Miracles Do Not Violate the Laws of Nature

Dr. Craig Keener Makes His Case

Science and faith are always in opposition, right? It’s a basic assumption that most modern people take for granted, but is it true? Dr. Craig Keener, in this article for Christianity Today, dives into one of the most misunderstood assumptions of our time—that science and faith are contradictory.

Arguing that this premise began in the 1870s from Scottish skeptic David Hume, Keener examines Hume’s thesis on the existence of miracles. Hume, a prominent philosopher, penned an essay in 1748 that dismissed miracles, claiming that natural law makes the basic concept of the miraculous impossible.  

But as Keener explores, Hume was no scientist, and his “scientific” assertions often refuted basic standards for inquiry. Moreover, Keener states, ​​”Most early English scientists believed in biblical miracles. Such scientists included Isaac Newton and early Newtonians. Modern science originally developed in contexts that affirmed that a superintelligent God created the universe... Newton popularized the idea of natural law—and saw it as a design argument for God’s existence.”

And yet, despite these truths, the debate continues in 2022, leaving those who accept assertions like Hume’s thinking that belief in the miraculous is utterly ridiculous. Christian Union wants to bring attention to the conversation and the reality that faith and reason, religion and science, are not at odds with one another.

Through rigorous Bible courses and Leadership Lecture Series that feature scientists and philosophers, students in the Christian Union Universities ministry are engaging thoughtfully with questions of intelligent design, the existence of the supernatural and miraculous, and more.