Taking every thought captive for obedience to Christ (2 Corinthians 10.5)

The Question
Hasn’t science disproved the Bible? (1)
For many people in our day, this question has been answered in the affirmative, so that it no longer bears considering. The scientific community pursues its mission on the basis of that affirmative answer, so that it has no place for the Bible in any aspect of its endeavor. Indeed, it guards its deliberative arenas against even the suggestion that God and His Word might have some place in the work of science, and many of its best-known practitioners have become outspoken opponents of God and the Bible.

However, far from being closed, this question is always open and should be carefully and energetically pursued whenever asked. For, as we shall see in this series, not only has science not disproved the Bible, science actually has its roots in the Scriptures, and the scientific community continues to demonstrate the reliability of Scripture across a wide spectrum of disciplines.

So Christians do not need to be cowed by this question. Rather, we must learn to explore it thoroughly, patiently, lovingly, and with an understanding of the limits of science and power of Scripture.

Let’s begin with the most obvious answer to this question, Hasn’t science disproved the Bible?

What does one mean who would ask this question? That is, in what sense does he intend the verb, “disproved”? He cannot mean, in the first place, that science has disproved the fact of the Bible. Science has indeed disproved many things: the earth is not flat, we can’t make gold out of lead, astrology is not a reliable way of telling the future, the cosmos is not pervaded by a mysterious “aether,” and so on. Science deals with facts, both of the cosmos and of human experience, and its observation and testing of many facts, from many different angles, has conclusively disproved these once strongly-believed notions.

But science has not disproved the Bible, not the fact of the Bible, at any rate; for as anyone can see, the Bible exists, in more languages and versions than any other book, and has been in continuous publication and distribution for almost 2,000 years.

Here are a few facts on Bible publishing and distribution, as provided at the St. Matthew’s Churches website:

At least 20 million Bibles are currently sold each year in the U.S. in addition to tens of millions that are distributed free. In 1956, that number was about 8 million in the U.S.

The American Bible Society advises that they distributed 60.2 million Bibles last year in the U.S.

The American Bible Society advises that since their inception in 1816, they have distributed over 7 billion Bibles worldwide in conjunction with the United Bible Societies.

The American Bible Society advised that there were over 6 million Bibles distributed in China last year, but also said that there is no one gathering complete information on these statistics worldwide.

The United Bible Societies distributed more than 578 million Scriptures worldwide in 2002 (including Bibles and portions of Bibles).

The Gideon’s International distributed 59,460,000 Bibles worldwide last year (This is an average of over one million Bibles every week, or about 113 per minute).

The Gideons have placed 1,880,480,000 Bibles since they began in 1899.

The International Bible Society sold 8.5 million Bibles in 2002.

In the last 40 years, eight new Bible versions published in English have sold well over 100 million copies. (These versions include: Good News Bible, New English Bible, Living Bible, New International Version, etc.).

The number of editions of the Bible that readers are buying is staggering. Most other books are available in only two editions: hardcover and paperback. In contrast, just one Bible publisher, Zondervan, has 350 editions of the Bible in print this season.

About 92 percent of Americans own at least one, and the average household has three. Two-thirds say it holds the answers to the basic questions of life. A recent Gallup survey advises half of Americans say they read their Bibles at least once a month.

At the start of the nineteenth century, Bible translations were available in just 68 languages. Today, Scriptures are available in no less than 2,287 languages, with another 21 languages added just last year. The 10,000 copies of the first edition of the Bible in Mongolian sold out on the first day.

Anyone will agree, these are not insignificant facts. Instead of trying to disprove Scripture, science, which prides itself in dealing with facts, should recognize and admit the fact of Scripture as one of the most widespread, persistent, and amazing facts of human existence, and should be willing to give the Bible a closer look.

Let’s see if we can help.

For reflection
1.      Why do you think so many people are of the opinion that science has “disproved” the Bible?

2.      How would you respond to this question – this challenge – if you were to be confronted with it today?

3.      Why is it important that Christians know how to answer this question?

Next steps: Ask a few unbelieving friends or co-workers why they think the Bible remains the most widely published and distributed book in the world.

T. M. Moore

We’re happy to provide The Week and other online resources at no charge. If this ministry is helpful to you, please consider joining those who support our work financially. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.