Got Faith?
People like to throw around the word faith. Yet, when pressed, many of them can’t explain what it is exactly. I’ve found this to be true for both my fellow scientists and fellow Christians.
Sincere, churchgoing Christians piously quote Scripture—chapter and verse—avowing that faith can move mountains, even faith as small as a mustard seed. Yet they struggle to explain faith beyond saying it’s a supernatural kind of trust, as described in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Likewise, sincere, orthodox scientists talk about faith as if it were a four-letter word. To them, science is a rigorous, evidence-based discipline and faith is just the opposite: a loosey-goosey superstition embraced by weak-minded people.
To them, faith is always and only blind faith. That is:
FAITH ≡ BLIND FAITH
It seems that many scientists are unwilling or unable (or simply refuse) to see the enormous difference between blind faith and evidence-based faith. Or that the entire edifice of science itself is built on a foundation of both blind and evidence-based faith.12
My own interest in faith was piqued when Laurel and I first cracked open the Bible and read a verse reporting what Jesus said to a sick woman who was asking for his help: “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”13
What!?
As a person trained to know all about natural forces, I was gobsmacked by this passage. Here was a clear-cut assertion that faith isn’t merely a heartfelt belief in something seemingly far-fetched.
This verse (and many others, I quickly found out) claims that faith—far from being some benighted way of thinking or woo-woo-like, magical belief—is an honest-to-goodness power of nature, like electromagnetism and gravity. It’s a power that is exceptionally important to God, who inhabits an unearthly realm; but when it’s unleashed here on Earth, faith can effectuate measurable, physical, miracle-like changes in a person or situation.
Driven by my unquenchable curiosity, I decided to figure out what the phenomenon of faith is, exactly. To apply the full substance of my scientific training to study and explain in terms anyone can understand the inner workings of this profound, natural-preternatural ability of ours.
That was more than thirty years ago. In the following section, I’ll report to you what I discovered. You’ll see for yourself that evidence-based faith is profound, indispensable, and potent.
In fact, it is the mightiest power in the universe.
Taken from Believing is Seeing by Michael Guillen, PhD. Copyright © 2021. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
Is your worldview enlightened enough to accommodate both science and God at the same time?
Dr. Michael Guillen, a best-selling author, Emmy award–winning journalist and former physics instructor at Harvard, used to be an Atheist—until science changed his mind. Once of the opinion that people of faith are weak, small-minded folks who just don’t understand science, Dr. Guillen ultimately concluded that not only does science itself depend on faith, but faith is actually the mightiest power in the universe.
In Believing Is Seeing, Dr. Guillen recounts the fascinating story of his journey from Atheism to Christianity, citing the latest discoveries in neuroscience, physics, astronomy, and mathematics to pull back the curtain on the mystery of faith as no one ever has.
Is it true that “seeing is believing?” Or is it possible that reality can be perceived most clearly with the eyes of faith—and that truth is bigger than proof? Let Dr. Guillen be your guide as he brilliantly argues for a large and enlightened worldview consistent with both God and modern science.
Believing is Seeing by Michael Guillen, PhD is available wherever books are sold.
Fast Facts about Dr. Michael Guillen:• Born in East Los Angeles • BS in physics and math (UCLA) • MS in experimental physics (Cornell) • Three-dimensional PhD in physics, mathematics, and astronomy (Cornell) • Award-winning physics instructor, Harvard (1984-1993) • Emmy-winning science editor for ABC News, appearing on Good Morning America, 20/20, Nightline, and World News Tonight (1988-2002) • Host of Where Did It Come From? on the History Channel • Award-winning, best-selling author • Award-winning movie producer (Little Red Wagon) • Columnist for Fox News, US News & World Report, the Christian Post • Host of Science + God with Dr. G on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, the AccessMore app, and www.accessmore.com • Host of Going Viral and other vodcast series on YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/michaelguillenphd • Popular speaker on college campuses, including God’s Not Dead events with Dr. Rice Broocks. • Chairman and president of Spectacular Science Productions and the Spectacular Science Foundation.
What do you think?