STORY: PETER TEO
PICTURES: DANIEL LIE
HOW
can God be known? After all, the universe is a huge place and
any God who created it must be even bigger. How can our finite
minds ever understand God? These issues must always be beyond
us.
But as a Christian what if God, the infinite God, decided to reveal
himself to the finite mind in a way that the finite mind could
understand?
That seems to be reasonable to British cosmologist-theologian
David Wilkinson. "In fact," he said, "for Christianity
it is the central tenet of what the Christian faith is all about.
That is that God has revealed himself as the Book of Hebrews says,
'In many and various ways,' but supremely in his son Jesus."
He added: "No one has ever seen God; 'The only son, he has
made him known.' But the Christian claim is that God, the one
who created the 100 billion stars and the 100 billion galaxies,
can be known because he has come to us in a human being, Jesus.
"And as we look at Jesus we see God and I have to say to
you that that has been my experience. That as I read the New Testament
and then as having encountered the Risen Jesus, risen from the
tomb on Easter Day and alive now for evermore, I have encountered
the Creator God."
The Rev Dr Wilkinson, an astrophysicist and ordained minister,
who is also the Principal of St John's College, University of
Durham, was addressing fellow Methodists on the topic "God,
the Big Bang and Stephen Hawking" at ACS (Independent) on
May 21 - the first of his three evening talks organised as part
of Aldersgate Convention 2007.
He said that the Christian understanding of the Creator God is
not a God who has nothing to do with the universe. He is the God
who sustains the universe every moment and its existence, whether
it is 6,000 years old, or 13.7 billion years old, according to
one estimation. Without God it would not exist. God is the one
who keeps the universe in existence.
Who is this Jesus, he asked. "He is the one before the billions
of galaxies. The billions and billions of stars were created in
him, by him and for him. The problems of this planet, the nations,
this church, my community, my life, are put into perspective by
his supremacy.
"Just as Jesus is Lord of the galaxies he is also the one
who holds all things together. That phrase is very important to
scientists. Jesus is the one by whom the universe coheres. To
explore the universe through science, its consistencies and laws,
is to explore the one who sustains it. Science is a Christian
ministry."
The Rev Dr Wilkinson was the keynote speaker at this year's Aldersgate
Convention from May 19 to 24. He addressed the theme, "The
Heavens Declare His Glory: Science and Christian Faith,"
through a full-day seminar divided equally for youth and adults,
a series of three evening public talks and the Aldersgate Service,
which rounded off the annual celebration for Singapore Methodists
to affirm their unity in Christ as they gathered to explore their
Wesleyan heritage.
There was active participation from the youth in their seminar
which dealt with the topic "Jesus vs Aliens: The Pilgrim's
Guide to the Galaxy". Many questions were also raised by
the adults in their session on "Explaining Jesus in a High-tech
World".
In his second evening talk on May 22, the Rev Dr Wilkinson spoke
on the topic "Are We Alone in the Universe? Search for Extra-terrestrial
Intelligence and God".
His take: There is no extra-terrestrial intelligent life in our
universe. He also made the point that "extra-terrestrial
intelligence does not pose a problem to Christian belief that
men and women are special in the eyes of God. It may even increase
the sense of awe at how great this God is, who loves His creatures
so much."
The final evening's talk, entitled
"Left Behind, Frozen or Fried? Hope in the face of the future
of the Universe", drew some 480 people.
Science, said the Rev Dr Wilkinson, is pessimistic about the future,
but "our hope for the future is built on the belief that
God who built this world will not let it go".
"Our Christian hope is based on a God who brings about new
creation. New creation is possible because of a Creator God,"
he said, and quoted Isaiah 65: 17: "I will create new heavens
and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor
will they come to mind."
ALDERSGATE CONVENTION SPEAKER DAVID WILKINSON SAYS:
Reconciliation 'can make the
world a better place'
Delivering
his sermon, "The Supremacy of Jesus", at the Aldersgate
Service at ACS (Independent) on May 24, the Rev Dr Wilkinson began
by asking the congregation how we could make the world a better
place, and what was the purpose of it all.
A hundred years ago, he said, the answer to the first question
was simple - science, education and technology. Today, the dream
of human progress is a nightmare, and he cited several examples
for this state of affairs, including the abuse of the environment.
He then made three points about the supremacy of Jesus - Jesus
is supreme in revelation, in creation and in reconciliation.
On the first point, he said Jesus "is the image of the invisible
God" (Col. 1:15), the projection of God himself into the
dimensions of space-time in a way that reveals his true nature.
On the second point, he said Jesus "is the firstborn over
all creation" (Col. 1:15). "Here God's creative work
is expressed not through a concept but through a person."
And Jesus is supreme in reconciliation because this "total
reconciliation" is achieved through his blood shed on the
cross. "As nothing of the fullness of God was left out of
Jesus, so nothing is beyond his reconciling work. No one person
or no one situation is beyond the cross."
So how can the world be made a better place? Reconciliation.
"Reconciliation with God can achieve lasting peace in today's
complex world.
"Women and men, organisations and governments need to turn
to God through repentance and faith," the Rev Dr Wilkinson
concluded.
The Rev Dr David Wilkinson addressing
the youth at a seminar specially organised for them at the
sanctuary of Faith Methodist Church on May 19. The seminar attracted
a good number of adults as well.