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Does Science Make God Irrelevant?
How Faith and Science Can Coexist to Glorify Our Creator
Questions surrounding the origins of the universe and the accuracy of biblical accounts place science at the forefront of discussions between atheists and Christians alike. Believers criticize the natural sciences as untrustworthy or even as an enemy of faith, while atheists reprimand Christians for denying empirical facts of nature. Is it possible to rightly love both God and science?
In this concise book, author Hans Madueme offers a biblically informed perspective on science, helping readers embrace both faith and science in a responsible and God-glorifying way. Does Science Make God Irrelevant? addresses misconceptions, explains how Christian assumptions make science possible, clarifies the tension between science and miracles, and illustrates ways faith and science can coexist as allies. In turn, readers will see how good science glorifies God and helps us praise our Creator.
Helps readers maintain a biblically sound worldview and a positive view of science Informed Author Hans Madueme’s medical and theological background informs his thoughts on the topic of faith and science Short, Accessible Explains science from a biblical perspective using 4 simple steps Part of the TGC Hard Questions Equips readers with answers to difficult questions facing today’s church
Questions surrounding the origins of the universe and the accuracy of biblical accounts place science at the forefront of discussions between atheists and Christians alike. Believers criticize the natural sciences as untrustworthy or even as an enemy of faith, while atheists reprimand Christians for denying empirical facts of nature. Is it possible to rightly love both God and science?
In this concise book, author Hans Madueme offers a biblically informed perspective on science, helping readers embrace both faith and science in a responsible and God-glorifying way. Does Science Make God Irrelevant? addresses misconceptions, explains how Christian assumptions make science possible, clarifies the tension between science and miracles, and illustrates ways faith and science can coexist as allies. In turn, readers will see how good science glorifies God and helps us praise our Creator.
Helps readers maintain a biblically sound worldview and a positive view of science Informed Author Hans Madueme’s medical and theological background informs his thoughts on the topic of faith and science Short, Accessible Explains science from a biblical perspective using 4 simple steps Part of the TGC Hard Questions Equips readers with answers to difficult questions facing today’s church
96 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2025
2 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Hans Madueme
6 books7 followersHans Madueme (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is assistant professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and an adjunct professor at Trinity Graduate School, Trinity International University. He also serves as a book review editor for Themelios.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 11, 2025
Hans reckons with the problems of scientism and makes a thoroughgoing argument that science is not only compatible with, but is founded upon faith.
May 29, 2025
4/5 ⭐️
Release Date: July 1st, 2025
I think the author did a great job of sharing research that shows science and Christianity can coexist. That it does not have to be one or the other. One thing I did not expect is how high level the writing would be. Felt more like reading a college textbook and at times that made it hard to read in terms of staying focused. If you are someone who is looking for a book to help see both sides of creation concerning the Bible and science, I do think this is a great stepping stone into the topic.
Thank you NetGalley for a complementary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Release Date: July 1st, 2025
I think the author did a great job of sharing research that shows science and Christianity can coexist. That it does not have to be one or the other. One thing I did not expect is how high level the writing would be. Felt more like reading a college textbook and at times that made it hard to read in terms of staying focused. If you are someone who is looking for a book to help see both sides of creation concerning the Bible and science, I do think this is a great stepping stone into the topic.
Thank you NetGalley for a complementary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
June 28, 2025
Why is there such a tussle between Science and Christianity? Are there any possible ways that faith and science can pull together and complement each other, or will they always be at each other’s throat, hammers-and-tongs? Hans Madueme, professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, addresses these issues and more in a new, easy to grasp 96-page softback, “Does Science Make God Irrelevant?” This part of The Gospel Coalition’s “Hard Questions” series and published by Crossway. Madueme’s aim is to hand young Christians who love Jesus and science a useful, hope-filled booklet that shows how science “and faith are intimate friends” (3), and I think he hits his target.
