Biblical Christian Worldview and Scientific Method

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Biblical Christian Worldview and Scientific Method Diane M. Croft Liberty University Research and Program Evaluation COUN503-B06 June 1, 2012 Biblical Christian Worldview and Scientific Method A worldview encompasses beliefs we have about the important matters of life and is a “conceptual scheme by which we consciously or unconsciously place or fit everything we believe and by which we interpret and judge reality” (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p11). A worldview is the lens through which we see life. Philosophically, a worldview is comprised of four subject matters: Cosmology, epistemology, teleology and axiology. For the purpose of this evaluation, focus will be on epistemology, which is a concentration on knowledge and truth (what can I know for sure and how can I know it). There are two views of epistemology: Empiricism and rationalism. Rationalism “contends that reason is another means by which to gain knowledge” (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p14). Empiricism, the basis of the scientific method, “claims that sense experience is the ultimate source of all knowledge” (Thomas & Sosin, 2011, p14). Knowledge and truth are important aspects of developing a worldview. From a Christian perspective, God is the origin of knowledge and truth. From a science perspective, knowledge and truth come from scientific method. “Whereas science seeks to understand the relationships between the observable phenomena of the physical world, religion asks questions about ultimate purpose and meaning that transcend the observable reality” (Osterman, 2008, p1). While there is a dichotomy between science and a Christian worldview, “scientific investigation is a search for truth, just as theology is” (Osterman, 2008, p6). Distinguishing science, which has the chief objectives of description, prediction and explanation, from other methods of obtaining knowledge

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