As I read the news this morning I saw that Stephen Hawking died. The renowned physicist was an amazing man. Now only did he have a brilliant mind, but he amazed doctors by living more than 50 years beyond the two years they estimated for him when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. For a man confined to a wheelchair and unable to even speak, he was very active. He wrote books, made many public appearances, and guest-starred on numerous TV shows, including—appropriately—The Big Bang Theory.
Hearing of his death reminded me of an article I read a few months ago. Apparently, scientists can’t figure out why we’re here. Physicists at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) have admitted they can’t explain why we’re here—or why there’s even a “here” at all—if the big bang theory is true. Basically, the thing is that the explosion (the “big bang”) should’ve created an equal amount of anti-matter that would’ve annihilated the matter created by the “big bang.” Antimatter annihilates in a burst of pure energy when it comes in contact with matter. So, if the big bang theory is true, we shouldn’t be here. The matter created should’ve been destroyed. But they can’t figure out why it wasn’t. Because everything they’ve tried shows that matter and anti-matter are produced in equal amounts.
But scientists—including the late Professor Hawking—still persisted in their belief in the big bang theory, even though their evidence suggests there must be another explanation. They just believe they haven’t found out why yet. I believe the evidence points to an outside Creator. I believe that makes more sense. But they’re so married to their faith that there is no outside force—no Creator—that they cling blindly to their theories, even though they have no evidence for why they’re true.
Our faith is based on evidence—evidence we’re reminded of especially on Easter—that Jesus rose from the dead. Numerous authors, including Josh McDowell and Lee Strobel have detailed the facts and all the evidence—biblical and extra-biblical—that prove it happened. And that amazing event gives us the promise of eternal life. Because if Jesus rose from the dead it means He was who He said He was—the Son of God. And it means He took the punishment for our sins, so we could have eternal life.
As we celebrate Easter let’s rejoice in the knowledge that our faith is not a blind faith, and that the hope we cling to is a living hope (1 Peter 1:3).