Quantum Physics and Faith - Mike Mumford

General relativity is to quantum physics as theology is to faith. Let me explain.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of faith. What exactly is it? Is it what you believe about God? Is it how you hold those beliefs? Does it have anything to do with belief at all? Well, I think it’s a lot like quantum physics. Yeah… let me explain…

General relativity vs quantum physics

If you’re familiar with these two terms then you can probably skip to the next part. But, the basic gist of what I’m getting at here is that general relativity deals with more of the concrete and observable parts of reality, while quantum physics deals with the immaterial and the invisible. These two theories of reality both describe the same things, but from vastly different perspectives. General relativity describes and predicts how the universe behaves on a cosmic scale; planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, etc. Quantum Physics describes the subatomic world; electrons, protons, quarks, bosons, etc. 

We know that the universe we live in is accurately described by both of these theories, however, they don’t seem to work together. Physicists are still looking for one elegant solution to combine all that we’ve discovered in both general relativity and quantum physics. It could happen any day, but it’s also possible we will never understand how it all works. It’s possible that the only way to link them would require data from higher dimensions that we simply don’t have access to. I’m going somewhere with all of this.

Theology and faith

The way I think about the difference between theology or doctrine and faith is similar to the difference between general relativity and quantum physics. While theology and doctrine deal with a certain set of data points (namely scripture references from the Judeo Christian bible), faith deals with an entirely different set of data. Faith deals with experience, affection, desire, hope, spirit, humanhood, etc. Don’t hear me saying that one is more important than the other. I don’t believe that at all, but it’s also vital to consider both when drawing conclusions about the nature of reality. 

In my experience in ministry, there has been a over emphasis on theology. It’s beautiful, really. The outward focus places God in a very appropriate place, the absolute center of our intellectual and affectional pursuits. However, I have found that much of the doctrine I picked up along the way also had a subplot that went unspoken most of the time. But, it was essentially that we are wicked and broken so nothing we think of can be trusted if it’s not validated by scripture. I don’t disagree with this entirely. I think it’s wise to allow your faith to be tested by the scriptures that we claim to be our guide. However, to what extent is the opposite true? To what extent can our experience of faith influence the way we interact with the Bible? 

When it comes to physics, both quantum physics, and general relativity check and balance each other. Sometimes general relativity more completely answers a question about the cosmos and sometimes quantum physics captures something so fundamental to reality that it changes the way we think about cosmic level events. Hawking radiation (look it up) is a fabulous example of something in the quantum realm redefining something we thought we understood from general relativity. 

I think the same could be said about the correlation between faith and theology. If we study our faith with the same fervency as we did the Bible, what would we discover about ourselves that would open our eyes to things that have always been there but have been just shrouded in obscurity? I don’t really have an answer to this at the moment, more of an encouragement. I think there is a lot to uncover in studying the phenomenon of our own faith. My hope is that as we pioneer that territory, it will change our relationship with theology in the contemporary church. That’s a future I get excited about.

There is much to discover.