In the wrong hands, among people with non-biblical
worldviews, the implications of all three reasons for doing
science given above are potentially horrific. The scientif-
ic endeavors of the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler are an
example—not to mention what’s going on in certain science
labs today. This secularized textbook leaves out the highest
purpose of all, the ultimate “end” of science itself: to fulfill
God’s job description for human beings to govern well over
the created realm and to do this in a way that imitates Him
rightly, both serving the common good and glorifying God in
the process. Past scientists who were followers of Christ, such
as Dr. George Washington Carver, understood this. It moti-
vated him to create printer’s ink out of soybeans. 3
Textbooks carry as much weight as teachers—or more.
Adolf Hitler, leader of the Third Reich, understood this
when he declared, “Let me control the textbooks, and I will
control the state.” 4 It is inconsistent when Christian schools
will not hire non-Christian teachers, yet think nothing of
using textbooks that go against a biblical worldview. This is
a violation of educational best practices.
How does a Christian science textbook answer the ques-
tion of “Why do science?” After telling the story of Tilly
Smith, a ten-year-old whose knowledge of tsunamis saved
two hundred people’s lives, one Christian science textbook
states: “You may be wondering, ‘Why do I have to study
earth science this year?’ You can see one good reason from
Tilly Smith’s story—earth science is a powerful tool to help
others. Christians, of all people, should want to help others.
In Genesis 1, we see that God made people to have domin-
ion over the earth (Gen 1:26–28). This command, some-
times called the Creation Mandate, includes the idea that
people should fill the earth and study it to discover the best
ways to use it.” 5
Here’s an example from a second Christian science text-
book: “Those who believe God’s Word also have the best
reasons to do life science. Life science is an incredible tool to
obey the Creation Mandate. Christians should seek places of
influence so that they can help others wisely use God’s world.
This could include helping Malagasy farmers better use their
land or using the unique flora and fauna of Madagascar to
produce medications. And as we obey God’s command to
wisely use His living world, we can also help people who
bear His image. Loving other people is another one of God’s
most important commands (Mark 12:31).” 6
FULFILLING GOD’S INTENTION
We can fulfill God’s intention for humans to govern over all
of creation, and we can love people at the same time when
we mow the lawn, cut hair, fix automobiles, and skillfully
negotiate the sale of a house. We can fulfill His intention for
us when we play a violin or write a short story, ruling well
over words, sound waves, and ideas. It is our great honor to
40
govern His stuff. When our imitation of Him is done well,
God is glorified, and people can be loved at the same time.
Work is not a curse. It is our great privilege, as beings
made in His likeness and image, to carry out our caretaking,
human-blessing assignment well. The curse pronounced by
God after sin entered the world has made our work more
difficult. Because of the curse, our work is often toilsome.
But work itself is God’s good idea.
The concepts I am writing about here are not new. Follow-
ing the reformational work of Martin Luther and John
Calvin, seventeenth-century pioneers of education such as
John Comenius, John Alsted, William Ames, and Alexander
Richardson developed biblically influenced approaches to
learning that set a new course for human history.
Every American citizen can be thankful for the past bibli-
cal connections between education and the first commission
of Genesis 1 as well as the Great Commandment of Mark
12—not to mention the Great Commission of Matthew 28.
Christian educators of the post-Reformation era grasped
these truths and developed nation-shaping ideas that laid
a foundation for something truly remarkable to follow,
the likes of which the world had never seen. Historians
have dubbed it the “Protestant Work Ethic.” But it went far
beyond being merely ethical.
Christians are sprinkled like salt throughout the full
spectrum of society in the workplace. It is here where we
have prime opportunities to observe all things that Christ
commanded. We live out the implications of His commands
in the context of our daily labor through customer service,
marketing, decision-making policies, products, produc-
tion, pricing, contracts, employee-employer relationships,
coworker relationships, accounting, management, strategic
planning, profit distribution, and community service.
The ramifications of all this for textbooks, and for the
students who read them, are enormous. These points should
be considered by educators ordering new textbooks for their
school, parents reviewing textbooks for their child, and
pastors planning lessons for their youth. ■
Dr. Christian Overman is the Founding Director of Worldview Matters® (biblicalworldview.
com). He is the author of Assumptions That Affect Our Lives and God’s Pleasure at Work and
The Difference One Life Can Make. Dr. Overman has taught on the topic of biblical worldview
and Christian education across America, as well as in Central America, South America, Eu-
rope, Africa, and Asia. He and his wife, Kathy, have four adult children and twelve grandchil-
dren. Contact Dr. Overman at [email protected].
ENDNOTES
1. For more about the Puritan Circle of Knowledge, see A Vision of Veritas by David Hill
Scott at http://www.leaderu.com/aip/docs/scott.html and The Lost Purpose for Learning by
Christian Overman at https://issuu.com/christianoverman/docs/the_lost_purpose_for_
learning.docx.
2. Michael A. DiSpezio and Marjorie Frank, Science Fusion: Introduction to Science and Tech-
nology, Teacher Edition Grades 6-8 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing, 2012), 23.
3. For more on Carver’s biblical rationale for “doing science,” see https://youtu.be/1wv4qY-
IyJoM.
4. William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (Simon & Schuster, 1960), chapter 8.
5. Earth Science, 4th Edition (BJU Press, 2012), 3.
6. Life Science, 4th Edition (BJU Press, 2013), 2.