Nacho Average Discovery
Movie rental. Check
Plate of homemade nachos. Check
Drinks. Oops!
In our haste to settle on the couch with a movie and nacho cheesy feast, my husband and I forgot to serve ourselves a drink. We took advantage of the previews to make a break for the kitchen. What we saw when we walked back into the living room stopped us in our tracks.
A clump of cheese dangled from our miniature schnauzer’s lips and smashed beans led back to where the clash of fur and nachos occurred. Though we weren’t there to witness it, it was clear—like chocolate on a sneaky toddler’s face—that someone had a hand (or, actually, a bearded little face) in the big nacho incident of ‘09.
Just like the legume trail left behind by our hungry pooch, astronomers can trace the evidence back almost to the instant when the universe began—nearly 14 billion years ago. But scientists aren’t the only ones concerned with how the cosmos began.
Where’s the Beef?
It’s clear people are asking questions about whether God (or religion) and science are compatible. Earlier this week, one of the trending topics on Twitter was “No God,” and claims such as “religion is for people too stupid to understand science” littered the twitterverse.
As Christians, we can use opportunities like the “No God” topic to fuel us toward learning more about God and His creation.
So is there really a beef between science and the Christian faith?
Here’s what scientists say about the universe:
The universe
Time line of the Universe
Credit: NASA/WMAP Science Team
Here’s what the Bible says:
The universe
- has a beginning (John 1:1–3; Hebrews 11:3)
- is stretching outward (Job 9:8; Psalm 104:2)
- is coming to an end (Isaiah 34:4; Hebrews 1:10–12; 2 Peter 3:10).
Sound familiar?
Lettuce Think
Though the Bible was written long before astronomers could detect the big bang, its authors (inspired by God) described this modern-day discovery.
What’s most fascinating (to me, at least) is that the Bible tells of the stretching of the universe. In fact, cosmic expansion is “the most frequently described cosmic feature cited in the Bible.” Verses like Job 9:8; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 40:22, 42:5, 44:24, 45:12, 48:13, 51:13; Jeremiah 10:12, 51:15; and Zechariah 12:1 all tell of the continual expansion of the universe.
So what is cosmic expansion? I’ve heard Hugh compare it to dots on a balloon: “As the dots on an expanding balloon move farther and faster away from each other, galaxies on the cosmic space surface also move farther and faster apart as the universe expands.” However, unlike letters on a Happy Birthday balloon, “the galaxies themselves do not grow bigger as the universe expands.”
Now when we consider the big bang, we can bust out the party balloons (and nachos!) and take a deep breath knowing that God’s work is evident throughout His creation.
Just be sure to keep the tasty treats out of my schnauzer’s line of vision.
–Sandra
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