, 99% of all scientists believe this idea is more far fetched than believing the world is flat. Their reason? The scientific record says so.

The problem is that one or both groups are wrong! Either bad science or bad religion is causing a great deal of trouble. I believe both sides have erred greatly. Despite tradition the Bible does not literally say the earth is 6,000 years old. It is one interpretation that caught on. Because of scientific discoveries of an ancient earth it has become a rallying cry for Christians against the "Godless" scientific community. The scientific discoveries of the last century do not declare there is no God. In fact they show God's hand at work in creation. It is the Christian communities insistence on a young earth creation that has caused the scientists to declare the Bible is in error, and therefore the God of the Bible cannot be real.

Naturalistic evolution is now taught as scientific fact in most of our nations schools. Creationism is no longer even mentioned in most textbooks. The gap between science and the traditional interpretation of the Bible grows wider with each passing day. The accusing words from both sides are often harsh and certainly they are unnecessary. There is however, still hope that the two sides will cease-fire and acknowledge their common goal of discovering and embracing the truth.

The good news is the two sides can be compatible. The bad news is it probably won't happen any time soon. The late Carl Sagan (a famous astronomer) boldly proclaimed in 1996 that he saw no evidence of a God to believe in. This is much to his loss, but it does show how science and theology have become two never intersecting lines and yet they remain in constant conflict.

Theology is no longer taught at the major universities. It is therefore not a part of the scientific communities curriculum. This is not to say that there are no Christian scientists. That is absolutely false.

Meanwhile, science is no longer a major concern on the part of the theological curriculum. On the surface science and theology appear to have little in common, yet there are those in Christian circles who seek to know more about the universe around them that God has created.

I believe healing is possible in the creation/evolution war. I believe the process will begin and indeed has already begun, with the Christian scientists and the Christian laity who are interested in the how's and why's of creation. This will not be an easy road to travel. Both sides of this issue are deeply entrenched and have their respective propaganda piled high and aimed directly at the other side. When both sides are willing to listen to each other the healing process will begin. When both sides are interested in the truth -- and not in tradition, momentary fame or monetary reward -- then the Holy Spirit will be free to teach us and heal us at last.

The Bible tells us that God did not hide himself from us but rather declares his presence by the work of his hands. The scripture also plainly states that because God's hand is evident in creation we are all without excuse if we deny God after observing such a great witness as the universe.