As a biology professor at a Christian university, I had the experience on a few occasions of a colleague feeling uncomfortable with my support for a literal interpretation of Scripture. They were particularly puzzled that, as a publishing scientist, I did not believe in evolution. As a scientist, though, I see this complex issue quite differently from how they understand it. I had my training in a public, secular university, and I expected to be given the opportunity to discuss and debate my literal views on Scripture with my Christian colleagues. I was somewhat surprised that many biblical topics were considered to be too controversial to discuss.

I found this negative attitude towards discussing facets of Scripture among some Christian academics disappointing, until another person with a similar experience pointed out to me that these people are well-meaning, dedicated Christians, but they are not prepared to leave their spiritual comfort zones. Reading some passages of Scripture as metaphors, rather than discussing what literally happened, lets them stay in their spiritual comfort zone.

In today's Scripture, the people who came out to see the commotion at the seaside had a spiritual comfort zone. They were comfortable to believe that demons had overtaken this man, and keeping him isolated in the tombs away from them was how they could deal with it. But here he was — all cleaned up and in his right mind, sitting next to the person Who had freed him from the demons. Could a mere human actually cast demons out of a person? This was more than they could handle. It went beyond their spiritual comfort zone, and they pushed Jesus away. Having the swine drown themselves in the sea didn't help much either, but as the gospel writer states, they were afraid when they saw the man clothed and in his right mind.

As we think about this account, we should consider our own spiritual comfort zones. Could they be limiting our relationship with the God Who made our universe and all that is in it? Saul required a meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus to force him to expand his spiritual comfort zone. Being firmly embedded in our own traditions, some of us, including myself, might need an even stronger push!

Prayer: Dear Lord, You have given so much to us, and You want to give us more. If we need to, help us to expand our spiritual comfort zones to accept Your gifts and to use them to help ourselves and others. Amen.

I once taught a faith and science course in which I challenged my students to bring a Christian worldview into their academics. Sessions included guest speakers who harmonized their Christian beliefs with the secular scientific view of the world. One speaker was Dr. Bert Brockhouse who, in 1994, was the co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. The work that he did for this prize had been completed 40 years previously, at the start of his career. He told me that he was probably the most surprised person in the world when he first heard of his accomplishment from a news reporter asking for an interview.

Dr. Brockhouse brought into the classroom not only his Nobel medal, but also an interesting perspective on the authority of Scripture. He had a clear vision of what we should do, as listed in the Ten Commandments, but he said that we should not follow these commandments simply because the Bible tells us to. Instead, they are words of wisdom that are absolute truths needed to ensure a healthy society. He pointed out that experience itself attests to the value of these rules.

Today, the teaching of biblical rules is banned from public schools, but has this been helpful? Are schools better run and students better citizens after removing the Ten Commandments? Is society really happier and more harmonious with all its freedom without these rules? It may not be possible to prove a cause and effect, but the world that I witness is not in a particularly healthy state.

I believe that ignoring the Ten Commandments does more harm than good. They might be considered religious and judgmental, but they bring freedom: to have the next generation respect and honour you; to be able trust your partner without the fear of being betrayed; and not to have to worry about being robbed, attacked, or killed.

Matthew 22:37-39 – Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" (NKJV)

These are the greatest commandments, but they are probably the hardest to follow. Maybe that is why God started us with a few smaller ones before He challenged us with the greatest ones of all. As Christians, let us practice the Ten Commandments so that we are better prepared to keep the greater commandments — to love God, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for providing us with rules to live in harmony with others, even when we can't love someone as much as ourselves. May we grow to appreciate Your rules, for they bring freedom and give us life more abundantly. Amen.

I love studying living things, and I was privileged to have a career in biological research. I used microscopes and microsurgery to examine the structure and function of organs in tiny critters, like insects and wood lice, and I was always amazed at how intricate the mechanics of living things can be. I also taught human physiology courses for students entering into the health sciences, and like King David, I would marvel at how the human body is wonderfully and intricately made. Some people admire the Mona Lisa and what the gifted artist, Leonardo da Vinci, needed to do to create this masterpiece. I marvel at the biological machines whose functions attest to our Creator Who brought life into existence.

