This story was originally published as part of the fall edition of The Master’s University Magazine. Read the full magazine here.
We asked faculty members in the School of Science, Mathematics, Technology and Health to describe how they approach teaching and practicing their discipline in a Christ–honoring way.
Dr. Joe Francis (Dean, School of Science, Mathematics, Technology and Heath)
We believe God is Creator, and that all the biology we teach provides evidence of His goodness and creativity. In microbiology we see intricate details at a micro level that show bacteria with machines and even motors that rival anything we can create at the macro level. These small creatures and their machines run major recycling activities of nutrients on Earth. Also, in the human immune system we see a body system that literally protects us minute by minute from invaders, keeping beneficial microbes in place and filtering out the bad. It’s a testimony to God’s goodness in our lives each day.
David Larsen (Chair, Department of Kinesiology)
In kinesiology, we teach that God has not only created our bodies, but he is actively involved in sustaining and holding all things together in His creation (Col. 1; Heb. 1). As we study the design and function of the body, we see God’s handiwork in the intricate detail and the interdependence of the anatomical systems. The Apostle Paul uses like concepts of the human body in Romans, I Corinthians and Ephesians to teach us that a healthy, growing church has a diversity of members that work together to bring glory to the Lord. Furthermore, we learn that since the Fall, the body is susceptible to illness, injury and disease. But even through these difficult processes we all experience, we see how the Lord has crafted the body with the capability of healing and restoration.
Dr. John Eickemeyer (Associate Professor, Engineering & Computer Science)
Our department’s mission is to analyze, apply and advance technology for the honor of Christ and Scripture and for the good of all creation. However, as we do so, we must also examine the trustworthiness of technology through the lens of a biblical worldview. Advanced engineering, classical computing, quantum computing and artificial intelligence, while manifesting increasingly impressive power, have intrinsic limitations. Unsanctified individuals and societies also employ designs, algorithms and data for purposes that are not always aligned with a biblical worldview. In a world transformed by technology, believers need critical discernment in order to understand what the technology can and cannot be trusted to deliver.
Dr. Michael Button (Chair, Department of Mathematics)
Mathematics is one of the oldest subjects of study of the human race. In its simplest form, it was used in the Bible to describe quantities (of days, tribes and disciples, to name a few). It was taught in the Middle Ages, at the time of the birth of the modern university, when mathematics comprised two of the original seven liberal arts (geometry and arithmetic). Now, in the present day, mathematics is the language through which all the sciences understand creation, and provides a solid foundation in both logic and deduction. Every day, I am excited and eager to teach a subject that was created by God and is used by Him to sharpen our intellect, and to reveal more and more of the mysteries of the universe and how it functions.
David Crater, (Chair, Department of Engineering & Computer Science)
Most of today’s world of engineering, like computer science, is atheistic and Darwinistic, often aggressively so. At TMU, we take our inspiration from and teach students the awesome Christian cultures and figures of the past that produced the original mathematical and scientific innovations underlying modern technology. This is the world that produced Isaac Newton, Leonhard Euler, James Clerk Maxwell, and a host of others driven by the conviction that God’s mind is the source of order in the cosmos, that He is the Ultimate Engineer of all that is, and that because our minds are patterned after His we can understand and even copy what He has designed and built. All engineers do this, whether they know it or not; TMU engineers know it clearly.
Dr. Matthew McLain (Associate Professor, Biology & Geology)
Paleontology and geology are, for the most part, historical sciences. This means that most of what they deal with is in the past. A God-honoring perspective in these sciences, then, necessarily requires that we start with what God says about the past. We must ground ourselves in what the Word of God teaches on the origins of the Earth and its creatures before we can accurately use science to help us fill in the details. The foundation provided by the Bible gives us a framework for understanding Earth history and the confidence to tackle the hard questions of geologic time and the fossil record. Secondly, the Christian Earth scientist has the added privilege of seeing God’s glory in every feature of the Earth from the majestic beauty of the Grand Canyon to the intricate design in the eyes of a fossilized trilobite.
Learn more about TMU’s School of Science, Mathematics, Technology and Health here.