The author shows how the contemporary idea that science and faith have always been enemies is false. He then explains how Christian assumptions actually make science possible. Next the author clarifies the tensions between science and miracles in Scripture. And finally, he illustrates a few ways that faith and science can coexist as allies. Throughout the book he works to show that “good science glorifies God” (4).
Part of the author’s approach is to focus on the real issue, which is scientism. As he points out, scientism is a belief system where the central idea is “that only the hard sciences give us objective truth” which is not even provable scientifically. Further, it “is antithetical to reality as understood by the world religions, including Christianity…ignores the limitations of scientific research, painting a fairy-tale picture of science that is far removed from reality” (29). To make his point he shows how, over the years, certain scientific theories worked, gave repeatable predictions, and were tested empirically, but were later shown to be false theories by today’s scientific standards (30-32). In the end, scientism is anti-realist because we never “discover the world as it really is but only as it appears to us” (33). Whereas the scientific realist properly works to discover the truth about the world with all the skills and tools they have but does not claim too much from their theories because they know that scientists are fallible (33-34).
Further, the author takes on methodological naturalism (accepting a supernatural order, except when doing empirical work) in contrast to metaphysical naturalism (there is only the natural order and nothing outside of it). Though many believers who work in the sciences employ methodological naturalism, Madueme rightly sees that a Christian in the sciences can actually have a bigger, better frame of reference, one where they investigate the world, nature, etc. with all the facts they know empirically, and biblically (39).
If a reader has run into Madueme’s earlier work, “Defending Sin: A Response to the Challenges of Evolution and the Natural Sciences” they will find this little volume very familiar. The author has condensed some of his main ideas and placed them into this handy booklet. This is an ideal resource for the burgeoning young scientist in your house, homeschool co-op, or academy. A Science teacher taking their students through it in the first weeks of the fall semester would be a perfect approach to help their students reclaim the value and significance of the sciences as Christians. It also has apologetic (defense of the Faith) value as well. I highly recommend Madueme’s “Does Science Make God Irrelevant?”
My thanks to Crossway for reaching out and offering me a free copy to review. They made no demands on me, neither did the author, who I happened to run across this last week. All they asked of me is to give my honest assessment of the work which I have done and freely given to you.
The author shows how the contemporary idea that science and faith have always been enemies is false. He then explains how Christian assumptions actually make science possible. Next the author clarifies the tensions between science and miracles in Scripture. And finally, he illustrates a few ways that faith and science can coexist as allies. Throughout the book he works to show that “good science glorifies God” (4).
Part of the author’s approach is to focus on the real issue, which is scientism. As he points out, scientism is a belief system where the central idea is “that only the hard sciences give us objective truth” which is not even provable scientifically. Further, it “is antithetical to reality as understood by the world religions, including Christianity…ignores the limitations of scientific research, painting a fairy-tale picture of science that is far removed from reality” (29). To make his point he shows how, over the years, certain scientific theories worked, gave repeatable predictions, and were tested empirically, but were later shown to be false theories by today’s scientific standards (30-32). In the end, scientism is anti-realist because we never “discover the world as it really is but only as it appears to us” (33). Whereas the scientific realist properly works to discover the truth about the world with all the skills and tools they have but does not claim too much from their theories because they know that scientists are fallible (33-34).
Further, the author takes on methodological naturalism (accepting a supernatural order, except when doing empirical work) in contrast to metaphysical naturalism (there is only the natural order and nothing outside of it). Though many believers who work in the sciences employ methodological naturalism, Madueme rightly sees that a Christian in the sciences can actually have a bigger, better frame of reference, one where they investigate the world, nature, etc. with all the facts they know empirically, and biblically (39).
If a reader has run into Madueme’s earlier work, “Defending Sin: A Response to the Challenges of Evolution and the Natural Sciences” they will find this little volume very familiar. The author has condensed some of his main ideas and placed them into this handy booklet. This is an ideal resource for the burgeoning young scientist in your house, homeschool co-op, or academy. A Science teacher taking their students through it in the first weeks of the fall semester would be a perfect approach to help their students reclaim the value and significance of the sciences as Christians. It also has apologetic (defense of the Faith) value as well. I highly recommend Madueme’s “Does Science Make God Irrelevant?”
My thanks to Crossway for reaching out and offering me a free copy to review. They made no demands on me, neither did the author, who I happened to run across this last week. All they asked of me is to give my honest assessment of the work which I have done and freely given to you.
July 28, 2025
Summary: Proposes that science and faith may coexist as allies and that Christian assumptions make science possible.
“Does science make God irrelevant?” In my experience, that is not even a question for many. Rather, they assume it is a settled fact. For such people, they do not object to belief, if you need this to get through life. Rather, they make sense of the world just fine without God, thank you. It’s also my experience that many of these people have high moral standards. After all, integrity is a high value if you are doing good science.
Hans Madueme, in this concise little book, proposes that pursuing science, and living by faith may walk hand in hand. He begins by debunking the idea that science and faith have been at war. Many of the earliest scientists were believing Christians, including Galileo. Galileo got into trouble more because of the politics of the religious establishment rather than a conflict between science and scripture. The Scopes trial was as much about promoting the town of Dayton as it was a faith-science conflict. John Scopes was put up to it by the ACLU.
In fact, Madueme argues, Christian assumptions undergird science. The Creator-creation distinction encourages investigation of the cosmos because it is not divine. Christian assumptions that the world is knowable, rational, and dependable are basic to science. Even the fall is related to science in providing a basis for empiricism rather than the assumption that one may simply philosophically “know” the world.
Rather, the problem for Madueme lies with “scientism,” the belief that “nothing but” science is needed for all human knowledge. Ironically, that assertion is not scientifically demonstrable. However, although Madueme argues against ideological naturalism, he notes that most Christians have no difficulty embracing methodological naturalism, seeing it as the way we study the book of nature.
Having argued that faith and science may be close allies, he discusses the challenge of evolution and the different ways Christians approach this challenge. While he tries to clarify some language, like “creationist,” he doesn’t propose a resolution in this short booklet. Rather than encourage an anti-science response to instances of bad science, he affirms the commitment Christians and most scientists share to integrity, to following the data where it leads. I would like to have seen Madueme address the anti-science stance in some parts of the church and the politicization of science.
Finally, Madueme concludes the book with a brief description of the “fine tuning argument.” This is the idea that there are some particular stringent conditions under which life may arise and that the odds of this happening are incredibly high. The presence of an intelligent creator is certainly consistent with this reality, although this does not constitute proof. He notes the multiverse theories proposed as an alternate explanation. However for the believing scientist, the incredible order of the world, its intricacy, and beauty all move one to praise.
Madueme does all this in 65 pages of text. Of course he offers brief summaries of much longer discussions you can find in his notes. But I’ve found in many conversations about such things, most people are not that interested (at least initially) in wading through a technical text of several hundred pages. A brief, cogent summary is often what is needed and what Madueme has provided.
___________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
“Does science make God irrelevant?” In my experience, that is not even a question for many. Rather, they assume it is a settled fact. For such people, they do not object to belief, if you need this to get through life. Rather, they make sense of the world just fine without God, thank you. It’s also my experience that many of these people have high moral standards. After all, integrity is a high value if you are doing good science.
Hans Madueme, in this concise little book, proposes that pursuing science, and living by faith may walk hand in hand. He begins by debunking the idea that science and faith have been at war. Many of the earliest scientists were believing Christians, including Galileo. Galileo got into trouble more because of the politics of the religious establishment rather than a conflict between science and scripture. The Scopes trial was as much about promoting the town of Dayton as it was a faith-science conflict. John Scopes was put up to it by the ACLU.
In fact, Madueme argues, Christian assumptions undergird science. The Creator-creation distinction encourages investigation of the cosmos because it is not divine. Christian assumptions that the world is knowable, rational, and dependable are basic to science. Even the fall is related to science in providing a basis for empiricism rather than the assumption that one may simply philosophically “know” the world.
Rather, the problem for Madueme lies with “scientism,” the belief that “nothing but” science is needed for all human knowledge. Ironically, that assertion is not scientifically demonstrable. However, although Madueme argues against ideological naturalism, he notes that most Christians have no difficulty embracing methodological naturalism, seeing it as the way we study the book of nature.
Having argued that faith and science may be close allies, he discusses the challenge of evolution and the different ways Christians approach this challenge. While he tries to clarify some language, like “creationist,” he doesn’t propose a resolution in this short booklet. Rather than encourage an anti-science response to instances of bad science, he affirms the commitment Christians and most scientists share to integrity, to following the data where it leads. I would like to have seen Madueme address the anti-science stance in some parts of the church and the politicization of science.
Finally, Madueme concludes the book with a brief description of the “fine tuning argument.” This is the idea that there are some particular stringent conditions under which life may arise and that the odds of this happening are incredibly high. The presence of an intelligent creator is certainly consistent with this reality, although this does not constitute proof. He notes the multiverse theories proposed as an alternate explanation. However for the believing scientist, the incredible order of the world, its intricacy, and beauty all move one to praise.
Madueme does all this in 65 pages of text. Of course he offers brief summaries of much longer discussions you can find in his notes. But I’ve found in many conversations about such things, most people are not that interested (at least initially) in wading through a technical text of several hundred pages. A brief, cogent summary is often what is needed and what Madueme has provided.
___________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
January 6, 2026
“Just as breathing is impossible without oxygen, so too is science impossible without God.”
Overall, a good and accessible (if a little surface-level) treatment on the significance of theological presuppositions in scientific inquiry. Madueme argues that Christian assumptions make science possible as the natural sciences depend on God the Creator and an ordered creation. Building on the argumentation of Alvin Plantinga, Madueme also rejects methodological naturalism in scientific study. The author also shows how Scientism—the belief that only the hard sciences access to true reality—is the real threat to Christian faith rather than science itself. There is a fantastic treatment on change and fallibility in scientific conclusions as the author discusses the issue of “unconcieved alternatives” during different periods of scientific investigation and findings. The author concludes this little book with a reflection on fine-tuning and the anthropic principle, but I can’t help but feel that Madueme commits the God-of-the-gaps fallacy in the conclusion of his book—specifically when he discusses the issues of the mind and consciousness.
It’s a good little book, and probably one I’d recommend to someone who is just beginning study on the relationship between faith and science. It is a helpful contribution as Christians continue to consider how scientific study illuminates theological reflection!
Overall, a good and accessible (if a little surface-level) treatment on the significance of theological presuppositions in scientific inquiry. Madueme argues that Christian assumptions make science possible as the natural sciences depend on God the Creator and an ordered creation. Building on the argumentation of Alvin Plantinga, Madueme also rejects methodological naturalism in scientific study. The author also shows how Scientism—the belief that only the hard sciences access to true reality—is the real threat to Christian faith rather than science itself. There is a fantastic treatment on change and fallibility in scientific conclusions as the author discusses the issue of “unconcieved alternatives” during different periods of scientific investigation and findings. The author concludes this little book with a reflection on fine-tuning and the anthropic principle, but I can’t help but feel that Madueme commits the God-of-the-gaps fallacy in the conclusion of his book—specifically when he discusses the issues of the mind and consciousness.
It’s a good little book, and probably one I’d recommend to someone who is just beginning study on the relationship between faith and science. It is a helpful contribution as Christians continue to consider how scientific study illuminates theological reflection!
July 8, 2025
This is a small book so it is not going to go deeply into the issue. It is a good introduction, however. Madueme has good insights into the ways to address perceived conflicts between science and faith. He clarifies misunderstandings, such as how the popular idea of The Scopes Trial does not represent the actual events. He explores the idea of scientific truth and how it changes with continued experiments. He has positive comments on the anthropic principle, that our earth is particularly situated for life. I like how he points out the difference between science and scientism.