Being a Christian in the biological sciences, I am also aware of popular atheists who use their faith in science to deny the existence of God, whereas science has inspired me to worship the One Who made us in His image. I recently wrote about Stephen Hawking and his denial that God existed. Another such atheist was Carl Sagan, who became a celebrity astronomer with his popular science program in the 1980s, Cosmos, and his novel, Contact, which was made into a major motion picture after his death. Rather than believe that the universe was created for us, he said, "For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." He viewed the cosmos as a masterpiece, as is the Mona Lisa, but rather than acknowledge the master Creator, he gave the universe the ability to create itself. He worshipped the creation, not the Creator. As he said, "We are the representatives of the cosmos; we are an example of what hydrogen atoms can do, given 15 billion years of cosmic evolution."

Carl Sagan died in 1996, just 62 years old. He left at least one legacy based on his atheism: the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). These studies use vast resources listening to electromagnetic radiation and looking for other life forms in our massive universe. According to faith in evolution, since life arose by chance, it must have evolved in other worlds.

As Christians, we know that there is an Extraterrestrial Intelligence, but we don't need any technology to discover this truth. He has revealed Himself in His Word, the Bible, and in His works in nature. Let us listen carefully for His still small voice (1 Kings 19:12), and rejoice in His presence.

Prayer: Dear Lord, may Your peace rule our hearts, and may Your words richly dwell within us. You are our Creator, Saviour, and friend, and will be there at our end, when we will be with You in glory. Amen.

My faith journey has been different than that of Stephen Hawking. Whereas he believed only in science and natural causes, I believe in the Word through which all things were made. Stephen Hawking believed that science could not prove that God exists, whereas I believe that each of us is born with the ability to call on God and to know that He is there.

If Stephen held onto his convictions to the end, then he died an atheist. By denying God, Stephen Hawking's life unfolded as predicted by the apostle Paul:

Romans 1:20-22 – For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. (NIV)

Christians, too, will die, but we will leave this world knowing that "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." (John 3:16 NIV) My career in science greatly fortified my trust in Scripture, and on many occasions, I was prompted to worship the almighty — but very personal — God. A scientist like Stephen Hawking cannot see God in the evidence, and will foolishly conclude that "there is probably no heaven and afterlife either."

As Christians, we know the good news. Let us continue to proclaim this good news to a world full of intelligent people making foolish decisions.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the wonders that You have created and for giving us the scientific ability to explore how they work. May the wisdom of Your works and the truth of Your Word grow within us, until all questions are answered when we meet You face to face. Amen.

As I now take stock of where I am, and where I might be heading, I can truly empathize with the apostle Paul when he wrote:

1 Corinthians 13:12 – For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. (KJV)

With my insect research, there are some things that we know in part, but more studies and more experiments need to be conducted before we can truly know the whole story. From my experience, I have found that science actually works like that. Every time we publish a paper answering one particular question, another question rises from our work which also needs to be explored and answered. When people assure me that science has proven without a doubt that such-and-such is a fact which is beyond question, I do have a bit of a chuckle. Let them wait a decade, or a year, or even a week, and that fact could very well be superseded by yet another scientific study.

Similarly, the study of faith and science has given rise to a number of theories and world views, each of which often depends on the prevailing scientific opinions, and the thoughts of well-respected philosophers and theologians. As with the case for many scientific theories, every time a particular explanation or interpretation of a passage of the Bible is proposed — and has even gained popular support — it often leads to even more questions that need to be answered.

What I have learned from this life experience in science and Christianity is that the more we discover, the more we realize that what we do know, we know only in part. Moreover, it is also very important that we continue to ask and seek answers to questions. If we accept the latest popular scientific theories or interpretations of Scripture without question, and believe that we know the whole truth, we will be missing out on what science and the Bible can really tell us. I once heard of a Christian who no longer reads the Bible. Why? He read the Bible once, so why read it again? He hasn't realized that the Bible is full of wonderful mysteries and stories that come alive as we diligently explore the questions that they pose.

Will we ever know everything? According to Paul, not on this side of eternity. He had the best theological educator of the time, and he may have even visited heaven. Yet, he still admitted that he knew only in part. Like Paul, I hope that all Christians will continue to have questions that will prompt us to delve into the Scripture and to get to know our Lord and His Word more deeply. Now that's something to look forward to!

Prayer: Dear Lord, we pray that we will never stop seeking to know more of You and more of Your love for us. Keep our minds open to explore Your Word and Your works, and empower us to share the gospel by filling our hearts with Your love. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

As a biology professor at a Christian university, I often set aside a few minutes of a lecture to share with my class one of the miracles of healing described in the Bible. This practice is to encourage my students to relate what they are learning about the human body to what God needs to do to correct certain disabilities or infirmities, such as blindness or leprosy. Over the years, students have thanked me for this foray into the supernatural, but the following e-mail that I received last semester stands out from all the rest.

Hi, Dr. Chiang. I think it's fascinating that we are learning about the anatomy of the ear in class. I've attached a personal testimony of a miraculous healing of my ear recently (last week!). I thought you'd appreciate hearing about it, knowing the miraculous accounts you've begun each class with. God be praised! – Jordan

I can't really say that my first reaction to this news was one of joy. I was probably a bit surprised or even sceptical. Did a modern-day miracle really take place? What actually happened? I scrutinized Jordan's personal testimony, and pared down his healing experience to this following account. He writes:

As he placed his hand on my back, fiery heat shot straight through my athletic jacket, dress shirt, t-shirt, and onto my skin in a moment's time…. Joy started to well up inside of me… as Caillan prayed. … Using the best words I know how to use at this time to describe what happened next, it was like a large, blocked funnel, [which] had served as my range of hearing in my right ear my whole life, … was eradicated or "pulled back". … All of a sudden, I jerked up my head and began to look around the room at each person in the room with my jaw gaping. I could hear perfectly clearly!

This account may not be enough to convince the sceptic that the supernatural exists and that physical healings do take place, but this event has had a tremendous impact on one young man's walk with Christ. For a teacher hoping to encourage the faith of his students, Jordan's testimony is a golden moment, a moment I will remember long after the course is done and the students have graduated. "God be praised!" As the previously blind man proclaimed to the Pharisees, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!" (John 9:25 NIV)

Miracles are miracles simply because they don't always happen and they don't occur on demand. But as Christians, we must be open to all that God can do for us.

Prayer: Our Lord, Saviour and Healer, in our busyness to serve You, we often forget that You have good in store for us, if only we ask. Whether our need is biological or psychological, spiritual or physical, we pray for the courage to ask and the audacity to believe that You still work through miracles. In Your name, we pray. Amen.

After reading this portion of Scripture at the beginning of my Human Physiology class at Redeemer University College, I asked my students what they thought Paul was saying. The response was intriguing. Some students said that Paul was telling us that God did not use evolution to create a living soul. If God did, then our human flesh would be the same as animal flesh, and Paul would not have distinguished between the different kinds of flesh. Other students had another approach. They felt that Paul could base his theology only on creationism, since he did not know about all the modern evidence that is thought to confirm evolution as a scientific fact. If Paul really knew how God created, they said, then he would have certainly talked about all animals belonging to the same flesh.

Wow! Not quite the depth of thought that I was expecting, especially first thing in the morning. There were good points on either side. Unfortunately, the ensuing discussion focussed on origins, and prevented us from considering what Paul was saying about the future: the resurrected body. Is that body really physical? Will it require air to breathe and food to eat? If that body is not what we have now, how could we recognize who we are?

Hmmm. Maybe we could focus on these other questions at the start of my next human physiology class, if we could get past the origins debate!

Prayer: Our Lord and Creator, we come before You acknowledging that You are the source of all wisdom. We dedicate the work of our hands to Your glory, and we pray for wisdom as we interpret the new findings garnered from the scientific investigations of Your created world. May we never lose sight of our first love for You, and we pray that You will equip us to shine Your light in a world that rejects Your love. All this we ask in the wonderful name of Jesus. Amen.