In the early Seventeenth Century, the historic Christian Church believed the Earth was the center of the universe and that the Sun revolved around the Earth. The Church relied on scriptures that described the Earth as immovable, and the idea that the incarnation of Christ must be the center of all things.

Through observations made with his newly improved telescope, Galileo Galilei empirically demonstrated that our planet was not the center of the universe—the Earth revolved around the Sun. The Church prosecuted Galileo for heresy, and compelled him to recant the truth so that he could avoid torture.  He was sentenced to life imprisonment, which was later commuted to house arrest.  His publications were banned, including any Galileo might write in the future.

As it became clear that Galileo was right and the Church was wrong, confidence in the Church’s ability to reflect truth began to erode. This moment was a pivot point in history, leading to the Age of Reason, the Enlightenment, and the Renaissance—the secularization of society. If the Church could be so wrong about such an important point—and so willing to destroy those who disagreed—how could the Church be relied on for other contentions of truth?

As a result of the secularization of Western Civilization, it cannot be denied that hundreds of millions have chosen science—rather than faith—to be the arbiter of truth. Those that claimed to speak for God, who claimed to protect the Christian faith, instead alienated millions from faith, because they were so sure they were right when they were wrong.

Today, some in evangelical circles demand adherence to ideas that appear as wrong as the idea that the Sun revolves around the Earth.  Some claim that fidelity to the Biblical scripture requires the conclusion that the Earth is less than 10,000 years old, that dinosaurs coexisted with man, and that dinosaurs must have been on Noah’s Ark. These advocates state that if you do not share their beliefs, then you do not believe the whole Bible. And if you do not believe the whole Bible, how can you believe any of the Bible?

The story of Galileo should give each of us pause. Why would my neighbor ever listen to anything I have to say about Jesus Christ, and Him crucified, if I tell him he must also believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth?