Biblical Christianity, Quantum Physics and Spirituality

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PELOS PRESS

11 min readOct 26, 2021

Coherence and Difference

I would like to thank Graham Pemberton for a very interesting and stimulating discussion via a series of six articles on Medium (written by Graham) and replies (written as comments mainly by me). It started through a question I posed as a reply to one of Graham’s articles, he turned his reply into an article, from which grew a series. I said that perhaps one day I would return the complement, and so here it is.

What follows is my perspective on the most important, big picture themes that have arisen. I have left much of the detailed discussion out of this article, but there are links to Graham’s relevant articles at the end, if you would like to follow the detail for yourself.

Coherence — Quantum Physics and Biblical Christianity

This particular ball started rolling when I read this quote in one of Graham’s articles:

Following the first quantum breakthroughs we find physicists saying: “The universe is looking less like a great machine, and more like a great thought”. That was Sir James Jeans. (1)

I found it very refreshing that the strange but undeniable observations of quantum physics are causing physicists to seek explanations beyond the material world. As Graham and many authors have pointed out, quantum physics can be interpreted as pointing to an interconnectedness in the quantum realm that a purely materialistic world view finds difficult to explain. For example, it has been discovered that photons behave one way when they are not observed and a different way when they are observed. How does the photon know it is being observed? Therefore, Quantum physics, it is argued, points to a non-physical spiritual realm. Of course, all spiritual beliefs and religions can agree on this point — there is a spiritual realm that remains largely invisible to human beings living in this material universe.

What grabbed my attention was how the idea of the universe being like a great thought resonated with Bible verses I had been studying for my second book, “FOR HIM: Living out your glorious purpose in CHRIST”.

To my mind, one of the most astonishing passages in the Bible is:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15–17 NIV)

The wonderous, stupendous even audacious claim, in this and other Bible passages, is that all things, in the material and spiritual worlds were created in, through and for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I cannot think of a bigger claim, or a bigger picture than this. Not only did Christ create all things, but he also holds all things together. The resonance with the idea of the universe being like a great thought comes from the other Biblical claim that Jesus Christ is the Word of God:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1–3 NIV)

This “Word” in the original Greek is “Logos”, which means, “the expression of a thought” (2). This Word, this expression of God’s thought, created all things, and this Word is a person — Jesus Christ. It is perhaps to be expected that Christ should be at the centre of Christianity, but these scriptures put Christ at the centre of the cosmos. This revelation alone would be enough to cause Christians to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, but our worship turns into “wonder, love and praise” when we realise that the same person who created all things also suffered and died to reconcile us to God.

Difference — Biblical Christianity and Spirituality

There is a view popular in spirituality, among people of many religions and even people of no religion, that all faiths are different views of the same spiritual reality; that all roads eventually lead to “God”. My impression is that Graham believes this view that is often illustrated by the parable of “The Blind Men and the Elephant”. It is an ancient teaching that has many versions, and it broadly goes like this:

A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: “We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable”. So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. The first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said, “This being is like a thick snake”. For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said the elephant, “is a wall”. Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear. (3)

Sometimes in the story an argument breaks out between the blind men, because they all think their view is right and the other’s views are wrong. A sighted observer in the parable then corrects the blind men by saying something like, “Each of you blind men touched only one part of the elephant. You must put all your observations of the different parts together to find out what an elephant is like.”

One moral of the story is the importance of humility in dealing with different views on a topic, any topic, where we tend to only have a part of the picture. In that regard, the parable makes a lot of sense to me.

This parable is honoured in many, especially eastern religions and beliefs, and so I want to respect that. Where the parable starts to fall down for me is where the elephant is used to represent God, and those seeking the truth about him are the blind men. My difficulties are as follows:

The parable contradicts itself

The parable puts forward its own world view that claims to be superior to any other view of God. It does this in the form of the sited person who sees the elephant for what it is and tells the blind men to put their different perspectives together to get the full picture. Tim Keller sums up the contradiction this way:

“How could you know that each blind man only sees part of the elephant unless you claim to be able to see the whole elephant?
“How could you possibly know that no religion can see the whole truth unless you yourself have the superior, comprehensive knowledge of spiritual reality you just claimed that none of the religions have?” (4)

2. Those who hold to this parable seem to find it necessary to try and undermine the Bible

It strikes me as interesting, but not surprising, that Graham and others find it necessary to try to undermine the authenticity and authority of the Bible. This does not strike me as being in the spirit of this parable, that encourages us in humility to take different perspectives of God to heart.

