In a recent episode of Curiosity (Discovery Channel) the question is asked, “Did God create the Universe?” In that episode Stephen Hawking suggested that there is no need for a Creator. The universe began as a primeval black hole that contained within itself all the necessary stuff to cause the big bang and set the evolutionary process in motion. Eventually the universe will collapse into itself forming another black hole. These black holes are so dense that nothing may escape – not light or even time. So, according to Hawking’s view of physics there is nothing before the primeval black hole and nothing after the eschatological black hole. The concept of a black hole from which there is no escape seems to me to be a scientists concept of hell, a place of utter despair. While I appreciate the role of science in unlocking the many mysteries of the universe I am compelled to wonder, “Why have humans always looked up?”
The Greek word for “human” is anthropos, which literally means “one who gazes up.” It seems that deep within the human psyche there is an intuitive knowledge of the divine. This is expressed in every human culture. This is so common in human culture that some biologists have suggested the presence of a “religion gene” within human DNA. The Apostle Paul said, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20 NASB). Paul suggests that humans have the capacity to know God through evidence, that is, God’s activity in creation and history. Even so, many do not “see fit to acknowledge God” (Romans 1:28). The physics of Stephen Hawking refuses to acknowledge the possibility of God who transcends the black hole.
Genesis tells us of a primeval world of darkness and chaos. In the midst of chaos, the Spirit of God hovered over “the deep.” In the midst of the darkness God said, “Let there be light.” The ancient theologian believed that God transcends matter and that God is the source of life and light. God as life and light is enfleshed in the person of Jesus Christ. In death, Christ was carried into a “black hole,” the grave. The same Spirit that brought life and light to the chaos and darkness of the primeval world, moved over the lifeless body of Jesus and raised Him from the dead. Jesus emerged from the grave as God’s cosmic victor over death, hell, and the grave. In Christ, the despair of the black hole gives way to the hope of life eternal.
Those who refuse to acknowledge God may prefer a cosmic plan that begins and ends with a black hole. However, with the Psalmist, I sing, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, . . .O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:3-9 NASB).
