The Protestant Reformation and Modern Science

Mockers of Christians and the Bible frequently make inane statements that Christians and creationists do not understand science, or worse, that we are "science deniers." Some claim that creation scientists are not "real" scientists, as if instead of getting their degrees from actual universities, they came from Billy Joe's Bible Church Academy and Bait Shop.

Some take a different tack, ignoring the fact that Christians founded many of the major sciences, then making false statements about history. One is that the Reformation led to attacks on science. Actually, the Reformation accelerated science.

Wittenberg church door, Wikimedia Commons / AlterVista (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Remember what has been discussed before: Movements rarely happen overnight, nor are they triggered by one individual. Martin Luther nailed ninety-five theses to the Wittenberg church door on October 31, 1517, and many people consider that the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. It was an important moment, but things were happening before and after.

One attack is made by taking a certain remark by Martin out of context. Scoffers do that. The context here is historical, and my paraphrase is: "Copernicus is denying current science views? Rein in that pony and take it slow, but remember that Scripture is the final authority." But critics do not have the decency to consider the big picture.

One part of the context is Sola Scriptura, which means that Scripture is authoritative, not the words of humans. Some tinhorns say that the Reformers believed that all knowledge comes from the Bible. That'll be the day! They believed (as we do today) that science should be advanced. Back then, science was a curiosity, but another term comes into play: Soli Deo Gloria, do everything for God's glory. The act of doing science can give glory to God. Many things can do this, including going to a secular job and giving good work to the employer. No, science thrived from the beliefs and effects of the Reformation.

Though forms of science have existed since the creation of the world, modern science as we think of it today began in the 1500s, most notably with Nicolaus Copernicus’ 1543 De Revolutionibus, which argued for a heliocentric view of the universe rather than a geocentric one. While Copernicus’ book spurred the rise of modern science as other men began questioning traditionally held, but not tested, scientific thought, his views were eventually declared heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. Unfortunately, many modern scholars point to this incident as proof that science is fundamentally opposed to religion (especially Christianity) and is even superior to it. However, these claims fail to understand the context surrounding the publication of De Revolutionibus, which occurred in the midst of the Protestant Reformation. The birth of modern science does not demonstrate the failure of Christianity or the inaccuracy of Scripture. Instead, the revival of Christianity by means of the Protestant Reformation was a major influence on both the founding and proliferation of modern science.

I'd be much obliged if you'd read the entire article over at "How the Reformers’ Beliefs Affected Early Modern Science."