Faith and Reason: Embracing Miracles in a Scientific Era
> In an age where science and technology have made remarkable strides in explaining the natural world, the belief in miracles—an integral aspect of many religious traditions—can seem incongruous. Yet, for many people of faith, particularly within evangelical Christianity, miracles are not only credible but also a vital expression of divine intervention in human affairs.
This article explores how individuals can maintain a belief in miracles amidst a modern, scientific paradigm.
Miracles as Divine Transcendence
Evangelicals understand miracles as acts of God that affirm His sovereignty over creation. They see miracles as events where God’s power and love are manifested, often in ways that appear to transcend or suspend the natural laws. This perspective does not see miracles as a challenge to the validity of scientific inquiry but as a testament to the existence of a realm beyond what science can measure or explain. The biblical narrative is replete with such occurrences, and evangelicals view these accounts not as myths or allegories but as historical realities that bear witness to God’s direct involvement in the world.
Scriptural Foundation for Miracles
The Bible is foundational to evangelical belief, and it is rich with accounts of miraculous events. One pivotal example is found in John 11:25, where Jesus declares, “I am the resurrection and the life.” This proclamation is made in the context of the miraculous raising of Lazarus from the dead, an event that defies natural explanation and points to a supernatural dimension of existence. For evangelicals, such scriptural accounts are not only historical events but also provide a lens through which to view the possibility of miracles in the present day.
Augustine’s Insight on Miracles and Nature
The early Christian thinker Augustine of Hippo offers a helpful perspective for those grappling with the concept of miracles in a scientific age. He famously stated, “Miracles are not contrary to nature, but only contrary to what we know about nature.” Augustine’s insight suggests that what we perceive as miraculous may simply be phenomena that lie beyond the current understanding of science. From this viewpoint, the belief in miracles is not a rejection of scientific principles but an acknowledgment of the limitations of human knowledge and the possibility of realities that transcend empirical observation.
C.S. Lewis and the Rational Defense of Miracles
For a more contemporary exploration of the topic, one can turn to “Miracles” by C.S. Lewis. In this seminal work, Lewis provides a philosophical and rational defense of the belief in miracles, arguing that naturalism and the closed system of cause and effect it presupposes are not sufficient to account for the entirety of human experience. Lewis contends that if there is a God who created the natural order, then it is reasonable to believe that this God has the ability to intervene within that order. Lewis’s approach offers a thoughtful reconciliation of faith and reason, providing a framework for believers to confidently affirm the reality of miracles in a modern context.
Conclusion
The belief in miracles within a scientific age is not necessarily an abandonment of reason but rather an embrace of a fuller reality that includes both the natural and the supernatural. Evangelicals, among others, find in miracles an affirmation of a God who is intimately involved with His creation and who operates on a plane that often extends beyond human understanding. By holding to the scriptural witness, considering the thoughts of early Christian thinkers like Augustine, and engaging with apologetic resources like C.S. Lewis’s “Miracles,” believers can articulate a coherent and compelling case for the plausibility of miracles today. In doing so, they maintain that faith in the miraculous is not a retreat from the world of science but a recognition of the wonder that lies both within and beyond it.
