Where Are We Going?

 

What is the point of learning about space and time? How will that help me learn about God and strengthen my faith? Where are we going with this?

One science fact that many Christians struggle with concerns objects that are millions of light-years away, yet we can see them. The James Webb Space Telescope has photographed galaxies that are billions of light-years away. A light year is not a time, but a distance. It is the distance light travels in a year, about six trillion miles. The light we see from those objects must have been traveling for millions or billions of years to reach our eyes and the instruments of astronomers. Does this prove that the universe is millions or billions of years old?

The currently accepted theory about the origin of the universe, the Big Bang Theory, is in trouble. In 2004, New Scientist published a letter signed by 33 top scientists, titled ‘Bucking the Big Bang’. It states: “Big Bang Theory relies on a growing number of hypothetical entities—things that we have never observed.  Inflation, dark matter, and dark energy are the most prominent.  Without them, there would be fatal contradictions between the observations made by astronomers and the predictions of the Big Bang Theory.  In no other field of physics would this continual resource to new hypothetical objects be accepted as a way of bridging the gap between theory and observation.”

There are many potential alternatives to the Big Bang, including some that align with the biblical timeline of about six thousand years. Before we explore these theories, we need to understand the subtlety and strangeness of space and time. First, we will examine relativity before the twentieth century, sometimes called Galilean relativity, even though most of it derives from Newton’s laws of motion. Then we will investigate Einstein’s two theories of relativity, special and general.

Einstein’s theories of relativity will help us understand how our perception of space and time can change depending on our frame of reference. It is more than just our perception. Space can shrink (Lorentz contraction), and clocks can run at different rates (time dilation) depending on their speed or gravitational potential energy relative to an observer, such as us. Once we learn this, we can understand models created by astrophysicists that start from a biblical worldview.

The Big Bang Theory was developed using the mathematics of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. However, several assumptions and input parameters must be applied to reach a solution. Physicist Dr. Russ Humphreys created a model using general relativity, with different assumptions, that suggests time dilation could explain why we can observe objects millions of light-years away on an Earth that is only thousands of years old.

Astrophysicist Dr Jason Lisle has developed another theory based on the observation that we cannot measure the one-way speed of light. Therefore, we can select, by convention, the speed of light along various paths such that the two-way speed of light matches measurements. It seems strange, but Einstein noted it over a hundred years ago, and I have not found a way to refute it. Dr. Lisle’s theory means that the light from distant objects could travel much faster than the speed of light to reach us.

These and other similar theories should encourage Christians and strengthen our faith because there are answers to skeptics’ questions. Sometimes we might think that since everyone else believes in secular science rather than God, our belief is less valid. But the truth is not determined by the majority. It doesn’t matter how many people believe there is no God. If you seek Him, you will find Him. He is seeking you. You can attend a church service, experience Him, and know that He not only exists but also loves you.