This is not an extensive book on the topic. It is a good beginning point for one who loves Jesus and also loves science. It is also a good book with which to begin a dialogue on the topic.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
This is not an extensive book on the topic. It is a good beginning point for one who loves Jesus and also loves science. It is also a good book with which to begin a dialogue on the topic.
I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
July 16, 2025
In Does Science Make God Irrelevant?, Madueme succinctly and pointedly explores the relationship between faith and science, including how they intersect both now and historically, as well as clarifying Christian thought and perspectives on topics such as miracles.
One of the aspects I thought Madueme best addressed was the notion that science and God are incompatible, and how that idea has arisen from popular misconceptions or misunderstandings. There is a much greater biblical foundation in science than one might think.
For believers looking to explore the relationship between God and science further, or for skeptics who might be interested in considering the Christian perspective, this is a short, easy read that highlights key points and offers recommended readings for further study.
One of the aspects I thought Madueme best addressed was the notion that science and God are incompatible, and how that idea has arisen from popular misconceptions or misunderstandings. There is a much greater biblical foundation in science than one might think.
For believers looking to explore the relationship between God and science further, or for skeptics who might be interested in considering the Christian perspective, this is a short, easy read that highlights key points and offers recommended readings for further study.
January 2, 2026
The obvious answer to the book title is “absolutely not!” He says towards the end of the book, “Science at its best invites us to doxology.”
And also:
“Our finite minds cannot fathom the breathtaking events of the creation week. The Milky Way has between one hundred billion and one trillion stars. By some estimates, the universe has up to one trillion galaxies, which means that between ten sextillion (10 followed by twenty-one zeros) and one septillion (1 followed by twenty-four zeros) stars sprinkle the cosmos. These numbers are mind-boggling—easily more than the number of sand grains on the entire planet, and more than the number of hair follicles on all humans alive today. The limitless wonders of nature and the epic breakthroughs of science make the most sense if this world is the product of God’s creative genius. Stating it bluntly: science is obsolete without God.”
And also:
“Our finite minds cannot fathom the breathtaking events of the creation week. The Milky Way has between one hundred billion and one trillion stars. By some estimates, the universe has up to one trillion galaxies, which means that between ten sextillion (10 followed by twenty-one zeros) and one septillion (1 followed by twenty-four zeros) stars sprinkle the cosmos. These numbers are mind-boggling—easily more than the number of sand grains on the entire planet, and more than the number of hair follicles on all humans alive today. The limitless wonders of nature and the epic breakthroughs of science make the most sense if this world is the product of God’s creative genius. Stating it bluntly: science is obsolete without God.”
May 23, 2025
As a Christian who runs in primarily athiest/agnostic circles, I found the topic of this book to be interesting. I would love for more people to understand how science and faith can easily coexist.
This book is easily digestible and I enjoyed learning about the historical references. I do wish that some of the key arguments were a little stronger. I also think some of the examples should be swapped out—saying that we have no way to scientifically prove that the Holocaust happened was a little weird, and may be offensive to the 200K+ survivors who are still alive today… Note that the author is of course not implying that this even did not happen, the use of it as an example just felt off to me.
Thank you to the publisher for the eARC.
This book is easily digestible and I enjoyed learning about the historical references. I do wish that some of the key arguments were a little stronger. I also think some of the examples should be swapped out—saying that we have no way to scientifically prove that the Holocaust happened was a little weird, and may be offensive to the 200K+ survivors who are still alive today… Note that the author is of course not implying that this even did not happen, the use of it as an example just felt off to me.
Thank you to the publisher for the eARC.
May 27, 2025
The author says this book is for young scientists grappling with this question, and for that specific audience I guess it does a decent job of providing the answer ("no"). The author mentions many topics (new vs. old earth creationism, evolution, intelligent design, and miracles) but explores each at an arbitrary depth. I arrived at the end wanting to learn more but with no guidance regarding next steps.
April 11, 2025
Very good at what it tries to be: a very brief, responsible, introductory answer to the titular question. Answer: "No, scientism (wrongly) does."
August 15, 2025
The soul of science by Pearcey and thaxton is a better apologetic and better all around.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews