Trust vs. Confidence

“When struck by fear, I let go, depending securely upon You alone. In God—whose word I praise—in God I place my trust.” (Psalm 56:3-4 VOICE)

Someone recently asked me if I trust science more than the Bible. 

As a science major who went to a Baptist college where Bible courses were mandatory for all graduates, I’ve always been comfortable with both science and faith. Like mathematics, science in its purest form is data driven. Unfortunately, science has become politicized. While math is still considered to be factual and objective, science is now treated as if it were subject to interpretation. 

The Bible is sacred literature which has been translated and interpreted by many different cultures over centuries. It is filled with allegories, poetry, and parables that illustrate mysteries beyond human understanding. It is divinely inspired but written and codified by humans. Christian denominations do not all agree on the validity of varying texts of the Bible. Some accept certain books while rejecting others. There are groups who take certain verses of the Bible literally, while glossing over other parts as depictions of ancient cultural practices.

Although trust and confidence are often used interchangeably, trust is a much more expansive concept. I have a certain degree of confidence in science, granted that the data is accurate. Confidence is rational and logical. It is based on previous experiences of reliability. You can back it up with data. Trust is beyond reason, beyond logic, beyond rational thinking. You can neither prove it nor disprove it with data or experiences. Trust grows in the soil of uncertainty. It stems from the belief that we cannot know all there is to know. Trust is an act of faith. It is a letting go of our need for certainty. 

In answer to the original question: While both science and the Bible have greatly informed my understanding and shaped my life, my trust is placed in God alone.