However, I can understand their need to undermine the Bible, because of its astonishing revelations and claims, as we saw above. If you take the Bible seriously, as the written word of God, then it makes it rather difficult to also hold other views; they are incompatible and mutually exclusive.

The situation reminds me of the time that Aaron’s staff swallowed the staffs of Pharaoh’s magicians:

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘When Pharaoh says to you, “Perform a miracle,” then say to Aaron, “Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,” and it will become a snake.’
So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. Pharaoh then summoned the wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. (Exodus 7:8–12 NIV)

There are other spiritual powers in this world that are opposed to God, however, when they come head-to-head, the power of God and the word of God reigns supreme. This theme continues in the New Testament through its revelation of the supremacy of Christ.

I have been using the term Biblical Christianity throughout this article deliberately, so perhaps now is a good point to define what I mean. My definition is:

Biblical Christianity is a world view that makes the Bible the ultimate authority for all matters relating to God, spirituality and living as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Biblical Christianity is distinct from “Cultural Christianity”, which places cultural norms above the Bible. It can be remarkably hard to discern what is cultural and truly Biblical thinking. Biblical Christianity is also distinct from “Religious Christianity”, by which I mean Christianity that puts the traditions of religion, and even the Church, above the Bible. This was at the root of Martin Luther’s disagreement with the then Roman Catholic Church.

Biblical Christianity, like Martin Luther, considers the Bible and sound reason to be the ultimate authority.

3. The parable assumes the elephant does not speak

Elephants of course do not speak for themselves, but when the parable is applied to God, all the Abrahamic faiths would claim that God has spoken. Rather than human beings having to grope around to discover what God is like, Christianity claims that God has taken the initiative to reveal himself by speaking to us:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. (Hebrews 1:1–3 NIV)

God’s ultimate revelation to us is through his Son, Jesus Christ, the living Word, who is the “exact representation of his being”. We also see the reference to Christ “sustaining all things by his powerful word”, once again echoing the findings of quantum physics.

Astonishing Biblical Coherence

Graham has made much of my claim that the Bible is astonishingly coherent, which prompted him to raise issues that to him suggested otherwise. You can see the issues he raised and my detailed answers in the articles and replies referenced below (particularly the last two). But rather than just give defensive answers, I wanted here to give a positive example of the kind of the glorious, big picture coherence that I had in mind. For this I want to again turn to the surprising topic of snakes. During Israel’s time in the wilderness, we read this:

They travelled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go round Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’
Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people.
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. (Numbers 21:4–9 NIV)

The people sinned by speaking against God and against Moses. In response God sent venomous snakes among them and many of the Israelites died. Desperate, the people came to Moses confessing their sin and asking for Moses to pray that the Lord would take the snakes away. However, when Moses prayed to God, the Lord’s response was surprising. Instead of taking the snakes away, God instructed Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, so that when anyone was bitten, they could look at the snake and live. Why did God respond in this way? First of all, it is an early example of salvation by faith alone. Was there anything those bitten by the snakes could do to save themselves? No! However if they believed God and looked to the snake they were saved. But why did God choose the symbol of a snake? Why not choose a symbol of God’s presence, like the mountain where God gave the Ten Commandments? Or why not choose a symbol of God’s power, like the parting of the Red Sea?

We find the answer some 1,500 years later, in the New Testament when Jesus said:

No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. (John 3:13–15 NIV)

The snake, the symbol of the problem, was lifted up so that the people who looked at the snake would live. Why did the people look at the snake? Because Moses told them that if they did, they would live. In order to look at the snake they had to believe what Moses said. The event in the wilderness was a foreshadowing of Jesus dying on the cross. As Jesus says, he (the Son of Man) had to be lifted up so that anyone who looks to him might be saved and receive eternal life. But isn’t Jesus the solution rather than the problem? Why then is the symbol of the snake, the source of the problem, used to symbolise Jesus? The reason is that on the cross Jesus became the problem; on the cross Jesus became sin:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

Throughout the Bible the message is clear: we have all been infected by sin; we have all rejected God and his word; and we cannot save ourselves. On the cross God poured all the sin of the world upon Jesus, then passed judgement on that sin and on Jesus. Consequently Jesus bore the penalty for our sin, so that, like the bronze snake, all who look to him might receive forgiveness and eternal life. This is why Jesus said:

‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ (John 14:6 NIV)

Here we see the message at the heart of the gospel spanning 1,500 years; here, to my mind, we see astonishing coherence in the Bible. I hope that some who read this might take this message to heart and accept the invitation to believe in Jesus and receive eternal life.